The Vainglory 8 Split 2 begins this weekend! Last week we saw teams shaken up as One Piece 101, Liberation X and Fluffy Chickens joined the ranks in their respective regions. With entry to the Spring Season Unified Championships on the line, what can we expect at the start of Split 2? Broken Myth breaks it down in this Vainglory 8 update!
Europe – Matches To Watch
Rising Lotus is building momentum. After defending their Vainglory 8 spot against the strongest challenger team, Lemon and Lime, Rising Lotus takes on SK Gaming this week. Rising Lotus also boasts a 2-0 victory against Cylone Split 1 and a game taken off of SK Gaming.
When playing at their full potential, Rising Lotus has shown they can take on any team in the European Vainglory 8. With the wind in their sails they look to face Team Secret this week. Will they show us their full potential or be swept once again to the wayside?
Fluffy Chickens also looks to make their debut against difficult opponents: SK Gaming. With SK Gaming’s unique drafts, KValafar’s unique choices in Carries and their overall skill, Fluffy Chickens will have to bring everything they’ve got to take the victory.
North America – Matches To Watch
For the first time in North American Vainglory 8 history, two teams won their challenger battles. These two teams, One Piece 101 and Liberation X, both play each other this week! Liberation X will be looking to make their triumphant return to the Vainglory 8, but it will not be that easy.
In Liberation’s last encounter with One Piece 101 at the end of the VIS64 NA Challenger Series, they were defeated 0-3 and took second place in the event. However, Jungler and new Vainglory sensation MonkeyDLufffyy has been doing wonders. Watch out for him to make some serious plays!
Hammer eSports and Cloud9 face off again this week. These teams have had quite the back and forth. During Split 1, Hammers won week 3 and Cloud 9 won week 4. Facing off in the first round this week, the winner will likely overtake the other in the standings. This match will be hard fought.
New Split, New Meta: 2.3
While only the Challenger Battles have taken place thus far in Update 2.3 for competitive teams, several interesting trends have started to emerge from those games as well as the general public to watch out for.
Alpha: There is a current debate over if Alpha is broken or not in 2.3. This leaves the possibility to see her either banned or picked more prominently than usual. Watch out to see if an objective is spotted — she is sure to dismantle it.
Skye: Skye saw more picks previously during the Challenger Battles. Even the new Challenger Series for Split 2 have seen this as a trend. With changes to attack speed and attack speed items, her Forward Barrage might be a new popular tool on the Fold.
Grumpjaw: FooJee dropped many jaws when not only did he play during Echo Fox’s challenger battles, but showed the true power that CP Grumpjaw has to offer. There is no way other teams have not taken notice of this recently buffed hero. Expect to see him played.
Skaarf: Skaarf has been seen in the Lane and even the Jungle more recently. If given the time to build properly, he can melt through objectives and opponents with equal ease. Will his newfound popularity continue?
Ozo: Ozo has been a popular pick and even ban within SEA Vainglory 8 whether healers are present or not. With time to practice during the Challenger Battles, some teams may have had time to test and bring Ozo into their arsenals. Will he potentially see play?
Be sure to catch the action this weekend at Vainglory’s Twitch. Matches for NA & EU begin at 9 AM PDT, and a full schedule is available in this post. Which match are you most excited to see? Let us know in the comments, and we’ll see you next week for another NA & EU Vainglory 8 Update!