Origen vs G2 Esports

For our last match of the day, we have an incredibly exciting clash between G2 Esports, the former "kings of Europe", and one of the legendary European organizations in Origen. To be perfectly clear, this isn't Origen per se, but rather Astralis with a slapped-on branding. Before getting accepted as a permanent partner, the organization (known for their incredible Counter-Strike: Global Offensive achievements) bought-out Origen and its branding.

They wanted to enter the LEC under a recognizable moniker, while also creating a distinct identity for their League line-up in order to differentiate it from their CS:GO one.

Regardless, even though they're not exactly the Origen of old, they are fielding a ton of interesting and experienced players, so watching them play will be an absolute must if you're into top-tier League play.

But let's first focus on G2 Esports.

The former "kings" are entering 2019 with a metric ton of hype behind them, and with good reason. G2's incredible, mind-blowing 2018 World Championship run is worthy of the highest praise. Looking back, it's downright insane what they were able to accomplish, after struggling to find their footing during the 2018 EU LCS Summer Split (excluding their strong performance while funneling was in the meta). They had a bottom lane duo that many deemed subpar, but against all odds, Ocelote's team stepped up when it mattered the most and achieved an astonishing Top 4 finish.

But they knew they had huge holes in their game, and a couple of highly exploitable weaknesses. Their bottom duo was serviceable, but for an organization that's aiming for the absolute best, being "serviceable" just doesn't cut it. Coming into 2019 though, they made a couple of changes, and they're absolutely ingenious in every way, shape, and form.

When news broke out that they were shifting Luka "Perkz" Perković to the bototm lane, the online League community was left in a state of confusion. No one was really sure whether we were getting trolled, but once the dust settled, everyone realized that G2 wasn't kidding. With Rasmus "Caps" Winther taking his spot in the mid lane, G2 wanted to retain their most recognizable and revered player, and kick things up a notch.

With two of the best mid laners in the region on the same team, G2 pulled off a roster shuffle for the ages. But Perkz needed a solid, mechanically-sound support player to aid him in his newly-established bottom lane shenanigans. The organization decided on Mihael "Mikyx" Mehle, who's good friends with Perkz but also one of the best supports that the region has to offer. While his play on Misfits throughout 2018 did leave a lot to be desired, he's known for his wide champion pool, innate aggression, and the ability to go for some mind-boggling solo queue pocket picks like Gragas support.

In short, the latest G2 Esports incarnation is definitely the most frightening one in history, and if we predict just based on their potential, they could very well reclaim their LEC throne in 2019. They're going to need time in order to mesh as a five-man unit, but once that happens they should be able to dominate regardless of the opponent.

Origen, on the other hand, are also entering the upcoming LEC split with a fair amount of hype, but perhaps for all the wrong reasons. Fans around the world are excited to see this upcoming line-up, and while that's perfectly understandable, it's important to highlight that none of these players are entering 2019 on a high note. Far from it.

Barney "Alphari" Morris had a painfully underwhelming year with Misfits, Jonas "Kold" Andersen failed to leave a mark with the Unicorns of Love and has been relatively average ever since 2016, Erlend Våtevik "Nukeduck" Holm failed caryr his team to Worlds even though he had all the right tools at his disposal, and Alfonso Aguirre "Mithy" Rodríguez has the worst year in his professional career with TSM over in North America.

So where's the hype coming from? Other than the fact that these are all old-school fan favorites? Their only saving grace is their up-and-coming young AD prospect Patrik "Patrik" Jírů, who was able to stand out even on a sinking ship known as H2K. His late game team fighting required you to take notice even on a team that eventually became the laughing stock of the region. He's still young and far from his prime, but you can definitely see his innate potential.

Fortunately, with four veterans by his side, he could become the "next big thing", but we are (at best) months away from that happening. In any case, this roster has some potential, but they shouldn't be able to go blow-for-blow with the likes of G2 Esports, or any other top-tier LEC team for that matter.

With time, they could become a very fascinating, multi-layered challenge, but it's simply too early right now to give them the benefit of the doubt. All of their players have a lot to prove going forwards, and their path to redemption isn't an easy one — G2 Esports on Friday, and Fnatic on Saturday.

G2 Esports are entering this match with a fair bit of built-in synergy, and that's a huge upper hand coming into the Spring Split. While they probably won't look too dominant and cohesive, they should still be more than capable of handling anything that Origen throws their way.