LEC Versus 2026: Natus Vincere secure a dominant victory over SK Gaming

The second match of the day features Natus Vincere vs. SK Gaming. Entering this game, Natus Vincere hold a 3-1 record while SK Gaming sit at 1-3. Based on their current standings and previous performances, Natus Vincere look like the clear favorites. Now, let’s get into the match details.

Game 1 Picks:

• SK Gaming: Cho'Gath, Wukong, Ryze, Yunara, Rell
• Natus Vincere: Sion, Aatrox, Taliyah, Aphelios, Rakan

Although First Blood only occurred at the 8th minute, the game looked very active right from the start. SK Gaming tried to pressure "The Born to Win," but Natus Vincere successfully evaded these fights, often escaping with minimal health. Eventually, SK found their First Blood for Cho’Gath.

Natus Vincere worked the objectives very well, securing three dragons and managing to steal the Herald. They also pulled off a remarkable teamfight, bringing the score to 3-7 and opening up a gold lead of nearly 6,000.

A few minutes later, the fourth dragon appeared, which both teams were eager to contest. SK Gaming started the fight successfully by killing SamD, and it seemed like the situation was under control. However, NAVI managed to secure the Dragon Soul and turned the fight around, winning the engagement without losing anyone else. This allowed them to take Baron and pressure the towers, successfully taking down the bot lane and nearly breaching the Nexus.

The game concluded with a fight for the Elder Dragon, though neither team actually secured it. NAVI won the teamfight with a 3-for-1 trade. Two NAVI champions headed straight to destroy the base, while the other two survivors delayed the remaining SK Gaming players, preventing them from recalling and buying time. The strategy worked perfectly. A very clean and easy victory for NAVI brings their group stage record to 4-1, while SK Gaming drop to 1-4.

This year, the LEC Versus 2026 does not provide a cash prize for winning the tournament. Instead, teams are competing for the opportunity to qualify for the international tournament, First Stand 2026. The Regular Season will be held in a Bo1 format where every team faces each other. In total, teams will play 11 matches each, and those with the best results will advance to the playoffs.