Welcome back, LOL fans!

Today we’re finishing the second half of our definitive EU LCS power rankings.

These are all teams that should make the playoffs barring any unforeseen catastrophes or a seismic shift in the meta. I’ll also be calling out bets to make on week 1 for these teams, so keep your eyes peeled for value.

5. Schalke 04

The Germany based Schalke 04 is the biggest wildcard of the EU LCS and one I have faith in. Led by veteran top laner, Vizicsacsi, and mid laner, Nukeduck, this team has a roster with both talent and experience. ADC Upset is a young, promising player that the team can build around and his duo lane partner, Vander, should be able to guide him effectively. This team is coordinated and sports excellent macro play, albeit only against challenger teams. Former caster, Krepo, as the coach of this squad is also a wildcard, but as his work on the desk indicates, he has a high level understanding of the game. The biggest question for this squad is whether or not they can duplicate their success against challenger teams in the LCS, something I believe they can do.

Schalke gets 1.49 odds vs Roccat in their first game back in the LCS.

I like that as a bet, and if you would like to lay a wager on Schalke versus Misfits at 2.15, I don’t think it’s a crazy play.

4. Splyce

Splyce has successfully created an EU super team, at least on paper. They’ve acquired some of the best talents in the region, including Kasing at support and Odoamne in the top lane. Futhermore, this squad is led by former INTZ Esports coach Peter Dun, who has the roster to support his side lane focused system. This team is not ranked higher solely because they will need to work on finding team identity and synergy. I would not be shocked at all to see this squad in the EU playoffs final.

Splyce at 2.86 versus Fnatic, who has yet to be ranked, feels like an incredible value for this team.

I would not expect Splyce to win, but almost 3-1 feels too long for this squad. Splyce at 1.68 vs UoL is a no brainer.

3. Misfits

Last year’s world championship darlings will face their greatest challenge as an organization thus far. Losing Ignar and PowerOfEvil, two veterans that played massive roles for this team, will be tough to navigate and require a shift in team identity. While PoE’s replacement, Sencux, is a talented player in his own right, he is less versatile and team fight oriented than PoE was. Going from Ignar to Mikyx is a slight downgrade, but should not be crippling to this squad. On the plus side, the dream team of Alphari and Maxlore in the top lane and jungle is returning and should be able to drive this squad to continued success.

I actually like Misfits at 1.99 vs G2 this weekend, despite G2 being ranked ahead of Misfits.

Misfits has a synergy advantage at this early stage of the season. Parlay that with Misfits vs Schalke at 1.64 for added winnings.

2. G2 Esports

Let’s start by examining what G2 lost- the core of their team and the best bot lane in EU. Zven and Mithy have gone to TSM. Expect and Trick have also left, returning to Korea. This is an almost entirely new roster, restocked with some of the best talent in EU. EU LCS vets Wunder and Jankos have filled the top lane and jungle roles, while the bot lane is being manned by former Roccat duo lane, Hjarnan and Wadid. To cap the roster, EU’s best mid laner, Perkz, will be leading this team. His ability to draw attention and affect the game in multiple ways from the mid lane is invaluable to this roster.

G2 versus Roccat at 1.30 might be the safest bet on the board this weekend.

G2 versus Misfits at 1.75 is also a fine play, although I prefer the Misfits side of that game.

1. Fnatic

The original kings of Europe should finally be able to stabilize and reclaim their throne. Fnatic takes the top spot of these rankings for one simple reason- no major changes. The only roster move is Hylissang will be replacing Jesiz as the starting support, a definite upgrade with his experience and skill level. Maintaining their synergy coming out of a surprisingly successful worlds is a major advantage for Fnatic. Rekkles is a star in his own right, and sOAZ, while slightly diminished, still has incredible ability in the top lane. The only significant questions for Fnatic are regarding the performance of Broxah and Caps, who should continue to grow and hopefully excel with another year of experience.

Fnatic versus Splyce at 1.38 is not a great value bet, but likely to win. Fnatic versus H2K at 1.21 should be a lock.

Parlay that with another bet to increase your potential winnings.

Thanks for reading this definitive power ranking of the EU LCS!

I hope this provides a guide to your betting in the upcoming season and gives some insight into why these teams might be good values as the split progresses.

Happy betting!