This weekend’s LEC tournament concludes with the second half of the semi-finals losers bracket being played as G2 Esports look to gain some much-needed redemption after their nail-biter loss to Fnatic last week. Rogue, on the other hand, looked extremely dominant over the regular season 2nd seed MAD Lions in a comfortable 3-0 rout, but will their exploits in the early game be as easy to obtain against the star-studded samurais of Europe? And how will either team matchup the next day against a Fnatic poised to return to the throne?
In this preview, we take a look at the must-watch storylines heading into the weekend, and how impactful star players like Perkz, Caps, Inspired, Hans Sama, Nemesis, and Selfmade will be for their teams as the pressure to obtain the LEC crown reaches its climax on September 6th.
Rogue vs. G2 Esports: Momentum vs. Legacy
Rogue have had a topsy turvy run through the playoffs after finishing their regular season at the top of the LEC power rankings heading into the final week. While their first-round loss to Fnatic took a lot of steam out from under them, the resurgence against MAD Lions last week proved that their patented early game decisiveness is still there. When their impact players get comfortable picks, there are few teams that can coordinate in the early game like Rogue. Time after time, the pressure exerted bot lane with four and five-man ganks within the first ten minutes set the tone for how Rogue would dominate the series.
Larssen and Inspired continue to be the x-factor for a team already stacked with proven LEC talent. Hans Sama and Vander in the bot lane are a proven commodity, and Finn’s constant improvement in the top lane has been a positive omen for them that helped secure the first seed during regular season play, but there’s something about how Inspired gets his team going in the early game that really shows the hallmark of a true jungling phenom in the making. To compliment that early game activity, Larssen has proven his ability to capitalize on leads time and time again. These two aspects make Rogue such a dark horse for the series given that early game proactivity has been one of the few weaknesses G2 Esports have yet to correct.
The difference between MAD Lions and G2 Esports in the late game makes all the difference for this series. G2 continues to be a frustrating team to support because they look so utterly dominant in their wins, it seems like no one in their region can stand up to them, but their losses are head-scratchers, after crucial mistakes by Caps and Perkz in the final moments of Game 5, that ultimately gave the game away. The esports odds makers have G2 Esports comfortably ahead in this series and with good reason. While Larssen and Inspired are undoubtedly the future of the league — Caps and Jankoz are the present, and their presence along with Perkz’ late-game shot-calling will be the difference-maker in this series.
Impact Players – Semifinals and Finals
If you’re looking for cheap, stable, and most importantly high impact players to select for your DraftKings LoL team, there are a few players to rely on for the opening series that will pay dividends. While VanDer got a lot of love for his impact against MAD Lions last weekend, the same storyline won’t play out as easily for G2 Esports. Mikyx and Perkz have routinely had counter ganks in their back pocket against Fnatic and this series will be no different. If Rogue gets baited into pushing four players towards the bottom side of the map again, Caps and Jankos will undoubtedly be ready to participate. This is where players like Mikyx will become valuable in this series because his role as a tank bot will sop up kill participation points and keep him alive to cash out on the value.
Players within the LEC have been singing his praises since his early days on SK Gaming, but Selfmade really showed his prowess as a bonafide star in last week’s series against G2 Esports, and this weekend shall be no different. When Fnatic are firing on all cylinders, Selfmade is always the catalyst for that success as his impact on high damage picks like Nidalee, Gragas and Evelynn have given him a new lease on life in a meta where damage junglers reign supreme. While other Fnatic players will be too expensive to anchor an entire team around, picking up Selfmade is a proper alternative to keep your chances high (barring any tilted Hecarim games).
Featured Image Credits: Screen Grab form @LEC / LoL Esports
