The final day of Week 8 was hampered by delays, but all five games were eventually completed and we're officially only one week away from the playoffs. By Week 8's end, five teams have locked up their playoff spots and there is still one spot remaining for three teams who all want a chance to make it to Madrid, Spain for the EU LCS Spring finals to fight for.

SK Gaming: 13-3 (1st)

Games Remaining: MeetYourMakers (4-12), Gambit Gaming (9-7)

You can finally celebrate, SK fans! With the close-game-turned-remake-into-one-sided-stomp over the Copenhagen Wolves, SK Gaming have clinched a bye in the first round of the playoffs. H2k Gaming and Fnatic are two games behind SK with two games left to go, but Fnatic play H2k next week which means that only one team can catch SK in the standings. Their return from a group stage exit at IEM Katowice wasn't the most dominant, but no team in Europe currently looks unbeatable and they cleared the week with a 2-0 record.

They can clinch the No. 1 seed with a single win next week, putting them in the best position possible to make the Madrid Grand Finals. Of all the teams, SK can relax the most next weekend but Forgiven and company will be wanting to enter the semifinals with an air of momentum behind them.

Fnatic: 11-5 (T-2nd)

Games Remaining: H2k Gaming (11-5), Elements (6-10)

Fnatic were nearing a spot in the Top 2 and a bye into the semifinals, but they stumbled in the final day of Week 8 and lost one of the most improbable games in history to the Unicorns of Love. Mirroring their efforts against the Chinese titans OMG in the 2014 World Championship group stages, Fnatic were a mere two or three auto-attacks at the Nexus away from winning the game. But, just like against OMG, they weren't able to coordinate a final attack on the Nexus and lost in a game that they'll be wishing they had back.

Their final weekend pits them in one of the highlight matches against their closest competitors in H2k. Both teams are vying for the final bye in the first round, and while H2k has the tougher differing opponent in UoL on the final week, the Unicorns might play more lax with their playoff position locked in. Elements, Fnatic's final opponent on the season, might be entering the game needing a win to make the playoffs or a victory to keep themselves out of relegation.

H2k Gaming: 11-5 (T-2nd)

Games Remaining: Fnatic (11-5), Unicorns of Love (9-7)

Having won nine of their past ten games, H2k Gaming should be ecstatic with how their rookie season went. They lost their star mid-laner to Fnatic before the start of the season, picked up Ryu who was jumping from European team to European team, and came together after kaSing joined the team in Week 4. H2k don't play the most attractive style of League, opting to play more of a chess match while some of their competitors enjoy treating the game like a fight to the death, but it's worked out for them in the regular season.

H2k have an outside shot of catching SK Gaming, needing to win both games the final week and SK to drop both. The more realistic option would be snatching the final quarter-final bye away from Fnatic, and they will need a win against the men in orange to complete that. Fnatic have the season tiebreaker (1-0) over H2k, so two wins would put them through into the semifinals. A loss to Fnatic would knock them out of contention for the second seed and into a semifinal match most likely against the sixth seed.

Gambit Gaming: 9-7 (T-4th)

Games Remaining: Unicorns of Love (9-7), SK Gaming (13-3)

Gambit Gaming head into the final week in a comfortable spot. Their win against Elements secured them a playoff spot that seemed improbable after their 0-5 start to the season, and they only need a single victory to confirm a Top 5 seeding.

If nothing crazy happens during the final week — and let's be reminded that this is European LCS we're talking about — then Gambit will most likely be pairing up with the Unicorns of Love in the first round of the playoffs. To the luck of Gambit and UoL, the two will have a meeting in the final week that will give both teams a chance to try out the other without the pressure of needing a win to get into the playoffs.

The question now is whether either team will tip their hand against each other or if we'll see both teams have a fun time with their playoff seeding and opponent all but locked up.

Unicorns of Love: 9-7 (T-4th)

Games Remaining: Gambit Gaming (9-7), H2k Gaming (11-3)

Unicorns are in the exact same situation as Gambit. They play each other in the first game of the week, and then they go on and finish the season against one of the best teams in the league. The only difference is the Unicorns might possibly have a harder time against an H2k team who'll be battling for a bye in the first round compared to Gambit who'll be playing an already secure SK Gaming.

Unicorns and Gambit will most likely be a first round playoff match-up when the time comes, so I hope you're ready for the preview next week. These two teams love to fight and aren't afraid to open the playbook for new champions and compositions. Who will enter the playoffs with a bit more swagger after a win against their likely playoff rival?

Copenhagen Wolves: 7-9 (6th)

Games Remaining: Team ROCCAT (6-10), Giants Gaming (4-12)

Mark it down on your calenders and make a point not to miss it — Wolves vs. Roccat is next weekend's biggest game. If the Wolves win, they will be two games ahead of Roccat and eliminate them from the playoffs. A loss for the Wolves, however, would see everything fall apart as the season series would be tied up at 1-1 and a tiebreaker would be looming over them on the final day of the season.

A 2-0 final week and that's it — they're in.

A 1-1 week with a win against Roccat and a loss versus Giants would mean they would be in the playoffs with a single loss from Elements. If Elements were able to go 2-0, the Wolves and Elements would face off in a single game tiebreaker to see who gets the sixth seed.

A 1-1 week with a loss against Roccat and a win versus Giants would make things chaotic. Roccat would then play MYM and if they won that, the 1-1 Wolves would take on Roccat for the sixth seed.

A 0-2 week would result in the Wolves needing a ton of help in making the playoffs. They would first need Roccat to lose their next game to MYM, and then they would need Elements to lose one of their games so they don't hop both them and Roccat. If all three teams end up 8-10 to end the season, there would be a three-way tie for the final spot.

Talk about confusing.

Team ROCCAT: 6-10 (T-7th)

Games Remaining: Copenhagen Wolves (7-9), MeetYourMakers (4-12)

Don't lose against the Wolves.

Don't lose against the Wolves.

Don't lose against the Wolves.

As you've read above with the Wolves scenario, a win for Roccat would put destiny back in their own hands and a tiebreak at worst if they then went on to beat MeetYourMakers. A loss, and their playoff hopes are done and their game against MYM would decide if they're playing in the relegation rounds or not. Going 0-2 to both the Wolves and MYM would put Roccat into the relegation rounds if Elements were able to pick up a single win in the final week.



Again: Don't lose against the Wolves.

Everything comes down to that one game against the Wolves. Eight weeks of inconsistent and sloppy play could be written off with one perfect victory against the Wolves. A loss would reaffirm a down season for Roccat and put them out of the playoffs after being considered a favorite to win it all before the season started.

Elements: 6-10 (T-7th)

Games Remaining: Giants Gaming (4-10), Fnatic (11-5)

Elements are close to being the first LCS champion in history to not make the playoffs the next season. For Elements to make a final push into the playoffs, they need to 2-0 the week. Going 1-1, beating Giants and losing to Fnatic seems likely, but finishing the season 7-11 would mean they would need every one of these things to happen for a three-way tiebreak:



Roccat beats Copenhagen Wolves

Copenhagen Wolves lose to Giants Gaming.

Roccat lose to MeetYourMakers.



If all three of those things were to happen with a 1-1 record for Elements, a three-way tie would happen. But Roccat and the Wolves both losing to the two weakest teams in the league when playing for their playoff lives is something that Elements cannot count on.

A 2-0 would at least give them a chance with an 8-10 record. With an 8-10 record, they would force a tiebreak as long as the Copenhagen Wolves dropped one of their final two games. If the Wolves went 2-0, beating Roccat and Giants, then Elements would be out even with a major win over Fnatic.

Roccat's mantra for the next week is not losing to the Wolves, and Elements is simply:

Go 2-0. Beat Fnatic and Giants.

Go 2-0. Beat Fnatic and Giants.

Go 2-0. Beat Fnatic and Giants.

Giants Gaming: 4-10 (T-9th)

Games Remaining: Elements (6-10), Copenhagen Wolves (7-9)

The Spaniards are out of the playoff race, but they can play ultimate spoiler on the final weekend. A win versus Elements would all but destroy their chances at the playoffs, and a Giants win over the Copenhagen Wolves would put them in major trouble if things don't go well against Roccat.

They need to beat MeetYourMakers or will be auto-relegated out of the European LCS, but the Giants can keep their head high whatever the outcome is at the end of the regular season. Pegged by many to have zero chance in surviving and the lead candidate to get auto-relegated, the Giants weren't an embarrassment and had possibly the most memorable victory of the season against Elements.

MeetYourMakers: 4-10 (T-9th)

Games Remaining: SK Gaming (13-3), Team ROCCAT (6-10)

Same as the Giants: out of playoff contention, can play spoiler against Roccat in the final game of the season, and are needing every win possible to not get auto-relegated. They have the tough task of playing SK Gaming, but they can hope that SK doesn't take it 100 percent with a first round bye already secured.

MYM had one of the worst starts of any season for any team in EU LCS history — gigantic losing streak, player drama including a mother's house, and heavy criticism from the media and community — but you have to give credit where it's due. MeetYourMakers could have easily accepted their terrible season, walked into the night without a fight, and no one would have really noticed.

Instead? They have one final weekend where they can survive into the relegation rounds and extend their stay in the European LCS for a few more weeks.

Top 5 Matches of Next Week:

1. Team ROCCAT vs. Copenhagen Wolves (DO NOT MISS THIS ONE)

2. Elements vs. Fnatic

3. H2k Gaming vs. Fnatic

4. Copenhagen Wolves vs. Giants Gaming

5. Team ROCCAT vs. MeetYourMakers

Tyler "Fionn" Erzberger is a staff writer for The Score eSports, and he recaps each week's EU LCS and NA LCS. He can't believe Roccat vs. Wolves is the biggest game of the entire season. You can follow him on Twitter.