LEC Week 6 – The battle for playoffs and SK Gaming and Misfits gain momentum

With week 6 over and done with, the LEC moves into its final two weeks as the Spring Split 2021 playoffs inch ever closer.

Only G2 Esports and Rogue currently know their future as they locked in playoffs after week 6 of the LEC. This leaves eight teams still competing for the remaining four spots and the race gets tighter. Where Schalke 04 and EXCEL struggled last week, Misfits and SK Gaming filled in the gaps and got themselves back in the race. With a new face joining the on-air talent team of the LEC, it was a stacked week to say the least.

Two European powerhouses

Week six meant a rematch between two European powerhouses Fnatic and G2 Esports. Last time they faced each other, G2 Esports faced more than just Fnatic. They had some major internet issues that resulted in them not really being able to play the game properly. Fnatic won that game in quite convincing fashion, although we would have to account for them not playing with decent ping. However, that meant that the rematch would be more of a fair battle between the two teams and we knew G2 Esports would come out swinging. 

Nevertheless, it was Fnatic who picked Yone top in the draft-phase for Bwipo and tried something new. G2 Esports’ draft did look strong too and the teams loaded onto the rift with a lot of bragging rights on the line. Even though most analysts and casters expected a close game, G2 Esports made it look easy as they punished every move Fnatic made. They gave Fnatic no breathing room and the game quickly went in favor of G2 Esports. It looked like Fnatic was really disconnected and they could not set up a winning move even though they had some tools at their disposal. With Jankos killing Bwipo and Selfmade in a 1v2 and Wunder outplaying a dive from three players from Fnatic, the game was sealed and G2 Esports won convincingly. 

Who misses out on playoffs?

All teams are still eligible for the remaining four spots for playoffs. This means that even Astralis and Team Vitality can make the miracle run happen. They will need other teams to drop some games as well, but never say never. With them not winning a single game this week, it does look like false hope if we say they are contenders for playoffs. With EXCEL and Schalke 04 dropping two games as well, they are in a dire situation and need to stop the bleeding. They had such a good start at the beginning of the split but looked lost when playing their games in week six. 

The botlane of EXCEL got outperformed while there were no clear win conditions being set for the squad. Schalke 04 still have BrokenBlade who is performing extraordinarily even though he is on a struggling team. If none of these four teams can turn it around next week, they might miss out on playoffs.

Positive momentum

Whereas teams like EXCEL and Schalke 04 seem to have lost their momentum, Misfits and SK Gaming are just gaining it more and more. With Misfits winning both games with strong gameplay over the map, they fight back from a terrible start at the split. It would look weird if Vander missed the playoffs, so he is working hard to get there. SK Gaming is doing very well as they currently have a five-games win streak going on and looked unstoppable this week. They have found the winning combinations and are just playing their own style. Every member is playing well, but the highlight of this team is Treatz. He has been showing up big time and looks to carry his team. 

A new face

We saw a new interviewer make their appearance for the LEC on-air team. It was Ashley Kang, who we all know from her previous LCK interviews, who made her debut for the European broadcast. She looked nervous at the start, but she showed us some high-class interviews packed with emotions, a lot of information and has the ability to appear very calm and collective. With the addition of a new face to the LEC, we can only hope this is something they are planning to do more often. After we have seen LS as a remote analyst, we wonder who is next. What we do know is that we will see Ashley Kang back for the seventh week of the LEC as she will also be the interviewer for post-game interviews and more.

Which team can strike back next week, and which team can hold on to their momentum? Nothing is certain for the bottom eight as they all still fight to get those spots in the playoffs. With G2 Esports and Rogue looking like a definitive top two, the race only gets tighter. 

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Image Credit: G2 Esports
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