BDS drop Game 1 despite a 13.3k gold lead, handing Team Heretics a crucial win
The Riot Games Arena is back in action, hosting the first matches of Week 3 of the LEC Spring Split. We’re not quite halfway through the split yet, but early trends are starting to take shape. G2 Esports and Karmine Corp are confirming their excellent form, taking down Rogue and SK Gaming, respectively. Team Heretics, meanwhile, edged out Team BDS 2-1, securing their second win in four matches.
G2 and KC already hold three wins
Team Heretics takes it 2-1 and secures a crucial win in the playoffs race against Team BDS. With only six spots available in this Spring Split, every victory against direct mid-table rivals is incredibly valuable. While it’s easy to imagine Karmine Corp, Fnatic, Movistar KOI, and G2 finishing at the top of the standings, that still leaves at least two spots up for grabs. In this context, both Team Heretics and Team BDS—currently sitting at 2 wins and 2 losses—still have a solid shot at making a strong start to the split. But the Swiss organization will be left with regrets, as the team lost the first game of the series despite holding a gold lead of 13.3k—a comeback like that has never been seen before in the LEC.
G2, meanwhile, once again showcased their strength by grabbing their third win of the split. Over the years, they’ve tended to drop games in so-called “trap matches,” but the new Bo3 format makes it harder to bring down Europe’s most crowned organization. Led by Rudy "SkewMond" Semaan, who’s been commanding respect since the start of the split, and with Rasmus "Caps" Winther freshly re-signed through 2027, the Samurais look untouchable and are off to a much more convincing start compared to Winter. Rogue, on the other hand, are already backed into a corner, sitting at the bottom of the standings with just one win and four losses.
The day’s final matchup saw the Blue Wall crush the dreams of SK Gaming, who had surprisingly taken down Fnatic just two weeks ago. But it seems there won’t be another miracle run, as the reigning LEC champions show no signs of faltering. We saw some standout carry performances, notably from Caliste "Caliste" Henry-Hennebert with an incredible 19/0/17 cumulated KDA, as well as some creative draft attempts—like Raphaël "Targamas" Crabbé pulling out Fiddlesticks support in Game 2, a pick we haven’t seen in the LEC at that role since Misfits in 2019.
With these wins, G2 and KC become the first teams to reach three victories, with G2 still undefeated so far. BDS will return to the Rift tomorrow against MKOI, while Team Vitality and Fnatic will kick off the action at 5 PM CET.
Header Photo Credit: Michal Konkol/Riot Games