The LEC playoffs brought about a crazy turn of events in the first weekend. G2 almost got upset by a crafty Schalke 04 in a five-game series, while Fnatic quickly put away an out of sorts SK Gaming on the back of a ferocious Bwipo performance. In this week’s LEC predictions, the toss-up showdown between Schalke 04 and Fnatic are much closer in playoffs after Schalke’s resurgence these past few weeks. While Fnatic remain favorites, Schalke have more than enough in the tank to stress out Fnatic into their first five-game series this split.
Meanwhile, MAD Lions have done a complete 180 from their lackluster start this season. MAD chose violence time and time again in their series against Rogue. The option to make it bloody and take skirmishes at will proved to be the difference-maker for their team as they walked away triumphantly with a 3-1 win over a supposedly better team on paper. This week, their chances are that much slimmer against the juggernauts of G2. Rekkles even gave praise to MAD Lions recent resurgence after their win against Schalke. Meaning that the respect across both teams will be there to make this another fiery matchup.
Schalke 04 vs. Fnatic
While Schalke put up a good fight against G2, the series was more lightning in a bottle for the German giants than anything else. Fnatic have a bone to pick with the rest of the LEC as their regular season didn’t go nearly as smoothly as they would’ve hoped. But after the dominant performance against SK, they remain a heavy favorite in the League of Legends odds department. They look to put Schalke to bed in similar fashion as they eye an eventual rematch with G2 down the line.
While this will more than likely not end in a 3-0, expect Fnatic to come away with this series on the backs of Nisqy and Bwipo just simply out laning their opponents and finding victory the old fashioned way.
Pick: Fnatic
Odds: 1.45
Betting Site: GG.bet
G2 vs. MAD Lions
G2 Esports players such as Rekkles and Mikyx have given lots of praise towards MAD Lions these past few weeks. As the resurgence of MAD has continued this regular season, they may have finally met their match against G2 due to all their players performing at a higher clip.
The one real pressure point for MAD Lions they will hopefully expose this weekend will come from their jungler Elyoya. G2’s Jankos has looked uncharacteristically shaky this season, and with his playoff form not fully hiring peak Polish powers, there is a chance MAD can make them pay with this weak point. Even still, it will likely not be enough to capitalize on the rest of the team which is why G2 remain the favorite in the League of Legends betting sites.
Pick: G2 Esports
Odds: 1.20
Betting Site: Unikrn
Lying in wait
Although Rogue were ousted early, their eventual game against the loser of Fnatic and Schalke will start their road to redemption as they hope to reclaim their role as the second strongest team in Europe. MAD Lions frustrated their series with a slew of early game skirmish champions that opted for fight after fight instead of trying to match Rogue’s control style late game team fight composition. With a full week of analysis under their belts, Rogue can finally return to the drawing board in triumphant fashion and hopefully keep their playoff hopes alive in the losers bracket.
