This Sunday, June 11, Unicorns of Love will take on H2K to establish the top of the standings in Group B of the EU LCS. It will be a crucial series, as these two teams seek the top spot within the group. While audiences were able to see UOL and H2K debut in Week One, their opponents looked significantly weaker. Week Two will be the true test for Group B dominance.
At the end of the Spring Split, UOL narrowly edged out H2K for first seed going into playoffs. H2K had a 10-3 record, while UOL finished 11-2. H2K lost both head-to-head match-ups against UOL over the course of the split, so they will look for redemption in the series this week.
UOL and H2K first faced off in Week Two of the Spring Split this year. The Unicorns won games one and three, while H2K took the second game. In all three games, H2K secured a gold lead of 3,000 or more. They took the first kill, the first dragon, and the first turret in all three games. This usually involved UOL initiating a fight or turret dive, and H2K properly absorbing the pressure and punishing the failed attempts.
However, H2K never got these early accomplishments for free. UOL generally secured kills of their own just after first blood. The Unicorns also did not slow down the tempo of the game. Andrei “Xerxe” Dragomir and Fabian “Exileh” Schubert were almost always more proactive than H2K’s mid-jungle duo, and most teamfights went in UOL’s favor. In H2K’s losses, they allowed UOL to swing the gold back in their favor twice, dragging the game time beyond 36 minutes. In H2K’s win, they finished before 33 minutes.
These mid-game teamfights transitioned into Baron posturing. Unicorns’ wins came off the back of successful Baron takes post-30 minutes. In H2K’s victory, they did successfully push UOL off of a Baron call, punished the rush, and ended the game.
The other UOL-H2K match-up occurred in Week Eight of the Spring Split. While the Unicorns did win the series 2-0, the games were still competitive. Game one saw H2K with over 7,000 gold over UOL. Game two took UOL three Baron takes to close out the game. The strengths and weaknesses of the two teams carried over into this series, as well. In both games, Marcin “Jankos” Jankowski secured first blood and one of H2K’s solo laners received the second kill.
But, again, UOL excels at securing counter-kills and keeping up the tempo. When playing from behind, they absorb the pressure of H2K’s Baron buff and make sure to take the Infernal Drakes. When playing ahead, UOL pressures the map, takes Baron themselves, and pushes the pace. The aggression does occasionally get them into trouble, though.
Last split, UOL was the only squad with higher first Baron (80 percent) and Baron control (78 percent) rates than H2K. Fighting around the pit is UOL’s biggest strength. Meanwhile, H2K’s early game is key to their success. They maintained the highest average gold lead at 15 minutes (1,056) and the highest first blood rate (63 percent).
It is between these moments where the match-up will be decided. H2K needs to snowball their early leads efficiently and close out the game before UOL gets the opportunity to snag a Baron. Unicorns of Love will need to match H2K’s aggression throughout the first 30 minutes, then pressure Baron and out-fight in the late game.
H2K’s first series of the Summer Split was against Splyce. The series ended 2-0 in H2K’s favor, but the first game did not go as smoothly as the second. Splyce built up a 3,600 gold lead pre-20 minutes. However, H2K’s mid-game teamfighting was too much, particularly out of Fabian “Febiven” Diepstraten. H2K took Baron around 22 minutes, swinging the gold lead back in their favor and ending the game. In Game Two, Jankos got three kills on Graves in the first four minutes, and H2K snowballed completely from that point. It was over in 24 minutes.
Mysterious Monkeys did not put up much of a fight versus H2K in Week One. While MM was able to get a few early kills in the first game, H2K turned it around at the dragon pit. After taking the Infernal Drake, H2K built a lead over 10,000 gold and closed it out. Game Two was a complete stomp. H2K secured six kills before MM could get one, then they took the Baron and ended.
Unicorns’ wins against VIT followed a similar trajectory. Although VIT secured first blood, first turret, first dragon, and Rift Herald in Game One, UOL only allowed them to take one more turret after 10 minutes–no more kills or neutral objectives. They secured Baron around 22 minutes, and closed the game. In Game Two, UOL only lost five deaths and two turrets, while securing 18 kills and a 20-minute Baron.
These two teams seem to be utilizing similar strategies to win this summer as they did in spring. H2K is averaging the highest gold difference at 15 minutes among all EU LCS teams. Unicorns averages about half as much. H2K has secured first blood in two out of four games, while UOL did not in either of their games. H2K also has a higher first turret rate, first dragon rate, and Rift Herald rate.
However, UOL took the first three turrets in both games. Their kill-death ratio as a team is over twice that of H2K, which means Unicorns will be looking to win fights. Both teams have a 100 percent first Baron and Baron control rate, but UOL has historically bested H2K around the pit. H2K should stick to their playstyle of getting far ahead early and out-rotating their opponent. UOL needs to absorb that early pressure, punish missed opportunities, push the pace whether ahead or behind, and posture around Baron to force H2K’s hand. This series should be explosive, and the top of Group B is on the line.
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