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With the start of the North American and European LCS last weekend, the first full week of competitive League of Legends has come to a close and we’ve got a round up of exactly which games you need to catch up on.
Korea saw an early revival of its famous Telecom Wars rivalry this year with a back and forth series between kt Rolster and SK Telecom. Meanwhile the LPL is still figuring out just how strange they can get with this meta and it’s leading to some unexpected results. Over in the EU LCS, every favored giant has already fallen at least once leaving the region’s crown completely up for grabs.
kt Rolster vs SK telecom T1, Game 3, LCK Week 2
Few rivalries in all of esports can match the intensity and history of Korea’s Telecom Wars between kt Rolster and SK telecom. Somehow, no matter where each team is at that moment, each time these teams face off it turns into an incredible match and Thursday’s face off was no different.
While the first two games in the series proved exciting in their own ways, the roller coaster game three is the one to watch from this series. Both teams played exceptional games and SKT even managed to hold onto a gold lead despite their eventual defeat at the hands of some phenomenal teamfighting from kt Rolster.
Royal Never Give Up vs LGD Gaming, Game 2, LPL Week 2
LGD Gaming always seem to be on the outside looking in when it comes to the LPL. Not quite one of the global powerhouses of the region, the team always hovers somewhere near the bottom of the standings, despite a fairly talented roster. So, when the team pulled through with an impressive with over perennial LPL favorites RNG it’s bound to be an exciting series.
The standout performance from LGD came in the second game of the series when a slow early game for both teams was meticulously curated into an LGD lead that fit their team composition perfectly. It may not be the cleanest win we’ve seen all year, but it’s a great example of what teams should do when trying to use a scaling comp to take over a game.
Fnatic vs H2K, EU LCS Week 1
Most of the EU standings seem pretty up in the air after week one. But even if we don’t know which team is best, an upset against Fnatic is always newsworthy, especially if the team that did it is as young as H2K’s newest roster.
This game had just about everything you could possibly want from a League of Legends match. Both teams looked strong and made smart decisions, both teams had big gold leads at one point or another, and the young underdogs of H2K pulled through with a stunning come from behind win thanks to a few gutsy Baron calls. If comebacks and risk taking like this are what best of ones in the LCS get us we could be in for a very exciting season.