Not the favorites, but the underdogs strike in first week of play Elite Series

The Elite Series, the most important ‚League of Legends‘ competition in the Benelux, starts again, and with a surprise. Beforehand, teams like KRC GENK Esports and LowLandLions were labeled as favorites, given the strength of their individual players. Yet it is other teams that take their chances.

Although only one match was won on the red side and all other seven on the blue side, it was the only match that KRC GENK Esports narrowly won over LowLandLions. It was the Match of the Week between the two slain favorites of the first week and it was an instant hit. Both teams went eye to eye for every inch on the map and it was ultimately a single ability from Moopz that determined the end of the game. Next, we didn't see too many surprises on the first day.

Both Echo Zulu and ION SQUAD won over Sector One and KVM Esports respectively, both of whom had substitutions and were not yet playing with their full rosters. mCon LC UltraGear (MCN) also managed to make short work of Team 7AM.

Expectations met?

Casters and analysts alike weren't expecting too many upsets on the second day, but nothing was further from the truth. It started with the clash between KVM Esports and Sector One, two old rivals of the Belgian League. That winner was like last year KVM Esports, which could now play with its full roster. MCN then set aside KRC GENK Esports, immediately pushing itself into the favorites role for the start of the season.

That was already a small surprise, but not even the biggest of the evening. For Echo Zulu also won from Team 7AM, in a match in which we saw another strong performance from jungler Sjakal, who is also looking to make a name for himself. However, we saw a lot of bright spots in Team 7AM's game, and anything is still possible in a second week of play.

But then…

After a strong display of team play, ION SQUAD took care of the big favorite LowLandLions. It was also the shortest game of the week, with less than 25 minutes on the clock. A fantastic performance by ION SQUAD, which put itself fully on the map. Together with MCN and Echo Zulu, the three teams are at the top of the Elite Series. Unfortunately for Sector One and LowLandLions, two teams with great expectations, it is dangling at the bottom for a while with no wins yet.

One thing is certain, the competition has never been so strong in the Benelux. Each team can win from each other and it comes down to who best executes their gameplan and sticks to it. With two playing days a week there is less room for failure, but more room for improvement. Which team will persevere and will we see rise to the top in the second week?