League European Championship Predictions Week 4

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League European Championship Predictions Week 4

After three weeks we still have G2 Esports as our undisputed best team of the LEC. We also have seen Misfits struggle to completely dominate teams, as they did the first week and a half of play. A lot of the bottom half teams picked up wins to remain packed for the sixth place spot. Fnatic was able to pick up a win (against the last placed team, Rogue), but there is still a lot to work on for them to be among the playoff teams. This week is packed with a lot of great matches starting with Schalke 04 going up against Misfits in game one of the week. My match of the week has to be G2 Esports vs. Team Vitality, two of the best-ranked team face off, as Vitality looks to be the first team to take down G2. Here are our standings: Brandon (22-8), Manny (20-10), and Ibriz/Major Castleman (19-11).


Friday, February 8th

12 PM ET Misfits (4-2) vs. Schalke 04 (5-1):

LEC LoL

What a way to start week 4! We have Schalke, a team that is on an impressive win streak, against Misfits, a team that started hot but has since dipped. This is a statement game for Misfits if they can pick up a win against Schalke. Schalke will want to cement themselves as the second-best team in the league. Schalke have proven that they are a menacing with some recent performances, but they still have to prove themselves against the other top teams. Lee “Ignar” Dong-geun will be facing his old team for the first time since leaving Misfits. Bot lane will be where you want to pay attention as Elias “Upset” Lipp also takes on Steven “Hans Sama” Liv with the help of Ignar and Kang “GorillA” Beom-hyeon. This is looking to be one of the best matches of the week and let’s hope that it delivers.

  • Brandon: Misfits
  • Major Castleman: Schalke 04
  • Manny: Schalke 04

1 PM ET SK Gaming (2-4) vs. Splyce (3-3):

Splyce had a tough week going 0-2 against, both, Schalke and G2. They are looking to separate themselves against the other bottom of the half teams. SK has been on a downward trajectory and has failed to show any form of being a contending team. This the week that both teams are looking to recover from their 0-2 weeks and look to make a case for their playoff contention.  Splyce has looked like the much better team and will be looking to prove that. SK, on the other hand, still has time to learn and adapt to life in the LEC. It is understandable that SK Gaming still is undergoing its growing pains, but many hope that they can improve and challenge for a playoff spot after their long hiatus from the top flight of European League of Legends action.

  • Brandon: Splyce
  • Major Castleman: SK Gaming
  • Manny: Splyce

2 PM ET Origen (2-4) vs Rogue (0-6):

Rogue Gaming might be having an awful start, in comparison to many people's higher expectations of the team. Yet, they have demonstrated some impressive play during last weeks series. They did face a heartbreaking loss against Team Vitality that pulled off an amazing backdoor to steal the win away. Rogue does seem to be slowly making their way to a first victory and is hoping to make it so when they face Origen.  Origen has been the beloved child returning from a long break, only to realize that they still have yet to learn much and still struggle to make the right decision. Origen was expected to be the team to ignite the fierce rivalry against Fnatic. Sadly, both teams are in the bottom of the standings, and any hope for a fierce rivalry is none existent. Origen will want to start stringing victories together to show that they are the team people were hoping for but will face a tricky match against Rogue who is looking to get a win on the board.

  • Brandon: Origen
  • Major Castleman: Origen
  • Manny: Rogue

3 PM ET Excel (2-4) vs. Fnatic (1-5):

LoL LEC

Fnatic was able to pull off their first victory during the weekend when they faced the last placed Rogue. Excel has been a decent surprise for many, as many saw Excel as one of the weaker teams in the LEC. They have shown some great drive even pulling off a game against Misfits. Due to the level of both teams, one would assume that Excel is favored to take a win in this game. Fnatic will be trying to prove that they are still a good team that is just going through some early season blues. If Excel can pick up a win, I think they will be the clear favorites to remain in the Top 6 for the duration of the split. Fnatic pulling off a win would put them in the perfect spot to fight for a playoff spot within the next few weeks.

  • Brandon: Fnatic
  • Major Castleman: Excel
  • Manny: Excel

4 PM ET G2 Esports (6-0) vs. Team Vitality (5-1):

LoL LEC

Team Vitality has the second best record in the league so far, tied with Schalke, but after a shaky game against Rogue, it is hard to see Vitality as a contender to take down G2 Esports. If Vitality is able to pull off a win, however, it will show that this young team still has a higher ceiling to reach, with a possibility of being a LEC Champion. G2 have looked immense in the majority of their games, and it is still unclear if there is any team that could take them down.  The elusive 18-0 season is still an unlikely task, but with the way, G2 has been playing it looks more and more plausible. If they can pull off this feat, then we can start to argue that this is one of the best teams EU have ever seen.

  • Brandon: G2 Esports
  • Major Castleman: G2 Esports
  • Manny: G2 Esports

Saturday, February 9th

11 AM ET Origen (2-4) vs. Schalke 04 (5-1):

Schalke has been one of the hottest teams in the league, and with such an impressive run you don't imagine them dropping a game to Origen. The thing with League, like many sports, is that if you let your guard down or don't pay attention to the smaller teams, that can cost you. Momentum is going to be key going forward, and it is hard to argue with the impressive run of Upset and the rest of #NullFear squad. Origen has won two games against struggling teams, so the team morale is not that high. Origen needs to start getting much-needed wins to show they can compete at a high level.

  • Brandon:  Schalke 04
  • Major Castleman: Schalke 04
  • Manny: Schalke 04

12 PM ET SK gaming (2-4) vs. Rogue (0-6):

SK Will be looking to pile on the wins in the coming weeks, they have an excellent opportunity to gain momentum when they finish off the week against Rogue. Rogue is still looking for their first win of the season and faces a decent chance against one of the weaker sides of the LEC. Rogue hope Mateusz “Kikiz” Szkudlarek can start to show his old form, and help Rogue control more of the map. Rookie, Oskar “SelfMade” Boderek has shown some impressive performances and can be the real difference maker in this match. Rogue look to start making some positives from a terrible split so far. SK looks to begin improving their record so they can make a real playoff push.

  • Brandon: SK Gaming
  • Major Castleman: SK Gaming
  • Manny: SK Gaming

1 PM ET Misfits (4-2) vs. Splyce (3-3):

Misfits have had a tough time the last few weeks by not being able to maintain a 2-0 week. This week might not be an exception as they are facing two tough opponents. Misfits are looking for a momentum boost as they prepare to face G2 in next weeks match. Splyce had a strong start but were handed two consecutive losses. This will be an exciting game as there is a lot on the line for both teams. Many will be looking to Misfits to pick up a convincing win, but it is unwise to count out Splyce. Many expected Splyce to be one of the weaker teams, going into the spring split, but have proven everyone wrong with some strong plays and decision making. Hopefully, this proves to be another close game that can give us a good idea of the strength of teams before going into the halfway mark next week.

  • Brandon: Misfits
  • Major Castleman: Splyce
  • Manny: Misfits

2 PM ET Excel (2-4) vs. Team Vitality (5-1):

Excel has been interesting to observe, they sit at 2-4 but have had some close games in their four losses (one of these against undefeated G2). It is tough to determine how strong Excel really is because of their very record. On paper, they looked to be one of the weaker LEC teams coming into the new season. Yet, the way they have played many levels higher. They do face Team Vitality that has shown many weaknesses, but it is still uncertain what level we will see from both teams. Team Vitality is the favorite for many coming in, but we can also be expecting a good game from Excel.

  • Brandon: Team Vitality
  • Major Castleman: Team Vitality
  • Manny: Team Vitality

3 PM ET Fnatic (1-5) vs G2 Esports (6-0):

LoL LEC

During pre-season, we were probably the most hyped for this matchup between Fnatic and G2. After three weeks I feel like everyone can confidently say that Fnatic holds no chance against G2. There is always an off chance we do get to see an amazing upset, but with Schalke not being in this game I feel like this will be unlikely. There are many changes to the patch that could put Fnatic in a better position, but from what we have seen, they have many more problems to work on first. It should be a fun game regardless when we do get to see Luka “Perkz” Perković face Martin “Rekkles” Larsson for the first time since Perkz move to the bot lane.

  • Brandon: G2 Esports
  • Major Castleman: G2 Esports
  • Manny: G2 Esports

With four weeks in the book who are your favorite teams? Do you think there will be any significant changes in the standing in the second half of the Split? Did we get any wrong picks? Let us know via Twitter.

Manny Gomez
Manny ‘Manstr’ graduated with a degree in game design and development but fell in love with the thrill of esports. Manny has always enjoyed talking about professional League of Legends and FIFA. He has been a published video game journalist in Colombia for two different publications. Twitter: @Manster415