Team Vitality vs Rogue

For our first match of the day we have a rather fascinating match-up between Rogue and Team Vitality. Now, all things considered, this is far from a monumental clash of titans, but it should be a good, entertaining scrap nonetheless.

Both of these teams have something to prove and to fight for, although it's important to note that they're at the opposite ends of the spectrum. Perhaps that's even an understatement. Rogue is still regarded as one of the best and most capable teams in Europe, whereas Team Vitality -- even though they've improved -- are still a bottom-tier dweller. Now, make no mistake, they truly did improve leaps and bounds over the last couple of weeks (in no small part because of Steelback's phenomenal play), but they're still nowhere near as good or dangerous to actually compete for a spot in the middle of the standings.

They are, however, a deceptively ballsy challenger and are bound to upset at least once over the next three weeks. Their early games, in particular, are insanely competitive. Once the mid and later stages of the game come around, however, they tend to fall apart beyond comprehension. When they have to rotate and build their leads they're nowhere to be found. That, combined with fairly unimpressive individual play, means they're always fighting an uphill battle.

Rogue, on the other hand, have been quite hot and cold over the last couple of weeks. Right now they're a shoo-in for the playoffs and are coming into week seven after outclassing Excel Esports and losing a fairly even game against Origen on Saturday. They're a great team, all things considered. They're brave, they fight without hesitation and have shown a ton of potential when they're playing to their strengths. They do, however, have a very peculiar style, and it brings many positives and negatives as well. They're not that hard to read and it's becoming increasingly evident where their biggest strengths and weaknesses lie. If they're not able to snowball and impose their own will, they become a pretty negligible challenge.

Still, even on a bad day, they're head and shoulders above Team Vitality. They can win through multiple lanes and even though they're not the most flexible team around, they have all it takes to not only reach the playoffs but potentially even leave a mark once all is said and done. Whether or not they'll actually do much in the playoffs still remains to be seen, but they should not be taken lightly.

They're also a fairly unique team even by LEC standards. They're still young and hungry for the spotlight and they're improving -- that's what most people tend to forget. Rogue is not exactly a household name but it's not far from that either. They've been around, and names like Finn, Inspired, Larssen, Hans Sama and Vander all right a bell. Some of them have been around for a year or two, others for half a decade (in Vander's case), but as a five-man unit they're still developing and have a lot more room to grow.

In the end, we simply have to side with Rogue. There's no reason not to. They're surely looking for redemption after dropping the ball against Origen and they also need every single win they can get in order to lock down a playoff spot. Getting a statement win over Vitality today would all but secure their spot in the Top 6.