EU Summer LCS Preveiw Part 1: The first quartet
The Summer Split of the European LCS begins in two days with a blast of a headliner - SK Gaming versus Fnatic in another edition of the eSports El Classico. After the cataclysmic changes that hit the professional scene situated in the old continent, now comes the time to prove naysayers wrong. The talent shipped abroad, lost due to poor management or those who simply grew tired of the game had a significant impact on the LCS teams and many experts predicted a strong possibility of a sub-par Worlds performance from EU.
Whether this is the case or not is yet to be seen. In this first part of the preview we will take a good look at the teams which I think will take the bottom four places, in no particular order, at the end of the split. Given the multitude of changes, Europe has established examples where a change is clearly for the better, with hopes of improvement and others where a quick solution had to be found just prior to the beginning of the most important part of the LCS. Without further ado, let us begin with the potential bottom four teams and their struggles to stay among Europe's elite.
Gambit Gaming: The Loss of a Leader
Ever since support extraordinaire EdWard left for North America's Curse, Gambit have not been the same. With fans and experts alike used to seeing them fight until their last breath in finals, their struggle to deliver in the 2013 EU LCS Summer Split and subsequent "okayish" performance in the group stage of the Season 3 World Finals was an alarming occurrence. Swapping Darker for Voidle did not save them from mediocre performances with brief sparks of brilliance form the usual suspects - Diamond and Alex Ich, swinging games in their favour most of the time. It was obvious this was not the Russian overlords neither we, nor they were used to seeing. With the announcement of EdWard's return, many fantasized about the romantic times where Gambit was a dominant powerhouse capable of dismantling teams with crisp team fighting regardless of how much was going against them. What we saw during the 2014 Spring Split was a mere shadow of their former selves.
A roller coaster of a season, Gambit was in a state where victories left hope in the eyes of their fans only to be stripped the next game after a disappointing and in many cases, appalling performance. On May 3rd however, the fears of many came true - Alexey 'Alex Ich' Ichetovkin, Moscow 5 and subsequently Gambit Gaming's leader, mid laner and frontrunner, left the team after years of service to join Ninjas in Pyjamas. Alex discussed at length his decision and the state of Gambit in an Reflections interview with onGamers' Thorin and shed light on the internal issues that plagued the line-up. Unwillingness to listen to outside input, arguments between players, picks dictated by personal taste and travel difficulties among others were at the core of the problem.
With the knowledge that a good number of those problems date as back as the Season 2 World Finals, I personally cannot see how the Russian behemoths can change overnight, especially with the loss of the enigmatic leader. Alex Ich has been a main driving force behind many of their victories, most recently a defining moment in their careers - the 5th/6th place match against Copenhagen Wolves. There, the Russians barely overcame their foes with help from an inspired Alex and his deadly Orianna, showcasing one last time (the players already knew at that point Alex was leaving) that he will not let Gambit sink. With all the aforementioned facts, we must add that Polish mid laner niQ will be subbing for the team during the first week. Although unconfirmed as of yet, Fomko, a Russian mid lane veteran will take Alex Ich's place. How that will work for the team remains unknown, but the future is grim for Mother Russia's elite.
Player to watch: Danil 'Diamondprox' Reshetnikov
With Alex leaving, now Danil will assume leadership of the gang. One of Europe's finest junglers will have the difficult task of guiding his players to a good LCS finish despite the numerous setbacks that have occurred so far. Although the competition has not really changed, the hungry newcomers - Kottenx and Airwaks along with now experienced Impaler will be looking to make the life of Danil's laners as difficult as possible. Will the task be up to the Russian's strengths, we will find out.
Millenium: The silent victory is the deadliest
There were only a handful of people who believed that Millenium would overcome NiP during the Promotion/Relegation match. The statistical and practical outsider in the Spring split of the LCS was facing the hottest prospective team, backed up by a famous organisation which sustained the growth of their players regardless of the surprisingly poor performance five months ago. But as we all know, fate has its own plans and after five heart-stopping games, Ninjas in Pyjamas once again stood defeated and shaking their heads in disbelief, while Creaton and co were back in the LCS, receiving their chance at redemption.
Just as last split, on paper Millenium has a good squad. Lead by veterans Creaton and Kev1n, the team can safely contest the mid to upper table. However, just as Team Alternate before that, players seem to struggle either with confidence or quality practice once the season gets going. Things got so bad last season, that they were a certain last place holder even prior to super week 11, a situation no one wants to find himself in. The swap between Aranaea and Kottenx seemed to work as the Swede quickly started making a difference and snatched valuable buffs, points and games off LCS teams and most importantly, NiP. Whether the relative stability of the roster can take advantage of the other low table inhabitant's weaknesses effectively is up to them.
While I do believe that Millenium are by no means a Worlds caliber team, remaining in the EU LCS for another season and actually grabbing a respectable 4-6th place finish is definitely possible. If they are to do that however, consistent results must start showing up next to their name. The goal is clear, the players are ready. Do not fail us, Millenium.
Player to watch: Jakub 'Creaton' Grzegorzewski
Believe it or not, Creaton was one of the best AD Carries during Season 2 and beginning of Season 3 in Europe. A combination of mechanical mastery like non-other and uncanny ability to produce consistent results on both Caster and auto attack based AD Carries, the Pole had it all. However, after the "fall" of Alternate and the subsequent appalling season of Millenium, Jakub is not even considered in the "best AD Carry" category, a fact which I think is a shame. Paired with his trusty Swedish pal Jree, Creaton must spearhead Millenium into a good finish and once again return to the spotlight where he belongs.
Copenhagen Wolves: Fresh off the block
The Wolves went through a re-haul as Greek AD Carry Forg1ven was released and German Jungler Amazing was sold to North American giants Team SoloMid. Now, the future seems a bit uncertain for the Danish organisation. While they had a relatively successful Spring split, almost avoiding relegation with a meddling Alex Ich denying them a safe heaven in the last second, the Wolves did have to play in the career deciding matches. Facing Denial eSports, the Wolves crushed the Poles to keep their LCS dreams alive.
As many expected Forg1ven was released due to a multitude of reasons, but the true surprise was the transfer of Amazing to TSM. These two happenings prompted the team to hold tryouts and eventually, two Challenger solutions were presented. Polish AD Carry Woolite and Swiss jungler Airwaks are now proud members of the pack. The Pole impressed his new team after a good showing in the Promotion/Relegation matches and also during his tryouts. In addition, Airwaks was also solid, even holding a top 5 Challenger rating at the time of this article. The acquisition of both agents was discussed by team captain Joes 'YoungBuck' Steltenpool in an interview with onGamers' Thorin.
Where does this leave the Wolves now? In a very interesting position. On the one hand, they have an unpredictable squad, capable of surprising many. Woolite is considered a very strong Challenger AD Carry and paired with Unlimited's solid play can yield great results for the team. CowTard's growth as a mid laner has also been noted, despite the Swede still not convincing casters and critics of his ability. On the other hand, the team has now lost the results of their Spring Split work - gain experience from playing on stage and create a cohesive team. Now they will have to start over again and hopefully, they will avoid the unpleasant scenario of attending Promotion/Relegation for the second time a row.
Player to watch: Pawel 'Woolite' Pruski
The Polish rising star has went through the full rite of Polish eSports passage which includes being a member of all successful mixes hailing from Poland - KMT, EloHell, GF-Gaming, Pulse eSports and Denial eSports. Possessing a mix of offensive and defensive play style, Pawel is always successful in finding balance towards his approach to the situation he is in. Recently playing, Twitch and Lucian the Pole is proficient in both meta and out-of-the meta picks and with proper training can become one of the revelations in the LCS this season.
Supa Hot Crew: Stronger than ever
The Crew had a very rough introduction to the LCS. The squad had go through a couple of mediocre weeks and unfortunately, undergo a roster change in the most inconvenient of times, swapping Moopz for Polish newcomer Selfie. Although that proved to be a good move and the team picked up a couple of vital victories, their only struggle was whether they can choose their Promotion/Relegation opponent or not. A rather convincing win against Cloud 9 Eclipse saw the Crew return triumphantly to the LCS.
The busy bees in the SHC management were not finished yet. After a disappointing season, fan-favourite Migxa decided to step down with seasoned veteran Wewillfailer picking up for the Crew. In another, very interesting move, the team acquired the services of an analyst - American Nick De Cesare also known as LastShadow or simply LS. Recently, Nick started releasing long one on one coaching sessions which garnered much attention and success. In them, LS demonstrates his in-depth knowledge of both the mechanical complexity of LoL and the strategical aspect of the game. With these two additions, SHC are definitely aiming for a good finish.
This season is a new beginning for the Crew. With the experience from Spring, they could potentially break away from the bottom four although that would mean that a top four team has to slip-up in a very serious manner. Regardless, SHC are doing their best to improve and only time will tell how quickly their latest additions will yield results.
Player to watch: Marcin 'Selfie' Wolski
The Polish mid laner had a good debut during the Spring split, adjusting well to the highest competition in Europe and definitely not letting his inexperience be noted as a weakness. Marcin's task now is to assume the position of a frontrunner of the Crew in order to relieve the Carry pressure from MrRallez. Hopefully, with the help from LS, the laning phase, in particular Mimer in addition to their mid game and late game rotations will be improved and we will witness a new, improved and ready to conquer Supa Hot Crew.
The Summer Split of the European League of Legends Championship series beings on 20th May 18:00 CEST with a match between SK Gaming and Fnatic. Tune into lolesports.com to follow the action and to onGamers.com for all the news, coverage and interviews right from the studio in Cologne.
Images courtesy of lolesports.com and esportspedia.com
