LCS Spring Split 2022 Preview
From the reigning LCS champions 100 Thieves having to rebound from an early Lock In tournament exit to Evil Geniuses’ momentum due to terrific performances in Lock In, there’s a lot to unpack.

André González Rodríguez
04th Feb 2022 02:33
Oshin Tudayan/Riot Games via ESPAT

Now that the 2022 League of Legends Championship Series (LCS) Lock in tournament is behind us and Team Liquid have been crowned its winners for the second year in a row, there’s much to talk about going into the Spring Split’s start.
For starters, there are plenty of storylines and bases to cover. From the reigning LCS champions 100 Thieves having to rebound from an early Lock In tournament exit to Evil Geniuses’ momentum due to terrific performances in Lock In, there’s just so much to unpack.
All of this makes the upcoming 2022 LCS Spring Split very exciting, and that’s why we’re going to preview some storylines.
100 Thieves Bound To Rebound
100 Thieves getting knocked out early of the Lock In tournament this year was surprising. Not only are they the reigning LCS champions, but they got bounced out by a team everyone counted out after the offseason, Dignitas.
At first, everything was status quo for the Thieves, get their wins in their group, continue as normal and make it all the way through the playoffs, but that wasn’t the case. This early departure from the LCS Lock In tournament could be concerning for seasoned 100 Thieves fans, but there shouldn’t be a worry as this 100 Thieves is not the 100 Thieves of old, this squad is confident in itself and has a purpose.
With that being said, 100 Thieves are bound to rebound.
Team Liquid Is Looking To Win, And They Have The Substitutes To Back It Up
During last year’s Lock In tournament and the season overall, Team Liquid displayed maximum willingness to play their substitutes from their Academy team. Although not on purpose, due to various factors such as Lucas "Santorin" Larsen’s early-on visa issues and later on health-related problems, Team Liquid were forced had to bust out some second-stringers. These second-stringers, such as jungler Jonathan "Armao" Armao proved to be crucial in times of need, and once again, although not particularly at the same level, it’s happened again.
They committed even more to it with the usage of Bradley "Bradley" Benneyworth in the top lane. This allowed for Steven "Hans Sama" Liv and Jo "CoreJJ" Yong-in to finally set foot in the Summoner’s Rift together.
Not only did it give a chance for what is surely going to be a great duo to finally get some LCS stage playtime but it also brought forth Team Liquid’s ability in substitutes.
All in all this confidence and strengths in substitutes gave them a second Lock In championship in a row, and although the team is already stacked with the likes of Soren "Bjergsen" Bjerg, Lucas "Santorin" Larsen and Gabriel "Bwipo" Rau, the fact that they won it all while interchanging bot lanes almost every game makes this team downright scary.
Evil Geniuses Look Downright Scary; The Offseason Excitement Was Right
To say that Evil Geniuses proved to be as exciting as they looked to be in the offseason is an understatement. The young trio of ADC Kyle "Danny" Sakamaki, jungler Kacper "Inspired" Sloma, and mid-laner Joseph "jojopyun" Joon Pyun is downright scary, not only are they exciting in their play but they will undoubtedly have their say at the LCS table.
With veteran top laner Jeong "Impact" Yon-young and support Philipe "Vulcan" Laflamme at the helm, there’s no telling what they will do. This is the scariest Evil Geniuses has ever looked in the LCS thus far, and it’s just the beginning.
Dignitas Were Counted Out But They Counted Themselves In
After the 2022 offseason culminated, every analyst, pundit and fan seemingly had a right to declare Dignitas as one of the lower end teams. They weren’t at the level of a Team Liquid or Evil Geniuses or even Cloud9 in terms of power acquisition, they just went for a solid, all-around stable roster. Nothing to be ashamed of, nothing to miss.
What the LCS did miss though was Dignitas’ signing of jungler, Kim "River" Dong-woo—a complete steal. He, alongside ADC, Toan "Neo" Tran, who is swiftly proving to be one of the better ADCs in the league were absolutely lights out in both of their 100 Thieves and Team Liquid matches, and like Evil Geniuses, this is just the start.
This is just a handful of storylines to look at once the 2022 LCS Spring Split start, of course, there are the likes of Cloud9, Team SoloMid and Golden Guardians finally fielding its full roster, Immortals winless Lock In and how they are looking to change that, and much more.

About The Author
André González Rodríguez
André is a Freelance League of Legends Journalist at GGRecon. He has written about his state’s local esports teams such as the Florida Mayhem and the Florida Mutineers on the Valencia Voice (Valencia College’s online newspaper). André has been watching esports since 2013 spanning different titles such as Call of Duty, League of Legends, Overwatch, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Super Smash Bros. Melee, and Ultimate, as well as other FGC titles.