The Recap: Europe Week 9
Games of the Week
Gambit Gaming vs Millenium
In any other situation, a storied powerhouse beating a season-long underdog wouldn’t raise a single eyebrow. However, Gambit’s loss to Alliance in Day 1 turned failure into ferocity, making this particular game worthy of a second look. With every kill, tower, and Dragon, Gambit seemed to be venting their frustration, pushing their limits as if to vindicate themselves from the turbulence of the previous day. Millenium played less like a professional team and more like a ball of stress, unable to adequately adjust their play to handle Gambit’s form. This game also featured Darien collecting countless style points on Renekton. The last few moments showed exactly why fans of Gambit love their Russian overlords as they closed out another commanding performance.
Copenhagen Wolves vs SK Gaming
After three one-sided games in their favor, the Wolves' early success seemed to foreshadow more of the same. Fortunately for the SK faithful, Candypanda and Jesiz had different plans. Aspiring League of Legends teams should bookmark this game as a prime example of how to take objectives from pressure alone. Fight after fight, both sides would escape with flashing red health bars, but SK capitalized and slowly built an insurmountable lead. Candypanda used this game to make his case for All-Stars, with his incredible teamfight placement and aggression.
Alliance vs Supa Hot Crew
After his LCS debut against Millenium, fans eagerly awaited the next performance from SHC's new mid laner, SELFIE. In Day 1, his laning phase looked strong, and his synergy with Impaler seemed perfect, spurring hopes for a revitalized SHC squad. Even in a week of lopsided beatdowns, Supa Hot Crew managed to keep pace with Alliance until the bitter end. This was a game completely decided by positioning and timing on both sides. A few pixels off at any moment, and the game could have completely swung the other direction. Alliance won out in the end, taking valuable momentum away from SHC and SELFIE, leaving them to formulate a plan to avoid relegation in the coming weeks.
Overachievers of the Week
Jankos
In both their tough loss to Fnatic and their victory over SK, Jankos played like a man possessed. Against Fnatic, Jankos' Lee Sin bounced all over the map, creating perfect engagements onto Rekkles throughout the game. On Elise, Jankos similarly seemed omnipresent, creating early advantages in all three of ROCCAT's lanes. If he can continue this level of early pressure, ROCCAT may be able to return to the top of the EU LCS before the spring split ends.
Rekkles, xPeke, and sOAZ
Fnatic's triple threat came out to play in both of their Week 9 games. Between xPeke's flawless game against ROCCAT, sOAZ's Shyvana wrecking crew, and Rekkles's game-changing quadrakill against the Copenhagen Wolves, Fnatic have returned to form. While each one of their stars deserves the spotlight this week for their impressive play, together, they form a terrifying hydra of lane dominance and teamfight synergy. With their fire for Worlds refueled by IEM Katowice, Fnatic's hungry for more blood coming into the Spring Playoffs.
Surprises of the Week
Good Karmas, Bad Karmas
After the Intel Extreme Masters championship last week, the rise of Karma may not come as a huge shock to some viewers, however fans without this advance notice were blown away by the sudden explosion in her popularity. With six picks and one ban, Karma went from virtual irrelevance to a highly contested champion seemingly overnight. With strong early game harass and a team speed boost, Karma will not likely fade quickly, and could instead become a staple for teams that value mobility without sacrificing power on their AD carry.
Fnatic is Back At It
After their trip to Katowice, Fnatic has returned in a new and beautiful form. Their rotations are sharper, their laning phase is stronger, and Rekkles seems to have advanced to the next level. Even sOAZ seems to have remembered how to make plays without relying on strange champion picks. While it may be too late for Fnatic to take the top seed before the split ends, if they remain at this level, no team will be safe once the playoffs begin.
Disappointment of the Week
Alas, Poor Millenium
Millenium played this week like a team resigned to their fate. With a sloppy early game, no objective control, and no focus in teamfights, next week could see their playoff hopes for this split dashed away unless they find some spark.
