Welcome to the seventh LEC Team preview here at Gromp News. In this article, we will be covering a team which many thought wouldn’t make it to the LEC. Reports even came out saying that their application had been rejected. It turns out you can’t trust everything on the internet as Splyce have made it after all.
The organisation is joining the League of Legends European Championships with five other teams who were in the EULCS last split. With a plethora or changes occurring in the European scenes both in and out the rift. Have Splyce managed to keep their prized assets? Also, can they still be a viable threat in Europe’s top division? Let’s find out.
Staff Stability
When YamatoCannon left Splyce in April 2017, there was an air of uncertainty in the backroom environment. Gevous joined, then shortly left, similarily with Liq. Many were unsure if the organisation could hold a solid backroom staff for a manageable amount of time.
This all changed when Peter Dun came on the scene in October of that year. Finally, Splyce felt like an organisation that had the stability that they needed. Their foundations started growing and as a result, the team started performing better finishing 3rd in the 2018 spring split and despite a shaky 2018 summer season, overall the coaching change was a success.
So it’s incredibly pleasing to see Splyce continue with their coaching staff for the upcoming season. There is clearly faith in all the backroom staff and with the right players, they can perform well in the LEC. The issue is, a lot of organisations have heavily invested in new coaching additions and coaching depth. The trio of Peter Dun, Mac and Duke have a lot of work on their hands if they want to get the best out of the players they have at their disposal. However, keeping these three people together is a step in the right direction for the organisation.
A team of underdogs… and Kobbe
Top: Vizicsacsi
Junger: Xerxe
Mid laner: Humanoid
ADC: Kobbe
Support: Norskeren
Xerxe is back in the Jungle for Splyce and rightfully so. It was reported that Splyce’s players were able to look for new teams considering they did not know they had been accepted into the LEC. These reports have not been confirmed or denied, however, if that was true then Splyce should be incredibly grateful that they were still able to pick up Xerxe. The Romanian had a solid season with Splyce both in their Spring and Summer splits. He is in no shape or form the finished article. However, he has great potential and if things don’t work out we must not forget that Tierwulf is lurking in the background. Despite not having any LCS experience, the former Kaos Latin Gamers Jungler will be pushing for a starting spot in Spring. Tierwulf is a multi-time LAS champion, region MVP and a solid addition to Splyce’s roster. This should hopefully drive Xerxe to perform even better than in prior splits.
Another player returning to Splyce is none other than Kobbe. The ADC is going into his fourth season with the organisation and fans of the team will be welcoming him back with open arms. As previously said with Xerxe, it’s a shock that a team didn’t snap up Kobbe as he is considered a top five ADC in Europe right now. While his performances may not always be on point he has that winning mentality and that adaptability which only a few bot laners possess. The likely outcome is that when Kobbe found out that Splyce had made it into the LEC, he was almost certainly going to join them. Kobbe doesn’t just bring that quality factor to the team, but also that stability to his side whilst on the rift. As stated with the backroom staff sometimes stability can be the best asset to a side who don’t have the biggest incomes in the LEC. Expect Kobbe to shine yet again for Splyce especially considering who he has as his support.
It’s almost unbelievable to think that Norskeren nearly didn’t find a team for the LEC this split. When ROCCAT got dismantled, many expected all of that side to be in a squad in some shape or form. However, when Norskeren tweeted that he wouldn’t be competing because no LEC teams had picked him up. His fanbase made sure that this wouldn’t happen. The true winners of this are Splyce. They were clearly looking at other supports before they knew of Norskeren’s availability but as soon as they found out he was available. He would have been the first person on the list. The Dane was the best player for ROCCAT last split, constantly turning around games with his mechanical ability. His ability to execute plays with his champion pool is excellent. If his form can continue with a better set of players around him, the sky is the limit for Norskeren. His partnership with Kobbe could be one of the best duos in the league this year if they have good synergy together. At the end of the day it’s clear to see that when Splyce win games, it’ll be due to the bottom side of the map.
One of the newest faces in the LEC is former Illuminar Gaming mid laner Humanoid who joins the Splyce ranks. Whenever we here at Gromp News discuss a National Circuit player taking the step up to the top division, there are always doubts about the ability of the player. This is not because they are necessarily bad but because the opposition they have gone up against is naturally slightly lower. With that being said, Humanoid has by far been one of the better mid laners to come out of the National Circuit last season. After winning the Ultraliga, the Czech player had to join a LEC team if he wants to further his career. The European mid lane talent pool is incredibly strong and so he will have to prove to everybody if he is the caliber of player that he showed in the National Circuit. While it may seem that we here at Gromp News are downplaying this acquisition, it’s due to the lack of knowledge that we actually know about the player. Hopefully, he turns out to be a star in the making and if so then the credit must go to the Splyce backroom staff for bringing him in. While we don’t expect him to be the best player in the side, at least not right now. He still seems like a solid pick up for Splyce.
The final player in Splyce’s line-up is Vizicsacsi. After an eventful season with Schalke the top laner has a new team to try and improve. Given his performances in the summer split, many Splyce fans should be more than happy with this signing. While he may not be this mega aggressive player, he offers consistency and reliability at all times in the top side of the rift. If Splyce’s win condition is to focus on the bottom and mid lanes then its vital that they have top laner who they can trust to play safely in a game. In that case, Vizicacsi is the perfect player. He is entering his fourth split in the EULCS/LEC so along with Kobbe, they will be an experienced duo to rely on when the team goes through difficulties this split.
Are Splyce in trouble?
Overall, given Splyce’s apparent circumstances, they have managed to put together a competitive side in the league. Their backroom staff has remained consistent and we here at Gromp News thinks that will help them develop their talent as the split continues. Also, there are a lot of factors that may further push the side into a playoff contending team, such as Humanoid’s performances and the synergy of Kobbe and Norskeren. If the bot lane duo connects straight away then they will be incredibly entertaining to watch. The roster as a whole can be described as solid. There is very little risk and everybody has a rough idea on how they will perform this split. We think the major compliment is that this team on paper looks equal to (with the potential of being better) than the Splyce side last season.
Rating
Coaching: C+
Players: B
Predicted finish: 6th or 7th
By Tom Daniels
Follow @TheTomDaniels
Gromp News 