Rogue
It’s been an unbelievable season for Rogue so far, and it’s hard to see anything changing that. With a potential 18-0 on the cards (something only Fnatic have managed before), Rogue will be a side to beat. Though, right now, they seem unbeatable. With Astralis and Misfits next week, it seems unlikely that will change any time soon. Though, it’d be typically LEC if it was Astralis, currently winless, who finally beat Rogue.
Fnatic
Fnatic has found themselves in second place, despite some poor performance. Currently, in joint-second with G2 Esports, Fnatic is well-placed for a playoff spot. The key for Fnatic is going to be cleaning up their play against sides around them, while not slipping up against “easy” opponents. Almost like it was planned, Fnatic will come against exactly those two sides next week. In SK, they have a must-win game, and against Vitality, they’ve got a second shot at the “Super Team”. While Vitality hasn’t quite found the form most people expect, it will come, and Fnatic needs to be prepared for it.
G2 Esports
G2 Tried and failed to take down Rogue last week. Despite that, they find themselves in joint-second with Fnatic as they push for playoffs. G2 begin the second half of the split against Astralis and MAD, so a 2-0 week will be on the agenda. G2 will want to give a good showing in the second half and given their fairly new roster, they’ll be happy with what they’ve achieved thus far. That said, G2 are a team that only know winning, and 2021 saw them failing to pick up a LEC title. So while the roster is new, the organisation will expect to be pushing for a title in 2022.
Vitality
It’s been a weird first half of the split for Vitality. People expected so much from them, but it just hasn’t worked out for them. The positive is that they ended the first half of the split 5-4, mirror that in the second half, and they’ll make playoffs easily. That said, Vitality is a “Super Team”, they’ll be expecting a lot more than taking part. It’s going to be a tough ask for them to win the Spring Split now, especially given how good Rogue look. Vitality face Excel and Fnatic next week, and they’ll need to bring their A-game against a pair of tricky opponents.
MAD Lions
So far it’s just about worked out for MAD. They’ll be disappointed with their current 5-4 record and would have expected a lot more. That said, the goal is playoffs and their current joint-4th placement would get them there. It was always going to be difficult for them to show up early in Spring Split, especially given their roster changes. Though, if they can keep up the levels they’ve shown thus far, they’ll be worth a look in the playoffs.
The Best of the Rest
Misfits are by far the most impressive side out of the rest. Sitting in 4th alongside MAD and Vitality, they’d have snapped your hand off for that in pre-season. If they can build on this, and crucially start beating the top sides, they could offer up a shock in the playoffs.
Of the bottom sides, Excel and BDS are the most likely to make a shock push for playoffs. With the recent roster change in the Support role, Excel looks like the most likely of the two. SK would need to pull their fingers out quickly if they want to make a late dash for the playoffs. While Astralis are probably best to look ahead to Summer Split already.