The last week of the European LCS is going to be a big one. The top five teams, Alliance, Fnatic, SK Gaming, Gambit Gaming and ROCCAT, are no more than one point away from one another. A top two placing, which guarantees a bye in the playoffs, is still up for grabs for any of them. We're used to seeing six-pointers in the European LCS, but this week will reflect their impact more than ever as teams fight not only to get the points they so desperately need, but also stop their competition from doing the same. Obviously, some teams will have an easier time than others this week. Let's take a look at what challenges await the different squads:

Alliance (14-10)

Alliance had a rough early season. The highly anticipated super team didn't live up to expectations as they lingered almost at the very bottom of the standings for most of the season. Things turned around from week 8 onwards when they suddenly started climbing the standings after making it through the week undefeated. They then continued their hot streak, going all the way to #1 and boasting an impressive 8-0 win streak as well as three consecutive MVP titles. The Super Week has them facing off against Fnatic, Millenium, Gambit Gaming and Copenhagen Wolves. Fnatic and Millenium were, notably, not part of their killing spree, whereas the Copenhagen Wolves fell victim to it once and Gambit Gaming twice. Their overall record with this week's opponents is good - it wouldn't be too surprising to see them maintain their top spot.

Fnatic (14-10)

Fnatic seems to be making a comeback after their infamous momentum swing halfway through the season. They went 4-0 in the last two weeks, bouncing back to first place. They also showed their potential on the world stage by placing second at Intel Extreme Masters in Katowice. This week will be their greatest challenge yet, however, as they have to take on all of the current top two contenders in one week: SK Gaming, ROCCAT, Gambit Gaming and Alliance. They are surely a team to keep an eye on this Super Week - can they keep up their momentum against Europe's best?

Fnatic's lineup at Intel Extreme Masters in Katowice

SK Gaming (14-10):

SK Gaming seemed to have the status of a particularly tenacious gatekeeper for the first half of the season, punishing anything less than top level play from all teams in the LCS. They lacked consistency, however, and didn't quite establish themselves at the top of the ranking until week 8. Reflective of this is their results, which had them go 3-1 against consistent contender ROCCAT but also 1-2 against Millenium. They appear to have a comparatively light Super Week overall, facing off against the Copenhagen Wolves, Millenium, SUPA HOT CREW and Fnatic.

Gambit Gaming (13-11):

Gambit Gaming are a bit of an enigma. They’ve built up a reputation of being extremely hit-or-miss, either completely stomping their opponents or struggling to be relevant. Meanwhile, they show strong performances at non-LCS events, proving that direct competition is still their global home turf. At Katowice, they were shown to be the only team capable of giving the KT Rolster Bullets a run for their money, and had the crowd on their side throughout the tournament.
 
However, their mediocre performance in the LCS the last year has had even their fans doubting what they're going to pull off this last week. They definitely have a difficult run, facing off against ROCCAT, Fnatic, Alliance and the Copenhagen Wolves. Their results against their current top two competitors are historically poor, so this will be their chance to prove that they have it in them to seize the win when it really matters.

Gambit Gaming
 

Team ROCCAT (13-11):

ROCCAT has paradoxically been the most consistently inconsistent team in the LCS. They never bounced up or down too much, and managed to maintain a lead by having slightly favorable results and notably going 3-0 against Gambit Gaming. Although these results have steadily secured them a place higher up in the standings, they now have to prove they can also clutch it out when going 50-50 just isn't enough. They'll be up against Gambit Gaming, Fnatic, SUPA HOT CREW and Millenium.

Copenhagen Wolves (11-13):

The Copenhagen Wolves' results are actually rather similar to ROCCAT's when it comes to the consistent inconsistency, the glaring difference between the two being that they went 0-3 against Gambit Gaming. They have decent results against the rest of the top teams, however, and it wasn't rare to see them create upsets throughout the course of the split. They'll have a difficult week to cover, having to face kryptonite Gambit Gaming as well as SK Gaming, Alliance and SUPA HOT CREW. The latter may end up being one of the most important games of the split. The Wolves are two points behind the top five, and their chances of placing top two are low. SUPA HOT CREW is in close pursuit, however, and the two teams will fight for a secured place in the next split.

The Copenhagen Wolves
 

SUPA HOT CREW (10-14):

SUPA HOT CREW came in as an underdog this season. They entered the split as a rookie team but managed to establish a decent fanbase in the course of time, impressing the world with upsets against every team in the LCS. Now that they've shown they're capable of pulling these upsets off, this week will see whether they can also force it. They can still avoid relegation if their results against SK Gaming, ROCCAT, Millenium and Copenhagen Wolves are good this week. As mentioned previously, the last match will likely be their most decisive, what with the Wolves being their main opponent when it comes to securing a top six placing.

Millenium (7-17):

Millenium has had a rough time. Ever since their heartbreaking 0-5 Super Week at the end of last season's summer split, the lineup has had difficulties getting back to real competitive relevance. Relegation seems very likely this split, and the team is expected to have to recuperate and prepare for the promotion stages. With their captain and shotcaller Alvar "Araneae" Martin Aleñar stepping down, the team has major work ahead of them. With the European Super Week being sensitive as it is, they are still going to leave their mark in the final standings. ROCCAT, SK Gaming, Alliance and SUPA HOT CREW will face off against Millenium this week.

Millenium at Intel Extreme Masters Katowice, still with Alvar "Araneae" Martin Aleñar