As the season comes to an end and season 8 starts to roll out, the EU rosters have been revealed. After somewhat successful World Championship run done by the EU LCS teams, with Misfits going to game 5 against the 3 time World Champions SKT, and Fnatic putting a decent showing against the Chinease squad RNG, you would think EU LCS is going to be coming in as hot favourites. That was until NA franchinsg. Some large known players from the EU region such as Zven and Mithy previously on G2 joining TSM, PowerOfEvil formerly on Misfits and couple more EU talented players have transferred over to North America to compete in the NA LCS. This means that some young rookies are going to be taking their spots on many EU teams and will take some time for them to develop.
Format Changes
So yet again the EU format is changing, from Best of 1's, to Best of 2's to then groups and Best of 3's, we have gone full circle and are back to Best of 1's no groups style. This was done in order to make it more attractive for viewers as sitting through Bo3 was regarded as long especially between lower placed teams. Though decreasing the overall development of the region and decreasing stage experience, it's a smart business move and will give better overall viewership numbers. The EU LCS has also ditched promotion until the Summer Split in order to themselves prepare for Franchising which will happen in 2019. It was also announced that the EU LCS will be having Friday and Sunday to their disposable to cast games (yay) and more favourable starting time at 5 PM CET to allow more viewers to watch . Now we got the format out of the way let's get through the first half of the teams.
Fnatic
Roster- Soaz,Broxah,Caps,Rekkles,Hyllisang
After a stressful group start Fnatic was able to pull off a miricle run no other team has done, to then pull off a great set of games against the powerhosue of RNG. That being said Fnatic looked super vulnerable in the first week, and i remember before Rift Rivals how they were so dominant and favoured to win the entire league. With the switch up in the support role from Jesiz to Hyllisang, this is a big question mark for me. Jesiz did well in my opinion but i understand something had to be done. Caps Rekkles and Broxah are really good mechanically and Soaz has always provided a strong backbone to the team. Hillisang despite his missteps when playing on Unicorns of Love was said to be a strong vocal point to the team something which can be a great advantage for Fnatic as it eases some of the pressure from the other players. The other 4 remaining players also have some already good synergy built up form playing together for an entire year which makes this rosters ever so promising, meaning that integrating Hyllisang shouldn't be too difficult. Overall a strong roster looking to compete for the title.
G2
Roster- Wunder, Jankos, PerkZ, Hjarnan, Wadid
After an unfortunate Worlds draw for G2, they were not able to make it out of groups yet again. G2 has displayed excellent discipline in a Best of 5 scenario but always struggled in a Best of 1 as there is little adaptation. G2 also struck me as a team which the longer the series goes on for, the more time they get to study and observe until they have you cornered without any options left. This style might change though with only 1 remaining player PerkZ staying on the team. With the addition of Jankos as the jungler we can expect a lot of banter between these two as well as some serious attention Mid to get PerkZ ahead if Jankos still holds up to the name of being the first blood king. Wunder despite some shaky games in my opinion is still a consistent top laner where if he gets a chance to be on a strong laner he will do some real damage. Also with the addition of Hjarnan and Wadid it should make for a stable bot lane. Of course this replacement will not beat Zven and Mithy but this was the best package deal G2 could have gotten, and those two can still develop their already good synergy and can become very dangerous to complete against. Overall I feel that the Spring split will be a development stage for G2 as their players build their synergy and look to truly complete in Summer.
Splyce
Roster- Odoamne, Xerxe, Nisqy, Kobbe, Kasing
With the failure of qualifying to Worlds Splyce under went some real building. Only Kobbe remains on the ADC position with some familiar faces accompanying him. Odoamne I think is a fantastic choice, he has built a reputation of a solid Top laner which is very adaptable. This with the combination of Xerxe should make for an interesting dynamic as Xerxe has proven he can do really well when given the chance with his rather "unique" champion pool. Nisqy is also coming back to Europle from team Envyus and after a good showing against superstar talent like Bjergsen and Jensen I think Nisqy and grow to become a really fantastic Mid laner like PerkZ, being able to hold his own against some top talent the Mid lane has to offer. Lastly the bot lane being Kobbe Kasing should make for an interesting dynamic. Kasing hasn't been in the LCS for a while so seeing him return is a pleasant surprise as he is very vocal and can lead a team, Kobbe has shown he is a decent laner and teamfighter when it comes to team dynamic so it's good to see him being paired with a strong vocal support. Overall this team is looking like a top 3 team competing against teams like the likes of Fnatic and G2.
Misfits
Ahhh Misfits, so close to causing one of the biggest upsets in e-Sports. Well maybe next time lets hope. With Ignar and PowerOfEvil gone though will they go back to Worlds though? I think most likely yes. Maxlore has proven to be only only charesmatic outside of game but in game he is a pathing genious. He read superstar junglers like Blank and Peanut like a n open book and I can't wait to see him further develop as a leader in game. That in a combination with his mechanics will make him a very valuable player when franchasing comes around. Of course his fellow Brit in the top lane also deserves praise as he is a solo queue machine and many people praise him for his versatility. Alphari up with Odo and Wunder will be an interesting lane to watch to see who deserves the title of Best Top in EU. Sencux replacing PoE i think is a fantastic replacement. I've always wanted Sencus to be backed up by a proactive jungler, his unique champion pool combined with his mechanical skill is arguably better than PowerOfEvil and should not be underestimated. Lastly in the bot lane Hans Sama is returning a favourite of many and for good reasons. Displaying some real great skill agaisnt best the World has to offer Hans Sama being so young will make him a fearsome player if he continues tto develop his skill. Joining him will be a friend of Sencux, Mikyx. Though I'am sad about the departure of Ignar, Mikyx isn't a bad replacement however I'm not convinced yet. I'm hoping to see some development from Mikyx and Hans Sama as they haven't had the chance to play as a duo just yet on stage.
Roccat
Roster- Profit,Memento,Blanc,HeaQ,Norskeren
Oh boy Roccat. This rosters is so weird. Profit has shown glimpses of hope on NIP but nothing spectacular of notice to make him a big threat same going to Blanc in the Challenger scene. Memento has been decent but just seems like a downgrade. The Bot lane as well hasn't had much of good history either with HeaQ ending up in relegation teams in most cases. I guess we need to wait and see for this roster to play out. Sure they can take some games off from teams but I see this as a bottom 5 team.
Outro
Wow that a lot of writing, I'm gonna stop here and continue with the last 5 teams later. I hope this was a good first real post and enjoyed reading. See you soon!