Let’s take a closer look at the European standings after four weeks of competitive play, in our 2019 LEC Summer Split week 4 recap! Describing the last two days of LEC play is pretty hard. In short, we’ve seen it all. Awe-inspiring clashes, seismic upsets, as well as confusing fiestas. And the standings tell a similar story as well. While there hasn’t been any huge shift when it comes to the overall rankings, we do have a somewhat better read on all ten teams, their overall strength as well as inherent weaknesses.

The first day of play went exactly as expected. The second one, however, was absolute chaos. Maybe that’s even an understatement. There were multiple upsets, and while they do infuse the region with a bit of healthy uncertainty, they do make predicting the future that much more complicated. As things stand right now, we need a bit more time and a slightly bigger sample size before coming up with a concrete verdict on many of the LEC’s middle-of-the-pack contenders.

Despite this, Europe has never been this strong, and it never had as many capable contenders as it does right now. Watching the LEC every Friday and Saturday is pretty much a must if you’re in for top-tier high-quality League of Legends. It is the place to be, and the region to follow if you’re into competitive League.

So without any further ado, let’s take a closer look at the standings in our 2019 LEC Summer Split week 4 recap!

Tied for First — Fnatic, G2 Esports (7W-1L)

After spending a week in sole possession of first place, Fnatic dropped a game to Splyce and are now tied with the defending champs G2 Esports once again. Their week four performance perhaps best sums up their biggest strengths but also innate weaknesses. We saw them at their best against Team Vitality, but also at their worst against Splyce.

One thing is for sure, however: they’re a bona fide behemoth. They might not always hit the mark, and they might still be a bit rough around the edges, but when they’re at the top of their game they’re the team to beat. Whether or not they end up taking G2 Esports down in the future remains to be seen, but they’re a Top 2 team for sure. Their loss to Splyce shouldn’t hurt their stock too much, especially considering the number of uncharacteristic mistakes they’ve made.

G2 Esports, on the other hand, are as strong, flexible, and frightening as ever. It feels like every week gives us a deeper insight into their astounding talent and potential. They’re just not stopping, and they’re making all of this look like child’s play. We have never seen anything like it, and they’re only just getting started. The sky’s the limit for this five-man squad. It feels like we’ve already said everything there’s to say about the defending champions.

Right now, we’re just waiting for them to actually get challenged. They’re bored, they’re experimenting, and they’re fooling around. It’s hard to blame them, but a reality in which G2 is challenged across the board is rather exciting, to say the least.

Third — Splyce (6W-2L)

At third place we have Splyce. Now, this is strange, to say the least. To see them this high up the rankings (this early on into the split) is rather confusing. It’s easy to get aboard the Splyce hype train and say that they’ve finally realized their innate potential, but there’s an important caveat — this isn’t the first time they had flashes of brilliance.

In fact, they have them relatively frequently, but they don’t last long enough for people to get hyped. But talented though they are, they never manage to step up in time and actually leave a mark. That’s kind of the Splyce DNA, and their overarching LEC narrative. They’re a spectacular gatekeeper, nothing more, nothing less. They have bursts of excellence and are always a force to be reckoned with, but without any titles or concrete achievements to their name, we’re not willing to give them our benefit of the doubt. Not yet, at least.

They’ve been improving with each passing week and no one’s denying their potential. But until they maintain this level of play and keep impressing, we’re going to be reserved.

All this said, they’re the team to watch going forward, and their upcoming clash against G2 Esports this week will give us a better read into their strength and potential.

Tied for Fourth — Origen, Schalke 04 (4W-4L)

Next up, we have a two-way tie for fourth between Origen and Schalke 04. Now, both of these two teams deserve to be ranked near the very top of the standings, but unlike the three teams above them, they were unable to step up when it mattered the most.

Furthermore, they’re fairly inconsistent and are still figuring out their own identities. Many words have been written about both of these two contenders, and while their talent is undeniable, they seriously need to get on the same page and start dominating sooner rather than later.

Both teams won and lost last week, but it feels like Origen lost a lot more stock than Schalke. They nearly lost against Excel Esports and then actually dropped a game to Rogue. For the second-best team from Spring, that’s downright unacceptable. Now, even the LEC bottom dwellers have what it takes in order to upset from time to time, but we all expected more from Origen, and with good reason.

Had they just lost it would’ve been alright, but they were demolished. They failed to put up an offensive and were outclassed by… Rogue, of all teams. And you couldn’t even tell if it was Origen who underperformed or Rogue who overperformed after weeks of mediocrity. Either way, they need to step up and start stringing wins against top-tier opposition if they want to be considered as a solid challenger. It’s still not too late but there’s a lot of work to be done for the Origen boys.

Schalke 04, on the other hand, don’t have such astounding lows but they don’t blow you away either. They’re very solid and are deceptively strong right now. They’re basically a lock for the playoffs and if they continue developing they should be able to compete with the best the LEC has to offer once the playoffs come around.

Tied for Sixth — SK Gaming, Rogue, Team Vitality (3W-5L)

Next up we have a three-way tie for sixth between SK Gaming, Rogue, and Team Vitality. Saying who’s better than whom in this bunch is getting harder and harder as time goes on. They all have a fair bit of potential, but they’re also staggeringly inconsistent and out of sync at times.

They’re just not playing good League of Legends most of the time, and that’s a problem. While things aren’t dire just yet, they simply need to synergize and decide on how they want to play the game. SK Gaming and Vitality definitely have the higher skill ceilings, but their recent losses (and even wins) left a lot to be desired. SK Gaming lost both of their games last week, whereas Vitality and Rogue barely squeaked by with a respectable 1W-1L record.

They’re all basically fighting for the last playoff spot, and while it’s still too early to predict who’s going to come out on top, we’re siding slightly towards SK Gaming. Even though their level of play was abysmal last week, we know just how capable and strong they can be when they start off on the right foot. If they continue building on their strengths they should be able to lock down a playoff spot.

Vitality, on the other hand, have Schalke 04, Origen, and Splyce lined up as their next three opponents, and they’re not favored in any of those three matches.

All in all, the next couple of weeks will give us a better read on all three teams.

Ninth — Misfits Gaming (2W-6L)

At ninth place, we have none other than Misfits Gaming. This was expected, although it’s still a hard pill to swallow. There’s just nothing good one can say about Misfits at this point. They’re talented, they’re stacked with potential, and they’re unable to realize it.

That pretty much sums it up.

While they could, in theory, step up and actually start stringing wins, don’t bet your money on it happening. They’ve had more than enough time in order to start playing top-notch League of Legends, and yet they made negligible improvement over the last seven months. Don’t expect them to move much in the standings going forward, although they might surprise when you least expect it.

Tenth — Excel Esports (1W-7L)

Finally, we have Excel Esports at tenth place. Now, seeing them this low is nothing shocking — it is a standard sight. But statistics aside, Excel Esports are currently playing like a bona fide playoff contender. Their early game is downright spectacular, and they nearly upset both Fnatic as well as Origen over the last couple of weeks.

Let that sink in for a bit. While they’re still quite a bit lost once the mid and later stages of the game come along, they have the right tools at their disposal and they’re doing work on the Summoner’s Rift every time they step foot on stage. They are no longer a pushover and are more than capable of playing high-quality League of Legends. While they won’t exactly leave a big mark once the regular portion of the split concludes, they have more than enough strength and grit in order to upset anyone in the standings.

The fact that they took down SK Gaming (in such clean fashion as well) is a testament to their resiliency and willingness to ignore the status quo. They never go down without a fight and should not be underestimated regardless of the opponent.