G2 Esports win the 2023 LEC Winter Split

SK Esports and Astralis proved they belong in the LEC. Vitality fell apart once again. As per usual, the MAD Lions are no match for the well-oiled machine of G2 Esports. This is a complete breakdown of the 2023 LEC Winter split as G2 Esports become the first team to qualify for MSI 2023. 

Winter Groups week 2

Following up on our previous article, the new LEC format brought a lot of surprises. Going into the best of three and best of five series meant that individual matchups and experience mattered much more. 

Group A Loser’s bracket during LEC 2023 Winter Split

In group A, SK Esports and Team Heretics were on a collision course after losing to KOI and Vitality respectively. The winner of this lower bracket elimination match would have another shot at the title. But they would have to play Vitality, who lost to KOI in the qualification match. 

SK Esports sweep Team Heretics

Game one saw Team Heretics get out to an early lead. That has been the case for most of the split, but this team has always struggled to close things out. Having one of the best and most experienced junglers on the continent in Jankos certainly helps. But after maintaining a 5000 gold lead at the 20 minute mark, Team Heretics fell apart. They lost two team fights and the Baron buff, which ultimately ended their game in just 29 minutes. 

Game two was more of the same, with SK’s young bot lane surviving under ‌immense pressure. Team Heretics secured the first three drakes on the back of Jankos’s Kindred pick. But the team failed to convert it into a win, falling victim to multiple mishaps. Both Ruby and Jackspektra had their fair share of grievances. Exakick and Doss managed to claw back into the game, surviving as pillars for SK’s late comeback. The game stalled out until the 39-minute mark when SK secured their fourth consecutive drake to claim the Dragon Soul. SK mid laner Sertuss had an impressive performance, going deathless on his Taliyah pick with a 6-0-6 scoreline to help his team close out Team Heretics.

SK Esports stun Vitality in LEC Winter playoffs

The following day, SK Gaming faced off against the highly touted squad of Team Vitality. The French team finished the regular split tied for the best record. Having the most storied Western player of all time in Perkz, also meant that expectations were high. And the bees got off to a hot start, with jungler Bo showing what a Chinese super server Elise looks like. The top lane turned into an armageddon, with Vitality coming out on top. With 4 kills on Elise in 15 minutes, Bo also managed to shut down SK’s bot lane. Vitality were ahead by 8000 gold at the 25 minute mark, but securing the Baron buff cost them a few deaths. Deaths that resulted in giving away a lot of bounty gold, which unfortunately for them, went into the hands of Exakick’s Zeri.

What followed suit was a masterclass of coaching and team coordination, as the young team took Vitality apart in 13 minutes. Top laner Irrelevant, who has been quietly making game-winning plays the entire split, stepped up. His map awareness resulted in his Jax mowing down Vitality’s towers one by one. Sertuss had another flawless game, going deathless and providing some much-needed utility. With every lost fight, Vitality’s Elise and poke Varus became more obsolete, as SK’s young bot lane started winning every team fight. Similarly to the Team Heretics series, SK Gaming capped off their impressive comeback with a win in 39 minutes.

This finish certainly had an effect on the morale of Vitality. They tried taking away the Zeri pick which Exakick had shined on the entire split, but that did little to change the odds. He pulled out the Draven pick, which could have been as equally volatile as Bo’s Karthus. The frustration was visible in the gameplay of Vitality, as SK’s Ahri and Vi picks completely dismantled the rest of the map.

The German team led by 10 000 gold and 13 kills at the 21 minute mark, when Vitality got their first kill. They only managed to muster one more before SK ended the game and the series with a 24 minute win that sent them to the Winter Playoff Final four. Considering the youth on this squad and that SK hasnt been in the LEC’s top four in the last 8 years, this in itself is a major accomplishment.

Group B Loser’s bracket during LEC 2023 Winter Split

Group B of the previous round robin saw G2 Esports and MAD Lions advancing to the by beating Astralis and Team BDS with identical 2-1 scores. MAD Lions lost the following match against G2 with a 2-0 score, which put them in the lower bracket.

Astralis edge out Team BDS

While both of these teams were bottom feeders during the 2022 season, 2023 has been a new chapter for both clubs. Game one kicked off with a disaster of a draft for Astralis. The Caitlyn priority forced the Lux pick, which combined with the horrible Sylas pick into Elise and Karma, sealed the deal for Team BDS. Nuc pulled out the Kassadin pick and somehow managed to get 2 kills in the bot lane at level 6. The game was over after that point, with not enough AD damage to counter this Kassadin. Nuc finished the game with a 9-0-6 scoreline in 36 minutes, giving Astralis a 1-0 series lead.

Nuc went back to his Kassadin in game two, but this time around, Astralis did the right thing. Drafting 2 ADCs might not have been the answer, but they made it out of lane with a lead. Ashe support has been a priority pick across the world and they utilized it properly. The game was tame for the first 23 minutes but then fights started erupting left and right. The Karma and Wukong picks for Team BDS failed to provide any value in those fights, and Kobbe’s Varus was full build at 30 minutes as a result of it. Astralis played it slow and steady, securing the win and matching up for a deciding game three.

Astralis make Adam’s life a nightmare

The deciding game three kicked off with a few notable picks in champion select. Astralis bot laner Kobbe still ended up on his Varus comfort pick. But more importantly, Team BDS top laner Adam brought out his signature Olaf pick. Astralis countered it perfectly, abusing Olaf’s early game. After 3 deaths at the hands of the enemy team jungler, the Olaf pick came back to bite Team BDS.  The Karma support also had a hard time against the engage comp, with Astralis taking game three in convincing fashion.

MAD Lions beat Astralis

Astralis put their all into that BDS series for a chance to rematch with the MAD Lions. But it seems they forgot the lesson they taught Team BDS. Patch 13,3 was live and it brought a lot of the engage supports into the meta. So when MAD forced a fight in the top lane at 8 minutes, it quickly became a nightmare for Astralis. The jungler for MAD Lions, Elyoya, got 3 easy kills that made his AP Maokai a nuisance to deal with. Combining his saplings and ultimate ability, with the poke and range the Jayce and Varus had meant that Astralis were dead before the fight even started. MAD closed out the first game in 31 minutes, to take a 1-0 series lead.

Game two kicked off with a little 5v5 shenanigans in the top lane, which resulted in MAD Lions receiving 3 easy kills. Similarly to game one, MAD’s Nautilus found a lot more value than the Nami support for Astralis. The Spanish squad went ahead and tested the waters with a Fiora top lane pick, which worked out after countless ganks from Elyoya. But regardless of the lead MAD generated in the early game, Astralis crawled back into the game. The gold difference was less than a 1000 at the 21 minute mark. But following a successful dance around the Baron buff, the MAD Lions secured it and closed out the game 3 minutes later. With this they advanced to the Final Four, where SK Gaming, G2 Esports and KOI were awaiting them

LEC Winter Playoffs Final Four

SK Esports and MAD Lions faced off in the lower bracket, and it was an epic 5 game series that ended with Silver Scrapes. SK’s young bot lane in Exakick and Doss once again proved they belong in the LEC. They performed great on hyper carry bot lakers like Zeri and Aphelios. But the more experienced MAD Lions brought out some pocket picks that managed to turn the tide. MAD Lions mid laner Nisqy put on a show on his Gragas, outshining the valiant effort SK mid laner Sertuss had on Azir and Akali. MAD Lions managed to win the series with a 3-2 score, which placed SK in fourth place during this Winter Spring Split.

KOI G2 Esports

Coming into the Final Four, KOI and G2 matched up for a 5 game series. Their rivalry so far in the LEC has been one-sided, despite KOI winning their first title as Rogue just this previous summer against G2. Game one saw some early attention on the mid lane matchup, where two of Europe’s best mid laner were facing off. Despite 2 early deaths, G2 mid laner Caps still remains as the only one to make Jayce work in the mid lane. Both teams forced fights around the map, but G2 won most of them. The Maokai and Miss Fortune combo using ultimate abilities was too much for KOI’s team. G2 took a 1-0 lead in just 29 minutes, further proving that Nami Lucian should stay in the past.

In usual G2 fashion, game two saw all logic thrown out the door. Caps played Sejuani in the mid lane. G2 were tower diving KOI between towers 11 minutes into the game. By 14 minutes they had taken each one of the 15 plates that give gold. G2 rushed to a 10 000 gold lead by the 20 minute mark with an unconventional draft. The game ended 3 minutes later in what turned out to be a massive display of force. 

A glimor of hope for KOI

And while game three saw G2 whip out a more conventional draft, KOI decided to switch the approach. After losing two games with Lucian Nami in the bot lane, KOI bot laner Comp went to his Sivir pick. G2’s failed execution resulted in giving over 6 kills to KOI, a deficit which turned insurmountable.  Giving up Sejuani played a role, but G2 couldn’t stand to face the Azir/ Sivir combo whose ascension got boosted by their mistakes. Comp scored a pentakill on Sivir to give KOI a much-needed win heading into game four.

Game four saw Caps doing his best Maphite impersonation with his Tristana playstyle, but it didn’t seem to matter. KOI tried some forbidden Korean technology, whipping out the Kalista support pick against Heimerdinger. Both teams were trading blows and the gold lead throughout the first 15 minutes, when G2’s team composition got online. Having two ADC’s meant that the IE changes on patch 13,3 were felt twice as much. The game dissolved into pure bloodshed but after 15 minutes of intense fighting, G2 came out with the Dragon soul and the Baron buff. G2 finally managed to end the game after 40 minutes, securing their spot in the Winter Split Finals. This 3-1 loss sent KOI to the lower bracket, where they would face the MAD Lions for a chance to avenge this loss against G2 in the finals. 

G2 Esports defeat MAD Lions in the Grand Finals

The MAD Lions came into the Grand Finals less than 24 hours after the SK grind fest. And it looked like it had a major impact on them, considering they were playing the 8th game in 27 hours. G2 Esports managed to claim the throne in the 2023 LEC Winter Split, competing as a well-oiled machine. It all started and ended with G2 mid laner Caps, who rightfully picked up the MVP award. He put on a Cassiopeia masterclass in the first game, a champion not many players are comfortable bringing out on the biggest stage.

He then followed it up with an amazing Kled performance, making MAD Lions questions themselves. Game three was the closest of the series, but after 40 minutes, G2 came out on top. It was the 8th LEC title for Caps, and tenth for G2 Esports overall. Hans Sama finally became an LEC champion, as G2 became the first team to qualify for MSI 2023 through championship points.