Week 8 of the European League of Legends Championship continued to show the uncertainty of the league with plenty of twists and turns as the teams battle for the six play-off places.
Three teams post unbeaten records
The three teams to accomplish a 2-0 record in Week 8 were Fnatic, Splyce and – somewhat shockingly – FC Schalke 04.
Looking dead in the water for weeks on end, FC Schalke finally showed the potential seen in them at the very start of the year. Previously considered the team in the worst shape, Schalke’s breakthrough leaves questions unanswered about what was lacking from this team all these prior weeks.
Fnatic top the standings
Fnatic and Splyce have continued their respective upward trajectories as the only consistent teams in a league filled with drama. Fnatic even used their substitute top laner Bwipo to success this week in their second match against the previously streaking Unicorns of Love, showing the talent depth within their line-up.
After very early chemistry issues Fnatic have continued their top form and have been frontrunners for much of the year. With only a week to go and a play-off spot secured, Fnatic appear to be the heavy favourites moving forward.
Splyce looking solid
Joining Fnatic with a play-off berth are Splyce, who are enjoying a late season surge. Splyce have the talent, shot-calling, and quality pick and ban of a top team as they have continually dominated teams from all angles.
In particular the bottom lane of Kobbe and kaSing have stepped up recently, utilising the latter’s deep champion pool to secure a lane advantage early on.
Splyce lack the star-power and playmakers of some of their rivals, but their ability to remain consistent in a league plagued by instability allows them to be a force within the play-offs.
Splyce’s fundamentals are perhaps the best in the league, with hopes of not only reaching the Finals but winning them becoming a real possibility.
G2 unimpressive
One of the few teams continually finding success this season are G2 Esports but they stumbled to the most stunning 0-2 record of the week.
G2 have remained a top two team all season long, battling with Fnatic for the top seed within Europe. With H2K and FC Schalke 04, two lower tiered teams on the schedule, at the very least a 1-1 week record looked all but assured.
G2 completely bombed out however, showing just how much play in Europe continues to shift week to week. G2 still are in a decent position heading towards play-offs, but a quick turnaround is needed if they are going to make any noise for the remainder of the Spring split.
Unicorns of Love regress
Another team with a major step backwards this week was the Unicorns of Love – right on cue given the wealth of praise they have received as of late.
Previously surging with a quality adaptation to the meta, Unicorns unfortunately regressed to their early season woes. Clearly lacking in the mid-game, Unicorns created deficits they simply could not recover while being unable to find productive plays around the map.
The pick and ban phase was also fairly lacklustre for Unicorns, as they initially picked power picks against Vitality before focusing on counter-picks against Fnatic, ultimately losing both matches.
Misfits still inconsistent
Joining Unicorns in a disappointing outing this week were Misfits Gaming, who continue to remain wildly inconsistent.
Misfits are the epitome of the European LCS, showing flashes of brilliance by beating Fnatic in Week 7 but immediately following that up with three straight losses.
Misfits still have glimpses of the skill and ability that saw a majority of this roster impress at last year’s World finals, but on a weekly basis their inability to find any form of consistency is beyond worrying.
A pre-season favourite to be a top three seed within the play-offs, the Spring Split has been full of disappointment for Misfits who are now in serious danger of missing out.
