Will the dark horse of the LEC surprise us in the Summer Split?
It’s been a while since the LEC has witnessed a team this young beat the best in the league. Back in Spring, the Spanish team was able to best G2 Esports, a player roster recognized as kings in their region. Now, Szygenda and co. are returning to the LEC stage with the same hunger that got them within striking distance of the Winter shield. Is the current KOI lineup deserving of the Summer Split title? If you’re going to bet on the LEC, this KOI team preview guide is for you!
KOI LEC Roster for the 2023 Summer
- Top lane: Mathias “Szygenda” Jensen
- Jungle: Kim “Malrang” Geun-seong
- Mid lane: Emil “Larssen” Larsson
- AD Carry: Markos “Comp” Stamkopoulos
- Support: Adrian “Trymbi” Trybus
Despite being a young organization, KOI’s players have been competing in professional League esports for much longer. Szygenda’s 2020 wins in the Ultraliga, his performance in the LFL and his 1st-place victory in Coupe de France 2022 put him on KOI’s radar before the season began. Next to him is Malrang, who serves as an invaluable brawler during high-intensity teamfights on the rift. The Jungler won multiple splits in the LCK back when he was stacking kills for DK, and eventually switched regions to play for Rogue Esports before their joint venture with KOI.
Leading the charge is Emil “Larssen” Larsson, a veteran in the LEC who excels with control mages while also owning a ton of variety in his champ pool. The Swede has all the map awareness and early laning proficiency that makes an excellent team leader. Often seen as the tip of the spear, anyone who’s smart enough to lock down KOI’s mid-laner first increases their chances of surviving the Spanish roster.
Speaking of rosters, KOI’s form has been slipping compared to other teams. Other than their massive upset against the Kings of Europe, the team couldn’t scrounge up enough series wins to advance to Playoffs. KOI just couldn’t find enough win conditions to overpower other LEC contenders. And despite their formidable macro, multiple blunders from the side lanes led to KOI being hard-pressed in finding any gold or objective lead.
Yet, the potential they showed in the past 2 splits made every match-up a flip of the coin. Albeit inconsistent at times, their way of playing League makes them hard to figure out, which can be an advantage. Nevertheless, when they’re able to find impactful trades, they preferred to split the enemy’s focus as they push to victory, making every game an unpredictably wild watch through and through.
Summer Split 2023 Predictions
In the case of the Summer Split, they’ll be fighting the best in EMEA who has had the same amount of prep as them plus more. With G2 and MAD Lions emerging from the aftermath of MSI, KOI will have a lot to prep for in the coming weeks. At present, their teamplay stands out as their biggest waterloo. For instance, they badly lost a teamfight to Excel even when KOI had them completely surrounded. Malrang’s ganks are easily the flashiest part of KOI’s arsenal, but Comp’s hasty playmaking during skirmishes rarely end in KOI’s advantage. If they can find a way to set up mid-game plays that funnel gold into their mid-laner, the Spanish team should have an easier time surviving into the Playoffs.
As it stands, KOI’s biggest enemy is themselves. They’ve seen what they’re fully capable of in the playoffs back in February, so removing the hesitancy in their playmaking shouldn’t be too difficult. The current roster seems to suffer in its coordination, but it’s nothing a few hard wins in scrims can’t hammer out.
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