Last day of League of Legends European Championship (LEC) Week 3 is upon us, with five more exciting fixtures for us to look over and give out our predictions.
Day one was quite a disaster for us and our predictions, as we failed to reach the success from Week 2. SK Gaming and Schalke 04 were outright terrible in their matches, while Fnatic underestimated Excel Esports, which cost them a clean win. What’s more, we were taken aback by how solid Rogue looked like against G2. While we expected G2 Esports to deliver and produce a clean win, it was anything but, which only goes to show how stacked LEC is this season.
Suffice to say, we made a mistake of overestimating the quality of SK Gaming and Schalke, while we should have realized Rogue are a “sleeper team”. However, it’s no use crying over spilled milk, which is why we won’t waste any more time and get to our predictions for Day 2 of LEC Spring Split Week 3.
Schalke 04 vs SK Gaming
Saturday, February 8 – 17:00 CET
It might not be one of the most exciting fixtures of the week, but at least it should give Schalke 04 a chance to pocket their first win of the season.
That said, having a chance to win and actually winning are two completely different things, and we have some serious doubts Schalke 04 are a team that can achieve that feat. In their match against Misfits, Schalke 04 played without any organization, no macro play and zero synergy. It seemed like they just didn’t care or didn’t want to be in the game and while we always try to find positives in any team, the only positive for Schalke 04 is that they did not lose sooner. Despite all the issues Schalke 04 has, their biggest problem is their draft, which is outright disastrous, so maybe it’s time for a new coach?
As for SK Gaming, they lost to MAD Lions who defeated them due to better macro play. SK Gaming made a few very questionable decisions that set them back bit by bit until they were so far behind there was nothing to salvage from the game. Furthermore, SK Gaming’s jungler Kim “Trick” Gang-yun was disgustingly bad and played a pivotal role in his team’s defeat.
Putting these two teams head-to-head, it’s hard to say exactly what’s going to come out of it. Here we have to pick the lesser of two evils, and while we believe both can lose, SK Gaming are at least better when it comes to drafts and synergy. Their decision making is very questionable, but they at least work together, which indicates they have better communication compared to Schalke 04 and that alone should be enough to edge past Schalke 04 and win here.
Prediction: SK Gaming to win – 1.8 Pinnacle
Excel Esports vs Vitality
Saturday, February 8 – 18:00 CET
Vitality deserve all the praise they can get for their performance against Origen on Friday, where they showed up, but eventually fell flat against their adversaries. Excel had a similar experience in their clash with Fnatic, where they played well, but also fell flat in the end.
Both teams made quite a statement on Friday, which leads us to believe this will be an exciting match. Still, we are confident Excel are the stronger team here. Vitality have shown they can play at a high tempo, but when it comes to execution and macro play, they still lack. That, however, is not the case with Excel who have a great coach and it’s clear he is doing wonders with this young roster.
We don’t expect any surprises here. Vitality might look stronger in the early game, but when push comes to shove, Excel should prevail.
Prediction: Excel Esports -5.5 kills – 1.94 Pinnacle
MAD Lions vs Rogue
Saturday, February 8 – 19:00 CET
MAD Lions are entering this bout with a 3-2 record which they earned with a handful of solid performances, yet we feel like they were not properly tested yet. So far they defeated Vitality, Schalke and SK Gaming, three of the worst teams in the LEC, which begs the question of how will they stand up against Rogue who looked very solid in their clash with G2 Esports.
Based on what we have seen, Rogue should win this one, however, MAD Lions have shown enough quality for us to believe they can produce tough resistance and avoid suffering a complete stomp. With that in mind, we expect to see an exciting match with plenty of kills on the scoreboard, but in the end, it should be Rogue who will come out ahead.
Prediction: Rogue -3.5 kills – 1.88 Pinnacle
Prediction: Over 23.5 kills – 1.83 Pinnacle
Misfits vs Origen
Saturday, February 8 – 20:00 CET
Origen are priced as the stronger team and should walk away from this match with a win in their hands. The only question that needs to be answered is whether Misfits can put up enough of a fight to give Origen a run for their money.
Misfits are on a three-game winning streak ahead of this bout. They completely decimated SK, Excel and Schalke 04, which suggests this team is not as bad as they were portrayed to be, however, their real test comes this Saturday when they face off against one of the top-three teams in the league. What we like about Misfits is their aggression and ability to disrupt the flow of the game with their high tempo, which should result in a fast-paced game with plenty of kills. However, we have serious doubts that Misfits can upset Origen who are overall more experience and better coached.
Prediction: Over 23.5 kills – 1.94 Pinnacle
G2 Esports vs Fnatic
Saturday, February 8 – 21:00 CET
A game we have all been waiting for, the clash between two arch-rivals and two of the strongest teams in the world is finally here, as G2 Esports lock horns with Fnatic in a bid to establish themselves as the Kings of Europe.
Bookmakers have G2 as favourites to win, which is fair, as they have proven numerous times before they are the strongest LEC team. That said, these fixtures are always close as both teams switch into a higher gear and perform to the best of their abilities.
All in all, we expect Fnatic and G2 to produce a bloody fight that is bound to see over 29 kills across the board. Both teams are experienced enough to not let the other run away with a huge lead and while G2 are overall a stronger team, Fnatic are not to be underestimated either.
Prediction: Over 28.5 kills – 1.89 Pinnacle
Best Bet: Rogue -3.5 kills – 1.88 Pinnacle
