Photo by WallDevil
EU LCS: H2K on the rise while Origen struggles
H2K has been showing signs of life in the past few weeks. Odoamne and Freeze, in particular, have been stepping up their game and leading the rest of the team to some outstanding performances. They have had solid showings against the top two teams in EU. First, they convincingly beat Fnatic in a 2-0 fashion in Week 2 of the split. Then, this past week they faced off against G2 (ranked #1 in EU LCS standings) and came out of that series 1-1, leaving them in the running for the top spot in EU. There is still plenty of time for them to accumulate some wins and come back even stronger for Week 7, where they’ll play against those two top teams once again.
Origen is a different story, and Xpeke’s new role as ADC left many baffled. Everyone knows xPeke as a legendary player, but this newest development could tarnish his legacy. Was this decision based purely on what was best for the team given their current predicament? Or was he just too overconfident in his ability to lead his team from a new carry role? Well, it looks like it’s a little from column A and a little from column B.
The past couple of weeks have shown that there is huge room for improvement in his play. However, he did manage to help his team earn their first victory of the Summer Split. Until his ADC abilities match what he’s capable of as a midlaner, he’s going to have to learn the same lesson we all do in ranked matches: sometimes you have to let yourself be carried by your teammates. He’ll have the chance to show his growth as an ADC in Thursday’s match against the very formidable Fnatic (ranked #2 in EU LCS standings).
NA LCS: CLG continues to disappoint
Everyone knows that CLG played out of their minds at MSI. No one faulted them for going down 0-3 to the reigning World Champs, SK Telecom T1. They put on a stellar performance that many felt would continue into the Summer Split. Unfortunately, the opposite is true. They came back from Shanghai looking disorganized and unfamiliar in their roles.
CLG’s only wins have come from Team Liquid (1-2) and this past week against Echo Fox (2-0), neither of which break the top 4 in current LCS standings. The team has a lot left to prove during the remainder of the split. They’re going to try and stifle the naysayers who have been saying CLG “overperformed” at MSI. Other NA teams improved during the off-season and CLG has simply not kept up. But, more importantly, CLG has to prove to itself that it truly deserves another shot against the world’s best. They’ll have to start by toppling their upcoming opponents Team Envy.
LCK: SKT’s first summer loss
Jin Air Greenwings manage to scratch their way into the #2 spot in the LCK. They handed SKT their first series loss of the summer split. While it’s not quite enough to usurp the kings, it’s a great start and lets the other teams know that it is possible to take them down.
The opening two games were snowballs, with the first all JAG, then Game 2 was standard SKT play. Only Game 3 had a relatively close match, until about the 15 minute mark. After that JAG had gained too much of a lead on their carries and there was nothing SKT could do to stop them.
