For these teams, week four is where you start to cement your place in the EU LCS. Who will rise to be one of the top teams? Who is destined to sit at the lower ranks?
H2K – Splyce
Our first match of the day pits H2K up against Splyce in a match that was as decisive as it was short. While not quite as quick as some of the games we’ve seen thus far, Splyce were able to triumph in just 34 minutes without losing a single person in any of their fights. H2K fought back valiantly, however, securing both the Rift Herald and the Baron Buff, though Splyce’s ability to catch out members of H2K proved too strong in the end.
Roccat – Team Vitality
From a relatively straightforward, quick game, to another with many twists and turns that lasted twice as long, Team Vitality takes down Roccat in more than 68 minutes, in what proved to be one of the most nail biting finishes we’ve seen in the EU LCS. Roccat made all the right moves throughout the game, with jungler Jonas “Memento” Elmarghichi managing to make several key smite steals against Vitality. When a forced team fight went poorly for Vitality, it fell upon AD Carry Amadeu “Minitroupax” Carvalho to make a surprise teleport into the base of Roccat, while what was left of his team did their best to hold Roccat in place. In the end, Roccat was unable to disengage from the fight, and Minitroupax was able to end the game with a victory for Vitality.
Giants – Misfits Gaming
The halfway point saw Giants taking on Misfits in a perfect example of a team learning from their mistakes, even while playing the game. While the Giants made some excellent moves early on, Misfits were able to turn things around. A fight forced by Giants proved costly, as Misfits turned the engagement around and quickly seized the fight and the lead. Fortunately for Giants, they quickly learned their lesson, and the next fight they forced upon Misfits payed off big, with Misfits falling one by one, allowing Giants to march into the base of Misfits and end the game at their leisure. Another textbook example of when gold advantage doesn’t automatically equal a victory.
Fnatic – Unicorns of Love
Fnatic and UoL trade early game blows in this match-up. While it seemed relatively even for a while, the Unicorns managed to pull ahead when a team fight went their way. They took this advantage and cashed in on some neutral map objectives. Fnatic turned things around however, as they punished the Unicorns for staying too long in their base, catching them out of position and evening up the gold difference. A few more brutal fights and Fnatic were able to steamroll into the base of the Unicorns when disaster struck. The Unicorns manage to almost wipe Fnatic, leaving only the AD Carry Martin “Rekkles” Larsson standing with a successful defence looking more and more likely. Unfortunately for the Unicorns, this was a fleeting dream, as Rekkles proved why he is constantly considered one of the best, if not the best, AD Carries in the EU, pushing through the surviving members of UoL and ending the game with a victory for Fnatic.
G2 Esports – FC Schalke 04
Our final match of the day may not have been the longest, but it was certainly the bloodiest. G2 Esports taking on FC Schalke 04 in what quickly came to be a battle of the mid lane between Luka “Perkz” Perkovi? and Erlend "Nukeduck" Våtevik Holm. Both teams managed to accumulate a wealth of neutral objectives, and we saw the base defences go coast to coast as both teams were forced to defend their nexus at different points. In the end, G2 was able to prove their strength as they pushed Schalke out of their base and shoved their way into the home of Schalke for the victory.
The battlefield may be calm for now, but that only serves to hide the fierceness of the games played today. If you want to know when the teams will be clashing again, check out the official schedule page here, or maybe you want to know which players to keep an eye on for day 2 with our players to watch in week 4.
