The League of Legends 2017 EU LCS Summer Split is on our doorstep, and with the group draft completed it’s time to take a peek at the drastic, immense, world-shaking changes between the matchups in the Spring and Summer splits. So what do our new groups look like?

Oh the teams drafted… Identically to last split. Fresh faces Ninjas In Pyjamas and Mysterious Monkeys find themselves replacing Giants and Origen in groups A and B respectively.

Jokes aside, how different will this season look to the last? There’s an array of new faces and roster changes in the scene that might just give a summer season a little bit of spice, but how much change can we expect to see? Let’s take a look at some of the major changes coming June 1st to a rift near you.

Group A: What’s new?

Top Jungle Mid ADC Support Coach Spring Split sOAZ Broxah Caps Rekkles Jesiz NicoThePico Summer Split sOAZ Broxah Caps Rekkles Jesiz Dylan Falco

Many felt the performance produced by Fnatic in Spring was underwhelming; the storied organization not producing results to match their stature at all. That said if there’s a good time to go through a poor phase the Spring Split is it, and with a solid resurgence in form towards the end of the season breathing a bit of life back into fans and spectators alike Fnatic look well posed to turn their fortunes around for the summer.

Personnel-wise the only change has been the hiring of Dylan Falco as head coach, arriving to take up the mantle that NicoThePico left in sore need of attention. Experienced having worked with TSM, H2k, Immortals, and EnVyUs in various analyst and coaching capacities he looks to be a good fit for an unchanged roster in need of a guiding hand.

The lack of roster changes may actually result in the biggest difference in performance for any team this split – with Caps looking far more at home on stage near the end of the season, and Broxah showing a much needed improvement in Jungle innovation from Amazingx’s early season performances, consistency and practice may just iron this squad into a fierce contender.

Ninjas In Pyjamas

Top Jungle Mid ADC Support Coach Summer Split Profit Shook Nagne HeaQ Sprattel NicoThePico

Ninjas In Pyjamas hold a roster that have a bone to pick with the entire world. There isn’t a player on the team who doesn’t have a point to prove. Korean combo Profit and Nagne will be looking to remove themselves from the shadows of their previous teams, SKT T1 and KT Rolster, perhaps reminiscent of a previous Korean duo arriving in Europe to stake their claim. Shook, HeaQ, Sprattel, and NicoThePico will all be looking to shake off the reputations earned on previous EU LCS squads, all cast aside following shaky performances but with an opportunity for redemption here.

That said, determination can only take a squad so far, and NIP have drawn into a group of fierce experienced competition with a roster that has been assembled rapidly and that doesn’t maintain any of the squad synergy from Fnatic Academy that earned then sold the spot. They’ll fight hard but I can’t foresee them taking enough series to climb far up the rankings.

Group A: What’s not?

Top Jungle Mid ADC Support Coach Spring Split Expect Trick PerkZ Zven Mithy YoungBuck Summer Split Expect Trick PerkZ Zven Mithy YoungBuck

Off the back of a determined second place MSI showing G2 look set for a near mythical sprint back through the EU scene. Most expect that they’ll take the summer split with a trick or two up their sleeves to spare, holding onto the perks of being the European champs. A well done roster plowing towards green pastures, these young bucks look set to take a fourth straight EU LCS split victory, and with the way they’re playing and the roster and support staff they have who’s to say they won’t take a fifth, sixth, or seventh?

Top Jungle Mid ADC Support Coach Spring Split Alphari KaKAO PowerOfEvil Hans Sama IgNar xDaku Summer Split Alphari Maxlore PowerOfEvil Hans Sama IgNar xDaku

Don’t fix what isn’t broken. Only change coming into the summer is the departure of the underperforming KaKAO in favor of Maxlore in the Jungle. They’re a talented roster who will be looking to push for another chance at a playoff run, this time with more experience under their belts and a hunger to improve on last splits fourth place playoffs finish that wasn’t fully representative of the regular split skill they’d showcased.

Team Roccat

Top Jungle Mid ADC Support Coach Spring Split Phaxi Maxlore Betsy Hjärnan Wadid Grabbz Summer Split Phaxi Pridestalker Betsy Hjärnan Wadid Grabbz

Maxlore departs, Pridestalker arrives from Misfits Academy/Mysterious Monkeys to fill the gap. Some might be surprised by the lack of changes during the off season for Roccat, but it’s a decent decision on their part – they missed out on playoffs last split but went undefeated in the last 6 series of the season. They’ll be looking to try and replicate that form from the starting whistle next week.

Group B: What’s new?

Vitality

Top Jungle Mid ADC Support Coach Spring Split Cabochard Djoko GBM Steelback Hachani/ Nukeduck Shaunz/Irean Summer Split Cabochard Djoko Nukeduck Steelback VandeR YamatoCannon

Vitality were poor in Spring. Changes to management and the acquisition of GBM while moving Nukeduck to support to replace Hachani were awkward and pushed the team into fourth in their group. Had it not been for Origen and the split groups they may well have found themselves relegated. So what changes are needed to make this a competitive squad? The exact changes that they made during the off season!

Nukeduck with all his experience and talent has been returned to the mid lane, and in his place at support comes experienced and dependable support VandeR to fill the roster gap that was sorely needed. Now with a roster full of talent (in their correct positions) a stable hand is needed to structure and work them into a cohesive unit: enter YamatoCannon. With significant results leading his previous team Splyce as head coach, Yamato will be looking to prove that he can do it again here and show just how responsible he was for past successes by aiming to knock Splyce away from last splits playoffs spot.

Mysterious Monkeys

Top Jungle Mid ADC Support Coach Summer Split Jisu Lamabear CozQ Yuuki60 Dreams Unlimited

Newcomers to the professional circuit, Mysterious Monkeys (spot purchased from Misfits Academy) come in as a squad of amateurs without significant experience on their roster. The most storied histories come from Midlaner CozQ and ADC Yuuki60, both of whom have held long term roles with various challenger scene professional teams. The full squad earned their way as the highest EUCS seed coming into the split, with the entire roster maintained minus Pridestalker who moved to Roccat and was replaced by previous jungler Lamabear.

Perhaps they’ll surprise and make a fierce fight of it, but I expect that the monkeys may be outmatched coming up against the experienced, battle-hardened squads of UOL, H2k, Splyce, and Vitality. One thing is for certain though, they can’t possibly perform as poorly as Origen.

Group B: What’s not?

Top Jungle Mid ADC Support Coach Spring Split Vizicsacsi Xerxe Exileh Samux Hylissang Sheepy Summer Split Vizicsacsi Xerxe Exileh Samux Hylissang Sheepy

Nothing at all to see here. The experienced hands of Vizicsacsi and Hylissang lead them to a first place Group B finish with a four game series against G2 in the playoff finals last split. They’ll be looking to see if they can go for a repeat performance with the aim of toppling the behemoth sitting at the top of the EU wolf pack. This roster has been together for a good set of splits (minus Xerxe arriving last winter) so it will be an interesting task for them to see if extra practice can take their performance to the next level.

Top Jungle Mid ADC Support Coach Spring Split Odoamne Jankos Febiven Nuclear Chei PR0LLY Summer Split Odoamne Jankos Febiven Nuclear Chei PR0LLY

Despite their 3-0 thumping at the hands of Fnatic in the first round of last seasons playoffs H2k have determined that no changes are required. They hold a solid roster, with the experienced hand of Pr0lly at the head. They’ll be looking to bolster the performances of last seasons struggling members, but the main question is whether more practice will iron out the issues of this squad. One aspect that may lend them a hand is the arrival of the tower demolishing rift herald: H2k may be set for a good start to the split given Jankos’ penchant for first bloods and applying early pressure to let them transition that into the type of prominent early advantage that they work with so well.

Splyce

Top Jungle Mid ADC Support Coach Spring Split Wunder Trashy Sencux Kobbe Mikyx YamatoCannon Summer Split Wunder Trashy Sencux Kobbe Mikyx Genvous

Given the strength that Splyce had shown as a roster in previous splits many were surprised at the decision to move away from YamatoCannon as head coach. Newcomers Gevous and GuySake will be scrutinized closely to see if they can be equal to the task and maintain the success of the roster, but without further significant change or visual upward progression it feels like Splyce might just be treading water this split.

Pre-season rankings predictions:

I won’t be so bold as to predict the outcome of the playoffs, but given the lack of upheaval here are the rankings I expect to see come the end of the regular 2017 EU LCS Summer Season.

Very little will be different. Fnatic revitalized and Roccat on their run of form may well make Group A look a lot more even than last split, but in the end only marginal position shifts will be made with G2 rising to the top. In Group B with zero shift amongst Unicorns of Love and H2k Gaming the only bold call I can make is that the upwards momentum of Vitality may squeeze them past Splyce into a playoff spot for the season. The Ninjas In Pyjamas roster have the experience required to contest, but not the practice or honed roster synergy, and Mysterious Monkeys have the synergy but not the experience. They’ll each put up a good fight but expect both newcomers to be facing relegation come the end of the season.

In the end, how much do you think has changed? Have we missed something? Let us know on twitter with the hashtag @esportsgmng.