LEC Summer 2022 Playoffs Preview and Power Rankings

LEC Summer 2022 Playoffs start tomorrow with Rogue vs. MAD.

After a split filled with ups and downs, we are finally here at the postseason. The final day of the LEC was one of the most exciting ones in recent memory, as multiple teams' chances were still alive to the last moment.

The Playoffs, like always, will also determine the EU's Worlds 2022 representatives. Due to EU having four slots, and the LEC bracket format, G2 guaranteed themselves a trip to North America with their first-place finish. But this does not mean the excitement is gone as we have three more teams to select, not to mention the eventual LEC Summer 2022 champions.

The 2022 #LEC Summer Playoffs Bracket! pic.twitter.com/1aEUVoN09d

— LEC (@LEC) August 14, 2022

LEC Summer 2022 Regular Season Recaps

LEC Week One Recaps – Day One, Two, Three

LEC Week Two Recaps – Day One, Two

LEC Week Three Recaps – Day One, Two

LEC Week Four Recaps – Day One, Two

LEC Week Five Recaps – Day One, Two

LEC Week Six Recaps – Day One, Two

LEC Week Seven Recaps – Day One, Two

LEC Week Eight Recaps – Day One, Two, Three

6. Excel Esports

• Finn ‘Finn' Wiestål
• Mark ‘Markoon' van Woensel
• Erlend ‘nukeduck' Våtevik Holm
• Patrik ‘Patrik' Jírů
• Mihael ‘Mikyx' Mehle

Playoffs Preview

Coming into the Summer, making playoffs twice in a row could’ve been considered a success for XL. But after their hype and good start during the first weeks of the Split, it does feel like being the sixth seed is a disappointment. When the fourth seed for EU in Worlds was announced many people, including me, wondered whether this could be an opportunity for this young team or not.

But with their current level of play, it does seem like a hard goal to achieve. Thankfully, their first-round opponents in Fnatic are not at their peak and XL have a pretty okay match-up into them. If their solo lanes and Mikyx, who struggled a lot in the second half of the season, can step up, they still have a chance to surprise people.

Mid-Season Prediction: 4th Place

With an 0-2 week and only winning against BDS in the last two weeks, some fans may think it is time to sell XL stock, but I am not that sure yet. Sure, they may have stumbled a little bit, but they still have a winning record and they still play very well. For example, they could’ve easily won against Astralis this weekend, if they played anything other than Kalista and did not get outscaled after the 15th minute. I still think all the players on this roster are performing above the LEC average and combining them with a good coaching staff, there is no need to doubt them making playoffs.

Pre-Season Prediction: 7th Place

5. Fnatic

• Martin ‘Wunder' Nordahl Hansen
• Iván ‘Razork' Martín Díaz
• Marek ‘Humanoid' Brázda
• Elias ‘Upset' Lipp
• Zdravets ‘Hylissang' Iliev Galabov

Playoffs Preview

I did not Fnatic to actually make it into the Playoffs. I thought this team did not have too many players that were helping Upset, but apparently when he is on Zeri, he does not need much help. Still, I am not sure how far they can go, championship does not seem to be a realistic goal for now. They are favored against XL, not heavily but still, but other than them, the rest of the field all showed much better outings than the old kings of EU. The roster has enough veterans in it to improve throughout the Bo5s, but unfortunately, they did not show too much of it in the regular season.

Mid-Season Prediction: 3rd Place

Fnatic is in a very peculiar space. It feels like the majority of this roster is currently underperforming but somehow they are still good enough to be top three. First, the positives. Upset and Wunder have been pretty consistently, even though the latter had some bad moments, the players carrying FNC in their wins. The problem is that their greatest advantage is supposed to be having the best bot lane in the league and with Hyli playing like this, they really are not. Right now, FNC is only third because other top teams are also in a downward spiral so they really need to be the first one to recover if they want to keep their place.

Pre-Season Prediction: 3rd Place

Check out our League of Legends betting tips

4. Misfits Gaming

• Joel ‘Irrelevant' Miro Scharoll
• Nikolay ‘Zanzarah' Akatov
• Vincent ‘Vetheo' Berrié
• Matúš ‘Neon' Jakubčík
• Mertai ‘Mersa' Sari

Playoffs Preview

Misfits made Worlds during their first season in EU LCS, back in 2017, and they are looking to repeat that in their last season in LEC. They already showed they are not a team that should be overlooked or dismissed. They have strong bot and top lanes and Vetheo is having a good Summer, despite playing below his MVP level. I still have doubts about Zanzarah, but Trundle remains in meta and his playstyle fits this team perfectly. Four Worlds spots mean they only need to win one Bo5, probably against FNC or XL. They had some struggles last playoffs during the best-of series, so these Playoffs will be a great opportunity for these five players to prove themselves.

Mid-Season Prediction: 6th Place

Misfits are on a roll as they won their fifth straight game after they started the Summer 0-4. And they aren’t just beating bottom-tier teams as they 2-0’d this weak besting both Fnatic and G2. There are many things to be happy about the roster as Vetheo and Neon finally found themselves by playing champions more to their strengths like Ahri and Kai’Sa, respectively. Shlatan has also been better after not looking good at all during their 0-4 start. But the player I’m most impressed with is their rookie top laner, Irrelevant. He was already fine while they were losing, but he is looking like a bright prospect when this team is winning, which means a step to build for the future while their playoffs hopes are still going.

Pre-Season Prediction: 6th Place

3. Rogue

• Andrei ‘Odoamne' Pasc
• Kim ‘Malrang' Geun-seong
• Emil ‘Larssen' Larsson
• Markos ‘Comp' Stamkopoulos
• Adrian ‘Trymbi' Trybus

Playoffs Preview

Rogue is still looking for that first title after they failed so many times in the last two years. This could be the last chance for this roster to win under the name Rogue, as there are rumors about a partnership with the Spanish org KOI, which would come with a name change.

It is also important for players like Odo and Larssen, who have been at the top multiple times, but couldn’t finish the job and got their reputations damaged as a result. The biggest difference maker for them this season seems to be Comp though. Comp is my dark horse candidate for the LEC MVP and probably the best ADC in the league at the moment. We’ve seen him carry many games in the regular split, and if Rogue can give him some more stability, they have a real chance at their first trophy.

Mid-Season Prediction: 1st Place

The kings of the regular season are back as Rogue is quietly on a seven-game winning streak after a 0-2 start to the Summer. With nearly all LEC teams having some kind of problems, Rogue is looking like the favorites to finally lift the trophy. Odo is back to form after an abysmal first week and Larssen is having a pretty good season even though not many people are talking about him at the moment. But the main focus should be on their bot lane, especially Comp who arguably is the best ADC in the league right now.

Pre-Season Prediction: 2nd Place