H2k-Gaming

“H-2-WHAT??? H2k!” A resonating and resounding chant that any fan of EU will be very familiar with. Amongst the greatest of EU on the World stage, H2k-Gaming planted their foot firmly next to them, making them one of only 5 EU teams then ever to make the semifinals of the World Championship. From their entertainly crafted meme videos to the open letter to fight for orgs’ rights, as an org H2k has never been afraid to try something new or speak out when they felt it benefits the scene as a whole.

This makes their untimely departure all the more difficult.

H2k has rose to excellence since their beginning, just after Roccat shocked Europe with an impressive 2014 run. Making it through the 2015 Spring expansion tournament, H2k went into the Spring split rather quietly, despite having popular and charismatic coach Prolly. But H2k aimed higher: when their time started looking bleak, they brought in KaSing, a jolly Brit who turned the team around -“The KaSing effect”- and allowed them to soar to Worlds 2015. All in their first split in LCS. If their 2015 run wasn’t satisfying enough, that lead the team to do only better. And in 2016 sure enough, H2k-Gaming assembled a mighty squad. While domestic results were not to expectations, their moment of glory was on a different stage…With the unstoppable duo of legendary marksman Forg1ven and Vander (aka Lane Kingdom), the last European team remaining put all of Europe’s hopes on their shoulders and achieved the highest competitive result ever: a place among the best teams in the world.

Since then H2k has had mixed results, never returning to the World stage they once set ablaze. 2017 saw them on the brink of making Worlds for the third time, but failure was not an option and the org saw no other alternative. Disappointed in Riot’s system, they waged a mediatic war for better policies, but their cry was left unheard at the time.

2018 then was a year where most wrote H2k off, yet the 2nd half of their Spring Split returned a sliver of hope for the loyalists where they climbed from last place all the way to playoffs, taking Team Vitality all the way to 5 games before falling.

The journey of H2k is truly a roller coaster ride of emotions. From their highs of their first entry into the LCS, to them always being so close yet so far to making the finals, to near the summit of the World stage and finally to the tale of 2 splits in 2018. Love them or hate them, H2k brought fans and viewers together.

We will miss their tenacity and hope they soldier on. Who knows, maybe one day again in the distant future we will see their emblem waved among the pantheon of League’s most revered competitors once again. The memory of their name standing next to legendary teams such as Samsung Galaxy, ROX Tigers and SK Telecom T1 will always be: Hard to kill.

Our memorable moment: “JEST KURWA!!!”

A-ha! You were probably expecting the monumental upset vs EDG here but we remembered something a little different…something with a little bit more spice attached. Schalke 04 used to be a dark horse back in the day, posing a threat to most teams despite being eventually relegated. One of the games that proved it was the closest base race of the split — but no dark horse could override Jankos’ Hecarim, as he saved the H2k nexus with unbelievably low HP and his reaction…you probably know it very well!