LoL European LCS: Week One Review
The first week of the European LCS is behind us and it left us with both familiar storylines and exciting new developments.
A quick review of how teams performed this week will not only help us understand how the offseason has changed team dynamics but could also give clues to build successful lineups.
H2K
H2K made some big moves in the offseason and they seem to have paid off. While H2K continues to play a slower, calculated and controlled style, they still put up a good number of fantasy points. Forgiven looks incredibly promising for fantasy as he had a league leading 94% kill participation to go along with his league leading 34 fantasy points per game. This can be attributed to his incredible aggression, going so far as to steal kills (and fantasy points) from his teammates.
Always remember to avoid teams playing against H2K, as their controlled style gives up very few points, even when they are losing.
A word of warning is due, as this is a familiar storyline for H2K and for Forgiven. Both have had strong starts only to see them fall apart. Only time will tell if Forgiven’s strong personality has finally found a place to thrive or if history will repeat itself and we will see H2K implode.
Origin
The biggest disappointment of the week, at least for many. Power of Evil should bring some more aggression and energy to the team, and that was true this week, unfortunately that did not translate into wins or good fantasy outings for anyone on the team.
Looking forward, there is some good news here. In Origin’s losses, they put up better than average numbers and stayed aggressive at all times. This means OG members, especially Power of Evil and Zven could still be great GPP picks when they are heavily favored, and should be reliable cash picks, especially once their price begins to fall.
G2 Esports
One of the big surprises, a new team that is starting strong. Not only did G2 win, but they put up great fantasy numbers. Trick looked fantastic in the jungle, he played aggressive and had a very impressive kill participation of 86%, only trailing Forgiven among players that scored well. Perkz and Emperor did very well showcasing high levels of skill and aggression, however communication and coordiation issues were evident as their kill participation numbers were quite low. In GPP lineups, it may make sense to pick up Perkz or Emperor, but not both.
Overall, as long as G2 is not completely outmatched they should continue to be great plays in all formats.
Unicorns of Love
The Unicorns are back and despite the many fresh faces on the roster the team plays very similar to last year’s squad.
Unicorns are similar to G2 in that they are fantastic plays when in a favorable matchup, but their value drops significantly when playing against a very strong opponent. It is difficult to single out any standout players, as they are all capable, but Vizicsacsi is likely the most reliable.
Fnatic
The loss of Huni, Reignover and YellowStar had many wondering what FNC’s fate will be. After one week, we are still wondering.
On day one, it looked like the FNC of last year, they crushed their opponent while racking up a mountain of fantasy points. Day 2, the complete opposite was true. They looked uncoordinated and were unable to compete on any level.
Fnatic’s upside is huge, however their downside is equally large. Until we see them some more stay away from FNC in cash lineups. GPP is another story, as their large upside might make a FNC stack a winning GPP play.
Vitality
This newly formed super team has three players in Caboshard, Nukeduke and Hjarnan that have the ability to carry a game and put up absolutely huge numbers. Expectations were very high for Vitality as the amount of raw talent on this team is massive.
Unfortunately, this talent didn’t translate into a great week one. After dropping a game to mid level Roccat, they did mange to hand Fnatic a resounding defeat. However, even in their win the number of fantasy points scored was dismal.
Stay away, unless you are reaching for GPP picks and expect a breakout week from one of their superstars.
Roccat
This team didn’t have as great an offseason as others, but they did come out of the gate playing quite well and surprised the much hyped team Vitality by handing them a loss. Still, their fantasy production was not impressive even in their single win.
Stay away, unless they are facing teams at the bottom of the rankings, then Roccat players might be worthwhile as low price options.
Giants
Giants brought in some new players, but their core remains from last season. Unfortunately, they did not have a great week one and I would not expect their fortune to improve. In favorable matchups xPepii and Adryh could make reasonable low price options as both have high ceilings.
Elements and Splyce
The remaining two teams had a very poor week one and it will be difficult for them to improve. Splyce is fresh out of the challenger series, and Elements is a complete rebuild. Neither of their rosters are compelling in terms of fantasy point production. Stay away from these guys.
In summary, after week one, we should be targeting players from:
• H2K
• G2
• UOL
• Origin (as matchups allow)
• FNC (if you are feeling lucky)
Avoid Players from:
• Vitality (this could change)
• Roccat
• Elements
• Splyce
• Giants
Target players playing against:
• Origin
• Roccat
• Giants
• Splyce
• Elements
Avoid players playing against:
• H2K
• Fnatic
• Vitality
Matchup Dependent, avoid taking players from these teams when they are facing a superior opponent, but do target players on these teams when playing weaker teams.
• G2
• UoL