Download Vainglory on Google Play
Download Vainglory in the App Store
Download For Free
EU Winter Championships Preview

EU Winter Championships Preview

  • Vainglory
  • |
  • Mar 14, 2016

IMG_3667

GFINITY Arena, London — Despite roster changes and a player departure, SK Gaming’s Prometheus squad found a way to win the second seasonal qualifier and secure the top seed in the Europe Winter Championships. But to take the next step and secure the winter trophy, they’ll need to knock off dominant Autumn champions Team Secret and many others. Watch the eight best Vainglory teams in Europe battle it out during three days of fierce weekend action.


(1) SK PROMETHEUS VS (8) ANGRY PANDAS BLACK

SK PROMETHEUS

Players: WalDeMar (lane), jetpacks (jungle), Raph29 (roam)

MECHANICS

Stats_8.5

SYNERGY

Stats_8.5

DRAFTING

Stats_8.5

OBJECTIVES

Stats_9

Over the course of the second Winter Qualifier, SK Prometheus was playing phenomenally, with rising star L3oN at the helm. Things suddenly changed before the Semifinals, as L3oN and SK parted ways and longtime Prometheus player Raph29 returned to the starting lineup. Without L3oN, many naysayers expected Prometheus to be decisively beaten by Team Secret in the semis. But Raph29 stepped in and stepped up, playing superbly throughout the Semifinals and Finals as SK Prometheus secured the qualifier title and top seed at the Winter Live Championships.

Now with their roster set in stone and plenty of time to prepare, Prometheus enters this championship tournament more dangerous than ever. Updates 1.14 and 1.15 have perfectly suited SK’s play and hero picks, and their incredible play on heroes such as Skaarf and Krul have given opponents fits when trying to figure out who to ban and what’s most important to take away. Most importantly, when jetpacks or WalDeMar has been forced off a comfort pick, Prometheus has consistently had strong comps prepared for those specific eventualities, leading to even stronger performances. Be sure to keep a close eye on jetpacks in jungle, as his power spikes in Prometheus’ late-game playstyle will be paramount to SK’s success.


ANGRY PANDAS BLACK

Players: LeyaLeya (lane), TonyLuo (jungle), XuanXuan (roam), HCYekun (sub), LittleDroplet (sub)

MECHANICS

Stats2_8

SYNERGY

Stats2_8

DRAFTING

Stats2_7.5

OBJECTIVES

Stats2_8

Hometown team AngryPandas is back again for this season’s Winter Live Championships — and their play is just as fascinating and unorthodox as ever. Pandas have a very aggressive approach, fully utilizing damage items across the board. They dance on the edge of disaster with risky plays and maneuvers that may or may not pay off, but that’s half the fun! If Pandas can outdraft Prometheus, they stand a good chance of following in Team Secret’s footsteps and scoring a Live Championships Day 1 upset out of the 8th seed. XuanXuan will be the player holding their fate as they double down on the roamer and hope his contributions can lead them to victory.

Looking at these two teams is very much like describing night and day. SK brings a very controlled style of play, heavily favoring the mid-to-late game. Pandas is the total opposite, looking to race off the platform and try to snowball as quickly as possible. The match between these two will come down to how well jetpacks does holding off jungle pressure as SK waits for their power spikes to kick in.


(2) TEAM SECRET VS (7) G2.KINGUIN 2

TEAM SECRET

Players: KValafar (lane), Palmatoro (jungle), Mowglie (roam)

MECHANICS

Stats_9

SYNERGY

Stats_9

DRAFTING

Stats_8

OBJECTIVES

Stats_8.5

Team Secret has sat at the top since last season’s Live Championships, where they put the SAW push comp on display for all. But one season later, every other major competitive team has a push-comp game plan, and the onus is on Team Secret to bring more to the table. This might prove to be a positive for Team Secret, as this roster has way more in its arsenal, with many well-executed compositions that put KValafar and Palmatoro’s true talent on display.

Looking at this team, it is very hard to single out a player because of how well they play as a unit. Instead, look out for the hidden hero compositions they have up their sleeves this time around.


G2.KINGUIN 2

Players: TaisukeSan (lane), majestiC (jungle), Pips (roam), , Zynthox (Sub)

MECHANICS

Stats2_8.5

SYNERGY

Stats2_8

DRAFTING

Stats2_7.5

OBJECTIVES

Stats2_8

G2.Kinguin 2 has one of those rosters that can be very surprising, where opponents don’t feel the fear until it is too late. The team is lead by seasoned veteran TaisukeSan, with rising stars Pips and majestiC making their first appearance at the Live Championships. G2.Kinguin 2 will really have to come off the platform swinging. Looking at their playstyles and hero pool, it is safe to say that these players are destined for mechanical stardom, but as they go toe to toe with Europe’s most dominant team, G2 will need to find inner strength and determination to pull through. As long as they focus on playing as a team and minimizing individual mistakes, they have a great chance to pull off the upset. TaisukeSan in lane will be the key player, making all the major play calls. It will be interesting to see if they can play as a group while still getting standout individual performances. If so, everything will fall into place for this promising team.


(3) G2.KINGUIN VS (6) REBIRTH OF EMPIRE

G2.KINGUIN

Players: Reddix (lane), DarkPotato (jungle), D1ngo (roam), Tesfaye (sub), TetnoJJ (sub)

MECHANICS

Stats_8.5

SYNERGY

Stats_8.5

DRAFTING

Stats_8

OBJECTIVES

Stats_8.5

The original dominant G2.Kinguin roster is finally back in place for the Winter Championships, and they have their eye on the ultimate prize.. After their debut under the G2 banner, this team quickly dominated Europe’s competitive scene. But they became the victims of their own success, splitting their roster to partake in multiple simultaneous tournament opportunities. This team’s chemistry is a big key to their success, and it was well worth reuniting them for Winter season. We expect incredible play and teamwork from the starting trio, but should anyone struggle, both Tesfaye and TetnoJJ have been major players in Vainglory’s eSports scene for quite some time, and their experience will be an asset to G2 in and out of the lineup.

G2.Kinguin is known for it’s near-perfect hero pool depth, giving them immense draft flexibility. DarkPotato has always brought big games when it mattered most, and on top of that, he’s improving with every tournament and becoming more consistent. Reddix and DarkPotato feed off each other and have a sixth sense with rotations, while DarkPotato and D1ngo are as close as can be. That virtuous circle suggests big things for G2.Kinguin in this tournament.


REBIRTH OF EMPIRE

Players: MrKool (lane/jungle), GreatkhAli (jungle/lane), nettetoilette (roam), UpFyr (lane/sub)

MECHANICS

Stats2_8

SYNERGY

Stats2_8.5

DRAFTING

Stats2_7.5

OBJECTIVES

Stats2_8.5

Rebirth of Empire is no newcomer to competitive play, and breaking down their approach is quite fascinating. Indeed they are very transparent and many times opponents are able to figure out their comp and execution. But why do they always come out on top? They have an uncanny ability to pick and choose which fights to take, along with their efficient approach capitalizing off enemy mistakes, which has consistently been a winning formula. UpFyr has been standing out in recent qualifiers with quick calls and leading team-wide rotations. And with the current meta playing to their strengths, they have a great chance of outdrafting their opponents.

If this match had a theme, it would be “Mirror Match.” Both teams have very similar preferred hero compositions and are very mid-to-late game oriented. We’ll see who gets the comps they want in the draft!


(4) SNOW TSUNAMI VS (5) SNOW AVALANCHE

SNOW TSUNAMI

Players: PTLam (lane), lookatme (jungle), Sosiska (roam), ColdICE (sub)

MECHANICS

Stats_8.5

SYNERGY

Stats_8

DRAFTING

Stats_9

OBJECTIVES

Stats_8

This SNOW Tsunami team has it all. The only question is whether they can reach their full potential at the Winter Championships. More than capable in every department, all they really need to do is not overthink things and just play to their game plan. We can expect to see off-meta comps from this squad, as they’re able to see the draft in a different way and create unexpected advantages. This time around, we have to keep a close eye on Sosiska, who is bound to step up and take the lead.


SNOW AVALANCHE

Players: Bashn (Roam), Kentysik (Jungle), araxi (Lane), SNOWFlake (Sub), ColdICE (Sub)

MECHANICS

Stats2_8

SYNERGY

Stats2_8

DRAFTING

Stats2_8

OBJECTIVES

Stats2_8.5

SNOW got an unlucky break, having their sister teams battle on Day 1. Fortunately, the Group Stage is double elimination, so this series will not be fatal for either squad. Avalanche, before considered perhaps the weaker of the two teams, has made remarkable strides, growing as individuals and as a team. They have learned from loses and diversified their approach, and they’re now playing new comps, new styles and bring a new mindset.

In order to defeat Tsunami, this Avalanche squad will need to be on their toes and play with confidence. Update 1.15 has been quite favorable to Kentysik and should he be able to land a comfort pick, he will without a doubt make opponents suffer.

Tsunami will come into this matchup knowing how Avalanche wants to play, with a mastery of compositions to handle them. However, Avalanche won’t back down and will try to use their knowledge of their opponent to their advantage as well. We can predict that the early game will go to Tsunami, but if they can’t snowball early, they better watch out for an Avalanche in the late game.

Watch all the action at twitch.tv/vainglory, and follow all the matchups and find replays in the in-game eSports tab within the NEWS section of the app.

CLOSING THOUGHTS

No team will have an easy path to the title, and if the North America Winter Championships are any indication, this is sure to be the biggest, most exciting European Vainglory tournament ever.

Watch all the action at twitch.tv/vainglory, and follow all the matchups and find replays in the in-game eSports tab within the NEWS section of the app.