Now that's a colourful crowd!

The Russian Wargrounds

Despite the excellent start, the Poles remain in the shadow of the other newcomers.

Gambit Gaming are back, stronger than ever and are looking to quickly reclaim the number one spot.

fnatic. The "Spanish InSec" was merciless againstfnatic.

The best and the worst: Week 2

The worst:





3. Lemondogs



The team had a decent start and given the role changes and generally being new to the format we had a rather soft approach to them. However, they proved to be quite inconsistent when it comes to results. They conceded twice against teams they beat the previous week and managed to defeat only a struggling SK Gaming. If things keep going this way, I do believe Tabzz and his men need to rethink their approach and go big in week three if they don't want to lose out early on the opportunity to finish in the top 4.



2. Lauri 'Cyanide' Happonen



EG and NiP, Lauri was outplayed and put into a corner against the Blind Monk of Araneae and the unstoppable force that was Team Alternate during that game. I for one could not believe what was happening to the fnatic line-up who were bullied almost anywhere on the map. The winners of the Spring Split were forced to bend to their opponents's will, something which is rarely seen from them. Truth be told, sOAZ was once again considered for this spot, but given Araneae's impressive play, Lauri was simply made to look bad. We all know how dominant Cyanide can be when he is in top shape given his amazing Cho'Gath, Nasus, Volibear and Amumu plays during the previous split. I truly wish he would come back with a bang next week just crash the party of Diamondprox and Araneae. Fortunately, week 3 is just around the corner and we are eagerly awaiting for more jungle action.



1. Ninjas in Pyjamas



It is a fact that the Ninjas had a worse start last season, but ironically this is the price they pay for the fantastic finish of the spring split. This time, despite Bjergsen's presence, performance seems shakier than ever with multiple misplays and seemingly communication issues. Obviously, harder practise did not do the trick for them as a day ago a 3.The team had a decent start and given the role changes and generally being new to the format we had a rather soft approach to them. However, they proved to be quite inconsistent when it comes to results. They conceded twice against teams they beat the previous week and managed to defeat only a strugglingSK Gaming. If things keep going this way, I do believeTabzz and his men need to rethink their approach and go big in week three if they don't want to lose out early on the opportunity to finish in the top 4.2. The best "smite stealer EU" was an absolute ghost throughout the whole week two. Despite winning two games againstEG andNiP, Lauri was outplayed and put into a corner against the Blind Monk ofAraneae and the unstoppable force that wasTeam Alternate during that game. I for one could not believe what was happening to thefnatic line-up who were bullied almost anywhere on the map. The winners of the Spring Split were forced to bend to their opponents's will, something which is rarely seen from them. Truth be told,sOAZ was once again considered for this spot, but givenAraneae's impressive play, Lauri was simply made to look bad. We all know how dominantCyanide can be when he is in top shape given his amazing Cho'Gath, Nasus, Volibear and Amumu plays during the previous split. I truly wish he would come back with a bang next week just crash the party ofDiamondprox andAraneae. Fortunately, week 3 is just around the corner and we are eagerly awaiting for more jungle action.1.It is a fact that the Ninjas had a worse start last season, but ironically this is the price they pay for the fantastic finish of the spring split. This time, despiteBjergsen's presence, performance seems shakier than ever with multiple misplays and seemingly communication issues. Obviously, harder practise did not do the trick for them as a day ago a roster change was announced benching the majority of the old squad. The results are yet to be seen in Weeks 3 and 4. Being community favourites, the line-up change definitely hurt their fan base as an uproar ensued once the statement was made and the Ninjas were "accused" of "lacking their charm". I really hope this proves a wise decision as more changes of this nature may cost them their LCS spot in the long run.

The best: Week 2





3. Andrey 'Darker' Plechistov



The new support of Gambit Gaming seemed more than comfortable in his position. He brought excellent backing to team strategy and was rarely seen out of position or misplaying. It came as no surprise to anyone that he Genja. A true support. Practise makes perfect and as long as they continue to work this well together we may very well see Gambit Gaming on top of the table following next week's matches.



2. Adrian 'Kerp' Wetekam



Why do you keep giving this trackball maestro Shen? Why? After this week Kerp's ability as a capable player should not be put into question. Following up fantastically from week one, the top laner once again was key in almost every game Team Alternate played as he was constantly saving his teammates or initiating favourable team fights with the help of his blue ninja. By keeping his team in first place, Adrian officially took over the title of "Best Shen EU" from Kev1n who saved SK Gaming not once or twice during the previous split. Often assuming the role of a tank, I am curious as to what his performance will be on carry type of top laners such as Jayce or Zed. If it is half as good as his Shen play, then his opponents should definitely keep their eyes opened.



1. Alvar 'Araneae' Martin Alenar



Given that Team Alternate still hold first place, it comes as no surprise that number one in week two is another player from that line-up. This time it is the "Spanish InSec" - Araneae. Alvar truly shined this week as he was stellar during the first two games, despite falling short against Gambit, but was on another level when he faced fnatic. He and his Lee Sin plays are the sole reason I put Cyanide in the worst list and not sOAZ. He managed to display some jaw-dropping play with Lee Sin, something we are used to seeing from Diamondprox. With his team standing victorious again it is good to see that the Spaniard gets the recognition he deserves, especially after his grim times prior to joining the current line-up. 3.The new support ofGambit Gaming seemed more than comfortable in his position. He brought excellent backing to team strategy and was rarely seen out of position or misplaying. It came as no surprise to anyone that he was welcomed to the team after the first two weeks. His flexible approach to the role made sufficient impact on his team's success without giving him much attention as the star of the show was the blue Ashe ofGenja. A true support. Practise makes perfect and as long as they continue to work this well together we may very well seeGambit Gaming on top of the table following next week's matches.2.Why do you keep giving this trackball maestro Shen? Why? After this weekKerp's ability as a capable player should not be put into question. Following up fantastically from week one, the top laner once again was key in almost every gameTeam Alternate played as he was constantly saving his teammates or initiating favourable team fights with the help of his blue ninja. By keeping his team in first place, Adrian officially took over the title of "Best Shen EU" fromKev1n who saved SK Gaming not once or twice during the previous split. Often assuming the role of a tank, I am curious as to what his performance will be on carry type of top laners such as Jayce or Zed. If it is half as good as his Shen play, then his opponents should definitely keep their eyes opened.1.Given thatTeam Alternate still hold first place, it comes as no surprise that number one in week two is another player from that line-up. This time it is the "Spanish InSec" -Araneae. Alvar truly shined this week as he was stellar during the first two games, despite falling short againstGambit, but was on another level when he facedfnatic. He and his Lee Sin plays are the sole reason I putCyanide in the worst list and notsOAZ. He managed to display some jaw-dropping play with Lee Sin, something we are used to seeing fromDiamondprox. With his team standing victorious again it is good to see that the Spaniard gets the recognition he deserves, especially after his grim times prior to joining the current line-up.

EU LCS Standings

Enemies on the Summoner's Rift, friends outside of it.

EU LCS Standings after week two:

Team Alternate: 7-1

2. Gambit Gaming: 6-2

3. MeetYourMakers: 5-3

4. fnatic: 4-4

5. Evil Geniuses: 3-5

6. Lemondogs: 3-5

7. SK Gaming: 2-6

8. Ninjas in Pyjamas: 2-6 1.Team Alternate: 7-12.Gambit Gaming: 6-23.MeetYourMakers: 5-34.fnatic: 4-45.Evil Geniuses: 3-56.Lemondogs: 3-57.SK Gaming: 2-68.Ninjas in Pyjamas: 2-6

The Russian capital delivered a warm welcome to the second week of the LCS. After the games in Sweden, many questions were left unanswered with newcomersTeam Alternate andMYM stealing the show by winning all their games the only exception being their match against each other where the former finally shut down the Polish squad. On the other hand, we saw teams such asSK Gaming,fnatic andTeam EG having a rather disappointing week after all of them under performed and were sitting way below where we're used to seeing them in the league table.The mood was set by the ninth team at the venue - the Russian crowd. Comparisons were immediately made with theirLyon counterparts, but in the end both showed that the entertainment value which the LCS brings is more than just observing the game. This could be a hint to Riot - more stops could be beneficial not only to the teams and their fan bases, but the the game as a whole. As you can tell,Gambit Gaming were the absolute favourites as the "Gambit, Gambit, Gambit" chants were so deafening, the casting crew sometimes looked simply like extras to the true bringers of the fantastic atmosphere. In addition, I must say that this was the most creative crowd yet as the picture above captures my two favourite posters, proudly cheering forGambit - "Shine bright like aDiamond" and "We'll let you take dragon while we take Nashor". The icing on the cake was the scarf made specifically forGenja. The accessory had the colours of the Russian flag, with the AD Carry's head in the middle surrounded by champions of the same position. Absolute masterpiece. But let us put these little strokes of brilliance aside and dive onto the true action that took place inMoscow, Russia.Struggling to find their old dominant form,fnatic opened the second week of matches with a game againstNiP who were yet to defeat a big name in the rankings. It seemed that the Danes are still plagued by under performance as they were beaten in a fairly standard game by their opponents who did not even break a sweat. Despite winning their next game versusLemondogs, the Danish squad was once again sent in the dumps as they lost toSK Gaming. This marked yet another disastrous week for the Ninjas as they sitting at the bottom of the table.Moving on, we had the first rather big clash asMYM went head to head againstEG. The latter were looking to start a stable win streak while the former had to prove that what happened in Sweden was no fluke. The "Polish Mafia" did not disappoint and disposed of the Geniuses in a convincing fashion with once again, star playerCzaru making the plays. An excellent start for the Makers and a good warm-up as their next game was against non-other thanTeam Alternate.Speaking of the current number one, their first match was against the home favouritesGambit Gaming. After a valiant effort, the hotshots succumbed to the much more experienced Russians who, to the delight of the home crowd, convincingly disposed of their opponents showing that they're here not only to win, but to entertain. This marked the beginning of the crusade forGambit who continued on to defeatMYM andSK to throw their supporters into a frenzy after each victory. It is worth mentioning that we saw a blue Ashe build onGenja who used it to great success in all of his games, seemingly catching his opponents off guard.The gem of games, however, was yet to be played. The second to last match of the week was betweenfnatic andTeam Alternate who despite having a great performance so far, were seen as underdogs coming into the clash. After an absolutely insane level 1 fight, the newcomers continued to dominatefnatic in a way I have never seen. The driving force behind the crushing victory wasAraneae's Lee Sin who was all over the map with clutch plays and deadly ganks, terrorising the enemy line-up together withCreaton. The casting crew along with many of the viewers were shaking their heads in disbelief as the reigning champions of the Spring Season were on their knees asTeam Alternate sent a strong message that their performance in Week 1 was nothing but a glimpse of what is to come.In the post-game interview, the hero for his team -Araneae claimed to have been tutored byDiamondprox in the craft of Lee Sin and even said the the Russian labeled him "the Spanish InSec", an undoubtedly high honour.Diamond himself backed up that statement and said he was impressed with the Spaniard's play with the Blind Monk. Does this mean that Danil will bring back his godlike Lee Sin to the LCS? Only time will tell.Overall, the second leg did live up to its name and provided answers to the questions raised a week ago. It seems that most teams have found their way through whileSK Gaming,Lemondogs andNiP are struggling to find their place among Europe's best.This week's ranking will once again try to give you an idea of how well certain individuals or the whole team performed and which disappointed.This week was packed with interesting action, but had little to no impact on the overall standings withTeam Alternate remaining at number one andGambit andMYM switching places to complete the top three.fnatic andEG are still struggling to regain their confidence and week three will tell if they are to remain in the middle of the pack withLemondogs closing the distance if given the chance. At the bottom we find the new and reformedNiP who will seek to exact vengeance upon those who face them, an underperformingSK Gaming who did not live up toOcelote's tweet and the inconsistentLemondogs who are yet to show us what they are truly capable of.Week three of the European will be upon us in just a couple of days. Stay tuned to www.sk-gaming.com for the latest coverage of Europe's finest.*All images are copyright of their respective owners