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Which LEC Team Has The Most Exciting Storyline?

Written by

Tom Hurrell

Published

29th Jan 2021 19:00

All ten LEC teams have come to the competition with a target - for G2 it might be going 18-0, for Vitality and Astralis it might just be reaching playoffs. Some of those targets are more ambitious than others, and some teams have made the job of reaching their target especially difficult for themselves. These targets are entwined with the history and storyline of each organisation and player, and in this knotted and twisted mess I’m going to separate the silk from the low-quality polyester.

G2 ESPORTS

Storyline Tier: D

Anything short of winning Worlds is going to be a major disappointment for the organisation that had it way too easy in the off-season. Acquiring Martin “Rekkles” Larsson for free means that G2 likely has the best player in each role for this split in Europe, so overall, there isn’t much to talk about unless they start going on a catastrophic losing streak. Indeed, the fight this season feels like it is very much for second place.

EXCEL ESPORTS

Storyline Tier: C

The British underdog story is getting a little old now, and Excel have done little to reinvent themselves, besides a rebrand. As ever, reaching playoffs would be a fantastic achievement, but with my average viewing party saying “It’s the Patrik show”, few people seem to have faith that Excel can make a dent this season.

ASTRALIS

Storyline Tier: C

A famous but struggling organisation rebrands and restructures in the hope of making an improvement... A player who’s been in the European scene for seven and a half years leads a collection of rookies and returning stars in a brutal fight to reach playoffs… I’m sorry, but I just can’t buy into it. Astralis’ only win this so far was a 44-minute comeback against fellow bottom of the league side Team Vitality. That being said, the split is young, and a win against Excel on Saturday will be a sign of promise.

TEAM VITALITY

Storyline Tier: B

I would have wanted to see more changes in the Vitality camp, but if this is what they think will get them to playoffs - then so be it. Perhaps sticking together for one last shot could lead to more success than changing most of the roster and starting anew.

FNATIC

Storyline Tier: B

The loss of their star AD carry has already hurt Fnatic a lot, having lost to both Rogue and Misfits in the first week, but their job this split is to prove that, like in Summer 2018, they don’t need Rekkles (or Rasmus “Caps” Winther) to find success, and losing to G2 in the final for the fourth split running, although bittersweet, would show exactly that.

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MISFITS GAMING

Storyline Tier: A

“They’re third?” Apparently being 2-1 is enough for that these days and Misfit’s games were no cakewalk. They took down Worlds attendees Fnatic and MAD Lions then somehow lost to Vitality. If this well-balanced team can find the consistency they’ve got locked away, we’re in for a wild battle for third and fourth place.

MAD LIONS

Storyline Tier: A

Importing the best player from the team that knocked you out at Worlds is a pretty good strategy, and that’s exactly what the MAD Lions did by signing Irfan “Armut” Tukek. They’re sitting 1-2 right now but just being the most promising team with a wildcard region import has got to be something worth talking about. Even if they only place fourth again, I’d call this experiment a success.

FC SCHALKE 04 ESPORTS

Storyline Tier: A

Was the miracle run truly a miracle? With Andrei “Odoamne” Pascu and Han “Dreams” Min-kook leaving for Rogue and FlyQuest we may never know. Admittedly, losses to Fnatic and Excel will not have convinced anyone that Schalke’s form was sustainable, but I’m sure the faithful still believe in Schalke reaching the World Championship this year. They’re going to need to turn their losing ways around very quickly to avoid having to make a similarly miraculous run towards the end of this split though.

SK GAMING

Storyline Tier: S

One of the least experienced LEC rosters in recent memory has already made G2 look uncomfortable, and I’m looking forward to seeing them face the slightly easier tasks of beating Schalke and Misfits. Young rosters are always a gamble because of their inherent volatility, but this one is looking like it’s going to pay off.

ROGUE

Storyline Tier: S

After a disappointing thirteenth place finish at Worlds 2020, Rogue are hungrier than ever, and they’ve already secured three wins from three games. The American organisation has been steadily improving since their tenth place finish in the inaugural season of the LEC in 2019, and this might finally be the season where they can throw down the gauntlet to G2 in a best of five. It’s definitely a long shot calling it this early in the season, but these two will surely be fighting all season long.