Now that they have finally reclaimed their place atop the EU LCS, Fnatic won’t give it up easily. Fnatic are nearly odds-on favorites heading into the EU LCS Summer Split after finishing at the top of the heap in the regular season and sweeping G2 3-0 in the Spring Split Final. With the emergence of Bwipo in the top lane, they might be even stronger in the summer. However, meta changes may make them more vulnerable than they were in the spring.
2018 EU LCS Summer Split Betting Odds (Courtesy of BetDSI)
Fnatic +120
G2 +400
Splyce +650
Team Vitality +950
Misfits +1150
H2K +1150
Schalke 04 +1700
Giants Gaming +2400
ROCCAT +2400
Unicorns of Love +3900
As long as Fnatic have Rekkles, they are always going to be in the running for a title. Rekkles is coming off of the best split of his prestigious career, and he is gunning to take his team to another title. However, at least now, late game hypercarries are not a part of the meta. That puts the onus on other members of Fnatic.
In particular, Caps is going to need to play well. He has had his ups and downs as Fnatic’s mid laner, and he gave some inspiring performances at the Mid-Season Invitational. There is a concern that his champion pool doesn’t fit the current meta. He is not great on Zoe and Taliyah, and those are two of the top tier mid laners right now.
G2 is aiming to take back their title as the Kings of Europe. They had won four straight splits before losing to Fnatic in the final, but a long break has helped them build chemistry.
Perkz is one of the top mid laners in the region. He is going to be the team’s star and hard carry, particularly on Patch 8.11. However, this could be a breakout split for Wadid. G2’s support had some fantastic moments during the spring, although there were some big mistakes too. His recent play his encouraging, and he may be the best support in the region by the end of the year.
Even though they finished tied with G2 for second place in the regular season in spring, Splyce should not be the third favorite for summer. With the recent changes to jungle camps and experience, the position has been de-emphasized. That hurts them more than other teams.
A lot of Splyce’s success was the result of Xerxe’s play in the jungle. Xerxe has been the best jungler in Europe for the last few splits, but it is probably going to be tough for him to have the same impact he had in the past. Splyce’s hope is that their bottom lane of Kobbe and Kasing can improve on their performance in spring.
There is plenty of reason to be excited about Vitality. Jiizuke is an up and coming mid laner that should shine in this meta. He was fantastic on Zoe in the spring, and he might be able to get Vitality off to a strong start if there is solid play from his teammates.
The two longshots with a chance are Misfits and Schalke. Misfits were expected to be the third- or fourth-best team in the region in spring. They are primed for a turnaround after missing the postseason entirely two months ago. Schalke is an intriguing option too. Upset and Nukeduck have looked promising, and Schalke could make some noise if they play at their peak.
