LEC Summer split reaches halfway point: Week 4 recap

After a week off, the League of Legends European Championship returned to action on July 15 for the fourth week of the 2022 Summer split. And it proved to be one of the wildest weeks of the year so far.

Upsets, unexpected champion picks. We’ve got everything you need to know about Week 4 of the LEC Summer split right here.

July 15: ALL THE UPSETS

Astralis 1 – 0 Excel Esports | Team BDS 0 – 1 MAD Lions | Fnatic 0 – 1 Misfits | G2 0 – 1 SK Gaming | Rogue 1 – 0 Team Vitality

The week began with 3-4 Astralis taking down the then league-leading 5-2 Excel Esports. It was a classic comeback victory, all hinging on a late-game Baron swing. ADC Kasper “Kobbe” Kobberup led the way with a 9/2/7 stat line. The game also marked Ashe’s first LEC appearance of 2022, with Kobbe guiding the Frost Archer to victory.

After MAD Lions dispatched the hapless Team BDS, fans were sprung their second surprise as Misfits won their fourth game in a row at the expense of 5-2 Fnatic. Spring MVP Vincent “Vetheo” Berrié picked up Player of the Game honors for his 7/2/5 performance on Akali, though ADC Matúš “Neon” Jakubčík should also be commended for his 6/0/4 game on Aphelios. While she wound up on the losing side, the game marked the first appearance of the year for Shyvana, who Fnatic unsuccessfully played in the top lane. Amumu also made his first LEC appearance of 2022 in the match, with Misfits support Mertai “Mersa” Sari brightening the Sad Mummy’s dad with a 1/3/13 stat line.

It was then G2’s turn to fall as the defending LEC champions lost their third consecutive game, this time to a spirited SK Gaming side finally playing at full strength again. G2 were completely outplayed across the board and failed to break double-digit kills while SK ended the match with a 14K gold lead.

The night ended with Rogue taking down Team Vitality, continuing Vitality’s streak of being unable to beat teams with a winning record. Rogue also debuted Taric for the first time this year, though he had been previously banned once during Summer. The win also took Rogue to the top of the standings with an unmatched 6-2 record.

July 16: WHAT IS HAPPENING IN THE LEC?

SK Gaming 1 – 0 Excel Esports | MAD Lions 1 – 0 Astralis | Team BDS 0 – 1 Rogue | Misfits 1 – 0 G2 Esports | Team Vitality 1 – 0 Fnatic

And the chaos continued on Day 2 of Week 4, giving no peace to the poor journalists who cover this league. SK Gaming recorded their first 2-0 week since Week 6 of the Spring split, as they took down Excel in 34 minutes. SK also gave Shyvana her first win of the year, after she made her debut on July 15 in a defeat with Fnatic.

After MAD beat Astralis to firmly establish themselves as a title contender (and gave Samira her 2022 debut) and Rogue extended their league atop the LEC at the expense of Team BDS, it was time for another upset. G2 extended their losing streak to four, while Misfits extended their winning streak to five. While G2 kept it close for the most part, and arguably controlled the game for long stretches, they simply weren’t able to find the win.

The week ended with Vitality notching their first victory over a team with a winning record, as they took down Fnatic. The victory was thanks in large part due to top laner Barney “Alphari” Morris, who absolutely dominated his lane, at the expense of Fnatic’s Martin “Wunder” Hansen. The win takes Vitality to 5-4 on the split.

Week 4 Final Standings

With the week finally over, the LEC standings are as follows:

1 Rogue (7-2)

2 MAD Lions (6-3)

=3 Excel Esports (5-4)

=3 Fnatic (5-4)

=3 Misfits Gaming (5-4)

=3 Team Vitality (5-4)

7 G2 Esports (4-5)

8 Astralis (4-5)

9 SK Gaming (3-6)

10 Team BDS (1-8)

The LEC returns on July 22 for Week 5 of the Summer split.

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