From day one, this year’s League of Legends European Championship (LEC) Spring Split was obviously not going to be just a normal season. Preseason favorites stumbled at the first hurdle and some of the underdogs started sneaking up towards the top.
These kinds of reversals of fortune are a good sign for the league, it means that teams are improving to the point where they can be serious competition for the established leaders. For a team like Vitality, it might finally be time to live up to their early promise.
When Vitality appeared on the scene in 2016 it was assumed that they would be the new stars. Whether it was bad luck or their ever-changing roster, for some reason they haven’t lived up to those expectations. This could finally be their season.
In weeks three and four, Vitality will be facing Rogue, Misfits and Astralis. We might be in for some more exciting upsets as they seem to be in good form. With such an exciting Spring Split underway, this could be the time to get into betting on the LEC.
The world has finally accepted that esports are just as real as any sport played with a bat or a ball. Just because the players aren’t running around and the ‘action’ takes place on a virtual plane, doesn’t make it any less real.
Betting on esports might seem a bit odd until you consider that betting on fantasy football, another sport that doesn’t take place in the real world, is a massive industry with millions of participants. Betting on League of Legends, CS:GO, Valorant or Rocket League is really no different.
If you’re new to betting on sports, whether traditional or esports, consider using a bookmaker guide before you place any bets. These guides will not only provide you with a list of the most trustworthy sportsbooks, they also have useful information on odds and how to understand them.
Before we take a look at how the Spring Split has gone so far for these teams and what we might be able to expect from their upcoming matchups, let’s take a quick moment to understand the LEC.
LEC Spring Split
The League of Legends European Championship is one of the biggest esports tournaments of the year. It doesn’t offer the same massive prize pool as some of the other major tournaments, like the CS:GO PGL Major – but it does showcase some of the best talent in the industry.
The LEC is broken into two sessions referred to as Splits, Spring and Summer. The top 10 teams participate in a double round robin group stage. Then the top six teams face off in the playoffs. The tournament is hosted at Riot Games’ studio in Berlin.
Since the tournament began in 2013, it has largely been dominated by G2 ESports and Fnatic. In the last few years though, other teams have begun to break into the top ranks. Whether or not G2 and Fnatic can hold onto their positions this year is still uncertain.
Vitality
Vitality has been through a lot of changes over the years, constantly shuffling players in and out of their lineup. This constant change could be part of the reason why they haven’t had as much success as people thought they would — it takes time for a bunch of players to actually become a team.
Their current line up — Alphari, Perkz, Carzzy, Labrov and Selfmade — is a prime example of this. They are a super team of star players, but will need time to figure out how to play together. Teamwork matters and could be what finally boosts Vitality into the top three.
Rogue
Rogue is heading into week three with a perfect record, five wins and no losses. They are currently tied with Fnatic at the top of the table. This is all pretty exciting for the fairly new team. Rogue only recently began playing in the LEC as a European franchise team
This Spring Split couldn’t have started any more differently than their first one in 2019. That year they lost their first eight games before giving up and dropping out of the competition to focus on rebuilding their roster and training up their academy roster.
All the effort they put in must have worked, as Rogue now looks like one of the strongest contenders for this year’s championship.
Misfits
In the 2017 Spring and Summer Splits, Misfits came in fourth and second, respectively. Since then, they haven’t made it into the top four. Their current Head Coach Carter, formerly known as Candyfloss, has been working hard to make sure the team is ready for this season.
Going by the numbers, it looks like Misfits are off to a great start. Looking at who they’ve played makes things murkier – most of their wins have been against bottom tier teams and their losses have been to the elite. We won’t know for sure how well they’re really playing until they’re up against a team like Vitality.
Besides Vitality, in Weeks three and four Misfits will be facing off against top teams G2 and MAD Lions. Depending on how all three of these games go, we could either see a jump up in their power rankings or a huge fall.
Astralis
Astralis might seem like the new kids on the block but they’re actually the rebranded and expanded Origen. Origen was one of the early LEC teams and they came second overall in their first two Splits after joining in 2015.
Since then, they’ve had their ups and downs. They’ve bounced from the top to the bottom and back again and for a while vanished from the scene altogether. Since the rebrand in 2021, they’ve hung near the bottom half of the table.
This Spring Split has been off to a rough start for the team. In the first two weeks, they lost all five of their matches. To be fair, they were facing Fnatic, Rogue and G2. Weeks three and four could lead to a rebound for Astralis as they face off against more mid-range teams instead of the elites.
Vitality should be able to outplay Astralis, they’re a stronger team with more confidence heading into week three. It’s impossible to overemphasize how important the mental side of the game is and how badly a string of losses can shake a team.
All things considered, Vitality is likely to increase their power ranking over the course of weeks three and four. They may lose to Rogue, who are having a phenomenal season so far, but if they can gel as a team, they’re likely to beat Misfits and Astralis and secure themselves a heavy bump in the rankings.
