exceL vs G2 Esports

For our third match of the day we have a rather one-sided clash between the former "kings of Europe" and one of the LEC newcomers — Excel Esports. This isn't exactly a must-watch because it'll be close or competitive. Far from it. We're all basically tuning in to see the next chapter of G2's stellar run and overall development.

There are a couple of engaging questions regarding this match-up. First of all, Excel are far stronger than anyone had anticipated. They're in sync, they're strong individually, and they're not afraid of channeling their underdog status in order to pull of an upset. They're incredibly flawed as well, but they can put up a fight when you'd least expect it. So coming into week two, one has to wonder — could they put up any semblance of a fight against a team that's entering the week with an amount of hype that we've never really seen?

That's pretty much where the Excel side of things end, and our focus immediately shifts towards G2 Esports. Will their incredible run continue? That's almost a given, but will they be as dominant and efficient as last week? Will they show off a different strategy this time around, one that doesn't revolve around Jankos' Karthus? Excel had a whole week to prepare, and they're not expecting to win, which could make them a bit dangerous.

Banning Karthus will immediately push G2 into uncharted territory, and they'll be force to show something new. That "something" will also be incredibly strong, but in a game where keeping strategies close to the chest gives a palpable edge, it's going to be fun seeing G2 run a different kind of team comp.

Watching this G2 Esports line-up is an absolute thing of beauty. We've rarely seen a team this synergized, this dominant and capable — and they haven't even been playing for more than a month or so as a five-man unit. One can only imagine how high they will eventually go when things settle down. They have the best and most thorough read on the ever-changing meta, they all have shockingly deep champion pools, and they're not afraid of going for "cheesy" team comps and strategies because they're aware of their inherent mechanical prowess and overall potential.

Whatever they go for, they can pull it off. Their bottom lane duo did show a couple of weaknesses (as was expected this early on in the split), but with the rest of the team playing at such a high level, it's only a matter of time before Perkz and Mikyx get online as well.

G2 Esports definitely has the easiest week two schedule out of all teams competing, which should push them to a perfect 4W-0L two-week start. It's extremely rare for a team to play at such a high level from the very get-go, and watching their games going forward is an absolute must if you're a fan of top-tier competitive League.