After a week that saw the favorite dropping their games to a great extent, we head into another week of tough matchups as well as the EU LCS at the Wembley Arena. The only safe thing to say this about this week? Better prepare for everything!

NA LCS: Can TSM and CLG keep their streaks alive?

Being somewhat behind new big shots Dignitas and LMQ, both Team SoloMid (TSM) and CLG were the only teams able to win both of their matches last week, thus making good progress in their fight for the top spots. Now all five teams are almost even, with only TSM and Cloud 9 having one less win to their names than the others.

While still being somewhat bound to the bottom of the table, both Curse and Evil Geniuses (EG) demonstrated that you can’t count them out by any means. EG came close to bringing LMQ down in a somewhat disrupted match, while Curse were able to snatch a win from the hands of the NA LCS’s new big players.

Considering recent results, there are only a few games where a winner could be easily picked, and as the top five clashes, long matches are almost guaranteed. CLG and Cloud 9 both have matches against LMQ and Curse, which could make this a good week for them, but there’s always the risk that recent results will be turned upside down again.

EU LCS: Will Wembley see a new balance of power?

It wasn’t only NA that saw a lot of surprises last week, especially with ROCCAT and Millenium being the only teams to win both of their matches in EU. While ROCCAT knocked the Copenhagen Wolves down to the bottom of the rankings, Millenium are now third, right behind Alliance and SK and looking pretty strong once again after Super Week.

SK versus Alliance will arguably be the highlight on Saturday. While Froggen and his team are fighting for a more comfortable lead in the rankings, Candy Panda and crew have to opportunity to catch up with Alliance. As Sunday sees SK facing Supa Hot Crew and Alliance playing Copenhagen Wolves, Saturday’s highlight might also decide who’ll be ahead after the stop at Wembley.

While both of the two dark horse teams from last week as well as the current top two face off, Fnatic could be the one team to really gain important points this week, facing Gambit and Millenium after their 1-1 against SK and Alliance last week.

Final thoughts on this week’s lineup

As you most likely already gathered, this week is pretty hard to predict overall, with many matches seeing teams on winning streaks or those who look equally strong facing each other. Personally, I only see two teams per region with one clear-cut matchup this week, and those teams will be playing each other straight off the bat. It’s mainly up to your opinions on teams’ overall performances as well as your preferences for certain players - arriving at a final team setup for this week is not something that will come easy.

• Top

  Following his performances in the past few matches, Dyrus has stepped up a lot in the top laner rankings. Right next to him is sOAZ, who have given some good matches over the last three weeks. Both of them are old school top laners and can lead your team to victory this week.

  Alternatives: With both Freddy122 and Wickd struggling to find their form lately, ZionSpartan could also be your top lane pick this week. He has a good trend going right now and some potentially good matchups ahead.
   

• Jungle

  Both of the German NA Junglers are looking in good shape right now. With TSM and CLG picking up the pace, Amazing and dexter are definitely worth considering. While TSM has the more predictable matches ahead, dexter could have more opportunities to shine against LMQ and Curse.

  Alternatives: Svenskeren and Cyanide have both had big impacts on their teams’ latest matches, so if you think SK or Fnatic are going to do well this week, they might be a good fit for your ranks. 
   

• Mid

  Even though Fnatic has been underperforming so far, xPeke was heavily involved with their recent positive results. While his team is right in the middle of the board, he still is among the best-performing mid laners, while facing niQ and Kerp could be another chance for him to underline his good form.

  Alternatives: If you’ve got the money to go for a far more expensive pick, Froggen, Shiptur as well as Bjergsen are good choices as always. Out of these three, Froggen might have the best matchups, but the final decision is up to you.
   

• ADC

  Over the last couple of matches, Doublelift has played himself back to being the top ADC in North America. Only Rekkles prevents him from taking over the position of the highest scoring ADC across the board in this season. Depending on your preferences, one of these two could carry your team this week.

  Alternatives: With TSM coming back, WildTurtle had some very good matches and is only slightly behind those at the top. Just like Candy Panda, he might deliver good points while costing far less.
   

• Support

  nRated is only slightly behind YellOwStaR in the best-performing support rankings in the Summer Split so far, having had the most average assists as well as the least deaths. However, with the recent success of TSM, Gleeb is another hot support who’s been sitting on top of the rankings for the last three matches. Either of them should be a good choice.

  Alternatives: When rather keeping your eyes on overall performance, YellOwStaR is your go-to support. He brings good performances on a regular basis and is on par with nRated, just having slightly harder matches ahead.

Now it’s up to you! Log on to ESL Fantasy now and select your winning lineup. Additionally, if you want to share your pickups and tips for this week, be sure to put them in the comments below!