The European Challenger Series has reached the semifinal stage, and has a pair of best-of-threes scheduled for week to determine which two teams will face off in the finals. An appearance in the EU CS 1 finals guarantees a spot in the bracketed stage of EU CS 2, as well as extra Circuit Points which will qualify teams for the Challenger Playoffs. So who will emerge victorious? Ninjas in Pyjamas or Gamers2? Lublin Shore or H2K gaming? We’ll find out.
SHIELDS HERE
Ninjas in Pyjamas vs Gamers2
When: Thursday, June 12 shortly after Team Alliance vs Gambit Gaming
The Ninjas in Pyjamas enter this series overwhelmed by questions. Following the suspension and subsequent release of Erlend “Nukeduck” Holm and Alfonso “Mithy” Rodriguez, the organization has had to scramble to fill the voids in the roster. To replace them, they grabbed Fabian “Exileh” Schubert to man the middle lane, and Erih “Voidle” Sommerman to take over the support role - two players who are familiar with the Challenger scene. Exileh played in the middle lane for SK Gaming Prime before the team disbanded in April (and subsequently reformed with new players). Voidle played support for Gambit Gaming during the 2013 European LCS Summer Split, and spent last season in the same position for Cloud 9 Eclipse. How these two players assimilate into the team, particularly Exileh who will be facing off against ocelote, will be key to the team’s success.
The veteran laden Gamers2 stands ready to pounce on the new Ninjas. The team has been competing as a unit throughout the past six months, and have evolved a more aggressive style that has the potential to force NiP to play a reactionary game as opposed to their preferred plodding, controlled style. G2 will heavily rely on their bottom lane, AD carry Saler “Yuuki60” Florent and support Hugo “Dioud” Padioleau, to be their engine. The two of them have yet to die through four EU CS games, and that has helped them put together a combined KDA of almost 100. Unfortunately for NiP, they won’t be able to shut them down simply by banning them out. Yuuki60 has shown proficiency on Jinx, Lucian, and Graves in recent EUCS matches and Dioud has played three different supports, Leona, Thresh and Morgana, in those games. With only three bans available, it’s going to be hard for NiP to put them on unfamiliar champions.
SHIELDS HERE
Lublin Shore vs H2K Gaming
When: Friday, June 13th shortly after Copenhagen Wolves vs SK Gaming
Where the Gamer2 vs Ninjas in Pyjamas series is surrounded by questions, both H2K Gaming and Lublin Shore enter their series with momentum. Lublin Shore just earned a second place in the ESL Europe Series Spring 2014 tournament over the weekend, and H2K had a dominating victory over SK Gaming Prime.
The bottom lane promises to be explosive in this matchup. Lublin Shore’s AD carry Marek “Makler” Kukier and support Marek “Libik” Kreigel have enjoyed success in three of their four games. Denial eSports did manage to shut down the duo in game two of their series, but they gave up the rest of the map to do it. While Makler was having trouble, Lublin Shore’s toplaner Jakob “Kubon” Turewicz and middle laner Rafal “Takefun” Gorniak went wild and combined for a 20 KDA in that game.
Their H2K counterparts, AD carry Petter “Hjarnan” Freyschuss and support Alin “AoD” Baltat, showed similar strength in their series against SK Gaming Prime. If there’s a question with them, though, it centers on AoD. He is a new addition to the team, and he has only played Thresh in the EU CS. Should Lublin Shore ban that champion away from H2K, can the duo cope?
Even if the bottom lane does take a step back and need help in the laning phase, jungler Jonas “Trashy” Andersen has come in and been a tremendous catalyst for the team. Trashy’s performances on Evelynn and Vi against SK Gaming Prime were a major reason that all of their lanes got going, and were able to carry H2K to a sweep.
What’s Next?
The action for the European Challenger Series quarterfinals begin on Thursday, June 12th after Alliance takes on Gambit Gaming in the European LCS. The Ninjas in Pyjamas will bring their new roster against Gamers2.
That series will be followed on Friday, June 13th, by Lublin Shore matching wits with H2K after the Copenhagen Wolves take to the Rift versus SK Gaming.
Related Articles