It was a long night in the LEC, but after two intense lower bracket BO3s, Team BDS and GIANTX are still standing in the Winter Split. Both teams secured hard-fought 2-1 victories, eliminating Team Vitality and Team Heretics from the competition. Their journey continues tonight, as BDS will face Fnatic at 6 PM CET while GX will go up against Movistar KOI.

The Bees and the Heretics are out

Vitality bows out of the Winter Split, falling in both of their playoff BO3s—0-2 against KC and 1-2 against BDS. Despite their elimination, they showed promise in Game 2 today, largely thanks to their rookies. Kaan "Naak Nako" Okan’s Gragas and Mateusz "Czajek" Czajka’s Ahri performed outstandingly, creating space for Matyáš "Carzzy" Orság's Zeri to dominate teamfights. However, they struggled to keep up with BDS’s fast-paced gameplay. That said, BDS’s mid-game remained chaotic, as has been the case throughout the season. Their decision-making was sometimes overly aggressive, leading to moments of brilliance and costly mistakes. The team still lacks discipline in certain areas, but signs of synergy and growth are evident. They’ll need to step up further, though, as they now face the formidable Fnatic in the next round.

The second series of the day was expected to be a stomp—and Game 1 certainly set that tone, with GX dismantling TH in just 29 minutes. However, in Game 2, GX left Maokai open for Théo "Sheo" Borile, who used its crowd control to turn the tide and secure a comeback win for TH. Game 3 was less contested, as GX’s botlane, featuring Zeri and Yuumi, taking control and closing out the series.

Despite being heavy favorites, GX didn’t fully convince, particularly in their draft, where they experimented with unconventional picks and occasionally resorted to overly standard responses. Tomorrow, they’ll face off against Movistar KOI, who also have something to prove after their crushing loss to Karmine Corp last weekend.

A tight matchup awaits, kicking off this Sunday right after BDS vs. Fnatic at 6 AM CET.