LEC: Preview to the Summer Split Finals or Teams that have struggled during the season now attack the Season Finals

The summer split is coming to a close. Four teams remain in the pool to battle it out for the title. For three of them, this will be their debut year.

The European LEC is writing some interesting stories this year. One of them is the battle to qualify for the Season Finals. It is already clear that we will have four teams in the last stage of the European competition, which will decide the teams for the World Championship. These are G2 Esports, MAD Lions, Team BDS and SK Gaming.

However, there is a big fight for the remaining two spots. With Excel’s success, it is clear that Vitality, who have held the last promotion spot so far, will not advance to the final stage.

However, no one expected Excel and also Fnatic and Team Heretics to have such a performance boost beforehand. These three teams share one common element, the teams have battled through the previous two splits and ended up deep in the losers’ bracket (Excel), or slipped into the second stage but then finished quickly (Fnatic, Heretics).

The last to make the final four are G2 Esports, who are assured of a spot in the Season Finals and thus don’t have to look back at the results.

Excel is attacking for the title, can they do it?

Definitely the big surprise is the spring renaissance of Team Excel. The team that always finished last in the previous two splits has suddenly caught their stride. Their run was cut short by G2 Esports on Monday in the battle for direct qualification to the finals, where Excel lost in the fifth game (2:3).

Still, Excel’s performance is awe-inspiring and it will now be interesting to see what the loss to G2 does to the team. The great confidence of the team and especially the veteran Odoamne is greatly felt.

With the loss to G2, the team is confident of being the final boss before the finals. The team will wait for their opponent to emerge from the Fnatic/Team Heretics pairing.

The KOI players are definitely watching Excel’s performance from afar as well, hoping that Excel doesn’t slip through to the finals. Should that happen, KOI will not advance to the Season Finals and Excel will take their place.

With Excel’s current phase, one can certainly expect that their potential opponent in the battle for the finals played on Saturday will not have it easy at all. Can Excel maintain their phase and challenge G2 for the title again?

Two teams, one seat at the Season Finals or the Little Final between Fnatic and Heretics

Tonight, one of the similarly bubbly teams will be rejoicing and the other will be sorely disappointed. The clash between Fnatic and Team Heretics can literally be considered an early final.

Both teams have struggled throughout the season, both have caught their stride, both are looking to storm the Worlds. Unfortunately, Excel’s success has made that dream a tough choice. Only the winner will secure a spot in the Season Finals. No fix, no second chance.

Fnatic should, on paper, be the better team. The team finished second in the Summer Split regular season and showed a lot of promise going into the next games. However, there is a lot of nervousness on the team and the gained confidence seems easy to lose.

The Czech coach of Fnatic Nightshare definitely knows how to prepare his charges. But the players have to be careful of any mistakes. Heretics, who didn’t exactly look like a hot candidate for the elite four, are playing a very compact game.

If there’s a path to success for Fnatic, it’s definitely the top line. Evi, despite his best efforts, doesn’t play optimally, and it often happens that the opponent gains significant advantages through him. The Japanese veteran in the service of Heretics is definitely looking to gain the reputation he needs. Unfortunately, his current spurt of form is not well timed.

Still, compactness and team performance are the way to go for the league newcomer. If Evi, as well as another veteran, Jankos, get their act together, the team can think about the Season Finals. The Heretics have a very capable botline that can challenge even the best.

What’s the schedule?

The final weekend of the Summer Split will kick off with a Friday night battle between Fnatic and Heretics. The next match is then scheduled for Saturday, when the winner of this duel will go to Excel. The winner of Saturday’s duel will then challenge G2 Esports for the title on Sunday.

All matches start at 18:00 and can be watched on the LEC’s YouTube or Twitch channels. After the finals, the lineup of matches for the Worlds qualifiers will then be drawn following the Season Finals.

Sources: LEC, Leaguepedia, Kaza LoL