The Vainglory 8 finishes week one and heads into week two of the 2017 Spring Season! No doubt the teams will put on equally fantastic performances as they did this past weekend. Need to catch up on last week’s action? Want a preview of the games to come and what to watch for? Broken Myth has you covered with the first of our weekly Vainglory 8 updates!



Europe

Vainglory 8 Spring Opener: EU Split 1 Week 1 (Replay)

After seeing the matches of last week, the upcoming matchups should be intense. Here are five big things to look out for this week.

Fnatic vs SK Gaming and Mousesports vs Team Secret

Unfortunately Mousesports and Fnatic face the teams that took third and second place last week. Currently with 0 point, these two teams will start week two at a disadvantage. With the Challenge Battles taking place April 8th and promising teams in the challenger series, this is not a place any team wants to be.

G2 eSports vs Denial

While Denial was knocked out with a 2-0 loss to Cyclone last week, G2 was able to take one game off the team. Without Cyclone as a first match, G2 might be able to make a much deeper run in this week’s bracket. This match is critical for the future of both teams’ standings in the Evil 8. Do not miss it!

Cyclone vs Rising Lotus

After a strong finish week one, Cyclone is looking to take a serious lead heading into week two. However, they did lose a game to both Team Secret and G2 eSports in their 2-1 victories last weekend. Will they be able to defeat the tough competition if they meet again? What if Rising Lotus gives us a surprise match and takes them out early? This is one team to watch closely this coming week.

Surprise Picks And Bans

Last weekend, Europe was full of surprises. We saw not only a Captain Rona as the result of a accidental pick, but even a Rona Carry in matches last week. Reim received four bans and was the second most popular Jungler chosen, and Blackfeather received six bans during last week’s play. Joule came in as the third most picked Carry. European players are prioritizing far different heroes than their North American counterparts which leads to interesting picks and team compositions.

Crystal Power Carries were chosen in only two matches last week. Keep an eye out to see if this trend continues. It will also be interesting to see if Samuel continues to hold unrivaled popularity in Jungler picks or if teams will switch things up.

Contracts

Not the kind you sign, but the kinds purchased in game. Europe is showing an interesting trend in gameplay where not only is an Ironguard Contract purchased at game start, but a Protector Contract is purchased as well. Dragonblood Contract, while previously an unpopular item, is also seeing play. Could Europe end up setting a new trend in the meta?

North America

Vainglory 8 Spring Opener: NA Split 1 Week 1 (Replay)

North America has some exciting moments to look for this coming week. Here are five big things to look out for.

Cloud9 vs TSM

These two teams that came close in the semifinals last week start round one of week two! Cloud9 was the only team to take a game off TSM last week. Taking home a win would be a strong start to taking first place this week and getting a lead in the standings. Keep an eye out, this one should be close.

Hammers eSports vs Rogue

While Hammers eSports was able to take a game off GankStars last week, Rogue was not. These two teams face early on this week. The winner of this game has serious potential for a rematch with GankStars as well depending on the results of.

GankStars vs Misfits

Misfits really need to pick up a win against GankStars this week or they may end up rock bottom in the rankings. GankStars took second place last week and will not be easy opponents to defeat. Will Misfits be able to take them down?

Echo Fox vs Immortals

Coming out of week one, these teams both have zero points in the standings. Depending on the results of Gankstars vs Misfits this could leave one team solidly in last. Only one team can move on in bracket, which will it be?

More Of The Same

North America does seem to have serious preferences for certain heroes. Vox had more picks as carry than Ringo, Adagio, and Gwen combined. Burst damage in the Jungle is the most popular choice here as well – Glaive, Taka, Alpha, and Koshka were the top Jungle picks in order. Captains also seem to fit into an expected pattern as Lance, Ardan, and Phinn all had similar pick rates. The hero variety in North America seems to be far less broad than their European counterparts with teams placing extreme priority on certain heroes and completely ignoring others. Will we see another surprise Grumpjaw this week or something similar? Who knows, but don’t get those hopes up too high.

Be sure to catch the action this weekend at Vainglory’s Twitch. Matches begin at 9 AM PDT and a full schedule is available in this post. Which match are you most excited to see? Let us know in the comments and we’ll see you next week for another Vainglory 8 Update!