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LJL Playoffs Bracket Set and Ready for Action

The LJL playoffs are here, and the first round brings us two exciting matchups. We break down how we got here and what to look forward to this weekend!

It’s been yet another fun split of Japanese League of Legends action as we get ready for the LJL Spring Split playoffs. Round 1 of the Playoffs starts this weekend, and you won’t want to miss any of the action. FENNEL vs Burning Core should be a close-fought match, while AXIZ will try to pull off the upset of the year against Fukuoka SoftBank HAWKS gaming.

If you’re one of the many League of Legends fans who missed the Regular Season play of the LJL’s 2023 Spring Split, you’ll probably be surprised to hear that the Japanese league was extremely competitive all year, with multiple teams vying for the 1st seed in the final week. 

Last week AXIZ was able to fend off Crest Gaming Act which secured them the final playoff spot. Meanwhile, Sengoku Gaming and DetonatioN FocusMe were able to secure the 1st and 2nd seeds, respectively. Meaning Sengoku Gaming and DetonatioN FocusMe will not have to play in the first round of the playoffs this weekend. 

Fukuoka SoftBank HAWKS gaming (-2500) vs AXIZ (+841) – Saturday, April 1st – 5 AM ET

Fukuoka SoftBank HAWKS gaming had a great season, and yet they can’t feel too great about ending the season in 3rd place. Fukuoka SoftBank HAWKS gaming spent the first five weeks of the split in the top 2 before DetonatioN FocusMe caught fire and bumped them to 3rd place in Week 6, where they’ve been since. 

This is a solid team that competes at the highest levels in the LJL and could probably represent LJL well in international play. The fact we can say that about more than two teams shows the recent improvements we’ve seen in the LJL in recent years. 

AXIZ, on the other hand, quickly sank to 6th in the standings in Week 3. They would then be stuck alternating between 6th and 7th for the remainder of the season. Last week they found themselves in danger of ending the season in 7th place and missing out on making the playoffs. 

Luckily they were able to find a 2-1 win over Crest Gaming Act. If AXIZ can use any of the momentum from last week, they may stand a chance to rattle Fukuoka SoftBank HAWKS gaming and find a win or two. However, no one truly expects AXIZ to win, and doing so would shock the entire League of Legends world. 

FENNEL (-217) vs Burning Core (+156) – Sunday, April 2nd – 5 AM ET

This is an exciting match for fans as these two teams have had very different paths to this series which should be a close one. This is my match of the week, and I hope that we get all five games from it.

FENNEL had a fantastic start to the season and looked like a team that could compete for the top spot in the standings. However, they were unable to keep up with DetonatioN FocusMe, Sengoku Gaming, and SoftBank HAWKS and ended up in 4th place by Week 5, where they’d stay for the remainder of the season. 

Burning Core, on the other hand, had an atrocious start, quickly finding themselves 1-4 and in 7th place in the standings by the end of Week 4. They then started a resurgence climbing up to 5th in the standings in Week 5, a single game behind FENNEL, where they would remain for the rest of the split. This is as even of a matchup as it can get, and everyone should want to tune into the action this weekend.