Week five of the EU LCS will mark the first time the series has been played on British soil. For two days, Wembley Arena will be host to epic matchups such as SK Gaming versus Alliance as the battle to secure a place in the 2014 World Championships continues.
1) Some comparison to Le Zenith
Whether it be the size, the location or the rowdiness of the crowd, casters and journalists will be looking at how Wembley Arena fares in comparison to the All-Star venue - it did only take place the month before, after all. The casters have praised the French fans and their undeniable levels of noise and support, so can London one-up Paris?
2) The British casters will be more at home than ever whereas Deficio will make some kind of reference to being Danish and a fish out of water in the UK
The EU LCS has a large proportion of Danes, something Deficio is very proud and happy to remind us of throughout his past two splits as a caster. Back in Cologne, where the LCS normally takes place, the caster desk is neutral because no one is German, but this weekend London will welcome the British casters Deman and Joe Miller back to the country with open arms and copious amounts of tea. Also expect some banter with Deficio about which country is better.
3) Base races
We all saw what Fnatic and Alliance did last week as they rushed towards each other’s nexus hoping to be the first to take it down. Alliance ultimately won in that matchup, but will their games this week only last 20 minutes as well or will the teams start calling their opponents’ bluff and retreat after taking only one tower?
4) Queues, and people complimenting each other on how well they queue
We all hate queues, don’t we? However, us Brits do queue a lot, sometimes even queuing simply because there is a queue. There will be queues for getting into Wembley, queues inside the arena itself, queues for the loos - you name it there will be a queue. I fully expect them to be straight, well-organised queues with nobody pushing in at all.
5) Reddit threads asking for fans to shower
These were prominent last year during the World Championship finals at the Staples Center. Attendees complained about the odor of some of their fellow fans, but there were no such hygiene complaints at the latest Intel Extreme Masters, All-Stars and other events this year. However, the EU LCS at Wembley will be taking place right in the middle of summer, and with Saturday’s temperature expected to reach 24 degrees Celsius (75 degree Fahrenheit) and crowds of sweaty people present, there are bound to be some smells...
6) Stadium vibe and amazing eSports crowd shots
Wembley Arena holds up to 12,500 people and is known for having hosted amazing concerts and sporting competitions, generally with a filled house. As tickets were once more sold out within hours, those who loved the amazing crowd shots from the Staples Center should once more have plenty to feast their eyes on. Let's hope the UK crowd manages to bring plenty of passion.
7) Union Jack Fiddlesticks, anyone?
Maybe Supa Hot Crew’s Impaler will stick to his British roots and pull out a Fiddlesticks jungle complete with Union Jack skin. If not now, then when?
Week five match schedule
Saturday 21st June
• SK Gaming vs. Alliance
• Supa Hot Crew vs. Copenhagen Wolves
• Millenium vs. ROCCAT
• Gambit Gaming vs. Fnatic
Sunday 22nd June
• Roccat vs. Gambit Gaming
• SK Gaming vs. Supa Hot Crew
• Fnatic vs. Millenium
• Alliance vs. Copenhagen Wolves
ESL will be right in the midst of the action at Wembley, so stay tuned for more coverage here on ESLGaming.com, while you can find all the official information over at lolesports.com.
What is it YOU'RE most looking forward to? Let us know in the comments below!
