



The 2017 EU LCS Spring Split has seen many critics complaining of the straightforward nature of the season. A gap existed between top and bottom teams. The best players stood out even more, and naturally, some stood out more than others.

In assessing which player best represented each position for our All-EU LCS picks, we focused on the consistency, impact on the team, and the overall legacy of form. Within that context, our top picks were pretty clear, but second and third positions warranted some dispute.

Top Lane: Unicorns of Love’s Kiss “Vizicsacsi” Tamás

View photos Kiss “Vizicsacsi” Tamás is the top laner for Unicorns of Love (lolesports) More

Runners-up: H2K-Gaming’s Andrei “Odoamne” Pascu, Splyce’s Martin “Wunder” Hansen

Vizicsacsi has performed exceedingly well in 1v1 situations, and his team channels the pressure he generates into leads. His midseason struggle to initiate teamfights gave us pause; we considered ranking Odoamne higher for his reliable performances in the early part of the split, as he bolstered his team while they improved synergy with bottom lane. But ultimately, Vizicsacsi’s superior understanding of flanks earned him the spot.

Our only dispute came in the third place position. Though Wunder made the official ballot because of his role in Splyce’s rise, my Yahoo Esports colleague Emily Rand had a different selection on her personal list for similar reasons. Recency bias is a dangerous thing, and something that we try — not always successfully — to avoid. That being said, ROCCAT’s late-season push was remarkable, and top laner Ambrož “Phaxi” Hren was a big reason behind their success, earning him Emily’s pick for third.

Jungle: H2K-Gaming’s Marcin “Jankos” Jankowski

View photos H2K-Gaming jungler Marcin “Jankos” Jankowski (lolesports) More

Runners-up: G2 Esports’ Kim “Trick” Gangyun, Nubar “Maxlore” Sarafian

Jankos underwent an exciting transformation just before the World Championship last year. He went from a jungler who forces ganks and camps brush to a jungler who understands how to use the position of creeps in lane and play off of which lanes have advantages. He and Fabian “Febiven” Diepstraten demonstrated the best performances as a unit this split, giving H2K a strong backbone in the middle of the map to provide opportunities for solo lanes. Although Odoamne carried H2K while the team was still figuring out their communication system, Jankos has been a sturdy presence throughout, a force behind their famed map control.

The second and third picks sparked more discussion. Both Emily and myself included Trick on our lists, earning him the second place spot for his efficiency on the map, despite his risk-taking. The third pick was most contentious and came down to Maxlore and Giants Gaming’s Jonas “Memento” Elmarghichi. I briefly championed Memento, as he shares some of Maxlore’s strengths for controlling the jungle to a lesser degree with more sparks of variation. Ultimately, ROCCAT’s impressive surge, speared in part by Maxlore’s resourcefulness, earned him the nod.

Mid Lane: H2K-Gaming’s Fabian “Febiven” Diepstraten

View photos Fabian “Febiven” Diepstraten is the mid laner for H2K-Gaming (lolesports) More

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