EU LCS Summer preview week 4
Week 4 of the LCS will be a worry for all those who do badly. The time to adapt or get back in shape after the mid season break, is finally gone. The table is once again in an interesting state, with no real surprises, only in the top 2. SK and Alliance continue to lead the pack and never let go of their "stronghold" on top. As for the rest, well here is the picture:
Fnatic is facing a critical time in their LCS affair - are they still rusty or does the problem lie deeper within? Supa Hot Crew continue to impress and a tough time for them today will prove just another obstacle for the talented bunch. The rest of the table is a complete mess - Millenium, Gambit and the Wolves are stuck in a never-ending struggle for consistency. Far behind, ROCCAT cannot overcome their slump. The Poles need to start racking up points soon, otherwise the fairy tale will turn sour.
Teams to watch:
Fnatic:
The champions of Europe have been barely able to snatch an upper-table spot. Their 50-50 win rate each week hurts the chances of a good bracket spot after the regular season is over. Weak as they seem, no one can truly underestimate the triple-title holders. Rekkles is still a force to be reckoned with and usually performs well regardless if the game is a win or a loss. Playing the role of the "variable" in the team is sOAZ, who has had more than one questionable game this split. Will Fnatic break their week form or will the struggle continue?
ROCCAT:
With games versus the Supa Hot Crew and the Wolves, ROCCAT will be looking to score two wins versus opponents who were no match for them last split. The Polish squad has undergone a change for the worse during the small break and are desperately trying to return to their former self. Week 4 looks forgiving for the team. What they lack nowadays is a designated carry-leader as in lat split. During Spring, Overpow always seemed ahead of his teammates once it came to leading the charge and carrying when things looked grim. The climb back to consistency and good results starts in week 4 with two small steps.
SK Gaming:
With a rather mixed program today and tomorrow, the bunch need to keep Alliance on their toes. The battle for first place is far from finished given the distance between their rivals is one win. Despite that, SK need to play every game like their last and not let Alliance extend their lead. As the LCS starts with El Classico, the eternal rivals would definitely be looking to mess with each other's plans. One thing is for certain, another SK vs Fnatic match is all that we need to start the week.
Players to watch:
Remigiusz 'Overpow' Pusch
The Pole needs to find his form back immediately. Just like all great teams hailing from the East, one player in the line-up must always be the dynamo behind the spirit and success, the leader who they need to follow by example. Just as we saw that work in Gambit and MYM with Alex Ich and Czaru, things strongly resembled the aforementioned factors in the ROCCAT lines. With Overpow in the lead, the Poles seemed unstoppable and could always rely on a safe carry. With that gone, they look lost. Hopefully, Remiguisz can change his luck this week.
Martin 'Rekkles' Larsson
The community-favourite and Fnatic star has to step-up this week. His impressive performance thus far has been noted by everyone, but has brought little during the Summer split in terms of team success. With a buff to AD Carries incoming, Martin is bound to be keeping secrets and patiently waiting for Riot to go through with the changes. Speaking of those, Rengar is enabled in the LCS this week, so Rekkles needs to be on his toes more than ever. Rengar doesn't play nice with Marksmen.
Kevin 'kev1n' Rubiszewski
Known as the most consistent European top laner in Season 2, the German returns to day with one of his greatest weapons in his arsenal - Shen. A true maestro on the ninja, Kev1n has delivered losses to LCS teams not once or twice. Being part of the hit-and-miss train of Millenium, kev1n will have to start carrying from top lane in order to alleviate the pressure enemy junglers and laners apply to bot lane. Will kev1n keep his reputation of one of Europe's premier top players? Week 4 holds the answer.
Top game to watch:
Fnatic vs SK Gaming
El Classico will serve as our introduction to week 4. The epic series between the two rivals continue after SK managed to snatch the first win in the opener of the Summer split. Coming from different angles, both have a lot to lose should they taste defeat today. Fnatic can mess with SK's streak and potentially allow Alliance to spearhead into the lead even further. SK on the other hand can deliver an additional slap to the face of Fnatic's Summer split success.
A key match-up in this clash will be Rekkles & YellowStar versus CandyPanda and nRated. Both duos have proven to be quite successful and will be actively looking to disrupt the enemy pair's actions. Should this turn into another rotation fiesta with no clear bot lane match-up, then the game would swing heavily in SK's favour given their strategical success.
The show begins at 18:00 CEST with an exciting El Classico. Don't forget to check our Coverage Center for all the updates, news and livestream action from Cologne, Germany.
