FC Schalke 04 vs Rogue

Next up, we have a rather interesting, albeit also somewhat uneventful clash, between Rogue and Schalke 04. Much like the game before it (Fnatic vs. Vitality), this is also a fight between a top-tier challenger and a bottom-tier dweller. Heck, one could argue that Schalke is even worse than Vitality as they failed to show anything on the Summoner's Rift over the last three weeks.

Vitality at least have a solid early game and they made numerous good plays in their first six games. At best, they're even slightly proactive. Schalke, on the other hand, did absolutely nothing, and it's a shocking thing, really. They're a veteran roster with multiple seasoned players and they should've been able to compete for a spot in the Top 6. No one expected them to be a powerhouse, but to be this out of sync and powerless is simply mind-blowing. They don't look like a top-tier team, but rather a bunch of random players who queued up to play and were matched with high elo opponents. They're bad individually but also as a five-man unit, and have done nothing to warrant anyone's benefit of the doubt.

People are already predicting a 0-18 finish once all is said and done, and while that certainly does seem pessimistic, it's definitely within the realm of possibility. To make matters even worse, their veteran AD phenom FORG1VEN has decided to abandon ship, which means they'll lose a seasoned voice in-game and will therefore start this match with Innaxe, their Academy AD carry. Now, Innaxe is far from a pushover, but even if he's an upgrade he won't be enough to push this Schalke line-up towards success.

The problems plaguing this team are not superficial -- they go as deep as the marrow of the bone. Things look very dire for Schalke going forward, and a single change to their roster just won't cut it.

Opposite them, we have Rogue. Now, their trajectory so far has been fairly confusing. They started off great before shifting in a strange direction playstyle-wise. It feels like they experimented a bit too much in order to test their own strength. Such a thing is commendable, but it also means no one's quite sure how strong they really are at the moment. Despite their inconsistent play, we've seen great things from this line-up. They have all the right tools to compete for a spot in the Top 3, and although they might not be primed and ready for greatness just yet, they're definitely a solid, well-rounded challenger that's deceptively dangerous.

Even if they're not as good at this point in time as everyone expects, they're still considerably better and more capable than any kind of line-up Schalke can put together right now. They're the heavy favorites and with good reason.

Still, we're going forward fairly cautiously because Innaxe isn't as bad as people think. He's far from a rookie, and who knows, maybe something finally "clicked" with Schalke. Stranger things have happened in LEC history. Either way, it should be an engaging, skirmish-heavy clash.