Many League of Legends fans were expecting Rogue to be a strong team heading into the 2021 season of the LEC, but few could have predicted just how dominant they’d be.
Rogue continued their undefeated start to the 2021 LEC Spring Split today with a victory over Misfits in the same slow, steady style that’s quickly becoming synonymous with their brand.
This matchup was expected by many to be Rogue’s first real challenge of the season. Despite dropping a game to Vitality in their opening week, Misfits have looked strong so far in the LEC, with top laner HiRit in particular receiving praise for strong performances on aggressive top lane picks like Camille and Renekton. Mid laner Vetheo also received his fair share of credit, almost single-handedly winning his team their game against Fnatic. Misfits looked strong, but Rogue looked stronger.
This game saw a slightly unconventional draft from Rogue, opting to pick Seraphine for support Trymbi. Traditionally known for his dominance on engage-focused picks like Rakan and Leona, Rogue instead opted to pick a less-aggressive enchanter support to pair with Hans sama’s Ashe in the bot lane. With Larssen on a classic scaling pick of Azir, the composition was rounded out with a Jayce in the top lane—a deviation from the norm for the “king of weak side,” Odoamne.
Misfits responded well to Rogue’s draft, with HiRit taking the Malphite counter pick into Jayce in an attempt to shut down Rogue’s early game on the top side of the map. But Vetheo’s Syndra was no match for Larssen, who managed to accrue a sizeable CS lead in the laning phase. Misfits’ win condition looked to be their bot lane since Vander and Kobbe found repeated kills onto Trymbi and began snowballing the Aphelios pick into its full carry potential.
But it’s in moments like these that Rogue’s genius as a team can truly be appreciated. Despite the game’s scrappy nature and constant fighting, Rogue never lost their gold lead. Taking dragon after dragon from right under Misfits’ nose, Rogue stayed in a dominant position throughout the game. One teamfight at Baron set up by a crafty teleport flank by HiRit that almost brought Misfits back into the game, but it was to no avail.
Rogue (4-0) are truly looking like a force to be reckoned with in the LEC this year. Their ability to constantly remain ahead in gold, regardless of game state, is reminiscent of G2 at the height of their dominance. Whoever is the first team to take them down will have a Herculean task on their hands. And if no team is up to that task, Rogue will be the first squad since Fnatic in 2015 to go undefeated in a regular split.
Rogue’s next game will be against Vitality on Jan. 30.
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