In the final week of the regular season of the Spring Split of the European League of Legends Championship Series, a number of teams will look to separate themselves from the pack and claim a play-off spot.
Four teams have 7-9 records and sit from fifth to eighth in the league. With only the top six going through, the battle could not be tighter for those final spots.
Giants have brutal schedule
The team with the least likely chance of qualifying is probably Giants, given their absurdly hard schedule this week.
With the top two teams in the league in Fnatic and Splyce on the slate, Giants have the unfortunate situation of having to fight against the best.
To add to the difficulty factor, Giants are out of form, having lost four of their last five – with their only win coming against one of the most inconsistent teams in the league in Misfits.
The Giants continue to struggle to find an identity, especially within the newest patch, and so are likely to miss out on the play-offs this time.
ROCCAT could surprise
ROCCAT are an interesting team this week as they too are sat on 7-9 but have two winnable matches against Misfits Gaming and H2k.
They have gone 1-1 in four of the last five weeks despite lacking overall star power. ROCCAT’s ability to remain in contention has greatly relied on the struggles of teams such as Schalke and Misfits, with both expected to be top sides but ultimately disappointing.
If ROCCAT can continue their trend of at least securing one win this week, they have a decent shot at making the play-offs.
Misfits the unknown
Misfits are the wildcard heading into Week 9, with the talent to win any match-up combined with the inability to find any sort of consistency.
They have their game against ROCCAT alongside a match against Unicorns of Love, who are coming off an 0-2 record in Week 8.
Misfits are limping to the finish line after posting an 0-2 mark of their own last week; an incredibly poor showing given their previous innovation in Week 7, in particular regarding the selection of Anivia in the Mid lane.
Still, Misfits have more experience than the other teams on 7-9, with a proven coaching staff looking to set them up for success. It is difficult to imagine a play-off without Misfits given their talent, experience and expectations, but at this point anything is possible with the current form of this squad.
Schalke a dark horse
FC Schalke 04 – the final team on 7-9 – could be reaching their potential at just the right time, somehow having a chance to make the play-offs after their mid-season slump.
Schalke looked dead in the water halfway through the year, throwing away early quality play with poor decision-making and questionable drafts. However, the squad finally has some momentum after a solid 2-0 record in Week 8, with aspirations of making the play-offs becoming ever more reasonable.
The match-up against H2k now looks to be in Schalke’s favour, with the major question mark being how Fnatic play as they could have wrapped up the number one overall seed by then.
It seemed nearly impossible just one week ago but Schalke have a real chance to make the play-offs. Should they sneak in, they will be a legitimate threat and are a team that no one will want to face.
Challenging week for Vitality
Team Vitality have nearly as tough a schedule as Giants, with Splyce and G2 Esports on deck for Week 9.
Vitality have split 2-2 in recent weeks after their mid-season debacle, finding some consistency with counter picks in the Mid lane at the core to their progression.
Mid laner Jiizuke has continually been the root of Vitality’s successes and failures, with his inability to secure a lead ending in disaster during the prolonged losing streak.
Vitality are at least comfortably in third place with a 9-7 record, but momentum will be key heading into the play-offs for this young side. A win over G2 Esports now looks more plausible given G2’s unexpected slide last week, but overall Vitality do look to be the underdogs in both match-ups.
