Zero to hero: LEC org celebrates first Finals qualification after dominant win over Fnatic

After spending the last four years as a bottom-to-mid-tier team in the European League of Legends scene, Excel Esports has finally broken through the upper echelon of the LEC.

The organization has finally made its first LEC Finals after taking down Fnatic in the 2023 Summer Split playoffs, taking down the perpetual champions in a dominant 3-1 series. This is one of the biggest bounceback stories of the year after the team fell to last place in back-to-back seasons through 2023.

It is a redemption arc that must feel especially sweet for the team’s top laner Andrei “Odoamne” Pascu, who has finally returned back to the peak that he once knew. The 28-year-old veteran racked up 26 kills and 31 assists over four games, dealing tons of damage and finding huge engage angles on his opponents with Gwen, Rumble, and Gnar.

The 28-year-old veteran last reached the Finals in 2022 with Rogue, now known as KOI, before being replaced on the roster by top laner Mathias “Szygenda” Jensen. It was a surprising fall from grace for Odoamne, who was just coming off of his first LEC championship ever.

With Excel’s latest victory, however, KOI has officially been locked out of the Season Finals and will not be able to qualify for the World Championship in South Korea. KOI struggled to find consistency across the entire year with its roster, finishing with lackluster 4-5 records across all regular season standings. When asked about his thoughts on KOI not qualifying for Worlds, Odoamne only had a few words: “You reap what you sow.”

In the meantime, Excel will look past Fnatic and towards their final hurdle before earning themselves a regional trophy: G2 Esports. The European powerhouse is the overwhelming favorite in the matchup, but if you’ve watched enough competitive League, you know that Cinderella stories do exist and anything can happen.

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