If there is one thing that became apparent throughout the last two weeks of play, it is the fact that the LEC playoffs are not for those who are faint of heart. We’ve had a lot of back-and-forth action last weekend, so let’s do a somewhat quick LEC semifinal recap!

Fnatic vs. Splyce (3-1)

Coming into the match, everyone expected a rather one-sided shellacking. After all, Fnatic has been extremely dominant over the last couple of weeks and was heading into this clash with a ton of hype and momentum. But once game one started, it was Splyce that was getting the early lead. Unlike Team Vitality, they were actually able to shut down Gabriël “Bwipo” Rau multiple times and thus give Tamás “Vizicsacsi” Kiss an upper hand.

But even though they played well individually, their team play was off by a considerable margin. Fnatic had an easy time controlling the map, and even though they were evenly matched in gold for a good portion of the game, Fnatic’s stellar team fighting and target selection allowed them to take down Splyce in key moments.

But then came game two. Not only did Splyce out draft their counterparts, but they actually pulled off a spectacular lane swap. We haven’t seen that in competitive play since 2016, and the boys in yellow and gray were able to use the strategy to great effect. They were faster on the map and fully utilized their engage tools. Ten minutes in, their Tristana had four kills to her name and the team, as a whole, almost had a five thousand gold lead.

Unlike game one, Splyce took control of the game from the get-go and never let go. They were commanding with their lead, and when those hectic five-on-five team fights broke out, they were all in sync.

Needless to say, coming into game three there was a ton of tension from both sides. We had just seen Fnatic get challenged across the board — and saying that they failed to adapt mid-game would’ve been an understatement.

In many ways, this was the most important game of the series. The winning team would gain a ton of momentum that could potentially translate over to the fourth game and close out the series. And judging by both teams’ drafts in game three, it could have gone either way.

Ample amounts of engage and team fighting prowess on both sides, with many players getting their comfort picks. Lissandra, Vayne, and Rakan for Fnatic; Shen, Rek’Sai and Azir for Splyce.

Splyce was faster early on and as a result, was able to get two quick kills before the ten-minute mark. Fortunately for Fnatic, they were able to punish Splyce’s sloppy collapse in the bottom lane and turn the tables. Things went back-and-forth for a while until Fnatic outclassed Splyce in the mid lane with three kills for zero.

It was Bwipo and his fantastic Aatrox that was able to keep three Splyce members busy (underneath their turret as well) thus allowing the rest of his team to collapse and eradicate their opponents.

In true Splyce fashion, they didn’t surrender, but they were simply playing from too big of a deficit in order to leave a mark. A clean ace over Baron at the twenty-four-minute mark allowed Fnatic to push into Splyce’s base and for a minute it seemed like the game was over. But we were wrong. Splyce dug deep and defended their base like their lives depended on it. Marek “Humanoid” Brázda’s Azir finally came online, and he was able to basically ace Fnatic twice in a row right next to his Nexus. Ten minutes of absolute insanity ensued, and it seemed like Splyce had all the tools to turn things around and even end the game.

It was a strange sight seeing how Fnatic had a staggering lead in turrets — eleven to one, but they were struggling to get the Nexus down seeing how Splyce finally reached their late-game power spikes. One last push at the forty-minute mark allowed Fnatic to take the game and crush Splyce psychologically in the process.

Splyce was beaten and battered. Game four was a swift and tremendous coup de grâce by Fnatic. Splyce tried to throw multiple curveballs in the draft with a Veigar and Sylas, but it wasn’t enough. Not by a long shot. While they were able to trade somewhat evenly throughout the early game, once Fnatic decided to take control of the game, there was no turning back. Their exceptional team fighting overwhelmed Splyce time and time again, and by the twenty-seven-minute mark, they were knocking on the opposing Nexus.

Then again, Fnatic didn’t really look that good or dominant. Regardless, this win — as frail as it was — propelled them into a clash with Origen — a must-watch clash regardless of your allegiance.

In the end, Fnatic got the job done, and that’s the only thing that ultimately matters.

G2 Esports vs. Origen (3-0)

This was supposed to be a Best of 5 for the ages — or so everyone thought. How could it not be, after seeing these two behemoths dominate throughout the entirety of the Spring Split? Sure, they attained different amounts of success and through different means as well, but when push came to shove, they both stepped up and made a name for themselves.

How could two exceptional teams with a ton of depth not go blow-for-blow in an insane back-and-forth series?

Regardless of what everyone expected, G2 Esports had different plans.

Both teams started game one with a lot of staple, comfort picks. It was a clash of two different styles with ample engage tools and damage across the board. Origen made the right early game proactive plays, and they were trying their best to hasten the pace of the game. G2 Esports, on the other hand, wanted to slow things down immensely to reach their power spikes. They didn’t want five-on-five team fighting because they knew that was a fight they couldn’t win.

The game was eventually decided by the slimmest of margins. G2 Esports was able to make multiple spectacular, layered plays that completely took Origen (and everyone in attendance) by surprise. Their ability to commit to a play and immediately execute it is second to none. They were able to eke out small advantages throughout the game and eventually out rotate Origen in two critical moments in the late game. This was some next level League of Legends, and we were delighted for it was a great sign of the things to come.

Or so everyone thought.

Game two was a completely different story. Both teams secured comfort picks and started skirmishing from the very start. It was a fast-paced game that held echoes of the G2 Esports everyone loves to see– aggressive, unrelenting, dominant. They were a lot more impactful this time around, and their individual mechanical prowess allowed them to take the lead. To say that they outclassed their opponents on an individual level would be an understatement.

After such a one-sided shellacking, one had to wonder if Origen had anything left in the tank. Sure, they held their own in game one, but game two was not exactly their finest hour. They had a lead in game one but couldn’t capitalize and play to their win condition. Game two was highlighted by a plethora of wrong decisions, and ill-advised engages which resulted in a much more decisive loss.

Game three was their chance of getting revenge and turning things around. Unfortunately for the many Origen fans across the globe – no such thing happened. In fact, the opposite. They were demolished. Just twenty minutes into the game, G2 Esports was up seven thousand gold. It took them only five more minutes to land the finishing blow to the opposing Nexus.

The frightening thing about G2 Esports isn’t the fact that they won in extremely dominant fashion, but instead that they were able to outshine and outclass their opponents to such a degree that it left no question unanswered. This was a fight between the first and second team in the region (ranking-wise), but it sure didn’t look like it, and this isn’t a knock on Origen.

They tried their best, but G2 Esports are on another level.

Origen simply didn’t have the tools to fight back or to even attempt to go match G2. Even if three-fifths of the team underperform, there are still two exceptional carries that can carry the heavy load and propel the team to victory. They have so many threats and can play through multiple avenues. Pair that up with their immense game knowledge, experience, mechanical prowess, and deep champion pools, and you get a team that should, by all means, be able to challenge Fnatic for the LEC throne. The fact that they could actually pull it off makes a potential G2 Esports vs. Fnatic final that much more exciting.

That’s it for our LEC semifinal recap! If you’re still itching for top-tier high octane League of Legends action — fear not! There are two more Best of 5 matches left to be played this weekend, and both of them have the potential to be downright spectacular. If you’re wondering how the playoff unfolded up to this point, you can check out our LEC quarterfinal recap by clicking here.