With MSI behind us, it’s time to look ahead to regional League of Legends esports again.
With the LEC back in early June, the turnaround from international event to the European league is quickly approaching. With just MAD Lions representing Europe, and finishing in the Semi-Finals, they’ll return to Europe with their heads held high. As for the rest of Europe, we’ve already seen some interesting roster moves, including Fnatic moving top laner Bwipo into the jungle. As for the rest, can those at the bottom climb up the table, and can G2 Esports regain their title.
The Title Contenders
MAD Lions – After their success in the Spring Split MAD Lions will come into Summer as a favourite. They won’t be the unknown they were in Spring, but they showed a lot of resilience to come from behind and take a LEC title. As a side that’s often not taken seriously, MAD could be a problem for a lot of sides in Summer.
G2 Esports – It’s impossible to look past G2 for Summer. Despite failing to make the Grand Finals in Spring, a place at Worlds 2021 is on the line in Summer and G2 will need to show up big. The side has more competition than ever before and this will be a real test of how G2 can cope. This is a new test for G2, a side that’s been at the top for so long with only Fnatic really keeping them company. With Rogue and MAD Lions now pushing G2 Esports on both sides, Summer Split will be a good test for how G2 handles that new pressure
Rogue – Rogue has been a side that came so close in multiple seasons, but just can’t seem to make it stick. Spring finally looked like their chance to take a title, with G2 Esports not in the final it seemed like a perfect opportunity for Rogue to take a title. It started so well, but Rogue couldn’t take down MAD, and with Summer fast approaching Rogue need to switch it back on again. They’ll likely be in with a shot, but they’ll need to shake off some disappointment from Spring.
Our first ten years in League of Legends ends. Our next ten begins.
Bienvenue à Fnatic, @Ricadam_lol
pic.twitter.com/3eAUIB6K5N
— FNATIC (@FNATIC) May 25, 2021
Fnatic – The first side to make changes, Fnatic has shifted their top lane to the jungle and signed a new top laner to replace him. It’s a bold move for Fnatic, and time will tell how it works out. Summer Split feels like a big moment for Fnatic, with Worlds around the corner they simply cannot allow themselves to not qualify for that event. If Fnatic doesn’t make it, however, it could spell a huge rethink in the off-season if the worst comes to be.
Schalke 04 – A shock fourth-place entry in Europe saw Schalke 04 come up huge in the playoffs as they pushed Fnatic out. With Kirei joining in the jungle and Nuclearint being promoted from the Academy to the starting roster, it remains to be seen how Schalke 04 perform. We also don’t have an update on stories about the side selling their spot in the LEC after the German Football side that owns them were relegated from Germany’s top flight.
Best of the Rest
It’s a tough call when we look at the rest of the league. SK Gaming had a good season before falling off towards the playoffs. Misfits Gaming had nearly the opposite problem, but just couldn’t make it in the end. Excel Esports needs to make playoffs this year if they want to achieve their goal of making the playoffs in their first three years. As for Astralis and Team Vitality, they’ll need to make some big improvements if they want to compete with the big sides.
As always with Europe, however, we’ll likely see a surprise or two so be sure to keep an eye on MansionBet during the season for odds on the LEC.