EU LCS Week 2 Preview
Riot·5/28/2014, 8:56:03 PM·1 votes·1,464 views
With Super Week behind us, it’s time to talk about the elephant in the room. EU LCS has, in just three short days of games, proven that the European region will continue the trend of instability from the previous two splits. Three of Spring Split’s heavy hitters (Fnatic, Gambit, ROCCAT), are all without winning records. There is hope for Alliance and SK, who finished top three in the Spring regular season, as they both sit at the top of the table with three wins to their names each. For now, it seems that they’re right on track to retain their top spots. Millenium, the only other 3-1 team, begs to differ.
Fnatic vs. Gambit
When: Thursday, May 29, 18:00 CEST / 9:00 AM PDT
Fnatic and Gambit, who started out the year as the teams to beat in EU, now have a combined record of 3-5. Perhaps the biggest story is Fnatic, who opened so strong last split and closed out the season for another championship. At All-Stars they looked vulnerable, but even their 2-2 start in Week 1 was surprising, a far cry from their winning streak to open the year in the spring split. And it wasn’t from a lack of one of their stars trying; despite Rekkles having a 7/0/4 record in the first two games of the week, Fnatic still lost both.
Gambit, on the other hand, debuted their new mid laner with disastrous results. NiQ, who ended his first week with a 1.21 KDA, still has some learning to do. In fact, all of Gambit looked like they needed some time to adjust in last week’s games. Hopefully it’s just growing pains as the old team seats their new midlaner. If not, Gambit may very well be in for a rough season.
Millenium vs. Alliance
When: Thursday, May 29, 20:00 CEST / 11:00 AM PDT
Strong openings from Millenium and Alliance set the stage for an exciting Week 2 matchup. Alliance seem to be living up to the precedent they set late last split, and have done it in style. Froggen has picked up the mantle for the team, and his 10/2/12 record in their matchup against Gambit last week was a crystal-clear look at how well he can perform when he’s playing up to his potential. An uncharacteristic performance against Supa Hot Crew aside, Alliance appears to be an early playoff contender as we ease into Week 2.
Millenium, on the other hand, have come out of nowhere to post a 3-1 record. After their 9-19 and near-dismissal from the league in the promotion tournament, many didn’t expect much. Millenium has changed all that with some monstrous plays last week, headlined by their surprise star Kerp. Trackball in hand, Kerp has finally arisen to the player he always promised to be, and his 4.91 KDA makes him one of the deadliest players in Europe right now.
Watch out world: Kerp has arrived.
Alliance vs. SK Gaming
When: Friday, May 30, 18:00 CEST / 9:00 AM PDT
Alliance’s second match this week is up against the other 3-1 team, SK Gaming. Unlike Millenium, SK set some high marks last split. Judging by their first week performance, they look to be another early playoff contender heading into Week 2. Jesiz, in particular, appears to be growing into his role as the headline mid laner that SK needs to become a dominant force in the league. With their opponents –Millenium and SK Gaming - having a combined 6-2 record, Alliance will have a tough week, but one could expect they’re not going to give up that easily.
Copenhagen Wolves vs. ROCCAT
When: Friday, May 30, 20:00 CEST / 11:00 AM PDT
ROCCAT and the Copenhagen Wolves will play each other on the Day 2, where each team will get the chance to scrape back to an even record. For the Copenhagen Wolves, this comes as no real surprise—they finished the Spring Split with a 13-15 record at 6th place.
It’s a bit of a shock, however, to see ROCCAT inhabiting the bottom slot. For ROCCAT, the year began with an enormous leap from obscure challenger team into dominant, strategic powerhouse. Now, they look more like their challenger league selves than ever before. Their Week 1 play seemed uninspired, with across-the-board low KDAs and poor performances. Hopefully, last place will serve as a wake-up call for the team, and they’ll come out swinging into Week 2.
Fnatic and Gambit, who started out the year as the teams to beat in EU, now have a combined record of 3-5. Perhaps the biggest story is Fnatic, who opened so strong last split and closed out the season for another championship. At All-Stars they looked vulnerable, but even their 2-2 start in Week 1 was surprising, a far cry from their winning streak to open the year in the spring split. And it wasn’t from a lack of one of their stars trying; despite Rekkles having a 7/0/4 record in the first two games of the week, Fnatic still lost both.
Gambit, on the other hand, debuted their new mid laner with disastrous results. NiQ, who ended his first week with a 1.21 KDA, still has some learning to do. In fact, all of Gambit looked like they needed some time to adjust in last week’s games. Hopefully it’s just growing pains as the old team seats their new midlaner. If not, Gambit may very well be in for a rough season.
Millenium vs. Alliance
When: Thursday, May 29, 20:00 CEST / 11:00 AM PDT
Strong openings from Millenium and Alliance set the stage for an exciting Week 2 matchup. Alliance seem to be living up to the precedent they set late last split, and have done it in style. Froggen has picked up the mantle for the team, and his 10/2/12 record in their matchup against Gambit last week was a crystal-clear look at how well he can perform when he’s playing up to his potential. An uncharacteristic performance against Supa Hot Crew aside, Alliance appears to be an early playoff contender as we ease into Week 2.
Millenium, on the other hand, have come out of nowhere to post a 3-1 record. After their 9-19 and near-dismissal from the league in the promotion tournament, many didn’t expect much. Millenium has changed all that with some monstrous plays last week, headlined by their surprise star Kerp. Trackball in hand, Kerp has finally arisen to the player he always promised to be, and his 4.91 KDA makes him one of the deadliest players in Europe right now.
Watch out world: Kerp has arrived.
Alliance vs. SK Gaming
When: Friday, May 30, 18:00 CEST / 9:00 AM PDT
Alliance’s second match this week is up against the other 3-1 team, SK Gaming. Unlike Millenium, SK set some high marks last split. Judging by their first week performance, they look to be another early playoff contender heading into Week 2. Jesiz, in particular, appears to be growing into his role as the headline mid laner that SK needs to become a dominant force in the league. With their opponents –Millenium and SK Gaming - having a combined 6-2 record, Alliance will have a tough week, but one could expect they’re not going to give up that easily.
Copenhagen Wolves vs. ROCCAT
When: Friday, May 30, 20:00 CEST / 11:00 AM PDT
ROCCAT and the Copenhagen Wolves will play each other on the Day 2, where each team will get the chance to scrape back to an even record. For the Copenhagen Wolves, this comes as no real surprise—they finished the Spring Split with a 13-15 record at 6th place.
It’s a bit of a shock, however, to see ROCCAT inhabiting the bottom slot. For ROCCAT, the year began with an enormous leap from obscure challenger team into dominant, strategic powerhouse. Now, they look more like their challenger league selves than ever before. Their Week 1 play seemed uninspired, with across-the-board low KDAs and poor performances. Hopefully, last place will serve as a wake-up call for the team, and they’ll come out swinging into Week 2.
