by The first ever European Masters tournament is coming to an exciting end. Out of all the strongest Regional League teams around Europe, only four remain, and the semifinals will decide the two finalists who will fight for the crown in Leicester, England.
The semis will be played on April 28th, starting at 18:00 CEST.
MAD Lions (Spain) vs. Origen (Spain)
Origen’s squad of superstars isn’t smurfing as many have expected, but they’re doing their job well enough. Mid laner Froggen is the heart of this team, and every performance of his is a pure joy to watch for hard-carry playstyle fans. Jungler inSec has been playing very well after enduring some criticism in Origen’s first games, and his aggressive picks like Lee Sin or Kha’zix often leave the enemy unable to answer. Expect has been having consistently solid games in he top lane, both on carries and tanks, and the only issue of this roster could be the bottom lane. Greek legend FORG1VEN has had some iffy performances at the tournament, dying a lot more than we were used to see from him, and after the announcement that he will not be playing for nearly two seasons following the EU Masters, we have to question his motivation to even try to show his amazing skills here.
On the other hand, MAD Lions have stormed through the tournament without dropping a game, and all their players were individually on point. The synergy between Selfmade and Nemesis is definitely LCS tier, and these two players are the main tool through which the Lions generate leads. Werlyb is a very experienced and extremely mechanically skilled top laner, and Crownshot and Falco prefer to take a back seat in the bot lane and then pop off in teamfights. The teamfights themselves weren’t always needed. though, since the Lions sometimes just stomp their opponents in the laning phase and win from there.
In short, MAD Lions are probably the best team in this tournament, and are the #1 favourite to win it all. I do believe that Origen’s individual strengths can help them beat the best Spanish team, but I just don’t believe it hard enough. MAD Lions are simply too good at the moment.
Betting prediction: MAD Lions to win, paying -250 at BetOnline.
GamersOrigin (France) vs. Illuminar Gaming (Poland)
Illuminar are definitely one of the most unexpectedly impressive team in the Masters. The Polish squad that barely scraped their way out of groups have been playing very well since, taking down championship contenders Movistar Riders and Millenium. It feels like the team is finally clicking together, as they finally provide proper support to their volatile AD Carry Woolite, who returns the favour by dealing huge amounts of damage. IceBeasto, their rock in the top lane, has been unmatched in teamfights, and Kikis is looking more and more comfortable in his new/old role.
However, GamersOrigin is a different beast than Movistar or Millenium. France’s best team is yet to lose a game at the tournament, and have looked very strong and coherent throughout the games. GO has a very strong core of individuals, composed of the fantastic carry-oriented jungler TynX, France’s upcoming mid talent Tonerre, former LCS top laner Phaxi and a skilled Lithuanian duo in the bot lane. The team synergy is also on point, as their strong early game performance often translate into great objective plays and a swift end for their opponents. It seems like there’s no weak point in this team that Illuminar could exploit, and it should also be noted that GamersOrigin absolutely dominated them in the group stage.
There’s no denying that GamersOrigin are a heavy favourite here, and the match will most likely go their way. If you feel adventurous, though, the odds on Illuminar winning are very high, and the Poles might just manage a third crazy upset in a row.
Betting prediction: Illuminar Gaming to win, paying +550 at BetOnline.
