It has been a fascinating EU League of Legends Spring Split so far with the 10 teams in two groups battling it out for supremacy in the round robin stage as they look to make the playoffs.
G2 Esports remain dominant
With only one week remaining in the round robin stage of the 2017 European League of Legends Spring Split, G2 Esports sit atop Group A with a perfect 11-0 series record. Only two struggling sides, Fnatic and Team ROCCAT, remain on the schedule and G2 have an undefeated (at least in series) season in their sights.
One of G2’s most difficult series came in Week Eight with an incredibly close set of games against Misfits.
Game One started off slowly, with only one kill in the first 22 minutes. In typical G2 fashion the team made an aggressive play, pushing the game wide open, this time with an attempted baron sneak. While Misfits collapsed, it was too late as G2 not only secured the baron buff, but two kills to boot.
Following another calm few minutes the game exploded into action, once again around the baron. Misfits started off the baron but G2 instantly collapsed, giving G2 an ace while only losing one member. This helped G2 to the win.
Unbeaten season on the line
After a frustrating Game Two defeat in which G2 threw away their advantage over and over by getting picked off, G2’s undefeated series season was on the line in Game Three. The deciding clash opened in similar fashion to Game One, with only a handful of kills (6) by the 23-minute mark. Again G2 rushed a baron and once again they came out ahead, although this time they only secured the buff without any trade of kills.
Once more a calm seven minutes occurred until the next baron spawn, in which G2 again took the buff, this time losing Jungler Trick in the process. A hectic few minutes broke out as Misfits won two desperation fights in a row to prolong the game. However, a final poor decision to attempt the baron was the final nail in Misfits’ coffin, giving G2 a 2-1 series win.
Unicorns of Love lead the way
Currently sitting atop the Group B standings with a 9-2 record are Unicorns of Love, with H2K (8-3) and Splyce (7-4) close behind. The only blemishes on the record of Unicorns of Love come at the hands of the top two seeds from Group A; G2 and Misfits.
Unicorns of Love are a dangerous team heading into the playoffs, with their famous unpredictable champion picks at the forefront. The first team to play Ivern consistently and now the only team playing Warwick, Unicorns of Love are completely unpredictable when it comes to the pick and ban phase. The Unicorns may not have the same record as G2, but their ability to throw off their opponent could aid them in a deep playoff run.
ROCCAT knock off Misfits
One stunning upset over the weekend was ROCCAT taking down the aforementioned second place side in Group A, Misfits, in a quick 2-0. While the first game was a fairly straightforward victory for ROCCAT off the back of spectacular engages from Phaxi’s Gragas, the second game was unusually odd in both champion select and in game.
Misfits appeared to dominate the pick and ban as they selected the best or second best champion for each role, while ROCCAT were left with a series of lower tier counter picks such as Gnar, the rarely seen Kassadin and Tahm Kench. Shockingly in a game between two teams known for constant fighting, first blood was not until the 25-minute mark. Just four minutes later ROCCAT grabbed a 4-for-1 exchange, ballooning their lead to over 5,000 gold. After one more pick onto Misfits’ top laner Alphari, ROCCAT secured the baron, and used the baron buff over the next four minutes to systematically destroy Misfits’ base, giving them the 2-0 sweep.
G2 Esports and Misfits in Group A and Unicorns of Love, H2k-Gaming and Splyce in Group B are the only teams with a winning a record as the round robin winds down. G2 have already clinched their group, but everything else is still to play for.
