For eight weeks, the LEC's ten teams battled it out for a berth in the 2022 Spring Playoffs, when only six teams would be able to claim the title of best in the area. Today, a new champion was crowned in an unexpected sweep, with G2 reclaiming the trophy after defeating team Rogue in the 2022 Spring Playoffs closing match-up.
G2 went 9-0 through their lower bracket, but that wasn't enough for the team, as they won the championship with another faultless set, barely allowing Rogue a chance to come back.
The Match Recap
As immediately as the opening game started, the Caps started circling Rogue. Caps bravely rushed into and around enormous concentrations of enemies thanks to Ahri's latest mini-rework, which added additional charges to her ulti for successful takedowns. Even Rogue's tanks had trouble surviving a complete combination from Caps, who persisted to spam heavy spells far outside teamfights.
With an Everfrost, a fancy Rabadon's Deathcap, and an ever-stacking Mejai's Soulstealer, Caps had attained a big power spike that the rest of Rogue couldn't match in under 20 minutes.
Malrang led a gallant drive back against G2's engage in a match defining teamfight for the Mountain Drake. Rogue, however, was unable to deal with Caps' slick movement and powerful burst damage due to his increased strength. Caps went away from his first appearance in the playoff finals with an 8/0/4 KDA and Performance of the Game honors.
Ahri was, predictably, taken from the picture for game two, opening the stage for Corki vs. Azir, every League of Legends fan's favorite mid lane matchup. Rogue appeared to be on its path back in the series by sneaking a Baron past G2, but the team's lack of initiative allowed G2's bot lane to battle unopposed.
Renata Glasc of Targamas was a vital aspect of G2's teamfight prowess, keeping key players of the squad alive while pushing Rogue's scaling comp to fight each other. While G2 remained in the lead, Targamas could use his W to boost Caps' attack and movement speed, allowing him to take advantage of the ability's offensive rather than defensive advantages.
Despite the fact that Rogue's hold on a playoff triumph was eroding, Ahri was returned to the Caps for game three. Within the oppening five minutes of the game, Rogue altered their early-game strategy to frequent roaming from Malrang towards the bot lane, leaving Flakked and Targamas far behind. They soon made this game the bloodiest in the series, putting themselves on level with G2 for what was expected to be a long game of relentless combat.
Even after being pulled into a lower bracket due to Fnatic, G2's playoff iteration transformed an already formidable team into an invincible powerhouse. The team went 12-0 in the lower bracket, allegedly unlocking a boost that told them that a single loss would terminate their playoff run. Following three game-defining performances, Caps earned the coveted “finals MVP” accolade.
The Next Stop
The “2022 League of Legends Mid-Season Invitational” will take place in Busan, South Korea, beginning on May 9. Only G2 Esports, T1, the TCL's Istanbul “Wildcats”, and the LJL's DetonatioN FocusMe have qualified for the tournament thus far. Bets are already beeing offered.
