Photo courtesy of Riot Games
After numerous transfers and other job changes, the time is ripe for a quick review just days away from the start of the League of Legends European Championship Spring Split 2020, which begins on 24 January 2020. Who are the favourites and which teams are capable of holding them back in their ambitions? Who will surprise us and who will be left behind? A little ranking is in order!
The favorites
The two-time defending champions and MSI champions didn't change much during the window transfer: they lost their mascot promisQ and swapped the positions of Caps and Perkz. In other words, this squad is still as scary as ever...
The only unknown, finally, remains the preparation of Caps in botlane and the return of Perkz in midlane. As in the previous year, it is either the stroke of genius or a flop to come, but G2 still have the possibility of returning to their 2019 roster. In the end, the smartest thing, and the most frightening for their opponents, would be that neither player has a fixed position and that they can choose freely according to the draft.
In any case, the public is already eager to see what Ocelote's men are up to!
The challengers
Spontaneously, when you're looking for a competitor at G2 Esports, it's the name Fnatic that keeps coming up. This season should be no exception because, despite the loss of Broxah and the staff, the orange and black squad remains very promising.
The biggest unknown is Mithy, who is starting a new coaching career and has yet to prove his worth in a team with a reputation for being difficult to manage. On the other hand, the reunion of Selfmade and Nemesis since the journey of at the 2018 EU Masters has surely a lot to show.
The outsiders
If the line-up for the 2019 Summer Split was already very convincing, seeing Rogue again with more experience and reinforced by Hans Sama creates a lot of expectations around the team this year! The French player is looking for a fresh start after a disappointing year at Misfits. His consistency and experience at the top level can only benefit the young rookies of his team.
Will that be enough to make the big boys tremble? It's best to keep an eye on this team this season!
The return of Forgiven and Gillius to a team already made up of a few veterans makes Schalke 04 the team to watch closely. The success of the Greek ADC is a mystery that only the competition can solve, but seeing him and Gilius on the interview bench is a pleasure that cannot be denied.
With success or total failure at stake, Schalke 04 is one of the teams that promises the most spectacle, both inside and outside the Rift.
With a few changes in the botlane and regularity in the rest of the squad, Origen remains a serious contender for the 2020 season. While Mithy and Patrick worked very well together, there is no doubt about the immense talent of Upset, who has always been one of Europe's top ADC.
Concerning Destiny, even if the Australian was brilliant at the Worlds with MAMMOTH, he still has to prove everything. Rare are the imports of players from Oceania: seeing him evolve this year could be very rewarding.
The others
The remaining five teams have been so overwhelmed that it is difficult to predict their true potential in advance. Between Misfits, who continue to rebuild as best they can but seem far behind, the MAD Lions who dismantle Splyce to present us with new rookies, Team Vitality who will have to reinvent themselves with the appointment of Skeanz, Excel Esports who bet everything on coach Youngbuck and SK Gaming who lose several key players, the gap between these teams and the others should be felt.
What seemingly started as a joke has become reality: G2 Esports stars Perkz and Caps will swap positions for the start of the upcoming League of Legends European Championship Spring Split.
