Karma jungle? S0aZ on support? Vi makes a comeback? What is going on in the European LCS Week 7?
(click on matches to see drafts)
NiP vs EG
The first game was between Evil Geniuses with Shacker in the jungle, versus Ninjas in Pyjamas with their new toplaner Mimer, who replaced extinkt after he stepped down from the team. Though both of the team chose very aggressive, mobile team comps, the match was a long-winded staredown to see who blinks first. After an hour though, it was NiP who managed to be victorious.
Slow was the pace of the entire game, with a first blood only occurring after 10 minutes by EG. From that it became a 30-minute, drawn-out dance around Summoner's Rift, as both teams weren't sure what to do, though there were a few kills in between. It was the late game kings EG though, that were first to drop the ball as they weren't able to convert their baron buffs, and were caught out of position on the second spawn, which resulted in NiP taking the baron and marching towards the nexus.
GMB vs FNC
This was probably the most insane game of the day, as everybody was simply at a loss for words right from the drafting phase. Diamond on Karma, Darien on Evelynn, sOAZ on support Blitzcrank, and YellowStaR on top lane Shen. If those weren't enough to get you excited, I don't know what will.
Though both with the crazy picks, it was Fnatic and their "role swap" lineup that came out on top. After the 2v1 gank to Karma at Gambit's red buff, the Spring Champion slowly snowballed out of control. XPeke in particular was impressive on Lissandra, as he consistently caught his enemies out of position again and again, ganking one lane after the other. While GMB had a very interesting team comp, they didn't get the lead that they needed to make it work, and soon were easily stomped.
MYM vs ATN
Just when you thought the madness is over, these two teams, Meet Your Makers in particular, pulled out picks that were clearly out of their comfort zone. Sadly for the Polish team, it wasn't enough to end their slump, as Alternate grabs the win and secure themselves a first place standing together with Fnatic.
While the Lee Sin steal seemed to be a good idea to counter Araneae, he surprised everyone by picking Vi, a once-popular pick during the early Spring Split. The Piltover Enforcer helped create strong picks for the team, and with Kerp on Kha'Zix going out of control, they were able to get ahead early on, shutting down the strong double AP comp of MYM.
SK vs LD
Capping off today's games is something more familiar in terms of picks. Ocelote on Twisted Fate is always fun to watch, as his aggression on that champion is unlike any other. This time, however, said aggression was turned against him as the Lemondogs were able to get their victory and continue creating a strong impression this later half of the Summer Split.
At first glance, it seemed like an even match, with the gold difference not far from each other. However, LD were continuously ahead in terms of map pressure, slowly suffocating SK out of options. Soon, LD started to get a dominating lead, as Zorozero on Ryze and nukeduck on Zed simply melted anyone who got in their way. Thoguh ocelote and crew tried their best to bounce back, the rookies secured the win and rocketed themselves towards the top postion, leaving a 3-way tie for first place.
VOD
