EU LCS Super Week Preview
Riot·5/16/2014, 10:31:12 PM·0 votes·1,178 views
The curtain rises on again on a brand new split. New faces, new strategies, new patches and new champions are all on the horizon. Week 1 always holds the most promise in any split—an offseason of practice, fine tuning, and high-level strategizing brings out the best in teams.
And this week, they’ll need their best. The biggest stories over the offseason were without a doubt the volatility in team rosters. Europe is suddenly lacking in some of the most storied names of the last split, with Amazing heading west-ward and Alex Ich moving to join up with NiP. Week 1 will be a challenging proving ground for their replacements, but that’s what debuts are all about.
Fnatic vs. SK Gaming
When: Tuesday, 5/20, 17:00 CEST / 8:00 AM PDT
What a better way to dive into summer than a rematch from one of the biggest spring split playoff matchups.
Now, both teams are back for more. Fnatic will be looking to get a running start into the league, and who can blame them—their phenomenal start back in January was only shadowed by their subsequent losing streak. Another strong start without the downward spiral would make a powerful statement to the rest of the league.
SK Gaming, however, will be looking for comeuppance of their own. A late season surge saw them take first place heading into playoffs, but they had to settle for the silver medal after all was done. Look for veteran CandyPanda to set the tone—what SK lack in trophies, they can make up for in a full offseason of preparing. Fnatic had to deal with All-Stars, and that means a lot of time spent preparing for teams not in the LCS. If SK can bring their A-game, this will be one of the best games of the week.
Gambit vs. ROCCAT
When: Tuesday, 5/20, 21:00 CEST / 12:00 PM PDT
These two powerhouses rocked the league last year, staying on top up until the very end. Gambit and ROCCAT, at times, looked fully in control of the European region. But that has all changed.
ROCCAT plummeted back to earth in the second half of their Cinderella season, but not before setting a high standard of play and strategy. As they get more experience under their belt, they’ll only get more powerful, and ROCCAT will be aiming for the top spot as this season gets underway.
Gambit, however, have significantly more pressing issues—the loss of mid laner Alex Ich being primary among them. Their brand new – potentially temporary – midlaner, NiQ, joins the team after revolving through several challenger teams over the last few years. Now, he’ll have a big shot to prove his worth on one of Europe’s most powerful rosters. Unfortunately, he’ll debut against Overpow, who established himself early on in the LCS with his Kayle plays. Keep your eyes tuned to the mid lane for this game, as both of these players will be looking for any edge they can get in this crucial matchup.
Copenhagen Wolves vs. Millenium
When: Wednesday, 5/21, 18:00 CEST / 9:00 AM PDT
Both the Wolves and Millenium had troubles last split, landing in relegation and scraping through to return for the summer. But they are both making big moves to improve, and a game between them will be a great litmus test to see just how well they’ve improved over the last few weeks.
Millenium, now armed with new jungler Kottenx, are definitely going to be better prepared for this split. Kottenx had some outstanding games at the close of the Spring Split, and with a full offseason of practice and team-building, should shine even brighter. His presence on the team will do well to bring up not only their win rate, but their confidence as well.
The Copenhagen Wolves plotted a different course. Losing their star jungler Amazing to North American squad TSM will have lasting repercussions for the team, along with the departure of the talented but wild Forg1ven. Airwaks and Woolite step in to fill their shoes, but with only a few weeks on the roster, they will have an uphill battle ahead of them. Both have potential, but now it’s time to put it all on the line.
Alliance vs. Supa Hot Crew
When: Wednesday, 5/21, 19:00 CEST / 10:00 AM PDT
Alliance entered the Spring Split as a “super-team,” then proceeded to play yo-yo with their fans’ heartstrings. However, solid play in the midseason cemented them as a team to be respected, and they finished near the top of the rankings. Now they have a split’s worth of experience under their belts and have nothing left to hold them back. They’re going to be looking to a strong start and stomping all over the Crew will definitely be in their game plan.
The Supa Hot Crew, on the other hand, have done some serious rebuilding in an attempt to find their groove. MrRalleZ is a very talented individual, but the support behind him has been lacking, leaving him to make risky decisions that left the Crew without a chance. But the Crew are now back and looking to fix all those problems with their rebuilt roster. Mid laner Selfie returns, and new support wewillfailer might be just the spark the team needs to reignite the Supa Hot Crew fire.
What a better way to dive into summer than a rematch from one of the biggest spring split playoff matchups.
Now, both teams are back for more. Fnatic will be looking to get a running start into the league, and who can blame them—their phenomenal start back in January was only shadowed by their subsequent losing streak. Another strong start without the downward spiral would make a powerful statement to the rest of the league.
SK Gaming, however, will be looking for comeuppance of their own. A late season surge saw them take first place heading into playoffs, but they had to settle for the silver medal after all was done. Look for veteran CandyPanda to set the tone—what SK lack in trophies, they can make up for in a full offseason of preparing. Fnatic had to deal with All-Stars, and that means a lot of time spent preparing for teams not in the LCS. If SK can bring their A-game, this will be one of the best games of the week.
Gambit vs. ROCCAT
When: Tuesday, 5/20, 21:00 CEST / 12:00 PM PDT
These two powerhouses rocked the league last year, staying on top up until the very end. Gambit and ROCCAT, at times, looked fully in control of the European region. But that has all changed.
ROCCAT plummeted back to earth in the second half of their Cinderella season, but not before setting a high standard of play and strategy. As they get more experience under their belt, they’ll only get more powerful, and ROCCAT will be aiming for the top spot as this season gets underway.
Gambit, however, have significantly more pressing issues—the loss of mid laner Alex Ich being primary among them. Their brand new – potentially temporary – midlaner, NiQ, joins the team after revolving through several challenger teams over the last few years. Now, he’ll have a big shot to prove his worth on one of Europe’s most powerful rosters. Unfortunately, he’ll debut against Overpow, who established himself early on in the LCS with his Kayle plays. Keep your eyes tuned to the mid lane for this game, as both of these players will be looking for any edge they can get in this crucial matchup.
Copenhagen Wolves vs. Millenium
When: Wednesday, 5/21, 18:00 CEST / 9:00 AM PDT
Both the Wolves and Millenium had troubles last split, landing in relegation and scraping through to return for the summer. But they are both making big moves to improve, and a game between them will be a great litmus test to see just how well they’ve improved over the last few weeks.
Millenium, now armed with new jungler Kottenx, are definitely going to be better prepared for this split. Kottenx had some outstanding games at the close of the Spring Split, and with a full offseason of practice and team-building, should shine even brighter. His presence on the team will do well to bring up not only their win rate, but their confidence as well.
The Copenhagen Wolves plotted a different course. Losing their star jungler Amazing to North American squad TSM will have lasting repercussions for the team, along with the departure of the talented but wild Forg1ven. Airwaks and Woolite step in to fill their shoes, but with only a few weeks on the roster, they will have an uphill battle ahead of them. Both have potential, but now it’s time to put it all on the line.
Alliance vs. Supa Hot Crew
When: Wednesday, 5/21, 19:00 CEST / 10:00 AM PDT
Alliance entered the Spring Split as a “super-team,” then proceeded to play yo-yo with their fans’ heartstrings. However, solid play in the midseason cemented them as a team to be respected, and they finished near the top of the rankings. Now they have a split’s worth of experience under their belts and have nothing left to hold them back. They’re going to be looking to a strong start and stomping all over the Crew will definitely be in their game plan.
The Supa Hot Crew, on the other hand, have done some serious rebuilding in an attempt to find their groove. MrRalleZ is a very talented individual, but the support behind him has been lacking, leaving him to make risky decisions that left the Crew without a chance. But the Crew are now back and looking to fix all those problems with their rebuilt roster. Mid laner Selfie returns, and new support wewillfailer might be just the spark the team needs to reignite the Supa Hot Crew fire.
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