The Recap: EU LCS Week 3

Coming into Week 3, Alliance and SK Gaming were the clear fan favorites to win their matches in the polls, with the lowest likelihood a mere 67%. After this week, with both teams going 2-0, those percentages should grow even higher. The rest of the teams had a much more dynamic week, with Millenium, Supa Hot Crew, Gambit Gaming, and Fnatic all splitting 1-1. Only ROCCAT and Copenhagen Wolves failed to pick up a single win in Week 3.

Games of the Week

Supa Hot Crew vs. Fnatic Only one place away from each other in the standings coming into this match (3rd and 4th, respectively), Supa Hot Crew and Fnatic showed each other a healthy amount of respect while working to find a few key advantages. Three towers and two dragons had already fallen by the time xPeke picked up first blood nearly 12 minutes in, setting the tone for an objective-focused battle between the two teams. In what went on to become the longest game yet of the EU LCS this split, a total of eight dragons (5-3), three barons (2-1), and seventeen turrets (11-6) fell over the course of this nearly 64 minute game, while kills were kept to the relatively moderate number of 22 (11-11). In the end, SHC demonstrated they had the better mind and tactics for controlling those objectives transforming the team into a slow and unstoppable locomotive that eventually drove itself straight into Fnatic’s nexus. Rasmus “MrRalleZ” Skinneholm’s 4/0/5 performance on Twitch didn’t exactly hurt, either. Gambit vs. SK Gaming In contrast to the slow, methodical, battle-of-posturing we saw between Supa Hot Crew and Fnatic, Gambit and SK Gaming held a bloody slugfest. Despite Danil “Diamondprox” Reshetnikov securing first blood on Jesse “Jesiz” Le within a minute and a half of minions spawning, it was SK’s jungler who starred for the rest of the match. Dennis “Svenskeren” Johnsen’s Lee Sin appeared everywhere on the map, setting up ganks or countering Diamond’s own aggression. By the time the Nexus exploded, Svenskeren was 8-2-9, participating in all but one of SK’s 18 kills. Diamond, on the other hand, received a great deal of focus by SK in team fights and finished the game with a disappointing 2-7-2. Fnatic vs. ROCCAT Both of Fnatic and ROCCAT have fallen from grace since last season, and this game was an opportunity for each to prove to their fans that they still had the winning spirit in them. Fnatic needed the win to prevent from ending the week with a losing record (something they’ve managed to do so far), whereas ROCCAT simply needed a win of any sort to show they still had life in them. Early on, ROCCAT showed exactly that with strong roaming and picks across the map by Oscar “VandeR” Bogdan and Marcin “Jankos” Jankowski. They also stepped up their vision game by with three early sweeping lenses, which helped secure their fourth dragon of the entire split. In response, Fnatic caught Overpow out of position multiple times and put on the aggression, pushing ROCCAT back into their base. With a well-timed Dragon’s Rage from Jankos, ROCCAT managed to ace Fnatic, saving ROCCAT from a loss for the time being. Unfortunately for them, the delay proved fruitless, and Fnatic eventually found their way back to ROCCAT’s base with a Baron buff active, finishing off the game.

Surprises of the Week

Duck...Duck...Cryophoenix! It’s been a while since we’ve seen an Anivia on the Rift, and who better to usher in her return than Henrik “Froggen” Hansen! With a 1-0-7 showing on Day 1, Froggen may not have picked up many kills, but he was an integral part of his team’s success. His high burst and CC created a zone of death that opponents were afraid to cross, freeing up Erik “Tabzz” van Helvert’s Kog’Maw to take down champions from a safe, healthy distance, the thing he does best. On Day 2, Froggen’s Anivia went a bit more aggressive, finishing with a 7/1/6 record thanks to well-timed Teleports and three early kills in the bottom lane. From there, he only snowballed his lead, showing off with the champion that he rose to prominence playing. Let’s hope that this Anivia pick won’t be just a blip on the radar. Froggen, for one, seems confident in the Cryophoenix’s abilities, tweeting earlier this week, Anivia's back.

Disappointments of the Week

No Twist of Fate for ROCCAT ROCCAT looked more on their game than usual this week when they took on Fnatic. Early on, they played an aggressive-roaming play style that caught Fnatic by surprise, netting ROCCAT an early advantage and dragon. (This was also thanks to a stronger focus on vision control and three sweeper lenses.) Unfortunately, despite an ace on Fnatic, ROCCAT began to lose that focus as the game progresses. Whether the team is lacking a strong direction or simply letting emotions get the better of them, they failed to improve their fortunes this week. Kerp’s Back and Forth Week Adrian “Kerp” Wetekam (and Millenium as a whole) had a polarizing week. On Day 1, Jesiz and SK Gaming absolutely ran over Kerp & Crew, who ended his first game of the week 0-5-0 on Fizz. On Day 2, Kerp pulled a 180 and went 11-1-11 on Ziggs, helping his team with in a dominating fashion over Copenhagen Wolves. Millenium have the potential to do great things, but fans are waiting for them to show they can do it consistently.

Looking Ahead

Alliance and SK Gaming continue to hold the 1st and 2nd Place spots in the EU LCS standings, showing little sign that either one will be easy to dethrone. Fnatic, who struggle to regain their form of old, must take on both of these powerhouses next week. The odds are not in their favor. Nevertheless, Europe has a certain flair for upsets, and these are two matches no one will want to miss in Week 4.

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Gilean split his time between feeding bot, writing about esports, and feeding mid. If you’d like tips on how to feed harder, you can follow him @HHGilean