LEC Week 7 Day 2 recap

A day filled with upsets and unexpected results was all that was needed to turn the already tense playoff race into a bloodbath.

LEC Week 7 Day 1

Astralis vs. Team Vitality

Day two of the seventh week of the 2022 LEC Summer Split kicked off with a banger 45-minute match between Astralis and  Team Vitality. Vitality had the lead at 15 minutes thanks to the laning prowess of their stars, but Astralis had managed to secure two drakes up until that point. The bad macro decisions of the French team continued to bite them in the behind, even after they secured the Baron buff and a 7000 gold lead at 25 minutes. Their top laner kept getting caught on the sidelines, and greedy back timers from the entire team gave Astralis a free third Drake. After that, the game evolved into a fiesta with another two Baron buffs and an Elder Dragon being taken after chaotic team fights. The Akali pick got outscaled by the two tanks of Astralis despite a monster showing from Vitality ADC Matyáš “Carzzy” Orság.

Team BDS vs. Excel

It was a day of upsets in the LEC and Team BDS did their part by snapping their nine-game losing streak. They didn’t let it reach double digits but more importantly, they spoiled Excel’s playoff hopes, who fell out of the playoff picture after this loss. Their mid-laner Ilias “NUCLEARINT” Bizriken bounced back from the rough Qiyana game the previous day with a dominant Ahri performance, finishing the game with a monstrous 14-1-8 KDA. Excel have looked disjointed during their recent four-game losing streak, giving up Dragon Soul for Baron in this one. The Xin Zhao pick and Mountain Soul helped bolster the frontline in the team fights, allowing the carries of Team BDS to survive longer and secure their first win in a month.

Misfits vs. MAD Lions

The MAD Lions got out to an early 4000 gold lead by punishing Nikolay “Zanzarah” Akatov and aggressively invading the Misfits jungle. But that wasn’t enough to stop the four-game winning streak of Misfits. The third Twitch pick of the day turned out to be another smart move, as MAD’s nonexistent frontline of Aatrox and Vi continuously got melted by the Spray and Pray ultimate. The third Drake fight was the deciding one, in which 2022 Spring Split MVP Vincent “Vetheo” Berrié, got four crucial kills on his signature Sylas pick. After that, the MAD Lions had little to no hope of beating the fed Twitch/ Yuumi combo on top of the Mejai/ Deathcap Sylas, leading to their fifth loss this split.

SK Gaming vs. Rogue

Rogue’s coaching staff might have read our Ashe article, but it was definitely not the play in this one. The day of upsets continued after SK drafted Shyvana and Vayne to help melt the frontline while the first LEC Pantheon jungle pick after the buffs turned out to be useless from behind. SK Gaming are now one game out of the playoff picture with this win, and Rogue’s sixth loss puts them in a rough spot heading into the super week. 

G2 Esports vs. Fnatic

Europe’s League of Legends El Classico got hyped up for the match of the week, but Fnatic continued their inconsistent play. Their four-man play on the G2’s bot lane resulted in them losing their top tower, which ballooned the early gold lead even further. Fnatic showed some signs of life after a won team fight which resulted in them securing their first drake, but G2 bounced back right away. Forcing another team fight that resulted in a Baron buff and knocking down all of Fnatic’s outer towers. Fnatic’s uncoordinated play and getting picked off lost them the Dragon Soul and the next Baron, which ultimately cost them the game.

Recap of the competition

This day full of upsets made this bloodbath of a playoff race even more competitive. The MAD Lions still stand at the top of the leaderboard with a 10-5 record, despite shaky recent performances. Following them is a four-team tie for second place which can play out in way too many scenarios after the super week results. With G2, Rogue, Vitality, and Misfits all sitting at 9-6, the battle for the sixth spot should be even more fierce. Astralis hold it currently with a 7-8 record but Fnatic and Excel are right behind them, with the same record but a worse head-to-head matchup.

Header: Riot Games