Who are the contenders and who are the pretenders? We take a look at the EU LCS teams now that playoffs are in sight.
We're officially two-thirds of the way through the EU LCS Spring Split. Who could have imagined the way things would have turned out. Some surprise teams stand on top, but will they stay there as the end nears? Let's take a look at each team and gauge their chances.
S Tier
Team Vitality (9-3)
Somebody got their act together.
Coming together in Week 5 as the complete "super team" they were billed to be, Team Vitality continued to impress with victories over very quality teams in the form of H2K and UOL. Seemingly gone are the hiccups of Petter "Hjärnan" Freyschuss and Raymond "KaSing" Tsang getting caught out randomly. Even Ilyas "Shook" Hartsema seems to have found his groove, performing quite well on Nidalee and Lee Sin. If Team Vitality can keep this momentum going, look for them to become a frontrunner for the EU crown in the playoffs.
A Tier
H2K Gaming (9-3)
I guess we might have seen this coming.
Having played a good chunk of the Split without their dominant Mid Laner Ryu "Ryu" Sang-uk, there were bought to be a few miscues upon his return. On the plus side, H2K Gaming looked to be much more confident and aggressive in team fights with their veteran Korean import. But, it was clear the past week that some miscommunication was present as Ryu often dived the opponent's carries without the proper support of his team. These small issues aside, Ryu should be able to bring H2K back to their top form as playoffs approaches.
G2 Esports (9-3)
Hyperaggression is often a double-edged sword in professional League of Legends.
Try too hard for a team fight or an objective, and it will often come back to bite you as G2 Esports found out this week. Losing in dramatic fashion to Fnatic, G2 gave up an essentially guaranteed win with a foolish Baron call without the proper vision or preparation. Playing a much cleaner game against the much weaker ROCCAT is an encouraging sign, but it will remain to be seen if they can continue to play with this devil-may-care style against the stronger teams they will face in the playoffs.
B Tier
Unicorns of Love (8-4)
Let's try this again.
Unicorns of Love has found it harder and harder to depend purely on their macro play to carry themselves to victory. In their loss against Team Vitality, the team showed that, when a top team can beat them in lane swaps, they simply cannot match up on a pure talent level. With news that Jean-Victor "Loulex" Burgevin will be replacing the replacement Rudy "Rudy" Beltran, we'll have to see if yet another revitalization in the Jungle position can bring success to this squad.
Fnatic (7-5)
Still not quite there yet.
Despite a huge comeback victory over G2 Esports and team captain shotcaller Martin "Rekkles" Larsson looking much more comfortable in lane with Johan "Klaj" Olsson, Fnatic still looks much too lost in the communication department. Multiple people were caught way out of position which led to Fnatic getting totally blown out by Splyce. If they hope to actually compete for their crown, Fnatic have to look to make drastic improvements.
Origen (6-6)
Stuck in the mud.
That's what it feels like Origen is. Tristan "PowerOfEvil" Schrage hasn't provided the spark that was expected and still hasn't fully integrated. Paul "sOAZ" Boyer hasn't performed all that well this Split if he isn't on a carry-style champion like Fiora or Gangplank. Jesper "Zven" Svenningsen who has been expected to carry the game for his team looked off this week and was completely blown up in multiplte team fights. And this only scratching the surface of the issues Origen faces moving forward.
C Tier
Splyce (4-8)
The race for seventh place just got a lot more interesting.
Splyce, upsetting Fnatic, showed more signs of strength that we've seen glimmers of at various times. Now, that being said, the team looked way off the mark against ROCCAT. But, if the Danes are finally able to come together and harness this momentum, the waning Elements might be a little worried.
Elements (4-8)
So much for a surprise.
The team with absolutely zero expectations heading in, Elements shocked everyone at the beginning of the split going 3-1. But, it seems as though that energy and underdog mentality that the team had has vanished completely and the team is now struggling to find a winning identity again. Playing against G2 Esports and Team Vitality this coming week might aid this team into buying into the idea that nobody expects them to win and lessen a little of the pressure they must be feeling.
D Tier
ROCCAT (2-10)
A work in progress.
ROCCAT started the season off with a shock as well. But, since then, despite knowing how to build early leads and pressure, the team has consistently fallen off hard. Still looking for a statement win against a stronger team, reports say that the team now looks towards Fnatic's former Support Lewis "NoXiAK" Felix to see if they can topple some giants as they prepare for the relegation tournament.
GIANTS (2-10)
Woe is me.
GIANTS somehow found their second win and Isaac "xPePii" Flores might be feeling a little better about his team and his individual performance after their win over Elements. However, that aside, the team seems to be realistic as the normally cheerfyl Adrián "Adryh" Pérez acknowledged in the post-game interview that everyone is looking towards these games somewhat as preparation for their eventual placement in the relegation tournament.
