EU LCS: The team to watch this weekend in the European League of Legends Championship Series is Team Vitality, who are currently clear in first place after being the only team in the league to make a 2-0 start in week one.
Vitality should be challenged in week two
Vitality looked solid against H2K and Giants in both of their wins last time out, yet they face two of the frontrunners to win the league, in Fnatic and Misfits, this upcoming weekend. Vitality may lack overall star power, but their team cohesion and tactics were the root of their success in the first week. Vitality were one of the few teams willing to pick a carry top laner twice during the weekend, focusing on snowballing Cabochard as their core strategy. This bodes well for Vitality, as an ability to execute on pre-game strategies can be a tough ask for a young team. If Vitality can at least go 1-1 this week, they will begin to prove themselves as a title contender this split.
Fnatic have a tough week
Fnatic have an incredibly difficult week, squaring off against both first place Team Vitality as well as the preseason favourites of G2 Esports. Fnatic looked somewhat lost during their defeat to H2K Gaming, leaving a sour taste in their mouths after a solid victory over an underrated Splyce. Unfortunately for Fnatic, both G2 and Vitality looked fairly well coordinated in their initial matchups, leaving concern Fnatic could end the second week at 1-3. The key for Fnatic’s success this time will be mid-laner Caps, who will need to have an all-star performance against both Perkz and Jiizuke – arguably the two of the best performing mid-laners thus far – if Fnatic are to find a win.
How good will Splyce be?
The aforementioned Splyce have an opportunity to prove themselves this weekend, facing a decent ROCCAT team as well as a dangerous Schalke 04. Splyce revamped their roster in the offseason, with only Kobbe remaining on the roster, yet little was proven during their first weekend of play. A loss to Fnatic, followed by a win over the last-placed Unicorns of Love, leaves a question of where exactly in the standings Splyce will reside. The team has a wealth of talent, particularly with Odoamne in the top lane, who is the favourite to win his lane in every matchup in Europe. Splyce are the most consistent of the middle tier teams, given their overall talent and structure. Splyce versus ROCCAT will be the first real indicator of Splyce’s abilities this split.
Schalke one to watch
The team with the most hype coming out of week one was Schalke 04, given their decent showing even with an emergency stand-in. Schalke were a hyped-up side entering the season, with aspirations of a deep playoff run quickly becoming a reasonable expectation. Young talent Upset was unable to play due to a medical issue during week one and even still, Schalke 04 pulled off a 1-1 weekend. Uncertainty still remains around the status of Upset, but Schalke should nevertheless still have a shot in their both of their week two matches, against Unicorns of Love and Splyce. Mid-laner Nukeduck is poised for a breakout year, with week two being a perfect opportunity to continue his quality play from week one.
Mid-table matchup
The key matchup in the middle of the table is H2K versus GIANTS, as both enter as a fringe playoff team. GIANTS’ game plan is built around the success of veterans Betsy and Steeelback, while H2K base their play around young stars Caedrel and Sheriff – the latter being one of the most hyped-up players entering the year. H2K enter as the favourite given their win over Fnatic (while GIANTS beat UOL), but this should be an incredibly close and important battle, given the likelihood these teams finish the year with a similar record.
The 2018 EU LCS Spring Season got off to a good start and already teams are facing critical questions in the early going. Week two should show some initial trends, the biggest of which will be whether Vitality can maintain their momentum.
