Day 1 of the LCS has already taught us plenty about how the rest of the season will shape up. With high-profile matches starring G2 Esports, Fnatic, H2K, and Origen, we’ve gotten to see just how the professional meta has developed during the offseason and how things will evolve from there. On top of that, we’ve also gotten our first look at Origen and Fnatic’s new rosters, and just how good H2K and G2 still are.
Despite their roster restructuring, Origen still looks as frail as ever. While each player on the team has clear mechanical skills, Origen looked fractured as they tried to rotate around the map. It only took one misplay for H2K to be able to take a Baron in game 1 and set up an unbeatable lead. NaeHyun in particular looked out of sorts, playing needlessly aggressive and being punished for it thanks to Jankos’s influence. The squad also was unprepared for the new pick/ban format and were repeatedly beaten by H2K’s clever drafting strategies.
H2K meanwhile put on a commanding performance. Jankos has already reestablished himself as the First Blood King of Europe with excellent Kha’Zix and Nocturne play, while Febiven ran roughshod over the midlane on Syndra. If they continue to play as well as they did today, it wouldn’t be surprising at all to see them on top of the standings.
Fnatic versus G2 Esports was a much closer series. While Fnatic lost game 1 in a fairly lopsided fashion, they managed to come back strong in game 2, taking the game in overwhelming fashion after barely securing Baron. Their mechanical skill and team play already rivals that of G2, though Caps was less-than-impressive throughout the series. Fnatic also had a few questionable draft decisions, including Rekkles's Kennen ADC in the final game.
However, G2 has come off the break strong. Perkz is firing on all cylinders, while Trick has shown up time and time again with good early rotations. Game 2 was a loss for G2 Esports, but just barely, and the other two games weren’t close enough to make them break a sweat. It wasn’t an auspicious start for the defending split champions, but it was enough for them to reassert their dominance over the EU LCS.
Thus far, the European meta is a strange conglomeration of powerful Worlds picks combined with recently released or reworked champions. Camille, LeBlanc, and Rengar have been banned in all five games – always by the red-side team – while Syndra, Ryze, Rumble, and Zyra have been heavily favored. Varus has also made his way back into the meta and was 100% pick or ban throughout day 1. Finally, Ivern made his first appearance in the LCS in the hands of Trick, putting on a dominating performance in game 3 of the Fnatic/G2 series.
