LEC Week 5 Roundup: Return of the kings

Rank: Tied 1st
Record: 8-2
Rank Change: +2 places

Fnatic extended their winning streak to three this week after a 2-0 week to round out week five. The former kings of Europe started off the week with a high-kill game against Team Vitality. The second was in a similar suit as Fnatic edged out a close game against Excel.

With the 2-0 week, Fnatic moves back to where they rightfully belong as they are tied for first with Rogue. Fnatic gets the opportunity to warm up on Friday against Astralis before taking on long-time rivals G2 Esports. This is a perfect opportunity for Fnatic to put G2 Esports into the ground and stop them from gaining any momentum.

Rank: Tied 1st
Record: 8-3
Rank Change: +-

Rogue had a tough schedule, to say the least. The team had to play both Misfits Gaming and G2 Esports during Week 5, and they managed to get a win out of the two games. The victory came against Misfits, who going into the match were tied for 1st place.

Rogue continues to be one of the most dominant early game teams, but they couldn't handle G2 and Caps' new shiny head. The team takes on Schalke 04 and Astralis for week 6, a change of pace, and gives the team a bit of breathing room for possibly new drafts. A loss here can cost them significantly though.

Rank: Tied 3rd
Record: 7-4
Rank Change: +1 place

MAD Lions have been struggling ever since they came back to Europe after MSI 2021, but so are every region's representatives for some unknown reason. However, this week saw MAD Lions add up two more wins to their record and show promise again.

The team is finally starting to look like their former selves, which is incredibly entertaining to watch. Their wins against both EXCEL and Schalke 04 were convincing, and week 6 will see them take on SK Gaming and Team Vitality.

Rank: Tied 3rd
Record: 7-4
Rank Change: -2 places

Misfits Gaming has spent 3 out of the 5 passing weeks on top of the LEC table. Sadly, they are starting to struggle and decline in their performance. What was an explosive start for Vincent "Vetheo" Berrié is starting to cool off.

They didn't win any of their matches against Rogue and Astralis. The latter was on a 5-game losing streak going into the game but still managed to come out on top. Week 6 will see Misfits take on EXCEL and Schalke 04.

Rank: 5th
Record: 6-5
Rank Change: +-

After probably the weirdest throw in LEC against Misfits Gaming in week 4, G2 Esports decided to swap Caps with One Punch Man himself in midlane. Guess what? it worked. G2 Esports managed to take down both Astralis and Rogue.

Not only that, their win against Rogue was as convincing and dominant as it can get. They managed to put 18 kills on the board with Rekkles absolutely inting and giving Rogue their only kill of the game to just keep it engaging for the viewers. Week 6 sees G2 Esports take on FNATIC in LEC's own El Classico.

Rank: 6th
Record: 5-6
Rank Change: -1 place

Following a 5-game losing streak, it was finally time to switch things around for Astralis. They lost to G2 Esports on day 1 of week 5, before taking down Misfits Gaming of all people. AST MagiFelix had an incredible performance on Sylas, finishing the game with a 9/4/4 scoreline.

For week 6, Astralis go up against both FNATIC and Rogue. An incredibly hard schedule for a team that just got back up on their feet, but a win against any of these two teams can be just the confidence booster they need to go on a roll.

Rank: Tied 6th
Record: 5-6
Rank Change: -1 place

Team Vitality keeps their playoff hopes alive as they went 1-1 this week to stay amongst the hunt for a playoff seed. Vitality lost their opening game of the week against an in-form Fnatic side. This loss was followed by a win against last-place SK Gaming. Selfmade and Crownshot were the stars of that game, going 7/1/7 and 7/0/4 respectively.

For LEC's week 6, Team Vitality will go up against two giants in MAD Lions and Misfits Gaming. This may be the best time for Vitality to face Misfits. After all, they did go 0-2 in week four and will be feeling the pressure. As for going up against MAD Lions, it will be about which team can gain control in the early game with both teams capable of putting on a clinic.

Rank: 8th
Record: 4-7
Rank Change: -3 places

Excel was feeling the English woes this week as the LEC side went 0-2 to fall further down the table. After an incredible week 3, Excel could not live up to the bar they raised and fell back down the mountain. Although, they can be excused as both of their games were against two of the top three teams in Fnatic and MAD Lions.

Excel will get the chance to have some breathing room next week as they go up against Misfits and SK Gaming. Misfits went 0-2 last week and could be feeling the pressure with the side once sitting at the top. This is followed by a match against the worst team in the league.

Rank: 9th
Record: 3-8
Rank Change: +-

Things are going from bad to worse for Schalke as they went 0-2 this week to move to a three-game losing streak. The week started with a loss to SK Gaming, giving them their second win of the season. The was followed by a crushing defeat to the MAD Lions.

The schedule does not get any easier for Schalke either. Their opening game of the week is against Rogue who is arguably the best team in the league right now. Their final game is against a Misfits Gaming side who has a point to prove. Misfits were knocked off their perch last week and will be looking to reclaim that spot this week.

Rank: 10th
Record: 2-9
Rank Change: +-

SK Gaming fans had a reason to smile last week as their side went 1-1 to move to 2-9. While their playoff hopes may be dashed, getting as many wins as they can soften the blow on what has been a horrible split for them. Their win came against a struggling Schalke side. This was followed up by a defeat to Team Vitality.

While the odds are extremely low of them making the playoffs, if they are to make that run it has to start with a 2-0 week in week 6. Their opening game is against MAD Lions, which for anyone is no easy task. The week rounds out with a match against Excel Esports who came crashing back down to earth following an 0-2 week.