Team Vitality vs Rogue

This is the moment we've all been waiting for -- the very last week of regular season play. Depending on how well a team performs over the next three days will severely affect their chances of either reaching the playoffs or being left on the outside looking in. There's so much on the line it's almost unnerving, especially in a region like the LEC where most teams are separated by the slimmest of margins (i.e. just a single win or loss).

To start the week off, we have a somewhat peculiar clash between first-placed Rogue and Team Vitality. Now, on paper, there's not a lot to get excited about; in actuality, however, this might end up being a lot more exciting (and close) than the odds would suggest. Vitality have shown a tendency to upset when we least expected, not to mention the fact that they're capable of punching way above their weight class from time to time. They are by no means a top-tier challenger, but when they start things off on the right foot (meaning they draft to their strengths and don't make any egregious blunders early on), they can certainly tango with the best teams the LEC has to offer. Well, at least for a brief moment in time.

The thing is, they're bafflingly inconsistent. When they're good, they're a force to be reckoned with -- as evidenced by their recent wins over Origen and MAD Lions. But these moments are so brief, so ethereal, so infrequent, that it's downright impossible to give them any kind of trust or benefit of the doubt. They tend to implode at the most random of times and their drafts are often so darn abysmal that they're almost offensive. It is as if they're unaware of their own strengths and weaknesses and just go for what they feel like is meta, without ever double-checking whether they have the skills to pull it off. And frankly, they don't, at least not more often than not. They're also known for their comfort picks: Bard for Labrov, Ezreal for Comp, Azir/Zoe for Milica, Lee Sin for Skeanz. If they end up with their most potent champions they can definitely do some damage, but such a one-dimenisonal approach to the game simply isn't good in the long-term, nor will it bore any fruit going forward.

All in all, they're a severely flawed team, but they're fighting their hearts out nonetheless.

Rogue, on the other hand, have solidified their spot at the top. Heck, they're mere inches away from securing a spot at Worlds! Imagine that. Who would've expected such a ragtag group of players to accomplish so much in such a staggeringly short amount of time? And it looked like they lacked the potential, too. Short bursts of brilliance weren't enough to warrant a spot at the top but Rogue found a way to persevere, and here they are, above both Fnatic and G2 Esports in the standings with just four losses to their name across two months of play. They've earned all the praise they've been getting, and watching them in action has been an absolute treat.

They're incredibly aggressive, in sync, and function like a well-oiled machine. They do make mistakes at times, but they didn't get a hold of first place for nothing. They have MAD Lions lined up for tomorrow so you can be certain they'll give it their all today and lock down this relatively easy win. Then again, with the way things have unfolded in the LEC recently, it's fair to say that there are no guarantees whatsoever, so proceed with caution.