LEC Weekly Roundup: Misfits to reportedly sell LEC spot, Zanzarah and LIMIT return to LEC

We’re five weeks into the LEC Summer split, and the current results are seemingly forcing teams to make adjustments.

It would be an understatement to say that the 2022 LEC Summer Split is lacking in entertainment. Five weeks deep into the split and the top teams from the Spring split are nowhere to be found. Instead, MAD Lions and Rogue share the top spot with an 8-3 record, while Team BDS continue to struggle. With less than half of the regular split remaining, teams are looking to make changes and improve their odds of making the playoffs.

Zanzarah will be the starting jungler for Misfits in week 6

Misfits are in trouble. It’s been a rough few months for the French organization after flaming out in the 2022 LEC Spring playoffs despite having the split’s MVP Vincent “Vetheo” Berrié. After a disappointing 0-4 start to the Summer, they picked up the pace with a five-game winning streak. But last week’s losses to Vitality and Excel seemed to have forced management’s hand to action since both those teams are direct competitors for the last playoff spot. That’s possibly why the organization is promoting Nikolay “Zanzarah” Akatov from the LFL squad to the LEC squad, replacing Lucjan “Shlatan” Ahmad.

Zanzarah joined the Misfits LFL squad not too long ago and despite mixed results, he was given a chance to prove himself in the more prominent LEC. The current jungle meta doesn’t seem to suit Shlatan’s carry playstyle and his Lee Sin performances are probably what made management think that Zanzarah would be a better fit.

This change is a bit odd considering that the club’s LFL team Misfits Premier are about to play the most important week of the season, fighting for a spot in the LFL playoffs and EU Masters, with a new jungler. Meanwhile, Zanzarah seems to be a perfect fit, providing a more steady and experienced approach in these crucial weeks, as well as being comfortable on meta picks like Poppy, Trundle, and maybe even his famous Skarner.

Misfits might sell its LEC spot

Misfits seem to have bigger issues than roster changes. According to a recent post by LEC and ERL insider LEC Woolo, Misfits has been in negotiations for its LEC spot for some time now but hasn’t agreed on anything yet. Teams like Karmine Corp, KOI, Team Heretics, and other organizations with huge fan bases are rumoured to be the front runners for the spot.

Another rumour has been floated around that the deal is already done and the new owner will be announced on Wednesday, July 27, with either CA Osasuna or Eintracht Spandau being the new LEC team. However, considering the LEC spot price tag has increased by three times since 2019 and Schalke 04 sold their spot to BDS for $20 million, Riot is surely looking at the best offer, not the largest fan base.

LIMIT promoted to BDS LEC roster

Support player Dino “LIMIT” Tot returns to the LEC after coaching the BDS Academy team in the LFL Summer 2022. This move comes after BDS LFL support Tobias “Dreamer Ace” Schreckeneder asked not to play the rest of the split due to personal reasons. Due to LFL rules and LIMIT’s LEC experience, he can’t take over Dreamer Ace’s spot, but he can get promoted to the LEC.

As a result, Robert “Erdote” Nowak will step down from his LEC support role and move to the LFL roster. His familiarity with the team’s bot laner Juš “Crownshot” Marušič, with whom he reached the LFL finals last Spring, should bolster the team’s chances in these playoffs. This change comes after a rough Summer split for LEC BDS. Despite promising performances from the team’s jungler and having G2’s former coach, BDS’ score after five weeks of competition is 1-10, so a bot lane change seems inevitable.

 

Header: LEC/ Riot Games/ Misfits