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Fnatic and Excel continue to struggle in LEC Winter

Week 2 of LEC Winter 2023 is over and the results paint a very clear picture of what is... Radu M. | 31. January 2023

Week 2 of LEC Winter 2023 is over and the results paint a very clear picture of what is going on in the region.

Some of the teams that were regarded as favorites ahead of the competition are thriving. But two of them are struggling. And what is absolutely shocking is the fact that Excel Esports, despite their huge investment in top players like Andrei “Odoamne” Pascu and Raphael “Targamas” Crabbe, occupy the last position in the league.

The teams that thrive

Team Vitality finally suffered their first defeat this season. What’s strange is that their nemesis proved to be not G2 Esports, but SK Gaming. This is a competitor that lacks top players and top results. But they still managed to do it.

However, despite this loss, Vitality are still the number 1 team in the LEC with a current record of 5 W – 1 L. Four other teams are right behind it, with a record of 4 W – 2 L. These teams are G2 Esports, MAD Lions, SK Gaming, and Team BDS.

In a few cases, the results are surprisingly good. Nobody expected BDS and SK to be so strong but it seems that their players are working well together.

In the second week of LEC Winter, G2 suffered two defeats in the three matches they played and looked a bit fragile not only against Vitality, who are a very strong team, but also against SK. The latter won all of their three matches this week, which is a phenomenal achievement.

The teams that struggle

The two teams that struggle in this league are Fnatic and Excel. In Fnatic’s case, it seems that the chemistry between players is less than ideal. And even with two carry players, the team is not able to find much success.

Carl “Rekkles” Larsson rejoined the organization after a few years of failed experiments. From the outside there’s nothing obviously wrong with his game, but the team is clearly not doing too well.

For example, in the match against Team Heretics, which lasted 40 minutes, Fnatic lost despite having a 5000 gold lead at one point. Rekkles ended the match with a good KDA: 8-2-4. But the rest of his teammates struggled.

By far, the biggest disappointment in the league is Excel. Nobody understands how it is possible to have two of the best players of 2022 on the same roster and fail so miserably, even against teams like Astralis! Excel’s current record is 1 W – 5 L and there’s no sign that the situation is improving.

Header: Riot Games