EU LCS W7D2 Fri, February 28

Today's Matches:

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

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..

Gamers2 | A Beautiful Lie?

Former SK Gaming Captain Carlos 'Ocelote' Rodriguez throws his scarf back into the competitive scene with his new team, Gamers2. Announced this week with a cheesy dramatic *video meant to generate hype for his still unproven mates, Ocelote's clear desire is to return to the EU LCS. But are they any good?

The new team's line up includes Ocelote in Mid, Jesper 'Jwaow' Strandgren (Top,) Sebastian 'Morden' Fernandez (Jungle,) Soler 'Yuuki60' Florent (AD,) and Hugo 'Dioud' Padioleau (Support.) If you're familiar with Ocelote's former team, 'OceloteWorld,' you'll recognize this entire roster, save for the ditching of 'Haydal' in favor of Salade Tomate Oignon's 'Yuuki60.'

Ocelote's fledgling team does have a few things going for them. They've got strong sponsors already on-board (G2A.com and Ozone,) a mansion set up in Madrid to be their gaming house, and some interesting if not entirely innovative ideas. To quote their announcement, "Our mansion will be opened up to the community where they will be able to meet the players, play some paddle or basketball, have a BBQ and truly integrate and immerse themselves in the player lifestyle and get to know the team on a personal level like never before."

But across many forums today, fans and foes of the former SK mid-laner questioned if his team has any real chance of living up to their lofty LCS goals. And we're prompted to question, what is really going on with this seemingly pre-packaged package?

Ocelote has been very successful at marketing himself and he's no stranger to the idea of branding. To me, what he's put together here is more than just a team of LOL players - it's an attractive team of LOL players, because he's not just looking at competing here, he's looking at the future of eSports and its media potential, and he knows exactly what draws the media's eye. For anyone in the business who can see the explosion brewing, it's hard not to think this team is gambling on fandom much more than any true hopes of competing on the stage at Worlds. 

Not that that stops Ocelote from dreaming. 

There was a pro-wrestler back in the 80s named 'The Nature Boy' Ric Flair, who used to step into the ring wearing the long, gold satin robes trimmed at the sleeves with white feathers. He was a bad guy in pro-wrestling terms, hated for his ego and vanity, and he laughed all the way to the bank with this carefully cultivated act.
 

 
Sometimes I feel like Ocelote dances on that line, although he doesn't do it intentionally. But that only makes his act all the more bizarre. Truth be told, I actually like the flamboyant Ocelote, the same as thousands of other fans. He's a caricature of himself, but he's innocent and fun and his arrogance is born out of some reality. The man is beautiful. And he's hungry. And he believes in the future of eSports. And I can't fault him for any of those things.
 

Insane or Genius?

Carlos 'Ocelote' Rodriguez

* The Gamers2 Release Teaser Video

The Face of Hype....

NA LCS W6D2 Sun, February 23

Today's Matches: 

1. Cloud 9 HyperX vs Evil Geniuses
2. Team SoloMid vs Curse
3. Team Coast vs Counter Logic Gaming
4. Dignitas vs XDG

C9 is hunting for that #1 slot...can TSM hold them off? 

W6D1 NA LCS Sat, February 22nd

Today's Matches: 

1. Team Dignitas vs Evil Geniuses
2. Team SoloMid vs Team Coast
3. Curse vs Cloud 9 HyberX
4. Counter Logic Gaming vs XDG

Game 1 is a particularly interesting match up, Fangirls, because it pits our first and third place winners against our second place winner in the 'Cutest Pro NA Poll' contest. 

So which cute pro will come out on top? 

And which one will go down while trying to hide in the bushes from a relentless hail of bullets?