LEC action continues today with some intense Week 3 matches. Last time out, we saw some great upsets, with G2 losing to Team BDS, and XL Esports winning both their matches.
As of right now, G2 and XL are first in the standings at 4W-1L, while four other teams are sitting at 3W-2L scorelines. Who will end in first place after this week?
Key matches to watch during LEC Summer 2022 Week 3
We have two unique matches on Friday and Saturday, that may have repercussions further down the split.
Rogue vs XL – Friday 20:00 CET
Rogue and XL will face off in the last match of Day 1 this week. The series will be super interesting to watch, after what XL has accomplished so far at the start of the Summer Split. Standing at 4 wins and 1 loss, puts them in first place with G2 Esports, but what’s even more impressive are the teams XL have already played against. Fnatic, MAD Lions and Vitality have already lost to XL, with Rogue being the last one on the list.
What made XL such a good team all of a sudden? I believe that we already saw glimpses of a strong team in spring, but their meta read is extremely well done. The team has played many different types of drafts, but the main idea is to have Patrik as their main carry and have a great scaling top lane option. Together with good engage and setup by the mid and jungle, XL have found a great recipe for success.
On the other hand, Rogue have struggled a little more to adapt to the current meta. In spring. Rogue was super good with hyper scaling ADCs that could break havoc in teamfights. They had a rough start but they have won the last 3 match, showing great potential for the rest of the split.
Drafts will be super interesting to watch. Both teams play similar picks in the top and jungle positions, with Gangplank, Wukong and Volibear all on the priority list. I’m curious to see whether Rogue will continue playing Senna, something that XL hasn’t done so far.
That being said, predictions are a hard call here. I think that XL Esports have shown a much better early mid game transition compared to Rogue, especially if they draft Senna and enchanter in the bot lane. Since I expect them to do so, I believe that XL will likely win and continue their win streak.
Winner: XL Esports (1.89x)
First Blood: XL Esports (1.87x)
G2 vs Fnatic – Saturday 21:00 CET
Legendary battle, the clash of dynasties, the LEC classico. G2 and Fnatic clash against each other for yet another time, making Week 3 super spicy for LEC fans.
G2, is keeping up their great form, with the loss against BDS being the only “dark point” in their Summer Split so far. In that match, G2 had a huge draft disadvantage (imo), which put them on the back foot. Aside from that game, G2 basically dominated all the games, showing great macro and overall coordination. The team doesn’t love playing for Dragons and they prefer going for the Rift Herald and making Caps and BrokenBlade the two primary carries. Targamas plays a vital role in making those plays work and the 80% KP is indicative of that.
Fnatic hasn’t shown such a great early game, but thanks to the scaling of their team compositions, as well as good teamfighting, they were able to close some of the gold deficits and come out victorious. They have always struggled with who fought them during the early game, and G2 is one of those teams.
I’m expecting this series to be not as close as many would like it to be. G2’s recent performances have showcased a much higher level in terms of execution and coordination, and I don’t think Fnatic will be able to match them. If Fnatic wants any chance at winning this match, Razork and Hylissang will have to step up and make sure G2 doesn’t get the objectives they always go for in the early game.
Winner: G2 Esports (1.52x)
First Blood: G2 Esports (1.61x)
About Post Author
