FC Schalke 04 vs Rogue

For our first match of the day, we have a pretty fascinating clash between Schalke 04 and Rogue. Now, this is by no means a must watch, but it should provide ample entertainment regardless.

Right now, these are two teams that are on opposite ends of the standings, and the same goes for their presumed strength and overall potential.

On on hand, we have Schalke 04. A team that many think is a bona fide contender and a strong challenger that has the right tools in order to challenge the upper echelon of the LEC. They are insanely good but also fairly flexible. They are by no means a gatekeeper, but they need just a little bit more time before actually throwing down with the best the LEC has to offer and potentially winning.

That said, they have all the right pieces of the puzzle and should be able to emerge as a serious behemoth sooner rather than later.

On the other hand, we have Rogue. A team that started off fairly well, but quickly fell "into place". No one really gave them a chance coming into the split and with good reason. They have a solid team that's a mix of veterans and rookies, but for one reason or another, they were unable to step up and actually challenge many of the teams above them.

They're not bad per se, in fact, they're surprisingly good, but they just don't have what it takes in order to compete at the highest of levels. That's just one of the reasons why they failed to make much of a statement and are currently ranked so low in the standings. Their wins came over Excel Esports and Team Vitality (back when they were really, really bad and out of sync), and even though they challenged many of the titans we're already accustomed to, they always failed to step up and seize the opportunity.

Still, they are a fascinating bunch, and they should be able to fight against Schalke quite a bit, at least in the early game.

Unfortunately, when the mid and later stages of the game come along, they are simply ill-equipped to handle a team of Schalke's caliber. Their team fighting isn't better, their decision making is often fairly suspect, and they're not stronger on an individual level either. Overall, it's hard to find their win condition. Even if they start off in the best possible way they're still prone to making egregious mistakes further down the line and are bound to get severily punished by Schalke 04.

That said, this short Rift Rivals hiatus surely benefited both teams. Having extra time to recuperate and come up with a solid game plan is an incredibly big luxury. Teams will surely enter the fifth week of LEC play looking to dominate and make a statement. They know there are only five weeks of regular season play left and want to make every single game count towards the playoffs.

But even in such a reality, Schalke have the better and more experienced coaching staff (not to mention players). They have all the right components in order to make this break count and to continue building on their fantastic Summer Split start. Rogue will surely challenge, but will be unable to get the job done.

In the end, we simply have to side with Schalke 04. There's no reason not to, and the odds are heavily stacked in their favor. Perhaps that's even an understatement. While this might not be as one-sided of a game as most people expect, Schalke should still be more than capable of getting the win.