After an explosive series in the 2022 LEC Summer Finals, the best team in the region has been crowned: Rogue. The talented roster fought tooth-and-nail against a full-strength G2 Esports to earn their place at the top of the mountain, with thousands of frantic fans screaming their names in the Malmö Arena in Sweden.
Rogue has seen an incredible turnaround over the past week, from clawing their way against MAD Lions in round one to getting swept unceremoniously in the next round against G2 Esports. After their weak performance, many people expected a red-hot Fnatic squad to take them down with ease, but instead, Rogue brought their game faces and crushed their opponents.
They earned the right to battle for their names in the history books, just like G2 did this past summer. The talented roster might have started the first half of the split lukewarm with a 4-5 record, but they ended up winning eight of their final nine games in the second half. Their destructive play continued into the playoffs, with the team only dropping one game through two series for a spot in the Finals.
G2 has always been notorious for its destructive teamfighting capabilities, but this time, Rogue was on a different level regarding both coordinated teamfights and crossmap plays. Malrang, for example, was fearless through the three games, diving forward and creating perfect engages for the rest of his team. In fact, every player on Rogue had moments to shine as they finally earned themselves a well-deserved, team-based victory over one of the most feared organizations in the league.
In game one, for example, Rogue ran right through the top lane by giving a ton of support to Odoamne’s Ornn. G2’s own top laner Broken Blade was rendered useless by the constant ganks thrown into the top lane, while the rest of the team failed to find any meaningful leads in the other lanes due to great vision control and patience on Rogue’s side. With a winning matchup for Comp and Trymbi, the Rogue duo would always have the first step to teamfights around the dragon, and their stellar play would turn the tide for the game, and the series as a whole.
Game two was a perfect example of Rogue’s flexibility in drafts, with the team opting for a rare Caitlyn pick alongside Tahm Kench to blast away G2’s short-ranged composition. Once again, Comp and Trymbi crushed the early game against Flakked and Targamas with their superior range difference, and in the later teamfights, that lead was too much for G2 to overcome. Game three was the same deal, with Comp collecting a server-leading seven kills on Sivir as he ended the day with 24 kills, 14 assists, and Finals MVP honors.
Rogue has gotten rid of the monkey on their backs. For so many years, the team has always been a bridesmaid and never the bride when it came to a regional championship, but now, they finally have another piece of hardware to add to their trophy case. This is also a momentous occasion for Odoamne, who has won his first championship after seven years as a pro player. One of the best players in the league’s history now sits at the apex of the mountain, looking down at the rest of his peers with his head held high.
G2, on the other hand, have ended their summer with complete disappointment. Before today, Caps had not lost a single domestic final in his career, but that record was snapped with decisiveness. The EU powerhouse had a ton of expectations on their shoulders, and Rogue swung in with a ton of momentum to overwhelm them. There’s still plenty of good aspects to take from this season, but this roster will not be anywhere near content with the ending of this split.
Overall, the work isn’t done. After all the congratulations and commiserations, Rogue, G2 Esports, MAD Lions, and Fnatic must shift their focus towards this coming October when they all travel over the Atlantic Ocean to compete at the 2022 World Championship. Fans can catch all of their European representatives in action when the tournament begins on Thursday, Sept. 29.
