The LEC is back for its second split, and Spring 2024 is starting off strong with a huge showdown between the previous finalists during the weekend best-of-one derby.
This LEC season saw a lot of rookie players burst into the scene in a big way. Pro-rosters like MAD Lions KOI started out at the very bottom of everyone’s tierlists back in January, and rose to the top; a testament to their Jungler Elyoya’s leadership. At the same time, Fnatic’s Support swap made all the difference in their deepest run yet. That said, their element of surprise is gone, and their next championship is nigh.
Who are the best bets in the LEC right now, and which teams will take their place? We analyze each roster’s form and more in our Split 2024 Week 1 preview below!
🏆 @G2LEAGUE ARE THE 2024 #LEC WINTER CHAMPIONS 🏆 pic.twitter.com/qNV6AJEdTv
— LEC (@LEC) February 18, 2024
LEC Spring 2024 Week 1 Preview
G2 Esports will go up against Team BDS on the first day of the Spring Split. The two teams have brushed shoulders on the EMEA stage before, but Adam’s team is yet to find a leg up over the Kings of Europe.
Despite having so much more stopping power in toplane fights, BDS hasn’t won a single match against Caps and co. this season (regular season or playoffs). But there were two teams that found a chink in G2’s armor last split: Rogue and Team Vitality.
Rogue’s return to the LEC was met with applause after rookie ADC Markos “Comp” Stamkopoulos found two early kills in the botlane — cementing their win in the bo1. But while they didn’t reach Playoffs, they certainly had what it took to make the Kings of Europe bend the knee in the bo1’s.
On the other hand we have Team Vitality, who lost a lot of momentum going into Playoffs in Winter despite having one of the best scores in the Regular Season. Their macro still lacks the unpredictability that has defined each split champ so far. But like MDK, Carzzy and co. know how to be ferocious to break out of a decifit.
ESTNN’s Match of the Week: G2 vs MDK
March 10, 1:00 PM (PST)
The biggest threat to the G2 reign this season is MDK’s potential. The rookie team (who only had one member from the original MAD remaining) had an impressive showing last split when they slowly climbed out of the loser’s bracket and got within striking distance of a silver shield in their very first split.
Unfortunately, experience triumphed at the end of the day, but MAD Lion KOI still has the chance to turn the tables if they focus on improving their strengths. Their commanding victory in the first bo5 match against G2 Esports proves this.
If there’s anything we learned in Winter, it’s that having Elyoya on fast engage champs with crowd control gives them an advantage against any enemy comp. But relying on him and Fresskowy for set-ups limits their prospects. That said, if Alvaro adapts his champ pool to focus on damage mitigation, it’ll give the Spanish team more space to learn from their mistakes and improve.
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