European LCS, week 1

European LCS

Week 1

Tuesday and Friday saw the beginning of the 2016 EU LCS, once again in the studios in Berlin, Germany.

Many new teams, new players and new expectations were leading the start of the Spring Split as Fnatic and Origen, both semi-finalists at Worlds last year, were kicking-off the season in a game between titans.

After those two days of competition, here is what we've learned.

Unicorns of Love (2-0)

After the departure of their star midlaner, PowerofEvil, the expectations towards UoL were... limited. Without their leader and main carry, only few were still hoping for them to perform And those doubts just grows after Vardags left the team soon after. 

But Sheepy and UoL choose wisely their replacements. and with the venue of Pierre "Steeelback" Medjaldi (ex-Fnatic and Imagine), Diamondprox (ex-Gambit) and Fox (ex-SK Gaming), the Unicorns gave a new hope to their fans with the possibility to still be relevant in Europe.

And they were relevant! Their opponents weren't the strongest but UoL managed to start with a 2-0 beating the newcomer Splyce in an one-sided game and then leading the charge against Giants Gaming, taking yet another huge victory over the Spanish team.

With a reborn Diamond and a still very good Steeelback, the team did very well for their start and look forward to ride this momentum.

G2 Esports (2-0)

End of 2013, Ocelote, one of the pillar of the EU LCS, leave the major league and go back into the shadow. For 2 years, the Spanish midlaner tried to come back in the LCS, for 2 years he failed, losing in the Challenger Series. But the time has come, yet again, for Ocelote to shine when his team, G2 qualified for the LCS.

This time as the manager, Ocelote created a team who could possibly compete in Europe. By adding the two Koreans, Trick and Emperor, he made sure to give his intention to his opponent, G2 wasn't there for nothing.

And they did not deceive. A complete victory over Elements and a big performance of Perkzz on Ahri and then a comeback against Roccat to end the 1st Week in the 1st place of the EU LCS.

Trick and Emperor did their job, The first one was everywhere, leading his gank and his team towards victory (27 KDA) when the second, a bit shy against Elements, showed himself against Roccat rampaging like a big fire.

Ocelote can be proud of his legacy, but it's only the start of a road of thorns.

H2K (2-0)

Hjarnan, Kasing and Loulex gone, H2K was nowhere to be relevant. Their mythic botlane was no more, their carries vanished, the team would struggle. But the organization striked back, recruiting the Greek ADC, Forg1ven, now free of his suspension. Alongside Vander and the "First Blood King", Jankos, the team was now looking bright, even more convincing than before, a new "superteam", a new "competitor for the crown".

They maintain this statut with a 2-0 start and a renewed Forg1ven, "by far" the best ADC in Europe. Indeed, with the second best KDA of this 1st week and 0 death, Forg1ven as shown all of his talent to the fans while his support, Vander, also did a great job leading H2K in their victories.

And it wasn't simple at first, Giants and Origen were their opponents after all but the first one was never a contender when the second one, was crushed for the second time in 2 days.

H2K is now looking to repeat this scenario over and over as they look to take the Split victory.

Roccat (1-1)

Disappointment and relegation were the master words when Roccat revealed his team soon before the start of the Split. All the players were gone, they needed to redo everything, rebuild from ashes.

So Roccat rebuild, with "leftovers", Edward and Betsy had no home anymore, Gambit Gaming was over, Jébus was left behind by Renegades. And then they added Airwaks and Fredy, two others veterans of the pro scene.

The path ahead of them seemed full of darkness but they answered back to the criticism. An unexpected victory over Vitality before going back to reality against G2. But the team has shown lot of potential and doesn't looked as bad as people thought. It will be a hard season for sure, but Roccat will not let others decide their fate.

Fnatic (1-1)

2015, Yellowstar is left alone with the role of Captain. With only rookies, the French Support managed to make miracles and won two consecutive Split before being Semi-Finalists at Worlds, making Europe proud.

What followed was something that shocked the scene. Yellowstar left the team to play in North America making of Febiven and Rekkles the "veteran" of Fnatic after their Korean duo also left for NA.

For the second time in two years, Fnatic had to support a lot of arguments, criticism and negativty from their "fans". For the second time, they had to rebuild almost everything.

That's what lead us to the venue of Gamsu, Spirit and Noxiak to fill the biggest franchise in Europe. Once again, with the same objective in mind, keeping their crown and their status as the "Kings of Europe".

But things are not that easy and Fnatic roll over Origen before getting shut down by Vitality. Fnatic wasn't favorite versus the squad of their ex-midlaner, Peke. But they did their job, and they did it well. Febiven and Spirit led the engages, sometimes ballsy, but it pay-out. Gamsu even offered the 1st highlight of the Spring Split after an incredible outplay against SoaZ and Amazing. Fnatic was back.... but not for long.

Indeed, the team coached by Deilor never existed in their game against Vitality. Gamsu got destroyed by Cabochard, while the two botlanes weren't taking any risks. In the end, Fnatic never found an answer to the French team, they got outrotated and outpressured and end up losing a game who felt like it never start for Fnatic.

Now, it's up to them to strike back and show that they are the true Kings of Europe.

Elements (1-1)

Elements was once a superteam lead by Froggen, but they never performed. Today, Froggen is gone and Elements almost vanished. But it didn't happen and now they have to face the European LCS again with a brand new roster.

PromisQ, now known as Sprattel, is the only player remaining from last split. Steve, Gilius and MrRallez operated their return in the LCS while Eika is a newcomer.

Replacing a guy like Froggen is not an easy task but Eika really disappointed for his first game, getting outplayed and outsmarted by another newcomer, Perkzz.

Elements quickly fall to G2 in their first game but responding in the best way the day after against Splyce, leading them to their 1st victory.

As of today, Elements is probably destined to fight against relegation, but the truth is never so simple and only the next weeks will show us what they are made of.

Team Vitality (1-1)

One of the new teams this split, one of the strongest.... on paper at least. The french organization, well-known for his Call of Duty team, decided to take part in the LCS this year. 

And for that, they decided to bought a mythical spot, the one of Gambit Gaming, who was, with Fnatic and SK, the three greatest organization in Europe. Today SK has been relegated and Gambit sold their spot, only Fnatic remains.

But Vitality didn't bought Gambit spot just for show, they are here to win! Their hunger of success can really be appeased by the roster they gathered. Cabochard, Hjarnan and Kasing were all top 3 at their position last year! While Nukeduck is also a safe bet. The only dark point would come from Shook who has had many difficulties in the last 2 years.

Despite that, Vitality has the weapons to fight for the first place..... but it didn't materialized in their first game. While the majority were waiting for an easy victory over Roccat, Vitality failed their first step and lose heavily the game.

The day after, the team, led by a great Cabochard, took down the favorite of the crowd, Fnatic, in an one-sided battle. They didn't take a single scratch and punished every mistakes from Fnatic, looking like a complete different team.

Vitality can easily battle for the final victory, it's up to them to see if they are ready for it.

Splyce (0-2)

Dignitas EU won their right to participate to the EU LCS but the offseason shattered the team in some ways, Brokenshard was replaced and the name Dignitas disappeared as the yellow snake were looking for a prey.

It's in this optic that Splyce started the split. Sadly, the prey striked back 2 times and Splyce never existed in his two games. They were absent, they didn't got any control, their map pressure was almost non-existent and their decisions were late or not coordinated.

This ended in 2 heavy losses against Unicorns of Love and Elements. It seems that this entrance in the LCS will not be a good reminder in the future and Splyce will have to ease the pain in the next weeks or LCS will not last long for them.

Origen (0-2)

Since last year, the team has been created, won the Challenger Series, fight in the finals of the Summer Split against Fnatic, making them lose their first game since months and reached the Semi-finals of the World Championships!

Enrique "xPeke" Cedeno, had won his bet, his wish to create his own team after leaving Fnatic and making them perform and play in the LCS was achieved. Peke's myth had become even more amazing than before.

After Worlds came the IEM, and yet again, the team didn't deceive, and won the final against Counter Logic Gaming in a 3-0.

That goes without saying that, after what happened with Fnatic, Origen had become the huge favorite to win this year, even with PowerofEvil replacing Peke in the midlane.

For the fans, and many observors, Origen should won easily against Fnatic and bring a domination in Europe. But Origen got crushed by the new Fnatic, as if the story will always remain the same, Origen find a wall named Fnatic, a wall that they couldn't climb, and once again, Peke's squad lose to the Kings.

That could have been the end of it, Origen would be back after this loss and compete again.

Instead, the Worlds semi-finalists, didn't move forward, they just stopped "working". Soaz was left behind in his two games, unable to strike back. After 2 days, he is the one who died the most (11 times) with the lowest KDA.

Niels (now known as Zven) was too far behind to be able to answer, so does PowerofEvil. Amazing probably played two of his worst games ever, being outplayed by Gamsu the 1st day.

Origen never found his breath weither it's against Fnatic or Vitality. They were just inexistant and thus, start the competition with a 0-2 start.

Everyone were (again) looking down on Fnatic but no one would have expected to see Origen behind everyone.

There is a lot of time to climb the ladder, but the engine must not take too long to start working.

Giants (0-2)

Pepinero has been alone many times before, seeking to carry his team in many occasions. This year does not seem any different. Giants was never really a danger for their opponents and, once again, Pepinero seemed to be the only bright light at the horizon. Despite many tentatives from Atom, the Spanish team never found a hole to go through.

The season is long and let the time for teams to find their own synergy. Let's just hope that Giants will find her.

The new season has come

The Championship Series are on their way, once again

Two months ago, SK Telekom T1 became the 1st team ever to win 2 World Championships and thus after only giving up 1 game in the whole tournament.

Next week will be the start of the 2016 League of Legends season with the beginning of the European LCS the 14th and the North America LCS the 16th.

The preseason has been the witness of huge investments for all the teams. Reconstruction for some, little reinforcements for others, but what we know is that this season will probably be one of the most exciting season that League of Legends as ever known. 

Indeed, the EU LCS look stronger than ever with the 2 Worlds semi-finalists Origen, reinforced by PowerOfEvil, and Fnatic who had too rebuild almost from ashes with only Martin "Rekkles" Larsson and Fabian "Febiven" Diepstraten as sole survivor of the team. 

Alongside those two powerhouses, the European LCS is also made by others strong organisation, ready to prove their value to the world. It's in this perspective that Vitality and H2K have built their actual roster.

In fact, the recruitments of Vitality could easily lead the team to a battle for the 1st place while H2K have shown good things in the last IEM and could also bring trouble in the hierarchy like they did last split.

Finally, the other rosters also changed their rosters, sometimes for the best, sometimes the worst, like it might be the case of Roccat after losing their whole team. But in any case, this season should be more intense than any other in Europe.

Beside, North America has also been the center of attention with certainly the biggest deal ever realized by a North-American team, i'm talking of course about the Doublelift saga.

Leaving his team, Counter Logic Gaming, after a winning split but failed Worlds to join the ultimate enemy TSM, is a huge bet for the genius AD Carry. But with the venue of Kim "Yellowstar" Bora as his support, the botlane of TSM look much stronger than any other.

Also, the arrivals of Team Immortals, NRG, Renegade (winner of the Challenger Series) and Echo Fox. That goes without saying that North America has also grown up in the best way and will also be the theater of huge League of Legends games. We've been telling that since years now but, this time, what if North America had truly his word at Worlds?

This year will probably be the most exciting year of competition ever since the creation of the LCS and everyone will be gathered to cheer those teams and wish them success.

I, myself, wish to see what i expect after those 2 months of big announcements. Good video games!

And let us pray for NA and EU to finally improve and be able to truly challenge the Korean teams and the biggest personality in the world of LoL, Faker.

NRG, creation of a powerhouse

NRG Esports

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ctober 31rd, SK Telecom become the first team to win the World Championships 2 times. This marks the end of the 2015 season… but it also marks the beginning of the preseason and thus the beginning of months of reconstruction for certain teams and little adjustments for others. It also opens discussions about the future of certains organizations, old and new ones.

Yesterday, the November 16^th, has been the witness of the second biggest announcement after the Yilian “Doublelift” Peng saga.

Indeed, Andy Miller and Mark Mastrov, both co-owners of the NBA team, Sacramento Kings, grew in interests for the world of Esports and they decided to bought the ex-Team Coast LCS Spot for the 2016 season.

This purchase has led to the separation of 4 former-players from Coast and left Kevin “Konkwon” Kwon has the sole survivor.

Despite the loss of 4 great players, NRG has managed to form a team of monstrous talent by bringing into the team an ex-world champion known as Impact who has ruled his toplane with perfect strength and intelligence in the past. And it doesn’t stop there, NRG has also managed to recruit 2 others well-known players in the LoL pro scene. Indeed, both Johnny “Altec” Ru and Lee “GBM” Chang-Suk joined the team as starter Midlaner and as AD Carry. Finally, the staff of NRG decided to give a chance to a rookie, in the person of Galen “Moon” Holgate, who has shown a lot of promises with Team Imagine this year despite their loss against Team 8 in the Promotion Tournament.

Besides of the changes in the roster, the main staff of NRG will also be composed of History Teacher as GM, Charlie as the Head Coach and Hermit as the Strategic Coach. Those 3 will be accompanied in this adventure by 5 other peoples who will be helping the team in many ways.

This marks the start of a New Era. This will turn upside down the rankings. This team is ready to bring chaos in the North America LCS. It’s the beginning of a new book.

PS: This was originally a try-out article for NRG medias

A part of me

When i was young, i always thought that i would end up in a big house, with a lovely wife that i would make happy every single day, a beautiful dog and my 2 childs.

I always thought that my dreams would become true, that i would face many problems but that they would never stop me.

I tought that i would be happy, successful, at least that's what i wanted, i wanted to be recognized, i wanted the people who were looking down on me to look up to me in the end, i wanted to show those same people that they were wrong, that i could succeed, that i could make my life the way i wanted her to be.

I was wrong... Today, i failed, i failed my studies, i'm still single, i've been rejected many times, i'm not really ashamed by that, i mean, why whould i? At least i tried right? I don't have particular regrets today. I didn't give up, i kept trying but in the end, the result was the same....

But, it's not a bad thing, the fact that i failed, just kept me strong. Someone who will know only the success will have a hard time dealing with failure once she got there. But as for me, i constantly fight with failure. I didn't fulfill my dreams, i had many but all of them failed, at least for now. There are some that i must forget but there are some who are still here in my head and in my heart.

I know that the society today is a place full of fear, distress, anger, deception, regrets. I know that some days are hard, others will make you smile and feel alive.

Yes i failed, and i assume my failures, but that doesn't mean i should just stay here and cry over myself, i would never do that. There is no one except me who can tell me to stop believing, no one can tell me to stop trying. I'm 22 years old now, maybe i will die soon, maybe i will have a long life, nobody knows that. Not me, not you, not the farmer 20 000 miles away from here, not the politician looking at the votes. This world is full of difficulties but that doesn't mean we should give up. Like i said, someday i will end up dying, like my mother, my brother, my grandfather, my friends, we will all die, some are already in the other world, some are still here.

So why should i give up? why should i stop trying to do what i want, to do what i love? Because in the end, someday, i will not be here anymore, someday time will change, years will goes by, people will change and no one will even remember me. After all, only few are remembered, only few will never be forgotten.

I want to keep trying and i will, even if i failed in the end, i will continue to grow, learn and try, try, try, try over and over until i succed or until i die because if i stop here, my life will be meaningless, my life will be poor, my life will be ..... a normal one, i don't want that...

I don't want to sit on my chair waiting for the days to end and start again, i don't want to see people i once known being happy with everything they need while i'm watching from the side...

For the longest time, i wanted to be a football player, playing professionnal, being recognized but maybe i wasn't good enough or maybe i didn't try hard enough. That's why i don't want my dream today to become impossible again.

These last years, i've tried to become a journalist, yes that's right, a journalist, but not you're everyday journalist who will travel in the entire world to bring you news of disaster, or news of royalty, or even talking to you about Beckham new brand, i don't give a fuck about that.

No, i want to become a Sports Journalist, one who will talk to you about football, basketball, but more than this, about Esports.

Because the world change, our hobbys, our jobs change as well. Since many years now, the world of Esports has constantly grown, from thousands of fans to millions, from your little hangar to a big stadium playing before thousands of people. Esports is now a huge world where it's difficult to make your place like in every other job. People are trying everyday to be a part of Esports, from players to staff, to journalist or even translator, it has become difficult to be a part of this world as well... But i don't want to give up yet, i still think that someday i will find a chance, and i think that someday i will finally found the happiness i'm seeking.

That's why, from now on and until i decide otherwise, i will try to become a part of this industry, because i can't just look from apart and be jealous in my own room right? I will try, harder and harder every day, and maybe one day, i will have what i wanted.

This is for this reason that from today onwards, i will write about Esports. My name is Kevin Fischweiler and i'm an Independant Esports Writer.