Excel are taking over the LEC in 2023

Sugar, spice and everything nice was all it took to create superheroes back in the day. But if 2022 proved us anything, it is that championships can’t be bought. Team Liquid and Vitality learned that the hard way. Both rosters exceeded seven figures in terms of salary and buyouts but failed to come close to sniffing a Worlds berth. On the other hand, Team BDS and Immortals proved to us that slapping together a few promising youngsters doesn’t equal growth. Creating a competitive team that has upside and potential is hard, but Excel might have hit the jackpot.

Vetheo signs with Excel in 2022 offseason

It flew under the radar of most people, but Excel might have won the off-season with this single move. For any of you that haven’t watched the LEC in the last two years, mid-laner Vetheo is the real deal. The highly touted French prodigy came through the LFL ranks of LDLC, with many teams buzzing about his potential. But after an up-and-down rookie season, where he looked like a star on his LeBlanc and Zoe, this man hasn’t stopped improving.

Expanding his champion pool with routine boot camps in Korea against the best in the world did wonders for his trajectory. Winning the 2022 Spring LEC MVP was the writing on the wall, but Misfits failed to surround him with talent, time and time again. The last pitched attempt before selling their LEC slot to Heretics came in the form of jungler Zanzarah. And while this pushed them into the playoffs, outside of Neon, Vetheo had no one to play with. But heading into 2023, Excel have surrounded him with the perfect cast.

Odoamne and Xerxe form the LEC topside for Excel

Everyone knows the value the “weak side king” brings to every team. Being the most experienced player in the LEC has its benefits, bringing a lot of versatility and resilience. Apart from being a great teammate and the “glue guy” for every roster, his knowledge of the game also steers the younger players. Odoamne might not have the champion pool or mechanical prowess that Finn does, but this is a clear upgrade for Excel.

And while we can’t blame a team for taking their best available option, the entire situation does feel bad for the young Brit. Per reports, top laner Finn was preparing to go to Korea for the off-season boot camp, but found out he was teamless just a few days prior to the trip. 

Heading into 2023, jungler Xerxe will be the one handling smite duty for Excel. Despite having played competitively for more than six years now, the Romanian jungler is just 22 years of age. And while he can be described as a journeyman, with seven different teams in six years, he does bring value. Every team Xerxe has joined has played better since, and the results have been mostly dictated by the quality of his teammates.

He and Caps won the Turkish League at just 16 years old, qualifying for the World Championship in which they weren’t eligible to participate. The 2018 Splyce roster was another one that caused rumblings on the brightest stage. After a few Covid years dwelling on bottom-tier teams in the LCS and LEC, 2023 is the best chance Xerxe has to prove himself.

Targamas joins Patrik on Excel’s LEC bot lane

And while LEC teams were busy trading their bot lanes, Excel did the second-best move of the offseason by staying put. While trading Upset for Patrik might have been a talent upgrade on the side of Excel, it would ruin the makeup of the team. There were also reports that Excel wasn’t on the list of teams Upset was willing to go to, so you can’t really blame them. Patrik had shown signs of improvement every split, even becoming the main focal point of the team during parts of the year. But with Vetheo in the mix, he would slot in his preferred role. And having a year with the experience of Mikyx surely has helped him.

Speaking of whom, with Mikyx preparing for a reunion with G2 Esports, their incumbent support Targamas is joining the Excel bot lane. The young Frenchman had a promising start to the year, but just like any rookie, there were growing pains. And while G2 might have been a more pressured situation to falter in the playoffs in, Excel should help him focus outside of the LEC spotlight. His playmaking ability is the final piece of the puzzle for the 2023 Excel roster, which has the making of potentially a great time, with little to no expectations and pressure to their name.

Why Excel won the offseason?

And while everyone wants to talk about the Romanian connection, Odoamne leaving Rogue after winning the LEC, and where Mikyx went, Excel just crafted the perfect roster. Kicking off the off-season with the acquisition of the young star mid-laner who wants resources is a good thing. But surrounding him with the best weakside player on the continent, who is willing to play tanks, is another great move. Add a fundamentally sound jungler into the mix that understands the win conditions and plays for his lanes instead of gold income, and you have the perfect storm brewing.

Having your secondary carry in the ADC role works really well with Vetheo, as we saw with Neon on Misfits. Patrik is skilled enough to be the main carry when the situation calls for it and yet has no issue playing on the weak side and negating losses across the map. The perfect Scottie Pippen to his Michael Jordan. Add an X Factor support that loves to roam and go for plays on top of that, and you have the most entertaining team in Europe for 2023. 

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