The Recap: Europe Week 8
Riot·3/29/2014, 12:40:11 AM·0 votes·341 views
Super Week shook up the rankings in the EU LCS with ROCCAT dropping out of the top spot and SK Gaming surging ahead to tie with Gambit. Meanwhile, Alliance went on a warpath, blistering through the opposition on the way to a perfect week and Millenium gained some ground to stay within striking distance thanks to the Supa Hot Crew falling apart.
While Alliance as a whole improved and silenced their critics for a while, Wickd was probably the biggest standout. He had come in for the most criticism when the team struggled earlier in the season, but he was a rock in the top lane all Super Week. Not only that, but his Irelia has helped reshape Alliance's top lane.
Diamondprox
Diamond's legendary Lee Sin performance against SK reminded me why I loved watching him play in the first place. Pro junglers often make Lee Sin look exciting, but Diamond made me fall in love all over again.
After a disappointing start to the season and weeks of mediocrity, Alliance finally started to live up to the hype this week. An opening day win over SHC on Tuesday had fans dreaming of a perfect 4-0 record and by Thursday evening their dreams came true. In arguably the best game of super week, the so-called Super Team showed that they can truly hang with the big boys and overcame league-leaders, Gambit Gaming. Throw in a couple of wins over ROCCAT and Wolves for good measure, and Alliance have clearly hit their stride.
Super-Tankers Run Aground
It's been coming for a while, but EU Super Week finally saw an end to the all super-tanks, all the time in the top lane. Wickd led the way with his resurgent Irelia, playing like it was still Season 3, but others followed in his wake. We saw bruisers like Jax and Aatrox making a splash, while Olaf showed up to successfully dip his toe in top lane champion pool as well.
SK Back in Contention
The last year or so has been rough for SK Gaming, but a 3-1 Super Week and commentators heralding them as the best team in Europe would lead one to believe that hard times are behind the veteran organisation. If anything, their loss to Gambit on Wednesday was actually the biggest surprise here, but SK is now tied for first place with the Russians at 12-8.
Honorable Mention - Kassadin
Kassadin made it through two Champion Selects; and both Froggen and Alex Ich helped their teams to fairly comfortable victories because of it.
When a team goes 0-4 in Super Week it's hard not to pick them for this award. SHC has struggled all season, though their win/loss ratio shows just how close the EU LCS is. Still, a 0-4 record is especially painful when the only team below them - Millenium - had a reasonable 2-2 week. MrRalleZ continues to be the beacon of hope with an impressive 4.7 KDA but avoiding relegation come season's end is looking more and more difficult for the pan-European team.
Honorable Mention - ROCCAT
Everyone's favorite underdog in the early season has fallen a long way from the heady days of challenging Fnatic for league leadership. An ugly 1-3 record shows that the Poles continue to be woefully inconsistent.
Games of the Week
ROCCAT vs. Gambit Gaming This duel featured the two current European thoroughbreds giving each other everything they had: a full hour of back and forth action. Gambit would grab an advantage, and ROCCAT would counter with an objective of their own. The final stanza of the game featured ROCCAT grabbing a three-for-none trade near the Baron pit and utilizing the monstrous death timers to knock out Gambit's Nexus. Even still, it came down to the final five seconds; if Gambit managed to respawn in time, they might have been able to prolong this epic game even further. Alliance vs. Gambit Gaming With Alliance looking to complete a perfect week they found themselves facing a pseudo-classic matchup. CLG EU/Evil Geniuses vs Gambit had been one of the biggest fixtures in the entirety of League of Legends until this season. Alliance vs Gambit didn't quite have the same ring to it but that might easily change after this week. Their 45-minute slugfest was a real epic, with the lead changing hands multiple times. In the end, the game fundamentally changed in a heartbeat. When Diamondprox got caught out and killed near a recently-respawned Baron, Alliance went for the jugular. They turned a 4,000 gold deficit into a kill, Baron, and within two minutes, a victory to complete a 4-0 Super Week. SK vs. ROCCAT This game was chosen because it really showcased SK’s capabilities.. After giving up First Blood in the top lane, SK answered with a kill in the bottom lane a few minutes later and used the opportunity to take Dragon and an early gold lead. Jankos continued to pressure Freddy in the top lane, but SK maintained the lead and extended it by picking up a second Baron with little difficulty. Despite numerous ganks from Jankos, Freddy began to actually win out in lane while his team made incredibly slick rotations around the map, picking up turrets whenever ROCCAT’s jungler showed himself. Again, this game ended abruptly, but it was the team in the lead who closed it out. SK snuck a Baron around the 32-minute mark and forced their way into ROCCAT's base for a convincing win just two minutes later.Overachievers of the Week
Wickd
While Alliance as a whole improved and silenced their critics for a while, Wickd was probably the biggest standout. He had come in for the most criticism when the team struggled earlier in the season, but he was a rock in the top lane all Super Week. Not only that, but his Irelia has helped reshape Alliance's top lane.
Diamondprox
Diamond's legendary Lee Sin performance against SK reminded me why I loved watching him play in the first place. Pro junglers often make Lee Sin look exciting, but Diamond made me fall in love all over again.
Surprises of the Week
Believe the Hype
After a disappointing start to the season and weeks of mediocrity, Alliance finally started to live up to the hype this week. An opening day win over SHC on Tuesday had fans dreaming of a perfect 4-0 record and by Thursday evening their dreams came true. In arguably the best game of super week, the so-called Super Team showed that they can truly hang with the big boys and overcame league-leaders, Gambit Gaming. Throw in a couple of wins over ROCCAT and Wolves for good measure, and Alliance have clearly hit their stride.
Super-Tankers Run Aground
It's been coming for a while, but EU Super Week finally saw an end to the all super-tanks, all the time in the top lane. Wickd led the way with his resurgent Irelia, playing like it was still Season 3, but others followed in his wake. We saw bruisers like Jax and Aatrox making a splash, while Olaf showed up to successfully dip his toe in top lane champion pool as well.
SK Back in Contention
The last year or so has been rough for SK Gaming, but a 3-1 Super Week and commentators heralding them as the best team in Europe would lead one to believe that hard times are behind the veteran organisation. If anything, their loss to Gambit on Wednesday was actually the biggest surprise here, but SK is now tied for first place with the Russians at 12-8.
Honorable Mention - Kassadin
Kassadin made it through two Champion Selects; and both Froggen and Alex Ich helped their teams to fairly comfortable victories because of it.
Biggest Disappointment
Not so Hot Crew
When a team goes 0-4 in Super Week it's hard not to pick them for this award. SHC has struggled all season, though their win/loss ratio shows just how close the EU LCS is. Still, a 0-4 record is especially painful when the only team below them - Millenium - had a reasonable 2-2 week. MrRalleZ continues to be the beacon of hope with an impressive 4.7 KDA but avoiding relegation come season's end is looking more and more difficult for the pan-European team.
Honorable Mention - ROCCAT
Everyone's favorite underdog in the early season has fallen a long way from the heady days of challenging Fnatic for league leadership. An ugly 1-3 record shows that the Poles continue to be woefully inconsistent.