After an offseason that felt like it lasted forever, the EU LCS resumed this weekend. Six series in however, and we’ve yet to see a single upset. Everyone’s favorite stars are looking as strong as ever.
Origen 0 – 2 H2K Gaming
The first game of the EU LCS lived up to its hype–which wasn’t much. This series, albeit relatively competitive, never truly saw H2K lose their footing. After an initial game that was decided by several Origen over-extensions, the second game was far more dynamic, taking a full 43 minutes for H2K to take the Nexus, courtesy of Yoo “NaeHyun” Nae-hyun’s heroic Baron steal on Ekko.
Key Takeaways
- NaeHyun is still raw, though not necessarily as bad as his previous LSPL record
- H2K can make it work without FORG1VEN, especially with the addition of star midlaner Febiven
- The newer casters of EULCS are pretty clueless about the meta – how do you not realize that Kha’Zix has been number 1 pick ban at Master/Challenger for weeks now?
G2 Esports 2 – 1 Fnatic
Fnatic showed flashes of absolute genius. As the true fathers of the EU LCS, they proved that an old dog can learn new tricks, with a creative pick onto Rek’Sai, as well as an incredibly interesting ADC Kennen pick for Martin “Rekkles” Larsson. However, a familiar story rings true for Rekkles, with a supporting cast that doesn’t match the top-tier talent that he brings to the table. Conversely, G2 is looking like the superior team, with superior individual play; however, they played a sloppy set which is reflective of their concerning character.
Key Takeaways
- Perkz looks like he’s still on vacation – despite his talent, G2s midlaner is looking sloppy and not up to prior standards
- Caps is for real, outplaying Perkz on various occasions, especially in Fnatic’s sole victory
- EU LCS is the new NA LCS – all of these games were decided by a series of incredibly messy fights, mostly just from individual missteps.
Misfits 2 – 1 GIANTS Gaming
KaKAO’s European debut was slightly disappointing, obviously not the world-renowned jungler he once was; the migration to Misfits could revitalize his play though. He did seem to bring over some habits from China, including a tendency for four/five man dives in the sidelanes. Misfits will definitely be the most exciting team to watch as the 2017 EU LCS continues. Their slew of talent and countless questions surround synergy and communication make MSF a dark horse to upset any team come playoff time.
GIANTS jungler Memento was an absolute hero in the first game, stealing the Baron forty some-odd minutes into the match to completely swing the momentum of the game to eventually lead to a victory. However, he was incredibly out-jungled in the latter two games, and the squad looked uneasy; of course, we expect this from such a young team.
Key Takeaways
- Misfits could be the best EU team at the end of 2017
- GIANTS need a superstar to step up, and badly
- KaKAO is still a carnivore
Vitality 0 – 2 Unicorns of Love
If you are a fan of pick ban, look no further than game 1 of this series. After a stale early game, the UOL combination of Poppy, Lulu, Kassadin, and Ivern completely shut down the single-damage focus from Vitality, who prioritized Malzahar and Rengar. The shields of the Unicorns completely stifled any assassination attempts from Vitality en route to a 27 minute win.
On a totally different note, the second match was incredibly confusing, at one point Vitality being down 4,000 gold despite a kill lead of 18-9. VIT simply had no answer for Vizicsacsci’s Camille who looked invincible in teamfights.
Key Takeaways
- Pick-Ban matters, especially in the 10-ban era
- Camille is absolutely broken
- UOL is the best ‘team’ as it currently stands, demonstrating macro control and synergy beyond any other EU LCS team’s maturity
ROCCAT 0 – 2 G2 Esports
G2 showed no respect for ROCCAT. This couldn’t have been more evident in the first blood that G2 top laner, Ki “Expect” Dae-Han fed, by walking straight up to the opposing Maokai when he only had 200 health, just to grab another wave of farm. Despite this idiotic play, no respect was really warranted. Over the two series, I feel as if I watched 74 consecutive minutes of lost teamfights for ROCCAT.
Key Takeaways
- ROCCAT is a high level EU CS team (I’m not missing an ‘L” there)
- Phaxi will likely carry the hopes and dreams for any changes in ROC’s trajectory
- G2’s bottom lane is the best in Europe, highlighted by a combined 8-0-24 in game 1
H2K Gaming 2 – 0 Splyce
Despite an appearance at the 2016 World Championships, Splyce hardly looked like an international-caliber team. More than anything, they looked like a poorly coached team. Confused macro-movements with an equally disappointing pick-ban left team fighting as the only means for Splyce to compete, however H2K is hardly a team you want force skirmishes against.
Key Takeaways
- While G2 might have the best bottom lane, H2K’s jungle-mid synergy looks slightly better, with both Febiven and Jankos looking crispy clean
- SPY Wunder had a disappointing 2017 debut after a fantastic campaign last year where he was even recognized by his peers as one of the best top laners in the world.
- H2K’s one weakness is their bottom lane