Comprehensive analysis of major League of Legends playoff results and team performances across global regions
Global Playoff Landscape Overview
As MSI 2022 rapidly approaches, competitive League of Legends has delivered one of the most dramatic playoff weeks in recent memory across all major regions.
Catch up on all the critical developments from the past week, including T1’s historic qualification and the shocking elimination of defending world champions Edward Gaming.
The international esports community now has its first confirmed MSI 2022 participant. T1 secured their spot with a decisive 3-1 victory against Gen.G in the LCK Spring Finals, marking their return to the international stage after a three-year MSI absence.
Meanwhile, the LEC, LCS, and LPL continue their intense playoff battles with several unexpected outcomes already reshaping the competitive landscape. Rogue achieved a landmark reverse sweep against Fnatic—the organization’s first-ever comeback from an 0-2 deficit in a best-of-five series.
With the first international tournament of the year just weeks away, every match carries heightened significance. Whether you’ve missed the action or want deeper insights, this comprehensive breakdown covers all essential developments from the world’s top League of Legends competitions.
LEC: Team Vitality’s Disappointing Superteam Collapse
European League of Legends witnessed a weekend of dramatic turns and shattered expectations. Rogue finally overcame their playoff struggles with a commanding 3-0 victory against Fnatic, while promising contenders Misfits Gaming saw their postseason run end abruptly despite a strong regular season performance.
The most stunning development came from G2 Esports, who delivered a flawless 6-0 weekend to remain in championship contention after a difficult split. Their comprehensive 3-0 dismantling of the highly-touted Team Vitality superteam stands as one of the most one-sided playoff victories in recent LEC history.
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Harshest way to fall tonight.
See you in Summer everyone #LEC pic.twitter.com/t8POJIgiY1
— Team Vitality 🐝 (@TeamVitality) April 1, 2022
Team Vitality’s performance represents arguably the most significant disappointment of the 2022 LEC season. Their experience provides further evidence that assembling superstar rosters doesn’t guarantee competitive success—with Team Liquid’s North American superteam being a notable exception. The European squad consistently demonstrated poor in-game communication and an inability to convert early advantages into victories.
Significant organizational changes during the offseason appear inevitable given the substantial investment in this roster. The current level of performance falls far below reasonable expectations for a team of this caliber and cost.
While roster changes typically dominate offseason discussions, Vitality’s fundamental problems extend beyond individual player performance. Their collective decision-making and team coordination represent the core issues—problems that cannot be resolved simply by replacing players.
Substantial changes to the team’s top-side players seem unlikely despite mid laner Luka ‘Perkz’ Perkovic’s below-par performances. His established track record as one of the Western hemisphere’s elite mid laners warrants patience through a single suboptimal split.
Macro strategy and late-game decision-making emerged as Vitality’s most significant weaknesses. While individual mechanical skill remains evident, their coordinated play often resembled amateur-level decision-making rather than professional execution.
Vitality’s macro decisions the past 10minutes while having a 6k gold lead is one of the worst midgames I’ve seen in recent LEC
— Erik Wessén (@Treatz) April 1, 2022
This iteration of Team Vitality has approximately one split to demonstrate meaningful improvement before facing serious scrutiny from both management and fans. Should they address their numerous issues during the offseason and return as legitimate championship contenders next split, this disappointing performance could be attributed to integration challenges and adjustment periods.
Failure to improve, however, would cement their place in esports history as another cautionary example about the limitations of superteam constructions in professional League of Legends.
LPL: EDG’s Early Exit Despite Scout’s Heroics
Competitive dominance proves fleeting in the world’s most demanding League of Legends region. Edward Gaming’s unexpected elimination from the LPL playoffs on March 29 becomes particularly painful when considering mid laner Lee ‘Scout’ Yechan’s extraordinary efforts to sustain his team’s championship hopes.
His Azir performance in game three against Weibo Gaming demonstrated individual carry potential at its finest, single-handedly keeping EDG competitive through sheer mechanical excellence and game sense.
Despite these heroic individual contributions, Scout couldn’t overcome EDG’s persistent team-wide struggles that plagued them throughout the split. The defending world champions now face a challenging path to regain competitive form if they hope to defend their title later this year.
While not impossible, the probability of EDG securing consecutive World Championships appears increasingly unlikely given their current form and the intensified competition within the LPL.
With the World Championships still months away, we can currently appreciate Scout’s exceptional team fighting display from the crucial third game of their series against Weibo Gaming.
Consider his impressive 1v2 outplay that demonstrated both mechanical precision and strategic awareness under pressure.
Or perhaps his remarkable ability to salvage a compromised Dragon engagement that should have resulted in certain defeat for Edward Gaming.
The overarching conclusion remains clear: Scout’s absence from MSI 2022 represents a significant loss for international competition. Despite six years with EDG, he continues to demonstrate elite-level performance, leaving Azir enthusiasts hoping for a dramatic team turnaround to witness his mastery of the Shurima emperor at this year’s World Championships.
LCK: T1’s Historic Dominance and New Era
Any speculation about the conclusion of LCK’s international supremacy has been decisively answered. Following their unprecedented perfect 18-0 regular season, T1 has secured the first qualification spot for MSI 2022 with a performance that redefines Korean League of Legends excellence.
The Korean competitive scene currently occupies an intriguing transitional phase. The region increasingly looks toward emerging talent to assume the responsibilities once carried by legendary predecessors, signaling a generational shift in competitive philosophy.
What better representation of this evolution than an undefeated spring championship team composed of dynamic young talents, guided by the most accomplished player in League of Legends history? Few anticipated T1’s overwhelming dominance before the spring split commenced, with Gen.G’s acquisition of Jeong ‘Chovy’ Jihoon generating most preseason championship speculation.
Perhaps the most compelling aspect of T1’s success involves their occasional imperfections. Their matches against Gen.G lacked the methodical precision characteristic of historical SKT rosters, instead featuring youthful exuberance and occasional strategic gambles that ultimately proved successful.
Why settle for textbook Baron Nashor executions when you can witness MVP jungler Moon ‘Oner’ Hyeonjoon’s aggressive Lee Sin plays that redefine jungle pressure?
What value exists in forty-five minutes of calculated farming when support Ryu ‘Keria’ Minseok can coordinate an eighth-minute top lane roam purely for strategic experimentation, resulting in unexpected double elimination?
Will this roster occasionally surrender substantial gold advantages for entertainment value? Certainly. Does this composition represent one of the most thrilling and engaging rosters the LCK has produced in recent seasons? Absolutely.
Historical expectations of LCK excellence, forged through years of international success and deliberate strategic approaches, no longer define the region’s competitive identity. T1’s emerging stars herald a new chapter in Korean League of Legends that prioritizes innovation alongside execution.
Some contextual factors deserve acknowledgment regarding T1’s regular-season achievements. They didn’t face Gen.G at maximum strength due to health-related roster adjustments affecting their opponents.
However, their finals victory remains fully legitimate: they defeated a complete, starting-lineup Gen.G roster through superior play. This achievement provides a fitting conclusion to T1’s extraordinary spring split performance.
LCS: 100 Thieves’ Strategic Masterclass Against C9
Let’s acknowledge the reality: 100 Thieves’ status as defending LCS champions had somewhat faded from community consciousness.
After capturing the 2021 Summer championship and delivering a respectable if unremarkable performance at Worlds, the organization made the somewhat unexpected decision to maintain their entire championship roster without changes during the offseason.
Throughout the Spring 2022 season, 100 Thieves operated somewhat under the radar. North American discussions centered on various controversies, underachieving teams, and Team Liquid’s superteam construction. While performing solidly and finishing third in the regular season, 100 Thieves largely avoided the spotlight despite their consistent results.
Kim ‘Ssumday’ Chanho consistently ranks among the LCS’s elite top lane performers. He represents 100 Thieves’ most reliable component, maintaining stability even during team struggles. His presence in the top lane provides consistent pressure, with the capability to assume carry responsibilities when necessary.
This made him the ideal candidate to counter Park ‘Summit’ Wootae, Cloud9’s standout top laner and primary win condition.
🔥 HOT start for the @100T_Esports topside. #LCS pic.twitter.com/QDGRryPmt9
— LCS (@LCSOfficial) April 2, 2022
Ssumday understood his assignment in this matchup involved neutralizing Summit’s impact. Summit frequently served as Cloud9’s primary victory avenue, earning 43 of 47 possible All-Pro top laner nominations. His contributions proved essential in all thirteen of Cloud9’s regular-season victories, establishing him as an exceptionally skilled competitor.
This dominance continued until 100 Thieves systematically eliminated his influence across three consecutive games, resulting in a comprehensive playoff sweep against Cloud9.
Multiple perspectives exist regarding responsibility for this decisive outcome. Some argue Cloud9 underperformed through suboptimal drafting and failure to leverage their strengths, particularly regarding Summit’s reduced impact.
Not a good day for Cloud9 but I’m sure they’ll bounce back for next week and figure some things out.
I really did expect this to be a much closer series, but I’m not surprised 100 Thieves have “found themselves” late in this split and look like such a strong contender. #LCS
— Tim Sevenhuysen (@TimSevenhuysen) April 2, 2022
However, dismissing 100 Thieves’ meticulous preparation and execution would be fundamentally inaccurate. They entered this series with comprehensive understanding of Cloud9’s strategies and implemented a coherent, well-developed game plan with precision. Jungler Can ‘Closer’ Çelik delivered arguably his most impactful series performance of the entire split.
If this level of performance becomes standard for 100 Thieves during playoff competition, Team Liquid should consider them legitimate championship threats.
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