eSportsLCS
EU LCS Week 6 Preview: Halfway Through the Spring Split
Clay Mischka
| 20 February, 2014 at 12:00
Team Roccat 9-3
Gambit Gaming 8-4
Fnatic 7-5
SK Gaming 6-6
SUPA HOT CREW XD 6-6
Alliance 4-8
Copenhagen Wolves 4-8
Millenium 4-8
Week 6 marks the beginning of the home stretch for the European Spring LCS. As the EU LCS moves into the second half of the Spring Split, this week's games are extremely important. With no team too far ahead or behind, the competition is intense. This week has the potential to completely shake up the current standings, and every team is going to be bringing their best for a good position in the second half of the season.
Day 1 February 20, 2014
6pm GMT/ 10am PST/ 1pm EST
Millenium vs. Copenhagen Wolves
The match between MIL and CW will be a battle to escape the bottom of the table. Millenium is currently sitting not-so-pretty with a the last place score of 4-8, but they came out 1-1 last week after battling Fnatic and Gambit. Araneae and his team had better bring their best this weekend to enjoy success. With games against both Alliance and Copenhagen Wolves, they have a chance to gain a foothold in the middle of the pack.
The Wolves will be fighting for the same thing as Millenium. As they eye themselves a better position for the last half of the season, they will be looking for victories against Millenium and a wounded Fnatic. After showing their abilities against the number one ROCCAT but falling short, hopefully the Wolves have focused on their end game this week, as it was their downfall against SHC and ROCCAT; Millenium's Creaton stood out last week as a marksman not to be left alone. His team fight positioning was excellent and allowed him free reign over Fnatic. With similar picks to last week's peel heavy composition, Creaton may bring a repeat performance. With a wall, similar to last weeks Thesh, Trundle, and Lee Sin picks, Creaton can be left to do what he does best against the Wolves.
Millenium and Copenhagen Wolves are equals in the laning phase but Millenium's coordination and team communication appear to be much stronger than the Wolves. Unless the Wolves can work as a unit in the late game, Millenium is going to come out the winner.
Gambit vs. Team Roccat
The top dogs of the European LCS at the moment; ROCCAT stands #1 and remains undefeated against Gambit so far, victorious in their week 2 match. However, because of visa issues with Alex Ich, Darien, Genja, and Diamondprox, they will not be present for this weekend's games. This can negatively affect Gambit's chances because the synergy and expertise of these four players is hard to replace.
In their spots will be Zorozero (Top) and Nukeduck (Mid), both from Ninjas in Pyjamas (NiP) and both have LCS experience. The jungler will be Hulberto, a EU Challenger level player known for his aggressive solo queue tactics. He has been seen queuing with NiP players this week and may be what Gambit's substituted roster needs to succeed. Gambit's bottom lane is going to be changed as well. With Genja out for the week, fury III will be taking his place as marksman. fury III has experience with the NiP players, he has subbed for NiP in the past. He is currently an EU Challenger player with no ties to any professional team. Edward remains as support and his synergy with fury III will be interesting as they have been duo-queuing in preparation for this week's matches. Edward is used to having Darien top, who plays the famous feed to win style and AFK farming, that is similar to their bottom lane strategy. While Diamondprox and Alex Ich take care of business in the middle lane, not combining with bottom lane very often. With the introduction of more aggressive players, the mixture of passive and aggression will be pushed together. This combination could make for a powerful new type of strategy that we have not seen Gambit be a part of. With 4/5 of Gambit being rushed subs, this does positively highlight the system of having contracted substitutes that Korean teams have in place.
This is ROCCAT's chance to put some distance between themselves and the other LCS teams. ROCCAT's poise and team fighting last week against Copenhagen Wolves showed their determination and skill in their come from behind win. Overpow and his team will have to deal with an unusual Gambit from the one they have dealt with in the past. ROCCAT will have to keep their wits about them and expect the unexpected right from the beginning. With Gambit bringing in substitutes and unknown variables, ROCCAT still has the upper hand in this match up, but predicting a definite win is impossible.
SUPA HOT CREW XD vs. Fnatic
This week will be a real test for Fnatic as they face off with SHC. Fnatic are coming into Week 6 on a five game losing streak against a SHC side that has gone 3-1 these past two weeks. Supa Hot Crew has proven they cannot be taken lightly after their dominating performance against Gambit in week 4. SUPA HOT CREW's bottom lane, MrRalleZ and Migxa, have been outstanding in the EU LCS so far. MrRallez was awarded the Week 5 MVP because of his dominant play on Lucian and Jinx, and a stellar KDA of 14.5. The battle between these two and the Fnatic botlane, Rekkles and YellOwStaR, will be the deciding factor of the match. With SHC coming into their own in the LCS and Fnatic's current form, it is still hard to place a prediction in either team's favor. Fnatic is historically the best team in EU. xPeke needs to regain control and composure to become the powerhouse we know Fnatic is. SHC have to force mistakes and come together as a team this week in order to prove that they deserve one of the top spots in EU.
A 50/50 prediction between the two; Fnatic and SHC both have a lot to prove in this game and it will definitely be one to watch.
SK Gaming vs. Alliance
It is time for the super team to find their feet; Froggen and his team have had five weeks of the LCS to settle in and become a competitive squad, because they are entering the last half of the season, now is the time to shine. With a different roster for Gambit and a match against ROCCAT, SK Gaming will be bringing their best for a chance to join the top of the table. Froggen had a strong performance last week on Anivia and Kayle, and he needs to spread this success throughout his team through communication or by attracting the attention of SK in order to win. A great game by Froggen is necessary to beat SK, but he cannot do it alone. Wickd, Shook, Tabzz, and Nyph need to all have stand out performances, compared to their previous weeks, to prevail over the strong SK side.
If Alliance come together as a team and can do their jobs, they have a fighting chance. SK Gaming has the advantage and the motivation to crush Alliance; by focusing Froggen and having Svenskeren play an aggressive champion (Pantheon, Vi), SK can shut down the hope of the "super team."
6pm GMT/ 10 am PST/ 1pm EST
Fnatic vs. Copenhagen Wolves
Out for blood but which side is the hunter? This game, the opener of day two, really depends on the day one results. If Fnatic can realign themselves and defeat SHC, they will be the overwhelming favorites in this match-up. A strong Fnatic will crush the weak end game that the Wolves have been showing, however, if Fnatic cannot come out ahead in day one, the downward spiral will most likely continue. Both teams need to focus on their day one games; Wolves can escape the bottom of the table and Fnatic need to beat their slump.
Copenhagen Wolves' jungler, Amazing, should break out the aggression (Lee Sin, Pantheon), and break down Fnatic in the early game. The Wolves need to create a large enough lead that they can walk in the win. If the game reaches the end game, with both teams relatively equal, Fnatic's strength will overcome the wolves.
Gambit vs. SUPA HOT CREW XD
SUPA HOT CREW's climb towards the EU LCS summit; With the substituted Gambit roster, this is SHC's chance to make the push for the top three. While the strength of Gambit's lineup is unknown, it is impossible to deny SUPA HOT CREW's. Similar to the Fnatic preview, the bottom lane will be the lane to watch. With MrRallez and Migxa coming from an amazing Week 5 performance and their bloodthirsty play style, it will be challenging for fury III and Edward to play comfortably. Though SHC has been playing well, the Gambit lineup is experienced and skilled enough to put up a good fight.
Gambit's day one match will show how much of a fight they can bring to SHC. If Nukeduck, Zorozero, and Hulberto can sync up with fury III and Edward, SHC will have themselves a challenge. However, if MrRallez continues this level of play, SHC will be hard to stop.
Team Roccat vs. SK Gaming
This is the game of the week in the EU LCS; With ROCCAT attempting to strengthen their status as leader and SK fighting for a spot in the top three, both teams will be bringing their best to Summoner's Rift. Last weekend SK showed why they deserve to be considered top contenders; huge victories over Fnatic and Gambit and outstanding performances from every team member. Svenskeren's Pantheon and Vi had global pressure throughout the game; he managed to shutdown both enemy junglers and was an instrumental role player in the 5v5s. His aggressive tactics and champion picks are something that ROCCAT cannot ignore in champion select. Considering both teams strong laning phase, the deciding factor will be the team fighting. ROCCAT has been performing exceptionally in their organization and ability to remain calm under pressure, but SK has the potential to break them down. The middle laners, Overpow and Jesiz, will dictate the tone of each team's focus, whether it be an aggressive comp (Khazix, Zed, Kayle) or more focused on the team fights(Lulu, Orianna, Gragas).
With SK's recent performances and ROCCAT's both in consideration, ROCCAT will come out on top unless SK brings their A game. In this match-up, the middle lane is going to be the most important to watch.
Millenium vs. Alliance
Two teams scrambling for success; Millenium and Alliance both stuck in the bottom of table, both need to win to escape, and with the last half of the season starting, this game carries weight. Millenium's jungler, Araneae, and midlaner, Kerp, have the ability to take Froggen's influence out of the game. Alliance's captain has been a solid rock in the middle lane and Milenium can focus their attention on shattering this consistency. Similar to the SK Gaming preview, the other four members of Alliance, Wickd, Shook, Tabzz, and Nyph, have to come ready in order for Alliance to beat Millenium
This week truly does have the potential to shake up the standings in the European LCS. With the Gambit roster changes, Fnatic's slump, and ROCCAT's tough schedule, the top three teams all have challenging matches ahead of them. The rest of the table has the opportunity to rise and cement a better position going into the second half of the season.
Tags 2014alliancecopenhagen wolvesesportsEUEuropefnaticGambit GamingmilleniumpreviewROCCATsksupa hot crew
Currently am a student at Miami University. I have been playing League since season 2 and still play everyday.
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