On Saturday, the European League of Legends Championship Series will close out with a highly anticipated finals matchup between Splyce and G2 Esports. In the wildly unpredictable European region, it was difficult to gauge which two teams would emerge as the last two standing. The parity in competition was fun to watch, but it made a clear favorite almost impossible to call. G2 Esports might've been the closest thing to a best team, but in the playoffs, it's all about momentum, and Splyce may just have what it takes to pull off the upset.
G2 Esports
G2 Esports is a well-oiled machine. If one team member struggles, another will step up. The primary damage dealers, Luka "PerkZ" Perkovic and Jesper "Zven" Svenningsen, are among the best in the region at their respective lanes and roles. Zven, especially, is arguably the most well-rounded and consistent AD carry in Europe, making his pairing with Alfonso "Mithy" Rodriguez the favored bot lane in any standard matchup. This is a duo that is fundamentally sound in the laning phase and should prove to be the team's greatest strength.
If the damage dealers struggle, the third option is Kim "Trick" Kang Yoon, who has intelligent map rotations and can usually force a gold lead for his team. G2 Esports may not be the best early game team in the EU LCS, but it's the best of the two teams left in the finals. The important key factors for G2 Esports will be Zven's laning phase and whether a secondary source of damage between PerkZ and Trick comes through.
Splyce
Splyce is an odd team.
They don't do anything particularly well in the early game, and they usually break even or lose ground in the laning portion. No one on the team is mechanically outstanding but all four of the team's core damage dealers can pull off a great game. Last week, Martin "Wunder" Hansen proved that he can execute an excellent top lane performance, carrying his team into the finals over a very strong H2K Gaming.
What was more surprising was Splyce's ability to take down H2K in a slow-paced and macro-intensive set, often considered H2K's strength. It gave hope; despite Splyce's early game deficits and weaknesses, the team could just play from behind.
The matchup against G2 Esports draws similarities to Splyce's victory over H2K. In all likelihood, G2 Esports will dominate Splyce in the laning phase and build a gold lead, controlling the map while contesting for neutral objectives. But never doubt Splyce's comeback factor with Wunder and Kasper "Kobbe" Kobberup on the lineup. This is a team that fights well and plays stronger with a deficit.