by The newly found rivalry between Vitality and Schalke reaches boiling point in the first semifinal match on Friday.
The proud representatives of France and Germany will fight for a historical spot in the EU LCS finals, as neither team has yet had a chance to win the championship.
A battle of quick wits, raw strength and flaming emotion is guaranteed.
Vitality’s form at the end of the regular season looked like the first half of this year’s Spring Split.
Turning into a steamrolling force and winning 9 of the last 10 matches meant a bye to the semifinals for the Bees, and it all started with the arrival of their currently most important member: their jungler Kikis.
Kikis’ immense aggression fit the team like a glove, making them by far the best team in the league when it comes to early game plays.
Vitality play lightning-fast, with their three potential carries reaching their powerspikes very early.
Their games tend to finish quickly, and that’s where a slight weakness lies: VIT’s late game decisions are sometimes questionable, and Schalke should look to punish them.
Exploiting Vitality’s late game is exactly how Schalke became the only team to beat them in their 9-1 run.
The Royal Blues play high-quality teamfights and tend to stay calm in lane, saving theirs strength for the mid and late game.
Upset showed against Splyce how skilled of a player he is, and combined with Vander’s and Csacsi’s terrific engages, presents a huge threat if Vitality makes even a slight misstep. Team Vitality are still the favourites, though.
Their snowbally playstyle could create significant problems to Schalke’s laners and, especially, their jungler, and if they manage to play as well as they did recently, they should get through by winning three quick games, even if they lose some as well.
