Black Monster Cup EU Winter Quarterfinals Preview

By Anel “Musinlol” Musinovic

Going into the quarterfinals of the Black Monster Cup, we are met by the top challenger teams and players. Millenium, Gamers2, H2k, SK Gaming Prime, Playing Ducks, Dark Passage, Team Salsa, and the polish team, Sample Text, will all be competing for a spot in the semifinals of the BMC, playing on the new patch 4.20.

Millenium vs Team Salsa

Kev1n, H0R0, Ryu, Creaton & Jree vs jer0m, Econatorz, Neptuno, Samux & Babeta

The first game of quarterfinals will be Millenium going up against Team Salsa, which is a rematch of one of the games in Group C, a game Millenium won with great objective control. 

Game one, I believe, will be a repeat of the first game between the two teams, despite Millenium not wanting to show their hand before their expansion tournament run. Millenium will do their best to pull off a good performance, which will be too much for the Spanish side Team Salsa. Across the board Millenium is stronger individually, but Team Salsa is going in with everything they can, which can cause trouble for Millenium. If Team Salsa wants any chance of making an upset, it will definitely require a extremely good performance from their botlane. Samux & Babeta are definitely the players to watch from Team Salsa, they had a good performance against Creaton & Jree last time around.

Predicted score: Millenium 2-0 Team Salsa

The game will be played today, 25th of November, 18:00 CET

Gamers 2 vs H2k

Jwaow, K0u, Ocelote, Yuuki60, KaSing vs Odamne, loulex, Febiven, Hjarnan, Voidle

Both teams are in the second round of the expansion tournament, so they will most likely not be bursting out wild and innovative team compositions. With that said, we are on the 4.20 patch, so new stuff will still be brought out because they are the normal picks now. Expect champions like Warwick to get banned or picked. But the teams will definitely be giving their all to receive first place and the €15,000 prize pool.

H2k went through their group without any trouble, placed first, and played their last match against Dark Passage on patch 4.20 which ended up being an instant 20 minute surrender from Dark Passage. It was again Febiven in the midlane going off, which seems to be a bit of a habit. Gamers2 went through as second place, just behind SK Gaming Prime. Despite them not showing their best performance there, they went 2-0 in the expansion tournament. Unfortunately, it was not streamed.

Gamers2 & Ocelote will have to keep Febiven down in midlane and ban away Lee Sin from loulex if they want to proceed to the semifinals. If they manage to do that, I can see them going through, but it’s a hard task, so I will probably give it over to H2k, who are the favorites for first place. 

Predicted score: H2k 2-1 Gamers2

The game will be played today 25th of November, approx. at 21:00 CET

Sample Text vs Dark Passage

Ishikava, KonDziSan, Sebekx, Celaver & Grom vs Elwind, Crystal Methh, Naru, Hold Postitio0n &

TrieLBaenRe

Both teams are not exactly favourites, but they have known-names such as Celaver, Crystal Meth and Naru. Sample Text went through as first in their group, but had an easy group compared to Dark Passage, who finished right behind H2k in Group D. Irelia seems to be a priority pick for both toplaners, and is expected to be contested when these two teams go head to head, especially for Dark Passage. Their new toplaner seems to be the new outstanding player on the team with great performances against teams in group D besides H2k.

If Sample Text wants to come out winning, they will have to get Celaver & Ishikava going, and try to build off that. Even without players like fabFabulous, Touch & their previous hard carry HolyPhoenix, I belive Dark Passage is going to edge it against Sample text. With Worlds experience on Crystal and Naru, I think they can use it to win here. With that said, the game could easily go either way, seeing how destroyed Dark Passage got by H2k.

Predicted score: Dark Passage 2-1 Sample Text

The game will be played 2nd of December, approx. at 18:00 CET

SK Gaming Prime vs Playing Ducks e.V.

Beansu, Taikki, Godbro, Steeelbackmaker &The Barney D vs Koi, XoYnUzi, avenuee, Broeski & SaZeD

SK Gaming Prime unfortunately got sent out of the expansion tournament in the first round against Reason Gaming. I expect them to come out and want to show us that they are one of the top challenger teams. Playing Ducks had great performances in the last couple of hours in the Ranked 5’s qualifiers for expansion, but they didn't have enough points in time. In BMC, they placed second just behind Sample Text, and will, with avenuee’s Xerath performances, try to beat SK Gaming Prime. 

I am, sadly for Playing Ducks, seeing a comfortable win for SK Gaming Prime. I believe they can get steeelbackmaker in front and let him carry. I think the individual strength in SK Gaming Prime is going to be too much for Playing Ducks.

Predicted score: SK Gaming Prime 2-0 Playing Ducks e.V.

The game will be played 2nd of December, approx. at 21:00 CET

 *All Games are Bo3

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by Anel "Musinlol" Musinovic

EU Playoffs : Preview and Predictions: Quarterfinals

by Pieter "antdriote" Cnudde 

Intro:

I’ll be breaking down the teams: looking at recent performances and each position. Then I'll look how they are matched against each other: play style and champion picks. It's incredibly hard to predict what such a big patch like 4.13 will do on the pro scene (I hate it when riot does this right before playoffs, but they want everything in order for worlds so I guess we should forgive them.)

The most notable change is, of course, heal and exhaust. We will probably see more assassin play and perhaps barrier again on ADC's (I definitely recommend it on midlaners that don't want to run ignite.) The nerfs and buffs to the marksmen also open up the pool. Vayne could be a special pick-up again for players like CandyPanda or Rekkles, while Graves and Sivir buffs could bring them back to competitive play. Sivir was a very favourite markswoman, used for quick rotations, and she only got better at it.

The holy trinity of junglers got nerfed, but all three are still very strong and I don't expect too many new jungle picks. All power supports got scaled back except Morgana, but I don't expect many new picks there until Sona becomes available for play. Lulu and Gragas got hit a bit, while Maokai still runs rampant. Ziggs got hit on his ult, but will still be a priority pick for his normal wave clear, together with Xerath if they fix the bug on time. Nothing new and broken seems to have emerged, but no one has had enough time to figure everything out yet.

Supa Hot Crew - Roccat

SHC has been a team on the rise, half because of the downfall of stronger teams, but also because they have consistently improved throughout the split. It’s a team made off pseudo-star players. Selfie and MrRalleZ shine when they carry, but don’t do this frequently enough. Impaler and Mimer are the strong rocks of SHC in that they can be relied on to do their job and push them to victory. With the latest addition of KaSing, they have, so they say, found a better voice in the team; a solid captain in the wild seas they are sometimes in. Selfie’s large champion pool is a strong point for SHC, since he isn't easy to ban out and can really devastate the enemy if he gets a dangerous pick like Yasuo. He is, unfortunately, not the most consistent mid, and if he doesn't get the best start, he tends to falter later in the game. MrRalleZ is somewhat similar; he always brings good numbers, but he can’t do it without his team. Too much pressure in the botlane could make it hard for him to carry. Though he isn't the flashiest player, he will deal considerable damage in teamfights if left unchecked. Impaler is always aggressive, even when he shouldn't be, but it mostly works out for them. He is bannable, though, and not the strongest in 1v1s. He could be targeted with good counterjungling. If Impaler does well, the whole team tends to do well, so a lot will depend on him if the lanes aren't going smoothly. Mimir can be crucial on having great TPs, but should just have a solid laning phase so he can tank or be the utility that Selfie and MrRalleZ need to win the game.

Roccat was a team destined for relegation, then a team on a hot streak, but now they've fallen again in the last few weeks. Overpow is probably the most passive midlaner in EU. Even though he occasionally does well in teamfights at the later stages of the game, it’s usually way too late - when his opponents can just free farm to break the 20 minute CS record or roam the map and make an impact in other lanes. Jankos and Vander are the pillars for Roccat. Vander is a great support that can make clutch plays/picks to win a teamfight or snowball the botlane. While Jankos will always stick to his style, he is very scary at it; an aggressive jungler that carries his team through early ganking or strong counterjungling. Celaver feels like a weaker version of MrRalleZ, only going in when Vander makes a move, but he provides the dps the team needs to win the games. Xaxus is not the most mechanically skilled player, but he was quick to jump on the Maokai train before anyone else, so we might see some strong picks from him on the new 4.13 patch. In general, Roccat secured wins with (mostly in the midlane) strange picks and very long, sloppy games.

The teams' head-to-head is 2-2 this split, with Roccat winning the most recent match this past Superweek. To be fair, SHC didn't had the best start in Superweek. Impaler’s Rengar was lack-luster and the Zilean pick in mid is something teams still have to adjust to. SHC looked stronger on the last day of Superweek and has looked the better team this whole split. Jankos will probably be the key factor for Roccat to win the series. Roccat leads the EU with the most first bloods and Jankos is almost always involved. Overpow’s lack of pressure in mid will be heaven for Selfie, but Jankos will always be around to bite him in the ass. Impaler can handle Jankos if he gets a comfortable jungler to control the early pressure, and makes sure that his lanes can get ahead by themselves. Vander and Jankos could really swing the lead into their favour with good pressure all around the map.

Most bans will probably be targeted around the midlane since both players have a pretty big pool. This will open up the botlane and jungle to get the strong picks that they need to win the game. This mostly benefits Roccat, since Overpow is never the hard carry from the team. SHC’s best chance is focusing on Jankos or Vander, banning out junglers/getting Impaler a strong first pick, and making sure their botlane has a durable combo that can’t be beaten easily in lane. Roccat has to focus the midlane and make sure Selfie doesn't get rolling, or keep pressuring bot and get a lead by keeping MrRalleZ down and getting early dragons.

Both teams haven’t showed the most consistent tactical play, yet but I feel SHC will make the better rotations and clutch calls. Roccat plays conservatively and won’t risk too much in the midgame if they aren’t ahead by a large margin. This is a weakness but could also lure the SHC in a false sense of security and they could make ill-advised moves because of it.

In general, if SHC makes the right calls, they are the stronger team in mid-late game with better rotations and teamfights. Roccat will need to win early and feast on the occasional reckless moves from SHC to get a lead early and close out the game. If Roccat doesn't get a decent gold lead by the twenty minute mark, I don’t see them winning a game unless SHC makes really dumb moves. Both teams are exploitable in pick and bans and should really focus on that and early game vision to make the right moves.

My prediction: 3-1 for SHC. They have to prove that they deserve that third place and didn't just luck out in the split. I do think Roccat can take a game just by having a surprise pick, which could throw SHC off guard, or if Jankos gets a great opening which can snowball the game out of control. 

SK Gaming - Millenium 

What seemed like a top contender for the top three in EU suddenly dropped at the end of the season because a lack of practice. SK Gaming stepped it up again in the last Superweek, beating Millenium, and both Fnatic and Alliance. They looked more focused; back as a solid team that has great synergy and an objective-focused mindset. However, their loss to Gambit showed that they can still fall easy under a lot of early pressure.

Fredy is a solid top laner but has the tendency to feed unnecessary on his favourite feed-to-win champ Aatrox. He hasn't shown much potential on the newly strong top laners like Maokai or Gragas, nor is his Lulu very scary. On the other hand, his Nidalee is ban-worthy, and he can put a lot of pressure down with certain older picks like Shyvana or Renekton. Map vision and clear communication from SK should make sure Fredy doesn't overextend too much so he can grow into a scary threat for the teamfights. Svenskeren makes or breaks most of SK's games. If he can do well, the team will carry with him, but when he isn't impactful early, then the team just seems to whither away like an old man in a nursing home. I feel the team will need to focus their priority on making sure he gets a strong champion and a solid start in each game. Jesiz isn't the flashiest player but has shown brilliant play on a variety of champions, most recently with Ahri. He can’t really be targeted heavily with bans anymore but he can be beaten in lane with some early pressure. He's not the best at farming, so it's very important that he gets off to a good start to be relevant in the whole game. Candy and nRated are not the strongest botlane but are very smart and have a lot of experience. They will not be easily swayed into a bad trade and can surprise the enemy on occasion. nRated’s Gragas support play is very scary when played well, which makes Gragas a great flex pick for the team if Fredy works on that pick as well. Though we have to find out if the Gragas nerfs in the new patch affect him much in laning phase. With Maokai still unchanged, he should probably be the biggest priority for most teams, but I believe we will see him almost perma-banned throughout the playoffs.

Millenium is a one-trick pony team that hasn't changed much at the end of the split. They excel at pick-oriented assassin comps that catch lone players off-guard. Most teams have gotten used to this style and know what to ban and how to play against it to minimize its effectiveness. However, this new patch favours assassins, and with increased Zed and Talon play in other regions, this could be a bright spot for Kerp and his team. Millenium went 0-4 in Superweek and is definitely not looking hot. This patch could be their lucky break to making it into the semi’s. They can beat SK with early power and a strong split push. kev1n is a strong top laner that can excel on certain picks like Irelia. His smart play in lane and timed aggression could be a real problem for SK if he gets help from his jungle. Kottenx has really helped Millenium get away from that relegation position they were in last split. Good pressure and mechanics have really helped the team to a lot of wins. His 2v2 with Kerp is very dangerous for any team if Kerp gets his hands on a strong assassin. Kerp’s Zilean drew some bans but teams just have no idea how to play against it. It’s not the best pick and Kerp should focus on his assassins or some heavy wave clear champs like Ziggs or Orianna.

Millenium’s botlane is the real strength of the team but with most comps relying on split push and pick potential, Creaton and Jree get left out on their own sometimes. Creaton has shown on many occasions that he is a brilliant ADC and can carry if the team lets him. Lucian will be a great champion to have back in his pool. The versatility and all-around strength of that champion let’s Creaton do whatever he wants, even if the team isn't focused around him. Corki and Tristana will probably be the priority picks since they bring mobility and carry potential for Creaton. Jree has also shown solid support ability and is one hell of a fisher on both Blitzcrank and Tresh.

Millenium should focus on their strengths: give Kerp a strong 1v1 champion and Creaton a strong self-peeling ADC - while Jree and Kevin zone for him. Kottenx just needs to take control of the early game and it could set Millenium up for an upset over SK.

The teams' head-to-head is also 2-2. They are both quite even in lanes with a slight edge to Millenium. SK more than makes up for it in having a much better tactical understanding of the game. A lot will depend on the junglers; both of them need to get their lanes rolling and have a big control over the map. SK will try to take advantage by grouping up and rotating to take down turrets, while making sure Kerp doesn't get free kills. Millenium’s recent performance doesn't promise much for the playoffs, but the new patch is really in their favour. SK should stay calm in the early game and not give up too much then they can out rotate and outplay Millenium on a tactical level with probably a better team comp. If SK can attack the weak points of Millennium in the pick and ban phase and then play a measured game, they should take the series without too many problems. Millenium can surprise them though, and their botlane should never be underestimated.

My prediction: 3-2 for SK. SK is the smarter team and have shown recently that their lanes aren’t as weak anymore. If they prepare hard and think about the series, even if they drop a game they should beat Millenium. Millenium has looked very weak lately and their one-style has always been weak and exploitable. They have a lot of talent in their team, however, and could surprise with a strong assassin pick or maybe a more ADC-centered comp. But in my experience, consistency and smart play beats explosive game play in a "best-of" series.


Thanks for reading, I’m open for any comment so leave them below or tweet me @antdrioite
I will make a preview about the semi’s and finals after the quarters are over.

European LCS Week 10 Power Rankings

by Matt “It’s Pure Luck” Lee


Welcome to my European LCS power rankings! While it’s perhaps a bit late in the season to start doing this as we head into our final week, it’s one of the most enjoyable debates that can be had when talking about the LCS.  First let’s take a look at the criteria teams will be judged on:

• It’s not just your record that determines your ranking. Just because you have a better record than another team does NOT necessarily mean you are better in my eyes.  The proverbial “eye test” is incredibly important. Are you winning games narrowly or convincingly? Did you go 2-0 in a week where you trailed in both games but the other team made massive mistakes and it allowed you to come back? How a team looks is very important.
• Results from the past few weeks.
• General trends of a team’s performance vs upper-echelon opponents in the league. Playing well vs the top tier teams is obviously more impressive than crushing the bottom three constantly.
• A team’s performance historically. This will weight a bit less, but a team like Fnatic will get more of a pass when they are struggling a bit than someone like the Copenhagen Wolves will.

With that defined, let’s take a look at the rankings!

1) Alliance (18-6) – This one really won’t come as any surprise. After a minor setback in losing four straight during Weeks Seven and Eight, Alliance has come back very strong and won four in a row. The win over red-hot Fnatic was particularly impressive as Rekkles and friends had been destroying everything in their path on the back of an eight game win streak. It wasn't the cleanest of wins as it took fifty-two minutes, but they played it safe, knowing a win all but guaranteed them the top spot in the final standings.

2) Fnatic (16-8) – Fnatic saw their eight game win streak snapped vs Alliance on day one last week. It didn't faze them much, though, as they took down a good Millenium team on the second day. One could make a case for Fnatic being in the top spot and they might have a point. They sit at 9-1 in their last ten games and they weren't narrowly winning these for the most part. Fnatic had been decimating their opposition ever since Week Seven. Ultimately, Fnatic posting a 1-3 record vs Alliance gives Alliance the slight nod.

3) Millenium (13-11) – Millenium have been playing fairly well lately, picking up four wins in their last six games after scuffling a bit during Super Week.  As usual for them, the catalysts continue to be Kerp and Creaton. Creaton has been outstanding the last three weeks, posting a KDA of 10.25. Kerp has continued to show his Twisted Fate pick is to be feared, and he even managed to pull out a surprise pick in Zilean last week and played it very well.  If Millenium continues to progress their style and show they can play more than a pick based team at a high level, they have a very high ceiling with the talent that is on the team.

4) Supa Hot Crew (14-10) – Much like Millenium, Supa Hot Crew sits here with an outside chance at possibly grabbing that two seed and getting a bye in the playoffs. More than likely though, they will end up fighting it out for the three seed. The upcoming game between SHC and Millenium on Thursday could very well decide who does grab that spot; a loss by the Crew there would drop them to 1-3 vs Millenium on the split. While MrRalleZ tends to be considered the best player on this team, you could make a case that the most important is Selfie in the mid lane. We saw it this past week as he had a terrific KDA of 13.5 in playing Ahri both games. Consistent play from him should see positive results for SHC in the future and at the least a shot at Worlds in the third place game.

5) Roccat (11-13) – Roccat continue to be one of the most (if not the most) puzzling teams in the European LCS. They managed to pull their record back to .500 after they had an impressive run between Weeks Four and Eight, where they won nine of their twelve games.  And then in Week Ten, they promptly managed to go 0-2, and it was to two teams very close to them in the standings, Millenium and the Supa Hot Crew.  Celaver and Xaxus in particular have had a difficult time this split. Celaver currently has the sixth best KDA among AD carries in Europe, while Xaxus is seventh among top laners. Jankos has been a bright spot for the team, and as he goes the team tends to go. His teammates will need to step up if they wish to avoid facing relegation in the promotion tournament.

6) SK Gaming (12-12) – SK finally ended the free fall they had been in by defeating Roccat last week, though it wasn't easy for them to close that game out. That game itself showed where the confidence level of SK is right now; they had a massive lead early on and gave Roccat every shot to get back into it. They simply have not looked like the same team from the first six weeks of this split, or the one from all of spring. They sit at 3-7 in their last ten games; many of them decisive victories for their opponents. Looking even further into it, two of those three wins came in Super Week vs Gambit and the Copenhagen Wolves, both of whom are a mess. Many claims around SK the last split and even early on in this one were that they didn’t have great individual talent and mechanics, but great teamwork through the mid and late game. It might be the time where the lack of mechanical ability in comparison to their opponents is catching up to them.

7) Copenhagen Wolves (7-17) – The Wolves are not mathematically eliminated from the playoffs, but the chances are minimal, as one win by Roccat or one loss by the Wolves puts Roccat in the playoffs and sends the Wolves to the promotion tournament.  They had managed to put two decent weeks back to back in Weeks Eight and Nine, going 3-1 in their four games. Last week however, the wheels fell off the wagon. They were dispatched fairly quickly by Millenium in a game that only took 31:23, and then were defeated by Alliance in what was possibly the most lopsided game in the EU LCS this year.  The Wolves can avoid the dreaded eighth place finish if they beat Gambit this week, or if they win one game and Gambit lose at least two.

8) Gambit Gaming (5-19) – While Gambit was definitely on a downward trend toward the end of the spring split, it would be hard for many people to say they saw this coming. They sit two games behind the Wolves for the seventh place spot with only four games left, so it’s likely Gambit end the season in last place. The twist of fate there would be the possible date vs Ninjas in Pyjamas and Alex Ich in the promotion tournament. The team as a whole simply does not look to be LCS caliber at this moment. The benching of Darien hasn't helped at all, and Diamond looks even worse since he was put back into the starting lineup. In fact, Diamond has a line of 3/17/7 since he was reinstated as a starter. At this point in time, it’s hard to imagine Gambit will retain their spot in the LCS with the way they are playing.

Adaptation – Change is good

by Reece "Sabrewolf" Dos-Santos

Once upon a time, Fnatic and Gambit were the two hardcore powerhouses of the European scene. There was competition from CLG.EU and SK, but ultimately, those two were the front runners. The difference in skill between them and their competition was clear, but as time has begun to pass the level of competition has grown stronger, to the extent where, in Europe, there are at least five teams within reach of the top at any one time. Adaptation is a must to be able to keep up with such a heavily demanding league and the concern that has risen in the camps of Europe’s two biggest teams is a lack of that adaptation. Read More.

EU LCS Roster Swaps: What’s the Impact?

by Reece "Sabrewolf" Dos-Santos

Millenium - Kottenx

While Kottenx may have been picked up in the dying weeks of the Spring Split, I feel the true display of his impact to the team started with the qualifier against NiP. His ganks are impactful, the team responds better in tough situations, and overall their rotations and shot-calling have gotten miles better. Millenium now have depth to their game-flow that wasn't present last split. Their play-style isn't as predictable and their synergy with each other is stronger. It’s like Kottenx was the long lost key to unlock the chest of riches that is Millenium’s hidden potential.

Every other member of the team has seen a huge rise in both confidence and overall performance. Creaton is returning to the form he showed before he broke his hand and Kev1n is showing why he is one of the best top laners in EU. Kerp, in particular, now completely shines in the mid lane and rightfully deserved MVP for week one. If he wasn't on fantasy teams before Super Week, he definitely will be now.

Millenium already have a third of the wins they achieved last split in this first week. Last split, they faced Roccat in the opening Super Week and only managed two kills. This split, the tables were turned as Roccat were dominated and could only manage three kills. Being 3-1 and tied top with SK and Alliance is undoubtedly a better position than anyone could have imagined and clearly a position they deserve to be in.

Supa Hot Crew - wewillfailer (and the addition of Nick "LastShadow" De Cesare as an analyst.)

The difference to Supa Hot Crew this split is amazing. With the addition of wewillfailer and analyst Nick De Cesare from Korea, the crew, like Millenium, look like they've found a new lease on life. Suddenly, the mid to late game weariness is gone and replaced with structured objective rotations. Their leadership seems more solid and you can see it in their shot-calling. They still retain their explosive play-style but there is now an element of confidence and tactical awareness behind it. Other obvious differences are that this time they are in the split with the belief they'll go far, rather than just hoping to win one game. Also, wewillfailer doesn't give up as many free deaths as Migxa did. 

These changes have seen them give hard-fought battles against the top three teams in the league at the moment, coming away with a win off Alliance and what could have been wins off Millenium and SK Gaming. Considering that they finished this week 2-2 with what was probably the hardest Super Week draw of any team, it’s hard to deny the fact that the Supa Hot Crew are building up to become a real force to be reckoned with and could be a challenger for Worlds at this rate.

Copenhagen Wolves - Woolite and Airwaks

To have to come into a split replacing arguably the best ADC and jungler of spring is no easy task. The real success behind the Wolves last split was driven by Forg1ven and Amazing, the latter picking up a back-to-back MVP awards. 

While Woolite and Airwaks have shown that they are ready to debut upon the LCS stage, it's still glaringly obvious that they don’t have the relentless carrying capabilities of Forg1ven and Amazing. They have talent. Airwaks was essential in the Wolves’ only win of the Super Week against Millenium, and Woolite held his own in kills and cs, but they haven’t yet gained the experience needed to consistently pull the team through, and until they do, the Wolves will struggle with their upcoming games. 

YoungBuck, Unlimited and cowTard simply do not showcase hard-carrying potential; they come across as players who cement the success of the team rather than the players who create that success. Either cowTard or YoungBuck needs to start individually shining or the new blood needs to adjust quickly to the demands of the LCS and their team if they want a shot at playoffs.

Gambit Gaming- niQ

Many had expressed fears that Gambit wouldn't be the same after the departure of Alex, and indeed, in the Super Week, there were worrying signs. Genja put up some good stats but couldn't carry. Darien’s performance was less than helpful. EDward and Diamond seemed unable to make much impact across the games, and niQ doesn't seem to have the natural synergy with the team that Alex had. While niQ is clearly a mechanically-strong player, off the laning-phase he appeared to dwindle in relevance. It doesn't really seem as if niQ’s introduction to the team has changed any of the problems that were arising at the end of the Spring Split. 

Gambit hasn't truly replaced their leader role and the lack confidence among them is evident. Diamond, in particular, doesn't appear to be the jungle king he once was. Alliance had absolutely no regard for dragons in their game against Gambit and simply chased kills all the way to the end like a solo queue team - and they still won. Despite having the whole off-season to work on their issues after almost ending up in relegation, it appears they still haven’t filled all the cracks in their team. Every dynasty has to come to an end. Is this the split were Gambit’s does?

Dreams can come true : EU Promotion Tournament

by Jeremy Heimann

NIP vs Millenium - NIP is a team with three players who were on the Season 3 Worlds' stage with expectations to do well from the start, and up to this point they have failed to meet those expectations. Once again they are heavy favorites to win a series for a chance to play in the LCS. They tend to play very safe in laning phase and prefer to stay in lanes as long as possible. Zorozero will usually split top while Nukeduck goes bot. This strategy is called 1-3-1 and is the plan they almost always go with. This style was used very much in the EU LCS spring split to mixed success.

Millenium is just one split removed from being a playoff team and this last split has to be a major disappointment for them. Creaton was able to keep a 4.0 KDA even though his team lost the most games. Kottenx has helped the team play better towards the end of the split. He also seems to like the early gank junglers that should be used against a team like NIP. Lane swaps would favor Millenium and if they can make the game about rotations and taking objectives instead of farming for the first twenty minutes I like their chances.  Prediction Millenium 3-2 over NIP

Cloud 9 Eclipse vs Supa Hot Crew - Cloud 9 Eclipse, the winners of the Coke League playoffs, should be considered the strongest challenger team. Supa Hot Crew don't care how they finished and decided that C9E was a better match-up for them then NIP, and that decision will either be great or a bad call on their end. C9E is without their star jungler, Kou, because of the age requirement.

The match-up to watch is in the mid lane. Febiven versus Selfie - a mid laner that joined the SHC late in the season and came out on fire, but since then he hasn't made many sparks. Febiven could really control the mid lane and that spells bad news for the SHC. I expect bot lane to go even - with the edge going to the SHC. Prediction C9E 3-1 over Supa Hot Crew

Denial Esports vs Copenhagen Wolves-Denial Esports, formerly known as Departed, is among the better teams in Europe and should be considered one of the best. The Polish comparison with Roccat has to be made which won their way in defeating the best of the worst LCS teams. Denial had trouble defeating NIP or C9E so it's hard to give them much chance against the Wolves. Prediction 3-0 Wolves over Denial 

EU SUMMER PROMOTION TOURNAMENT - Thursday, April 24th

There is only one match Today and it's LCS-relegated MILLENIUM vs challenger NINJA IN PYJAMAS. Currently, NiP is favored by over 70% of the voters at lolesports. This particular incarnation of NiP...(Lemondogs in Pyjamas)...has a lot of familiar talent, including Zorozero, Mithy, Nukeduck and Freeze. (You may not have known this, but NiP's symbol is not a ninja shuriken - it's a picture of a revolving door.) Stealing back a slot in the LCS from the ailing Millenium is possible, but whether their roster can stay in one piece after the post-relegation shuffle remains to be seen. However, no matter their shirt color, these guys are all LCS worthy.  

LCS Central Team Rankings Week 11

LCS Team Rankings : Week 11 : by Joshua Kon 

1. Cloud 9 - Last week, C9 went 2-0 in the NA LCS, destroying Curse and Dignitas. They have the toughest Superweek in NA facing both CLG and TSM, the powers of NA LCS.

2. Team Solo Mid - Despite a loss to CLG this weekend, TSM still looks strong and ready as ever to take the #1 seed and push to represent NA in the All Stars event!

3. Alliance - The hottest team in EU is finally living up to their potential. After a terrible start Alliance now finds themselves on top of a very tight race for the #1 seed in EU LCS.

4. Fnatic - Still hot from their 2nd place finish at IEM, Fnatic also finds themselves tied for first in Europe after a nightmare middle part of the split.

5. Counter Logic Gaming - Looking for another five game winning streak, CLG is coming off hot wins against XDG and TSM. Since Dexter has been in the roster, CLG has only three losses, two to TSM and one to C9. They look to beat C9 this week and maybe steal the #2 seed.

6. SK Gaming - They held First Place for a little while but now they have a chance to take their new roster and end a Split with the #1 seed in EU.

7. Gambit Gaming - Edward made some flashy plays on Thresh last week but Gambit needs to be careful this week as they face one of the toughest schedules in EU. If they don't win against CW on Tuesday they might find themselves fighting in Relegation much like NIP earlier this year.

8. Roccat - They are the roller coaster team in EU. Along with Gambit I personally feel Roccat has a much higher ceiling than what they have shown. They too need to be careful not to have a bad Superweek and find themselves on the outside looking in.

9. Copenhagen Wolves - The Wolves had  a strong Week 10 and may be a spoiler to some teams ahead of them. They have the potential to knock off anyone and they'll have to do some of that if they don't want SHC taking over their 6th seed.

10. Super Hot Crew - This is the bracket busting team in the EU LCS. Skill wise, I feel they are a bottom 2 team but they have very good chemistry and have proven with their strategies they can beat anyone fast. Look for the CW vs SHC match on Thursday to decide if they make the playoffs or if they are busted!

11. Dignitas - The Scarra era is over but a win against EG gave Dig fans hope. I personally was impressed with Goldenglue's performance on Lux after giving up first blood!

12. Curse Gaming - Playing the two top teams in NA really pushed Curse down but being up on TSM early shows the potential these guys have. A few misplays and some dodge spear practice and who knows what this Curse team could of done vs TSM.

13. Millenium - At the bottom of the EU LCS, Millenium maybe enjoying their final week in Cologne but their new Jungler looked strong and confident in his ability to be a shotcaller in the future.

14. Coast - If there would ever be a possible free agent/trade system in the LCS then two at the top of everyone's list would be ZionSpartan and Shiptur. These two could really be the missing pieces of Curse and Dignitas but can't succeed on Coast because of the weak cast around them.

EU LCS W10D2 Fri, March 28th

Today's Matches: 

1. SK Gaming vs Alliance
2. Supa Hot Crew vs Gambit Gaming
3. Fnatic vs Millenium
4. Copenhagen Wolves vs ROCCAT

And..due to a bug with Aatrox we'll also see a rematch of Gambit v SK Gaming. 

(Yesterday's game paused while Fredy discussed his Aatrox issues with a ref.) 

Alliance is blazing hot right now...can they overtake SK to steal away 2nd place? 

EU LCS W10D1 Thurs, March 27th

Today's Matches: 

1. Millenium vs Copenhagen Wolves
2. SK Gaming vs Gambit Gaming
3. ROCCAT vs Alliance
4. Supa Hot Crew vs Fnatic

And no more Araneae. :( 

EU LCS W9D2 Fri, March 21st

Today's Matches:

1. Gambit Gaming vs Millenium
2. ROCCAT vs SK Gaming
3. Alliance vs Supa Hot Crew
4. Fnatic vs Copenhagen Wolves

IEM World Championship Friday, March 14th

Today's Matches

1. Invictus Gaming Vs Fnatic (A) 
2. KT Rolster Bullets vs Millenium (A)
3. Winners Match Group A 
4. Losers Match Group A
5. Gambit Gaming vs AZUBU Taipei Assassins (B)
6. Cloud 9 HyperX vs Team WE (B)
7. Winners Match Group B 
8. Losers Match Group B

Oh hai..remember us? 

EU LCS W8D3 Thur, March 6 SUPER WEEK CONTINUES

Today's Matches:

1. Alliance vs Gambit Gaming
2. SK Gaming vs ROCCAT
3. Millenium vs Supa Hot Crew
4. Fnatic vs SK Gaming
5. Supa Hot Crew vs Copenhagen Wolves 

EU LCS W8D2 Wed, Mar. 5 | SUPER WEEK!

Today's Matches:

1. Gambit Gaming vs SK Gaming
2. Copenhagen Wolves vs Alliance
3. Fnatic vs Supa Hot Crew
4. Gambit Gaming vs Copenhagen Wolves
5. Alliance vs Roccat
6. Millenium vs Fnatic

Super Week continues!

Every win and loss matters. Only two games separate the top four teams, and today's matches could change everything! Can the ailing Fnatic find the strength to rise back to the top? 

EU LCS W8D1 Tue, Mar. 4 | SUPER WEEK!

Today's Matches:

1. Copenhagen Wolves vs Fnatic
2. ROCCAT vs Gambit Gaming
3. SK Gaming vs Millenium
4. Supa Hot Crew vs Alliance
5. ROCCAT vs Millenium

How the hell did I not realize it was Superweek? Although, I knew it was Superweek...I just didn't realize it started Today..but I should have realized it..because that's..sort of ..my job, but okay...I'll just pretend I had this posted all day. *feeble smile*  :)

1. The Wolves are hot and they're looking to capitalize on Fnatic's rough patch, but who DESTROYED Gambit last week? Should be a great match..betting we see close to a 50/50 split on viewer votes for this one. I'm thinkin' Wolves today.

2. ROCCAT <3 <3 <3 Who..are these Russian guys they're playing?

3. This should be SK's game.

4. I think Alliance will upset SHC today. Call it intuition. :)

5. Bye Millenium...sorry. :/ Go Overpow! :)

Yeah..we got this.. 

EU LCS W7D1 Thur, February 27

Today's Matches: 

1. Alliance vs Fnatic
2. SK Gaming vs Supa Hot Crew
3. Millenium vs Gambit Gaming
4. ROCCAT vs Copenhagen Wolves

A lot of exciting battles today!

First up...can the struggling 7-7 Fnatic pull out out their bleak downward spiral? I believe this match is key to the Fnatic's mental health. A win will set them confidently back on course. A loss will crush their spirits. And Alliance has made it clear they'll no longer give an easy pass...which should make this an incredibly scary match.

Then we have SK vs Supa Hot Crew, who along with Fnatic are in a three-way tie for third place. The difference is, while Fnatic have lost two in a row, SK and SHC are both on winning streaks, and they are nearly neck and neck on stats. Should be an extremely close game!

Millenium's Kev1n and Creaton both have strong KDA's coming into this week match against Gambit, but they've yet to beat our Russian Overlords this split. They have, however, beaten Fnatic...proving they're more than capable of taking down top-rated teams. And as we all know...this has been the split of incredible, unexpected underdog wins.

And then there's ROCCAT...vs Wolves...which I can't even comment on because Overpow owns me. Like... completely owns me.. <3 Sorry. :P

Uh..yeah..these guys are not gonna budge an inch..

EU LCS W6D2 FRI, FEBRUARY 21st

Today's Matches: 

1. Fnatic vs Copenhagen Wolves
2. Gambit in Pajamas vs Supa Hot Crew
3. ROCCAT vs SK Gaming
4. Millenium vs Alliance 

Can Supa Hot Crew Take over 2nd place in the EU LCS?

It's possible...because Mimer goes where he pleases!

EU Spring Split W5D1 Thur, February 13

Today's Matches: 

1. SK Gaming vs Fnatic 
2. Copenhagen Wolves vs Supa Hot Crew
3. ROCCAT vs Alliance
4. Gambit Gaming vs Millenium

Millenium, Alliance and SK will once again look to play road blocks while trying to bolster their own positions in a super tight race for fourth place. Upsets haven't been uncommon this season, and a loss to any one of the tied top three teams could knock them two places back. Who'll taste Victory? Who'll taste Defeat?  Who'll bay at the moon if they win? It's anyone's guess in the EU LCS!

(except for the baying at the moon thing...that's definitely these guys...)