There is no doubt that throughout the summer, we talked about the miracle of Berlin and Fnatic in their awakening at the end of the season. However, the real miracle was that of EXCEL Esports, a team that, without a doubt, was the worst in the first two Splits of the season and, now, will fight against G2 Esports in the Grand Final to be the champions of the Summer Split 2023.
On the other hand, it is worth noting that EXCEL reaches this Summer Split 2023 Grand Final after crushing Fnatic in the semifinals by 3-1. As a result, Fnatic’s comeback dream falls short, and we have EXCEL qualifying for the first time in its history for the LEC Grand Final. Likewise, it is also fair to mention that, thanks to this pass to the Grand Final, EXCEL gets to seal its ticket to the LEC Seasons Finals 2023.
WELCOME TO THE #LEC SUMMER FINALS:@EXCEL take down @FNATIC! pic.twitter.com/OysAiSdQwv
— LEC (@LEC) July 29, 2023
EXCEL qualify for the Final against all odds
If this had been told to us at the beginning of the season and especially after the culmination of the Spring Split 2023, no one would have believed it. EXCEL was by far the worst team in the LEC in the first part of the season, but they got this great victory against Fnatic in the semifinals to shut many mouths.
FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER, @EXCEL ARE #LEC FINALISTS! pic.twitter.com/xKNhfS7AVG
— LEC (@LEC) July 29, 2023
The EXCEL was led by Andrei “Odoamne” Pascu and Felix “Abbedagge” Braun, two players with experience in the scene who have shown mind-blowing potential in this Summer Split. In addition, it is also worth noting that the victory was not complicated or anything like that since they were completely superior to Fnatic despite losing one of the matches.
Finally, it is worth noting that EXCEL Esports, after a terrible start to the season, has a chance to qualify for Worlds 2023.
LIMIT testing pic.twitter.com/m5zuqEDxc5
— LEC (@LEC) July 29, 2023
EXCEL’s win leaves KOI without a ticket to the Worlds 2023
Another point to note is that, with EXCEL’s win over Fnatic in the Lower Bracket semifinals of the playoffs, KOI is out of options to qualify for the LEC Season Finals 2023. As a result, the marquees cannot fight for a berth in Worlds 2023, to be played in South Korea.
KOI was a regular team during the 2023 season, but in the Summer Split, they did not have a positive impact, so they had a very bad record of 4-5 in the regular season. Then, in the Group Stage, the Spanish squad could not win any of the two games they played, so they depended on the results of other teams in the playoffs to stay alive in the season.
Now, EXCEL has to overcome the last and most complicated obstacle to complete this excellent Cinderella race, G2 Esports. There is no doubt that G2 is the clear favorite and, by far, to win the LEC Summer Split 2023 Grand Final match and thus add their second trophy of the year. However, EXCEL and, above all, Cinderella stories usually give many surprises, so we can expect anything in this match.
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