LEC Spring Split 2020: Playoff Scenarios Heading into Week 9
By s. samek
The LEC is heading into the final week of the Spring Split and the top six has been decided. Here’s a look at the remaining LEC Playoffs scenarios.
With the final ten games of the LEC regular season on the horizon, we’re taking a look at the LEC Playoffs and the remaining scenarios for each team when it comes to seeding.
Although the top six teams have already been decided, there are still opportunities to secure wins in Week 9 and take part in European League of Legends’ first-ever double elimination bracket!
1. G2 Esports (13 – 3)
G2 Esports leads the pack to the surprise of no-one, but they only hold onto first place by a single win over Fnatic and Origen. Nevertheless, they’ll be confident heading into Week 9 as they only need one victory to confirm their number one seed for the playoffs.
Their opponents this week are Schalke 04 and Misfits Gaming, two teams G2 lost to during the first round-robin, but that’s unlikely to be an obstacle in G2’s path to the number one seed.
2. Fnatic (12 – 4)
Fnatic is one of two teams tied for second place heading into Week 9, they will make the playoffs, but their seeding is still up in the air. They would need to play a tiebreaker with Origen if both teams finish with the same record after splitting the head-to-head with a game apiece.
Fnatic is one win behind G2 Esports and could still surpass them in the standings if results go their way. But, G2 have the advantage in the teams’ head-to-head record, so an equal win/loss would result in G2 having the higher seed.
3. Origen (12 – 4)
Origen is the second team at 12-4 and, like Fnatic, have earned a playoff spot with seeding yet to be determined.
They have Excel Esports and MAD Lions on the docket in Week 9 and are pretty much in the same position as Fnatic. They could still surpass G2 and earn the top seed, but they would finish below G2 if they had an equal win/loss due to their head-to-head record.
If Origen equal Fnatic’s win/loss record at the end of Week 9, the two would need to play a tiebreaker to decide playoff seeding.
4. MAD Lions (10 – 6)
With a 10-6 record, MAD Lions are guaranteed a spot in the LEC playoffs, but their seeding could end up anywhere from second to sixth after Week 9’s games.
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MAD have the chance to take on Fnatic and Origen in Week 9 and potentially replace them both in second-place if other results go their way. If all three teams finish with 12 wins, Fnatic will head into playoffs as the fourth seed while MAD Lions and Origen would play a tiebreaker for the second seed.
On the other hand, a 0-2 week would leave MAD with 10 wins and the possibility of Misfits and Rogue overtaking them in the standings.
The likelihood of this happening is quite high considering three of their four opponents are already knocked out of playoffs contention, while the other is G2 Esports who could have already secured first place and be ready to troll in the final game of the regular season.
MAD Lions have an even head-to-head record with both Misfits Gaming and Rogue so any seeding issues would have to be solved via tiebreakers.
5. Rogue (9 – 7)
Rogue is safely in the playoffs with 9 wins and have the same seeding situation as Misfits Gaming. They have Schalke 04 and SK Gaming on their Week 9 schedule, which should help them get a couple more wins on the board and rise out of sixth place.
Fourth place is a manageable goal for Rogue as long as they don’t get upset.
6. Misfits Gaming (9 – 7)
Misfits Gaming have surprised some people by making it to the playoffs after being picked pretty low in the preseason poll. They are locked into a playoff spot, but seeding has yet to be determined.
Misfits can finish as high as fourth and as low as sixth. They have G2 on the schedule for Week 9, but have already beaten G2 in their prior meeting earlier in the Spring Split. Then they have Team Vitality which pretty much should be a free win for them.
Misfits should beware of Rogue though as if the two teams tie Rogue would surpass them and earn a better seeding due to their head-to-head record.
7. Excel Esports (7 – 9)
Excel Esports is the first team in this list that cannot qualify for the LEC playoffs. They could finish the regular season with 9 wins with a 2-0 week and could finish level with Misfits and Rogue if they go 0-2 in Week 9.
However, this wouldn’t be enough for Excel to sneak into the playoffs as they are 0-4 against these two sides in the Spring Split.
Excel face Origen and SK Gaming in their final weekend of the regular season and if they upset Origen it might have a big impact on the seedings for the playoffs.
8. Schalke 04 (5 – 11)
The next team outside the playoff places is Schalke 04. They won’t finish last, but the best they can do is reach 7 wins.
Schalke have the chance to become the only team to achieve a 2-0 head-to-head record against G2 Esports this split with a win against the reigning LEC champions on W9D1. They could also mess up Rogue’s hopes of securing a higher playoff seed by defeating them in their final game of the Spring Split.
9. SK Gaming (2 – 14)
With 10 straight losses, the season is long over for SK Gaming. At this point, it’s all about avoiding last place.
SK are currently one win ahead of Team Vitality and will be hoping to at least finish in that position and not drop to the foot of the LEC table.
10. Team Vitality (1 – 15)
The good news for Team Vitality is that they don’t own the worst losing streak in the LEC, but they do own the second-worst at six in a row.
With just a single victory in the Spring Split regular season, Vitality are the worst team in the LEC and there doesn’t seem to be any relief in sight. In Week 9, they challenge Fnatic and Misfits Gaming with essentially only pride on the line.
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