It’s that time again, as the LEC finally comes back around as we see competitive League of Legends return to Europe.
As with any first week, the opening week of the LEC is full of quality fixtures. First up we have G2 Esports v MAD Lions, a repeat of one of the most hyped matchups from the 2020 season. 2020 hotshots, Rogue, will face off against Excel Esports to start off their title challenge, whilst Fnatic will face off against a rejuvenated Misfits Gaming.
G2 Esports v MAD Lions
After winning yet another LEC split back-to-back G2 went into Spring arguably strong. With the pickup of Rekkles for long-time member Perkz, G2 Esports will be the team to fear in 2021. It will be the first showing for the roster, however, which is always hard to predict. That said, MAD Lions has also made changes and we expect G2 Esports to come out on top here at 4/13 to take the series.
HERE. WE. GO.
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— G2 Esports (@G2esports) January 15, 2021
MAD Lions has made changes in the off-season, with the most notable being to the coaching staff. They managed to retain their star bot lane, despite interest from a number of sides. We think MAD Lions will be expected to have a solid season, and facing G2 Esports in the first game of the season might be the best time to face the league’s best side. We think they’ll struggle, with us having them at 47/20 to win it, and an upset is definitely possible.
Rogue v Excel Esports
Rogue was one of the surprise rosters of the 2020 season. Though they fell off towards the end, they did make it to Worlds. The roster wasn’t able to bring their form from the LEC to the Worlds stage, however, and ultimately left home in the group stage. Excel Esports will present a challenging first series for the Rogue roster, however, we suspect they’ll have enough to take them down. We have Rogue at 5/14 to take the series.
Excel Esports has had some changes ahead of 2021. The roster has likely side-stepped for 2021, though, with other sides behind them seemingly weaker than last year, Excel might be in a good position to take a challenge to those above them. This first series will be a tough ask, though with Rogue looking to kick on in 2021 and get some early wins on the table. We have Excel as 41/20 outsiders, though they’ll be a side to watch in 2021.
Fnatic v Misfits Gaming
After G2 Esports took a double title win in 2020, Fnatic will go into 2021 a disappointing side. That’s before they lost star ADC Rekkles to G2 Esports. They’ve also lost mid laner Nemesis, though some Fnatic fans will likely see that as a good thing given his poor form. Nisqy is an improvement in the mid lane, though Upset is likely a step back in the ADC role. We said it in our preview of the season, but we think it’s a case of one step forward, one step back for the roster. For this first series against Misfits, however, they will be favourites at 4/13 and it might just be the start Fnatic needs.
Misfits Gaming looks like the dark horse of the 2021 LEC. A roster that has seen improvements in some areas, while looking weaker in others. After the organisation hired a new head of League of Legends Development, it looks like the roster might be playing the long game ahead of the Spring Split with the roster looking to develop talent. For this series against Fnatic, we’ll get the first look at this new roster, and we have them as 23/10 outsiders to take down Fnatic.
*All odds correct at time of writing.