BDS vs SK Gaming Preview: LEC 2023 Spring Groups

BDS’s journey toward their first-ever international tournament starts now.

2023 has been a crazy year for European League of Legends. Some teams wildly underperformed, some exceeded expectations. But no team surprised people more than BDS. After finishing bottom two in their first two LEC splits, many thought they would stay at the bottom once again. But with a new coaching staff and heroic individual performances, BDS climbed the ladder and finished the regular season in the first place.

Still, this org hasn’t won any best-of series in their LEC stint, which they will need to do multiple times if they want to take the second MSI spot EMEA has. The first series this weekend, BDS vs SK Gaming, is also a very important for the latter. After starting the Spring red hot once again, SK faltered at the end of Bo1s. They were close to making it to the Finals in Winter, and they are looking to repeat it here to cement themselves as a top team.

BDS vs SK Gaming Preview

BDS

Even though they might feel like one, BDS is not a fluke. This roster is a lot different from last year's tenth-place team. Adam is back in LEC after dominating the ERLs, and he is one of the best top laners in the league, even setting the meta for the rest of the players. And he isn’t the only BDS member making his return with a vengeance.

Crownie is also back in the league after a year in LFL, where he played with Adam and Sheo. He always had talent, but this is probably the highest level of League he ever played. There were many games in this split he tried to carry his team from a deficit. It seems like BDS can stay in any game as long as Crownie has access to some resources.

SK Gaming

Luckily for SK, they have an ADC that can match Crownie. Exakick was one of the better rookies among one of the best rookie classes LEC saw in years. Although he isn’t exactly the player who determines whether SK wins or not, even though he is a big win condition.

That determining factor is generally the mid-jungle, and mostly Sertuss. The young mid laner took a massive step between last year and today, becoming one of the flashiest players in the league. But he has some champion pool issues. His win rate and playmaking vary a lot when he is on his best champions like Akali or more traditional picks like Azir. His picks and play will probably be one of the most important factors for SK’s chances in this series, and thankfully for SK fans, Azir doesn’t seem to be meta after some nerfs.

BDS vs SK Gaming Predictions

Despite their rise in form during 2023, BDS hasn’t won any best-of series just yet. But their improvements from Winter to Spring are very apparent. We are expecting BSD to find their first Bo3 win of the season against a recently struggling SK with a 2-1 scoreline.

How to watch BDS vs SK Gaming

BDS vs SK Gaming game will be played on April 9, 18:00 CET (12 pm EST). Fans can watch the game on the official lolesports.com website, or on the official LEC Twitch and Youtube channels. 

For more of our LEC and LoL Esports coverage, follow us on ESTNN.