Unicorns of Love 1, H2k 0
Unicorns of Love made quick work of H2k Gaming to open Saturday's European League Championship Series slate.
Another day of EU LCS action, another H2k (0-8) loss. Through four weeks of the Summer Split, H2k has failed to string together any modicum of success as it drifts down to the bottom of the standings. Throughout this entire game, it could do little more than watch and poke at the opposition as Unicorns (3-5) did whatever it wanted from start to finish.
Within a couple minutes, it was clear that Unicorns meant business when mid laner Fabian "Exileh" Schubert's Zoe picked up three kills. The message was clear: Unicorns was going to exert its presence whenever it wanted and with little opposition. With those three early kills in hand, Unicorns marched its way to a sizable gold lead after knocking down a few towers. Whenever H2k tried to stand up to do anything, Unicorns knocked it down a few pegs and kept on chugging towards the win.
For all the success that Unicorns had in this game, H2k did manage to stall things out a bit towards the end of the game. The only problem, however, was that H2k didn't know how to capitalize on any advantage it gained. One such example came when H2k found a pick on Unicorns jungler Jonas "Kold" Andersen, but then rather than moving on any objectives, H2k allowed its Nexus turrets to get taken out.
H2k will try and bounce back next Friday at noon ET against FC Schalke 04, while Unicorns will take on Fnatic at 3 p.m. ET on Friday.
--Wyatt Donigan
Schalke 04 1, Splyce 0
The first mistake Splyce (3-5) made in this game was leaving up Aatrox during the pick-ban phase, which allowed Schalke (4-4) to snatch the champion up and use it to great success. With Schalke mid laner Erlend "Nukeduck" Vatevik Holm on the powerful champion, he got the team going in a hurry with two kills as part of a 3-for-0 teamfight 11 minutes into the game. That was all that Schalke needed to start picking up advantages across the map with impressive ease while knocking Splyce around in teamfights.
Outside of the team's subpar draft, Splyce seemed to struggle in just about every aspect of this game. It was cut down relentlessly in every teamfight, it couldn't control the objective game, and it lacked any discernible impact on the map as a whole. This game was yet another rough outing in what is turning into quite the troubling split for Splyce. While it managed to upset Fnatic on Friday, this game was another extension of the rough showing at Rift Rivals last week. If things don't turn around quickly, this playoff team from the Spring will miss out on the postseason completely.
For Schalke, however, this game was a strong showing that puts it at 2-0 for the week. Of the two wins, Saturday's was perhaps the most impressive of all as Schalke was just four kills and a dragon away from a perfect game. From the word "go," Schalke dominated every portion of the game all while not losing a single turret.
Schalke faces H2k Gaming at noon ET on Friday, while Splyce hopes to get back on track against Giants Gaming at 2 p.m. ET later that day.
--Wyatt Donigan
Giants 1, G2 Esports 0
Things might have gotten shaky during the mid-game, but Giants (2-6) fully controlled the pace of this game for almost every moment. With the help of jungler Charly "Djoko" Guillard, Giants tore through G2 (6-2) in the early game to the tune of an eight-to-four advantage in kills during the first 20 minutes. Any time Giants wanted to skirmish, G2 was simply powerless to stop it as its composition seemed ill-equipped to handle what Giants were putting out. G2 didn't seem concerned, however, as it focused on securing objectives to keep the gold lead dead even for the first half of the game.
Before long, G2's efforts in locking down objectives allowed it to claw its way back into the thick of things. After securing a 2,000-gold lead on the back of a Luka "Perkz" Perkovic double kill with his Aatrox, G2 bounced all the way back and evened up the kills with a pair of dominating teamfights. While Giants took some early advantages in fights, G2's bevy of sustain options allowed it to always hang around and come up victorious. With G2 notching the seemingly comfortable lead, however, it started to get a bit sloppy, giving Giants a window to victory.
With the teams looking to set up for the first Baron secure, G2 took a poor angle through the top side river and Giants capitalized by splitting up the opposition and securing a 4-for-0 teamfight win and the Baron. That was all that Giants needed to then move into G2's base and lock up the 37-minute upset win.
Giants will look to build on this win against Splyce at 2 p.m. ET on Friday, while G2 will want to bounce back when it faces Team Vitality at 4 p.m. ET later that day.
--Wyatt Donigan
Fnatic 1, ROCCAT 0
Despite losing a contest against Splyce (3-5) earlier this week, Fnatic (5-3) bounced back with a breezy win here against ROCCAT (4-4). From the very start, Fnatic picked up kills with ease all over the map with mid laner Rasmus "Caps" Winther. This allowed the team to secure objectives and take full control over the game early on. Even with a sizable lead, though, Fnatic didn't escape the mid game unscathed.
ROCCAT wasn't content to just let Fnatic run away with this game, as it picked up a few kills here and there to try and stall things out a bit. Due to their efforts, the kills ended up at an even five on each side throughout most of the game, giving ROCCAT a small window to try and get back. That window, however, was never big enough.
With the gold lead sitting at a whopping 6,000 before even picking up a Baron, ROCCAT were on the back foot once Fnatic grabbed the objective. The teams traded kills, but all that mattered was the Baron acquisition from the side of Fnatic. With the buff in hand, Fnatic simply waltzed down the mid lane and razed ROCCAT's base to secure the 27-minute win.
ROCCAT faces Misfits at 1 p.m. ET next Friday, while Fnatic prepares for a matchup against the Unicorns of Love later in the day at 3 p.m. ET.
--Wyatt Donigan
Misfits 1, Vitality 0
Vitality (5-3) struck first in this game, but that hardly mattered once Misfits (8-0) had time to get its composition online even in the slightest bit. It all started when mid laner Chres "Sencux" Laursen and jungler Nubar "Maxlore" Sarafian combined for two kills eight minutes in. Even though the 5-vs-5 teamfights didn't begin until the mid game, the early spark from Misfits showed what this composition was made of and gave Vitality a taste of what it would have to stand up against in the late game.
Things stayed even throughout the mid game, but all it took was a single sequence for Misfits to put itself at the forefront of this contest. With the teams dancing around in the mid lane, Misfits were relentless in its pressure that resulted in a 5-for-2 extended teamfight. That allowed Misfits to pick up an uncontested Baron before breaking into the Vitality base immediately after, while looking poised to close out the game in under 30 minutes.
Vitality didn't simply go quietly into the night, though. Even after being down over 7,000 gold and in the hole five kills, it capitalized on the cautious approach from Misfits with a couple kills that threatened to throw off the balance of the game. Misfits seemed unconcerned, however, as it simply picked up a second Baron before strolling back into the Vitality base and laying waste to everything in its path. It looked as though Misfits just wanted to ensure the victory without any room for error and once it did, that was all she wrote for Vitality.
Misfits takes on Team ROCCAT at 1 p.m. ET next Friday, while Vitality hope to turn it around against G2 Esports later that day at 4 p.m. ET.
--Wyatt Donigan