In Week 5, if you listened clearly, you could hear the faint sound of those considering buying tickets for the SK Gaming hype train. Consecutive wins over Fnatic and Gambit is unusual for any team, surprising even SK themselves. To focus on the positives first, SK played as a tight unit with a plan: every whiffed spell, overextension and bad rotation was punished. Jesiz and Svenskeren showed some of their best play yet and CandyPanda had another great week on Vayne. SK looked better than ever before and their combination of young talent and old veterans was visible in their mix of aggressive and intelligent plays.

Being honest, their games were odd. When a low-mana XPeke attacked Svenskeren and Jesiz shortly before Rekkles got caught in the top lane, Fnatic threw away their early advantage almost as soon as they got it. When Fnatic’s entire team went after a split pushing CandyPanda, completely relinquishing Baron, only to let CandyPanda just run off, we have to admit, we laughed and cried. Fnatic handed this win to SK on a silver platter, a gift that SK ran with. SK must’ve thought it was their birthday in their second game. Gambit picked Skarner and a grateful Svenskeren slapped Diamond around all game. In both games, Nrated and CandyPanda took over botlane while Svenskeren and the rest of SK controlled the rest of the map. CandyPanda split-pushed to his heart’s content and SK opened their opponents right up. SK played both games simply and smartly and finished the weekend with a clean 2-0 record.

Supa Hot Crew went 2-0 as well, beating Copenhagen Wolves and Alliance in two very different games. Wolves and SHC seem to be very evenly matched – perhaps even the two closest teams in the league - but Wolves’ continued difficulty in finishing games, allowing SHC to take a scrappy late game win. Their dominant stats against Alliance were misleading as well: Froggen almost single-handedly won the game with his deadly Kayle backdoor. SHC looked shaky when put in that situation but Froggen couldn’t break through. A decent showing for SHC, but that scare from Froggen shows that there’s still work to be done – it was more fortune than anything that he didn’t win the game for Alliance there and then. If Wickd’s teleport had been better timed, it could’ve been a different story.

Roccat went undefeated for another week with two victories over Alliance and Copenhagen Wolves. When a team never looks out of it, even with a large gold disadvantage, it’s time to sit up and pay attention. Despite Alliance being ahead for most of the game, Roccat stood their ground and it wasn’t long until the ghost of odd calls came back to one of its favourite haunts. A hasty baron attempt went south for Alliance and gave Roccat exactly the opening they needed. It was a strange game plan to stall for late game against a Roccat with a Kayle and even Frogganivia couldn’t save the day. Roccat held fast until Wolves also slipped up in the late game with an overextension taking the win and, for the first time, the top spot. It’s important to note that both games were comebacks in the late game. Roccat still tend to fall behind early, which could easily become a problem against other teams. However for now, Roccat are deservedly atop the EU LCS.

For our remaining teams, it was a troubling week. Millennium look slightly better but still have a lot to do. They’ll be happy with a win over Fnatic but we doubt either team will want to relive that particular game anytime soon. Their start against Gambit was solid, but they couldn’t keep the momentum rolling further into the game, resulting in another loss. Their 1-1 record pops them out of 8th and into 6th, tied with Alliance and Copenhagen Wolves.

Fnatic and Gambit continue to be off their game. Whether they’re that bothered is a different question, but neither inspired confidence this week. Double AP and strange picks being to blame is a dead argument now (SHC won with it) and the teams are beginning to embarrass themselves. In some ways it’s nice to see them getting punished for this, but we think we’d rather just see top notch League.

Finally, the Wolves had a poor week results wise. The classic problem of not being able to close out games struck them twice. They had a good chance against Roccat and Supa Hot Crew but ultimately they lost their nerve at a key moment. It’s really tragic not to see them enjoying the same success as the other amateur teams, but if they fix that one problem, expect some wins for the Wolves in the second half of the split.

Week 6 has a lot to offer. The news that three of Gambit’s players cannot make it is a real surprise and doesn’t bode well for the Russian team. If their games go ahead, it’ll be hard to expect wins against the immovable Roccat and the burning Supa Hot Crew. We admittedly feel a little robbed about the loss of the top two clash and the SHC-Gambit rematch.

Fnatic will need to turn it on in their games against SHC and Wolves. SHC have the chance to take Fnatic’s place in the table with a win, and the Wolves are hungry to snatch those wins. These games are down to which Fnatic shows up. With a crippled Gambit playing this week and SHC and SK hot on their heels, Fnatic could solidify their place at the top. If both teams are on their game, expect the SHC XD vs. Fnatic game to be a scorcher, especially in the botlane.

After taking out the second and third place teams, SK Gaming will try to continue their streak against Alliance and Roccat. If they succeed in taking down the Poles, their tour of the top three will have been an unimaginable success. Roccat against SK Gaming is set to be one of the picks of the week. Both teams have been playing very smart League, yet both possess strength in different roles, which could lead into some intense action once the laning phase breaks. We’re particularly excited about seeing Jankos face off against Svenskeren in the jungle. Both have been on their game and Svenskeren is on the warpath.

The bottom three teams, Alliance, Millennium and Copenhagen Wolves get a shot at each other with Millennium playing both Alliance and Copenhagen Wolves. With more evenly matched competition, this could be the week where these teams turn it around and if so, expect more contenders for those top 5 spots.

The standings will likely be in flux this week. Roccat look good to stay top but we could see both SHC and SK Gaming in second place if they have a good week and touch of fortune in the other games. Fnatic could leapfrog Gambit to take first or second, or they could end up out of the top three for the first time this season, dropping again to the lowest position they’ve ever held in the LCS. The bottom three, all have a chance to end up tied with SHC and SK with a touch of luck. We could see three way ties any table position including first (Roccat, Gambit & Fnatic) and second (Gambit, Supa Hot Crew and SK Gaming is possible).

This is the week for teams to make a stand. A poor showing from any team could mean they drop multiple positions and if the bottom three have another bad week, it could be irrecoverable. The top three can all still change. This could be the week the “middle” disappears and a gap between the top and bottom really opens. Week 6 is when results really start to matter, can the new stars hold on or will they be punished for their hubris?