CIS League of Legends competition is finally starting: LCL has come back! From Europe to their friends in Korea, LCL is one of the most loved minor leagues in League of Legends, and they are coming back to show a better CIS at international events in 2022. Let’s meet the teams and check out the schedule.
Since they joined LCL in 2019’s summer season, Unicorns of Love has been dominating the league without dropping a single championship on the way. This year, their roster is weaker than any of the teams they had in the recent years, but they are still the favourites here. Who are their opponents?
LCL 2022 Spring rosters
Let’s meet the teams one by one:
Black Star Gaming
Black Star Gaming acquired Gambit Esports’ slot on June 11, having their first split in 2021 Summer. They will field Romuka, Vakulich, Get Lost, Kenal and Jetskui Max. All of these players have had short careers in the local CIS scene, apart from Jestkui Max who has been playing since 2016.
CrowCrowd
Last year’s two time finalists CrowCrowd is coming in with a full-Russian roster. Changing their whole roster, they will fight with T1moha, antik, bmj, Demonadc and Dimill. All of these players have had brief careers, aside from bmj and Dimill who have been present since 2018. They don’t have major achievements, but this roster could have what it takes, given that many rosters in LCL are weak right now.
CTRL PLAY
Taking the 8th place twice last year, CTRL PLAY is coming with a mixed roster. Shin and BullyMaguire have little experience, while Maxim, Yur4ik and Tezaret have been playing for a long time. CTRL PLAY will aim to finally make it to the playoffs this season.
Dragon Army
Dragon Army is coming with one of the most diverse rosters in the LCL. kPr is Moldavian, Balkane and Imperial are Ukranians, Silk is Spanish and Miracle is Russian. These 5 European players will aim to finally put an end to the team’s unlucky streak and repeat the success they had in 2018 where they played finals.
One Breath Gaming
OBG is fielding four newcomers and one veteran this year. Maynter, Madrid1st, cyraXx and Mercenary will be led by experienced jungler Kreox, who played for Virtus.pro, M19 and Vega Squadron before. Although they had success in the regular seasons before, playoffs didn’t go well for OBG as they made it to 3-4th place at most. Will they manage to go beyond that this year?
Team Spirit
LCL’s most recent addition, Team Spirit, acquired RoX’s place and founded a highly competitive roster: Dreampull, Diamondprox, Griffon, Mytant and Edward, and will be coached by the legendary Kira. As a great organization, Spirit formed a team that really suits them. It will be nice to see more competition in the LCL.
Unicorns of Love.CIS
After stealing our hearts as a European team, Unicorns of Love has been competing in the CIS scene for a long time and were dominating. This year, a total roster change happened, and henceforth they will play with NoNholy, Don Arts, Phlaty, Shiganari and Lekcyc. With this newly built team, UOL will have to satisfy their fans’ requests for a championship.
Vega Squadron
One of the oldests organizations in CIS and an ex-LCL champion, Vega Squadron also built a new roster from scratch. Ques, TsarCanya, Articuna, Laatch and Tristesse will fight to take the team to a better standing than a fourth place finish last year.
LCL 2022 Spring Week 1 schedule and betting odds
Check the schedule and betting odds for the first week below:
Saturday, 12 February
Unicorns of Love (1.38) vs CrowCrowd (2.90) - 14.00 CET
Team Spirit (1.13) vs CTRL PLAY (5.00) - 15.00 CET
One Breath Gaming (1.60) vs Vega Squadron (2.20) - 16.00 CET
Dragon Army (2.15) vs Black Star Gaming (1.62) - 17.00 CET
Sunday, 13 February
One Breath Gaming (1.78) vs CTRL PLAY (1.95) - 14.00 CET
Unicorns of Love (1.12) vs Vega Squadron (5.30) - 15.00 CET
Team Spirit (1.17) vs Dragon Army (4.40) - 16.00 CET
CrowCrowd (1.88) vs Black Star Gaming (1.82) - 17.00 CET
All teams have a new roster at LCL, thus it is hard to decide which teams would be the frontrunners. However, Unicorns and Spirit have some good matchups in the first week, and boast of strong rosters. As the big investors of the league, they are expected to lead the LCL. According to the betting odds, One Breath Gaming should be following them closely, while Dragon Army has a very low chance of making upsets happen.
Still, if you want to have a better understanding of the LCL, the best way to do that is watching the games yourself. Luckily, you can watch the games and place your bets on Luckbox.
