The LEC Spring Split has wrapped up its regular season. The ten teams in the franchised league varied widely in terms of their success. With the LEC Spring Split Playoffs just around the corner, offering exciting LoL Betting Odds, today we look at how each of these teams did, grade their split, and establish what they need to do in the future. We’ll start from the bottom!

Team Vitality, Grade: F-

What the actual hell happened to this team? Vitality went from a struggling lower end playoff team to the spiritual successor of Giants Gaming from 2018.

Vitality offloaded Mowgli, Jizuke, and Attila in the offseason, replacing them with the hyped prospect trio of Skeanz, Saken, and Comp. They also retained Cabochard and Jactroll, the former to praise and the latter to criticism. This change only made the team worse. Only Skeanz managed to finish the season with a KDA above two, with every other player finishing last or second to last in nearly every metric in their role.

Vitality finished with a measly 2-16 record, one of those games coming against Fnatic after they had already secured 2nd place. So, in games where their opponents tried, they were 1-16. At this point, we are unsure that Vitality would even beat Victory5 or CLG.

This team needs to hit a reset button on this roster. Investing resources into Cabochard did not work like in 2018. Mid and supports were revolving doors with Saken/Selfie and Jactroll/Steelback being put in and out of the roster. This cannot continue if Vitality doesn’t want to be the LEC’s basement.

SK GAMING, Grade: D

Unlike the French Connection, SK came in with no expectations. Trading Selfmade to Fnatic and dropping Pirean and Dreams made up their offseason. They were replaced with Trick, Jenax, and LIMIT. These three worked out about as well as SK’s exit from CSGO, in addition to Sacre slumping hard. Jenax looks better on Sett, Mordekaiser, or Aatrox than actual mid lane champions.

Crownshot was the shining light on SK, putting up respectable numbers despite the abysmal play of the team. Everyone else placed last to second to last in nearly every metric, and team fight priorities were all over the place. SK Gaming appeared to be a team without life or fight, or the ability to win a fight.

SK finished the season with a two-game streak to finish 4-14. For the LEC 2020 Summer Split, the strategy needs to be focused around Jenax and Crownshot, and finding a way to get this team on the same page. They have the edge over teams like Schalke and Vitality in that they kept their roster consistent, but they might want to try more games of Ventair in the top lane during Summer.

SCHALKE 04, Grade: D+

There are very few things like being proven right. For years we have said that whatever team that brings back FORG1VEN would regret it. Schalke most certainly did.

Schalke lost Upset, Ignar, and Trick to free agency. They were replaced with FORG1VEN, Dreams, and Gilius. To the surprise of no one with foresight, the team struggled until both Gilius and Forgiven were removed from the team. The Greek God proved to be a godlike bust, posting the lowest numbers in the LEC Spring Split in KDA, kill share, and gold per minute.

Midway through the LEC Spring Split, Innaxe and Lurox were subbed in, and the team looked respectable, dominating G2 in the first game with their current starting five. Odoamne and Abbedage looked significantly better than their 2018 forms, contributing to several Schalke wins on the way to 6-12.

This team has the least work to do out of the non-playoff contenders. A consistent starting five and a change in coaching philosophy could see them make playoffs in summer. There is talent here; it just needs to be appropriately implemented.

EXCEL ESPORTS, Grade: C-

On paper, this season looks like a massive choke by Excel. They brought in the Six Star General, Youngbuck, and retooled the roster by adding Patrik and Tore. This team isn’t bad per se but are a sure step behind the pack with a 7-11 finish.

We are still not convinced that anyone on this roster, sans Patrik, is a playoffs calibre player. The team seems less like the dark horse and more like the Isle of Misfit Toys. There isn’t nearly as much to say about Excel as other teams, especially given their issues are more long term. If they clean up their play, they can make playoffs in Summer.

ROGUE, Grade: C-

We are not sure anyone quite expected Rogue to finish this low on the totem pole. The addition of Hans Sama to their core four seemed to be a recipe for a team that could push to the top of the league. Instead, they ended at a meagre 9-9, breaking even on a projected breakout split.

Rogue has one of the most talented rosters in Europe but are consistently plagued by their own inexperience. Larssen, Finn, and Inspired could still be considered rookies to some, and it shows. They seem to over-rely on their talents, lacking the team coordination to finish off the big games.

Rogue must get on the same page for playoffs, or the likes of Misfits and Mad Lions will make mincemeat of them.

MISFITS, Grade: A

Yes. We gave them an A. Why? Because 2019 Misfits was the most disappointing attempt at a “super team” in the history of professional League of Legends. This new roster has promise. They only dropped a single game to a team that did not make playoffs with an entirely new roster. Misfits finished 10-8 after a massive seven game winning streak in the middle of the season.

The biggest issue that plagues this team is that Misfits are the definition of a coinflip team. When the mad rabbits are rolling, comebacks are nigh impossible. If they are getting rolled, coming back is also impossible. To us this stems from a lack of a true superstar player on the roster to pull them out of the darkness.

For playoffs, preventing the yellow snowball is essential. In a best of five you have plenty of opportunities to turn a game around. But if Misfits’ mental is broken before the second game even starts, we could see a first-round exit.

MAD LIONS, Grade: A

The team formerly known as Splyce was the other surprise of the split for us, particularly after losing four of their starting five. They brought in Orome, Shadow, Carzzy, and Kaiser to replace their veteran squad. In doing so, MAD brought up several potential stars.

Orome and Kaiser are among the best players in the league at their respective positions despite their youth. They can apply pressure by simply existing on the map. Shadow does have a tendency to be sink or swim but can show up in any game. Carzzy is a great complement in the bottom lane, as well as a great rock for the team to rely upon. Humanoid did regress significantly, now being most famous for dying in the side lane.

In playoffs, MAD have the fortune of starting in the upper bracket. To their misfortune, they start against the reigning Worlds finalist, G2 Esports. We think they are hard outclassed in that matchup, but if they are to win it must be through top and bottom. Humanoid and Shadow are going to lose to Perkz and Jankos, so those resources need to be moved elsewhere.

ORIGEN, Grade: A-

This grade and season should surprise no one. Origen took a disappointing end to 2019 and added the two prizes of the free agency: Upset and Xerxe. They finished the season at 13-5, continuing to prove why they are among the elite in Europe.

Origen, despite their successes, have one glaring downside. The team has no game other than the late game. For the better part of the split, Origen averaged a game time of nearly 35 minutes, significantly higher than the next highest.

Despite their talent, we don’t see Origen contending for the title. Fnatic is their round one opponent, and Fnatic have the capability to play early unlike the boys in blue. We can still see them beating out every team that placed below them, but not beating G2 or Fnatic.

FNATIC, Grade: A-

Fnatic are exactly as they have always been (2016 never happened): one of the top teams in Europe. They held first place over their rivals in G2 for a few weeks in the Spring Split, but never managed to fell the samurai. FNC ended the split 13-5.

Fnatic, as usual, have one of the most talented teams in the world. Rekkles had yet another MVP calibre split, leading all players in KDA and gold per minute. Selfmade was a great addition to the roster, complementing the core of Nemesis, Hylissang, and Bwipo well. Their biggest issue is Hylissang and Bwipo dying too much, even in wins, but those issues have persisted for over a year.

In playoffs, Fnatic is the only team we see as able to dethrone G2. They should edge out Origen, but the real test will be the kings of Europe.

G2 ESPORTS, Grade: A-

G2 Esports ended the LEC Spring Split 2020 in first place. Who would have thought, except everyone? Finishing at 15-3, G2 once again dominated their region. However, they are far from the near perfection, that was 2019.

Jankos is hands down the best jungler in the west, winning Player of the Split. Perkz returned to the mid lane in godlike fashion, retaking the mid lane crown that he hasn’t seen since 2017. Wunder is still among the elite top laners in the world. The issue, as always, is the bottom lane. Caps in the bottom line is noticeably worse than his good buddy Perkz, with his Aphelios becoming meme-worthy after a 0-9 performance against Misfits. Mikyx is still the best support in Europe, but he is laning with Caps.

Looking to playoffs, G2 are the odds-on favourite to win it all. The only team that looks like a threat is Fnatic. G2 simply need to avoid choking in the home stretch, and they can secure their third straight LEC title.