The LPL 2022 Summer Split has gotten off to a pulsating start. After the first week of matches, JD Gaming and Victory Five are yet to lose. That isn’t much of a surprise, given they were the strongest teams during the Spring Split. Occupying the top four spots are also EDG and TOP Esports with one loss each.
Do keep in mind, not all teams played an equal amount of matches yet and we might be in for a shift in the standings come Week 4.
Expecting a 7-0 this week.
State of the LPL Summer after three weeks of play
JD’s rise has been particularly noteworthy because they began the spring season with a 5-5 record. They then flicked a switch and went from mid-table strugglers to being champion material. Winning six straight games in a row against some top sides, including regular season champs Victory 5, raised some eyebrows. On top of that, they made it through the spring playoffs, where they finished fourth. This gave them momentum coming into the summer, and they have so far managed to sustain it.
It’s not that they have just been dominant against the weaker teams. In two of the three games, they have had to play Top Esports, the 2022 LPL spring finalists, and Edward Gaming, defending world champion. They have defeated both these sides to become one of the early pace-setters, and put the cat among the pigeons. Coming into Week 4 they face TT and FPX, both of whom are struggling heavily this split. Do not be surprised if we have the first 7-0 in the LPL after this week.
LNG are another team that has come in on the back of some outstanding form. Expectations have slowly been increasing ever since they put together a world-class roster after Worlds 2021, and their superstars midlaner Kim “Doinb” Tae-sang hasn’t let them down. Doinb was expected to help bring the team closer to capturing a world championship, but that didn’t happen in the 2022 LPL spring split.
Doinb looked out of sorts in the Spring, one of the reasons for the team’s lacklustre showing, but he has revved up superbly in the summer so far and has made a massive difference to the team’s fortunes. Doinb’s exit has made FunPlus Phoenix a little shaky as well. Not that expectations are riding high on them, but he was one of their biggest USP’s over the past year. They went 0-3 down and haven’t promise since against the LPL powerhouses. Meanwhile Team WE and FunPlus Phoenix are yet to blow up the enemy nexus twice in a series.
Important match-ups in LPL Summer 2022 Week 4
Top Esports, who finished fifth in the spring with a 11-5 record, take on LNG and Weibo Gaming this week.
Esports.net
