Who doesn’t love an underdog story? While 2019’s immensely successful iteration of the League European Championship saw three EU teams make it out of groups at Worlds – and one even make it to the final – it still felt like a two horse race. G2 were dominant, the kings returned for their crown in superteam clothing. Fnatic were on a redemption arc, showcasing that the loss of Rasmus “Caps” Winther to their biggest rivals affected them less than it should have. Splyce were… there, too, I guess.



In fact, while Europe’s top two teams have been pretty clear-cut in both championship titles and competitiveness of their games, the elusive third seed was anyone’s to stake a claim for. So, besides the two elephants in the room, who else do we have? And why should you cheer for them?

Let’s take a look at some of the pros and cons each of the organizations battling it out for that bronze medal bring to the table.

Rogue

Pros: Young roster, only upgraded since last year, only team to invest in Polish League ecosystem

Cons: Disrespectful at times

I really like Rogue. Their 2019 Spring was horrid, despite their not-quite-superteam, but the restructure the team went under in Summer (utilizing their Academy squad) saw the artists formerly known as Rogue Esports Club be one game away from Worlds qualification. Strong mechanics but a distinct lack of discipline means that Rogue are a longterm investment, though the raw talent latent on this roster could be tapped sooner rather than later and we could see them tear through playoffs again.

Excel Esports

Pros: Top UK lads through and through

Cons: Inconsistent imports, obnoxious football hooligan-esque fans

Lads lads lads. Excel have upgraded over the off-season, but their identity remains largely the same. Aggressive early game plays come alongside clean teamfight execution, and XL look far stronger than the 10th place contenders we saw in 2019.

However, their attempts at cultivating a home audience – in this case, the UK – has either resulted in loud, obnoxious fans (with admirable fashion) or eyebrow-raises at their attempts to garner support with zero prior reputation fall on deaf ears.

Team Vitality

Pros: You’re French and have some nationalistic pride

Cons: Visa issues, gameplay issues

Legitimately I see no reason to support this team in their current iteration unless you’re either a masochist or very, very proud of your fellow French countrymen. As renowned as the organization is, their 2020 off-season was marked with both questionable roster moves and the reassurance that they couldn’t be as bad as their 2019 iteration.

Unfortunately for Vitality, their 2020 has been marred with visa issues so far, and more than their fair share of gameplay issues. Confused macro and no clear shotcalling really does see the talented Vitality squad just get overtaken come the mid game. Maybe we’re kindred spirits in that regard.

FC Schalke 04

Pros: Forg1ven, football ties

Cons: Do you like winning?

Konstantinos-Napoleon “Forg1ven” Tzortziou has had the most interesting of League of Legends professional careers. Forced into hiatus at the top of his game due to conscription requirements in his home of Greece, the once-rumoured toxic teammate with an unmatched drive to win is finally back. Unfortunately, due to the current metagame, Forg1ven finds himself on unfamiliar carries, unable to hard carry games like he used to.

S04 are currently winless, and the established football brand has a lot of questions to ask itself about how it wants to play out the rest of 2020. Fortunately, Spring is nothing but a test split as far as Europe is concerned now, so the boys in blue and white still have time to turn it around.

Origen

Pros: 3rd last year’s Spring, upgraded roster

Cons: Fell apart completely in Summer for no reason besides the meta changing

The biggest surprise – and disappointment – besides 2019 Misfits (more on that later) was Origen. A beautiful performance in Spring was sharply followed with a horrendous Summer, seeing the team bomb out of even playoffs contention and have to run a substitute during the gauntlet due to unfortunate circumstances.

No real reasoning behind their complete implosion besides a change in the meta suggests that one would be wise to hesitate about trusting Origen again, though their early performances have been pretty damn convincing this split.

SK Gaming

Pros: Perfume partnership, EU LCS 2x MVP Trick

Cons: Average last year, downgraded this year

Kang-Yun “Trick” Kim is an EU LCS two-times MVP, and a four-time champion. His jungle pathing is both intelligent and devastating, though his mechanical play as of recent leaves much to be desired – for example, missing Elise’s Cocoon on a Scuttle Crab.

Making playoffs in their triumphant return to Europe’s premier League of Legends stage, SK Gaming have only downgraded in 2020. That being said, their sponsorship has taken a heavy bolster, so… if you’re a perfume fan, #RUNSKG? The team is now partnered with Joop, which… isn’t exactly renowned for its prestige, but hey. If it smells good, it smells good. If only their gameplay could be as pleasant

MAD Lions

Pros: Rookie talent, Splyce of old

Cons: Who are these players?

When Splyce were rebranded into MAD Lions, they lost 4/5ths of their World Championship-caliber roster. The 3rd place team of 2019 was scattered into the wind, harvested by other teams across the league and the world.

However, MAD Lions’ all-in on rookie talent is… a bold move at most. Is there a line between investment in rookie talent and just going low-budget for a year? Fortunately for the most popular organisation in Spain, their LEC squad has performed admirably so far – and has even gone toe to toe with some of the league’s most fearsome contenders.

Misfits Gaming

Pros: Rookie Talent, redemption arcs

Cons: Broke multiple fans’ hearts in 2019, ruined some careers

For Misfits Gaming, 2020 is the year of the rebuild. An awful 2019 from an organization with proven world class talent and infrastructure, the tumble down the ladder both in league placement and fan esteem was a rough one for this superteam. Better performances came from the Misfits academy team, Misfits Premier, who won EU Masters Spring and then got their chance to prove themselves on the LEC stage come Summer. Unwilling to commit to that talent, however, Misfits instead decided to rebuild once more – this time again augmenting themselves with rookie talent.

Leaving the undeveloped rookies that they threw into the fire of the LEC stage last year hanging out to dry – or hanging out in the German Regional League in Adam “Lider” Ilyasov’s case – Misfits drew further ire heading into 2020. They’ve played at a level above expectations so far, so if you’re a gambling person and can forgive their off-season indiscretions, MSF are ones to root for.