In an interview with Richard Wells, Excel head coach Joey “Youngbuck” Steltenpool recently revealed just how close the race for playoffs will be in the LEC.
When the topic landed on who would make the playoffs, Youngbuck revealed just how close the playoff race in the LEC would be in 2022 Summer. Right away, he highlighted Rogue, Fnatic, and G2 Esports as locks to qualify for the playoffs in the LEC 2022 Summer Split before naming Excel as the fourth team. He was doubtful about the final two teams, however.
“MAD Lions looks not good in scrims, Vitality looks awful, and Misfits on paper does not look great,” Youngbuck said. “Those teams on paper are probably going to fight for playoffs.”
Youngbuck said SK Gaming, Team BDS, and Astralis are probably going to miss out on playoffs. And although he had previously said Excel would be among the top four, he was willing to say they will be in for a battle for the playoffs.
“Some people might also put us in that category with Vitality, Mad Lions, and Misfits,” Youngbuck said. “I just think the competition is extremely close between fourth to seventh place.”
The final week of the LEC 2022 Spring Split saw Excel, MAD Lions, and SK battle for two remaining spots in the playoffs. Even with these four teams left in the playoff race, there were no tiebreakers to decide it all.
With a number of various lineup changes in the LEC, teams looking from the outside will be eyeing to make a comeback in the LEC 2022 Summer Split. The LEC 2022 Summer Split will begin on Friday, June 17, 2022, when Vitality and MAD Lions will battle in the opening matchup.
Meanwhile, Youngbuck and Excel will look to start the split strong against Misfits, Fnatic, and G2 in week one.
