LEC Spring 2021 Playoffs Preview

The Group Stage of LEC Spring 2021 is over and we’re quickly approaching the Playoffs. Just 6 of the 10 teams have qualified for it and just like last season, the battle for the title is taking place between 4 of them: G2 Esports, Rogue, MAD Lions, and Fnatic. Why Fnatic? Because they’re known to go into overdrive once they reach the 2^nd phase, even if they did poorly in the 1^st.

LEC Spring 2021 Group Stage Results

LEC Spring 2021 has provided a lot of great matches so far. Initially, people were worried about Fnatic losing their way after losing Rekkles, but ultimately it wasn’t as bad as everyone feared.

The two big favorites ahead of the competition were G2 Esports and Rogue. And both of them delivered. In fact, G2 would have won the Group Stage with ease had it not been for their epic disaster during the 8^th and final week. The team lost 2 matches that should have been a walk in the park and that nullified their advantage against Rogue. In the end, both teams finished with 14 wins and 4 losses, even though G2 won both derbies against their archrival.

The complete results were the following:

• 1^st place: G2 Esports: 14 W – 4 L
• 2^nd place: Rogue: 14 W – 4 L
• 3^rd place: MAD Lions: 10 W – 8 L
• 4^th place: FC Schalke 04 Esports: 9 W – 9 L
• 5^th place: Fnatic: 9 W – 9 L
• 6^th place: SK Gaming: 8 W – 10 L
• 7^th place: Misfits Gaming: 8 W – 10 L
• 8^th place: Excel Esports: 7 W – 11 L
• 9^th place: Astralis: 6 W – 12 L
• 10^th place: Team Vitality: 5 W – 13 L

Playoffs Participants

The participants of the LEC Spring 2021 Playoffs are the following:

G2 Esports

G2 is by far the biggest favorite. This team won the last 4 LEC splits and finished in the top 4 at the last 3 editions of Worlds. In 2019, they were in the Grand Final. On top of these accomplishments, they also brought in one of the strongest carry players in Europe prior to the start of this season. Rekkles left Fnatic to join them and so far, he has confirmed his value.

Rogue

Rogue started to get into the spotlight in the second half of the 2019 season. Initially they finished LEC Summer 2019 in 4^th place and then went on to finish 5^th and 3^rd at the next two splits in 2020. This was also the year when they qualified for their first Worlds tournament. They only finished 13^th – 16^th there, but the participation itself is still a clear sign of strength.

Rogue’s weak point is how they deal with tension. We’ve seen this before. In LEC Summer 2020, the team won the Group Stage but then went on to lose against both G2 and Fnatic in the Playoffs. My fear is that the same will happen here. But even if it does, Rogue should finish at least 3rd.

MAD Lions

Starting with 2020, MAD Lions has been one of the strong LEC teams. They finished LEC Spring 2020 in 3^rd place and LEC Summer 2020 in 4^th place. They also played at Worlds last season and finished 19^th – 20^th. During LEC Spring 2021, MAD Lions drew against G2, and defeated Fnatic and Rogue twice. This is a clear indication that we may see them do very well in the Playoffs and perhaps even win.

FC Schalke 04 Esports

S04 is another fascinating team to watch. They finished the regular season with 9 wins and 9 losses but apart from MAD Lions, nobody managed to defeat them twice. Vitality lost both matches against them, MAD won both of them and everybody else drew. So G2, Rogue, Fnatic, and all the other Playoffs teams could easily lose to S04.

Fnatic

Fnatic is the high-ceiling team that everyone expects to perform when it matters most. And they usually do. But will they succeed in doing that again, now that they no longer have Rekkles? We’ll have to see. Many are pessimistic about their chances and it’s easy to see why. Multiple teams that are in the Playoffs either drew against them or defeated them twice during the Group Stage of LEC Spring 2021. The only team they beat is SK Gaming.

SK Gaming

At this competitive level, SK Gaming is without a doubt an underdog. And my guess is that they won’t find much success in the Playoffs. However, keep in mind that SK drew against S04 and somehow managed to beat MAD Lions twice in the Group Stage. Against the other 3 participants, G2, Rogue, and Fnatic, they lost. And unfortunately for them, their first match of the tournament will take place in the Lower Bracket, against Fnatic.

 

Photo credit: Riot Games