Splyce Favored Over FC Schalke 04 in Round 2 of the LEC Regional Finals
- Round 2 of the LEC Regional Finals takes place on September 14th
- FC Schalke 04 and Splyce will compete to be the LEC’s third and final Worlds qualifier
- Splyce beat Origen in five games to advance to round 2
Splyce took down Origen in a back-and-forth five game series to advance in the LEC Regional Finals. They now take on FC Schalke 04 with the winner qualifying for Worlds 2019 beginning on October 2, 2019.
Splyce vs FC Schalke 04 Odds
| Team | Odds to Win |
|---|---|
| Splyce | -163 |
| FC Schalke 04 | +120 |
*Odds taken 09/13/19
Staying Alive
Splyce survived round 1 of the gauntlet by taking down Origen 3-2. Against FC Schalke 04, Splyce is going to have to improve drastically if they have hopes of joining G2 and Fnatic at Worlds. Origen found out just a couple of days prior to their match that their starting jungler Kold would be unable to play due to illness.
They brought up Zanzarah from Origen BCN who played admirably, but didn’t have any time to practice with his new teammates. Despite unfavorable conditions, Origen forced Splyce all the way to five games.
Splyce’s weakness comes from their rather inactive early game. Their wins against Origen relied on scaling compositions where Splyce would win in late-game situations. The star of these situations is Kobbe who always seems to be a late-game insurance policy who dishes out damage and takes over in teamfights.
It’s a play style that they’ve enacted all season long but it’s a strategy that could potentially be exploited by more aggressive opposition. Considering the circumstances that Origen played under, I would have expected Splyce to be more dominant. Moving forward into their round 2 match against Schalke 04, they’ll have to be more proactive if they have any chance of advancing to Worlds.
Schalke Should Be Favorites
On paper, FC Schalke 04 should have the tools necessary to dismantle Splyce. Sure, Schalke got swept by Fnatic in the semifinals, but both Fnatic and G2 are a tier above all the other competition in the LEC. Against Rogue and Vitality, Schalke looked very strong in the LEC playoffs and a lot of it is due to their jungler Trick.
He’s a much more aggressive jungler who has unpredictable tendencies. He’s not a player who is going to sit back and allow for Splyce to scale to the late-game. Schalke also is much more active around the map and they’ll use Abbedagge and Odoamne to roam alongside Trick and find early skirmishes or tower dives.
Splyce is coming off a grueling best of five where they had to show all of their strategies. Schalke should be able to develop a game plan where they can take advantage of Splyce’s inept early game. They also have an AD Carry that can perform just as well as Kobbe in team fights. Upset has shown that he is a very reliable late-game carry, and across the board, I feel that FC Schalke 04 has the answers to Splyce.
Splyce didn’t dominate an underhanded Origen team, and they’ll struggle against a much cleaner Schalke team that’s played together all split long. It’s somewhat surprising that Splyce is considered the favorite but Splyce had a better record in the regular season and these two teams split their head-to-head one game a piece. Still, I’d hang my hat on Schalke after Splyce’s lackluster performance in round one.
Pick: FC Schalke 04 (+120)
Growing up, Matthew was in love with sports. So, following his undergrad, it only made sense to dive head-first into the world of sports media. Rather than sticking to traditional sports, Matt found his way to eSports and gaming. He also produces, edits and serves as an analyst for SQUAD.
