The last split of the League of Legends European Championship was kind of a traumatism for Duncan "Skeanz" Marquet — and it's quite understandable. Crippled by visa issues, Team Vitality struggled to meet their own expectations and ambitions, leading both their Academy and their LEC teams to a pretty hard situation. At the end of the Spring Split, the team had only managed to fluke two games, but their overall 2-16 record was telling.
Such disaster leaves consequences, the first being a reassessment of your own skill and performance. After getting obliterated by most LEC teams, Vitality needed time get back on track as players from both rosters needed to regain their self-confidence — and they're now slowly, but surely doing it.
For Week 6, Skeanz will step in and replace Cantoursna "Nji" An in Vitality's jungle.
Alongside the Academy team Vitality.Bee, Skeanz just won the Underdogs, a French tournament gathering the teams from the LFL, the second division and the Open Tour. He's now returning to the LEC stage, as a replacement to Nji.
"Nji is a good player, he brought a lot to the team, but he isn't in his meta right now," said Team Vitality Head Coach Hadrien "Duke" Forestier, "If we were playing a meta with Gragas, Sejuani or Jarvan, it would be a perfect fit for the team. Sadly, it revolves more around champions like Lee Sin, Olaf, Nidalee, Vladimir... that Skeanz masters to perfection. The idea is to bring more firepower in the early game."
Skeanz will be playing tonight as Week 5 of the LEC begins, and Vitality will have to face a big threat: Fnatic.
It remains to be seen if they'll manage to pull it off just like they did against Origen during Week 4...