EU Challenger Series Finals Preview
Riot·6/20/2014, 12:30:55 AM·0 votes·363 views
The European Challenger scene heats up this weekend as the final matches of the first Promotion Qualifier come to a head. There are 25 points up for grabs, and the four remaining teams will be scrapping it out to get a head start in the Promotion race. Additionally, the top three are guaranteed spots in Qualifier #2, where even more points will be available to earn. A win this week could pay dividends in the fight to become a part of the LCS.
3rd Place Match: Gamers2 vs. Reason Gaming
When: Friday, June 20, 18:00 CEST / 9:00 AM PDT
First up is the third place match, in which Gamers2 and Reason Gaming (formerly named Lublin Shore) go head to head to win not only an additional point, but a guaranteed spot in Qualifier #2. Don’t let that single point difference fool you - a spot in Qualifier #2 could easily translate into five more points by the end of the season, and neither team will want to pass on such an obvious opportunity.
Reason/Lublin formed from the remnants of MeetYourMakers, and includes familiar names from last year’s LCS Summer season. That’s right, Makler, Kubon, and Libik are all back for more. The original Polish super-squad made some waves last year, but in the end fell out of the LCS, paving the way for ROCCAT to reign supreme (at least, for a while).
The big star to watch for on Reason is Makler, who has proven his carry ability throughout the qualifier. New faces to the team this year are mid laner TakeFun and jungler Kikis. Both have shown some flashes of greatness, and should be able to develop into solid players if the team sticks together. Kubon, in the top lane, might be have the strongest showing - in the quarterfinals, he posted a 10/0/12 record to absolutely thrash Denial.
Facing them will be Gamers2, the new team for famed mid laner Ocelote. Gamers2 has been together for almost five months now, but have yet to really make their mark. The 2014 Summer Promotion Qualifiers saw them only earn 2 points, barely even making it onto the rankings ladder, and nowhere near the 7 points they would have needed to make the playoffs. This time around, however, the team is performing better, and a win here could give them a second chance.
Ocelote, of course, is the man to watch on Gamers2. His performance so far this season has been consistent, and he put up some big numbers in the quarterfinals. However, the real power of this team lies in the bot lane pairing of Yuuki60 and Dioud. Against Shantau macht Wau, they teamed up for 8 kills, 37 assists, and not a single death. Simply put, if they can find a way to capture that talent on a more consistent basis, the team could be unbeatable.
Finals: Ninjas in Pyjamas vs. H2k Gaming
When: Saturday, June 21, 15:00 CEST / 6:00 AM PDT
The main event, however, promises to be even better. H2k Gaming have been floating around the Challenger pool for a while, but now, they face off against the Ninjas in Pyjamas, an e-sports legacy who have made their mark in multiple games. Still, they’ve failed to make such a splash within League of Legends. Their time may finally have come.
In fact, NiP was involved in the biggest roster change to hit Europe this season - Alex Ich’s departure from Gambit, and subsequent move to top lane for the Swedish challenger team. With Alex on board, it’s hard to deny that NiP is one of the most exciting teams in the Promotion Qualifiers. It also helps that they’ve been winning quite handily, only dropping a single game so far.
The loss of Nukeduck and Mithy, however, puts a serious damper on the team. The pair shined brightly in the quarterfinals against Unicorns of Love, but are now gone for good. Their current subs, Voidle, Exileh, and PowerOfEvil, are enough to hold down the fort, but lacking a solidified roster just screams of vulnerability. While Alex, K0u, and Freeze are definitely solid players, it takes five to tango in the LCS. They might be able to skate by this one, but the Promotion Qualifiers will only get more difficult from here.
H2k, therefore, have a perfect window to claim the top spot in the first bracket. Formerly Cloud 9 Eclipse, the rebuilt roster is threatening to do exactly what they did last challenger season—push their way to the top and threaten to join the LCS with flair. Newcomers Trashy and AoD are already melding well, and the team is developing into quite the squad. In comparison to NiP’s patched together roster, H2k look solid as a rock.
The biggest threats on H2k definitely include their bot lane duo, Hjärnan and AoD. So far, they’ve done some great work to stay ahead of their lane opponents. Hjärnan is especially deadly on Lucian, and could develop into a must-ban if he is continued to develop unchecked. Mid Laner Febiven is showing some flashes of brilliance as well, and completely shut down SK Gaming Prime with excellent Orianna play. If H2k want to fully take advantage of NiP’s weaknesses, he’ll have to bring that energy into the Finals.
Reason/Lublin formed from the remnants of MeetYourMakers, and includes familiar names from last year’s LCS Summer season. That’s right, Makler, Kubon, and Libik are all back for more. The original Polish super-squad made some waves last year, but in the end fell out of the LCS, paving the way for ROCCAT to reign supreme (at least, for a while).
The big star to watch for on Reason is Makler, who has proven his carry ability throughout the qualifier. New faces to the team this year are mid laner TakeFun and jungler Kikis. Both have shown some flashes of greatness, and should be able to develop into solid players if the team sticks together. Kubon, in the top lane, might be have the strongest showing - in the quarterfinals, he posted a 10/0/12 record to absolutely thrash Denial.
Facing them will be Gamers2, the new team for famed mid laner Ocelote. Gamers2 has been together for almost five months now, but have yet to really make their mark. The 2014 Summer Promotion Qualifiers saw them only earn 2 points, barely even making it onto the rankings ladder, and nowhere near the 7 points they would have needed to make the playoffs. This time around, however, the team is performing better, and a win here could give them a second chance.
Ocelote, of course, is the man to watch on Gamers2. His performance so far this season has been consistent, and he put up some big numbers in the quarterfinals. However, the real power of this team lies in the bot lane pairing of Yuuki60 and Dioud. Against Shantau macht Wau, they teamed up for 8 kills, 37 assists, and not a single death. Simply put, if they can find a way to capture that talent on a more consistent basis, the team could be unbeatable.
Finals: Ninjas in Pyjamas vs. H2k Gaming
When: Saturday, June 21, 15:00 CEST / 6:00 AM PDT
The main event, however, promises to be even better. H2k Gaming have been floating around the Challenger pool for a while, but now, they face off against the Ninjas in Pyjamas, an e-sports legacy who have made their mark in multiple games. Still, they’ve failed to make such a splash within League of Legends. Their time may finally have come.
In fact, NiP was involved in the biggest roster change to hit Europe this season - Alex Ich’s departure from Gambit, and subsequent move to top lane for the Swedish challenger team. With Alex on board, it’s hard to deny that NiP is one of the most exciting teams in the Promotion Qualifiers. It also helps that they’ve been winning quite handily, only dropping a single game so far.
The loss of Nukeduck and Mithy, however, puts a serious damper on the team. The pair shined brightly in the quarterfinals against Unicorns of Love, but are now gone for good. Their current subs, Voidle, Exileh, and PowerOfEvil, are enough to hold down the fort, but lacking a solidified roster just screams of vulnerability. While Alex, K0u, and Freeze are definitely solid players, it takes five to tango in the LCS. They might be able to skate by this one, but the Promotion Qualifiers will only get more difficult from here.
H2k, therefore, have a perfect window to claim the top spot in the first bracket. Formerly Cloud 9 Eclipse, the rebuilt roster is threatening to do exactly what they did last challenger season—push their way to the top and threaten to join the LCS with flair. Newcomers Trashy and AoD are already melding well, and the team is developing into quite the squad. In comparison to NiP’s patched together roster, H2k look solid as a rock.
The biggest threats on H2k definitely include their bot lane duo, Hjärnan and AoD. So far, they’ve done some great work to stay ahead of their lane opponents. Hjärnan is especially deadly on Lucian, and could develop into a must-ban if he is continued to develop unchecked. Mid Laner Febiven is showing some flashes of brilliance as well, and completely shut down SK Gaming Prime with excellent Orianna play. If H2k want to fully take advantage of NiP’s weaknesses, he’ll have to bring that energy into the Finals.