This article was originally published on GameSpot's sister site onGamers.com, which was dedicated to esports coverage.

　　The European LCS is upon us, and with it comes monumental match ups. Right out of the gate you have ranked power houses trading blows, old scores to settle, and new rosters to prove themselves. It's going to be a hell of an opener.

　　#9 Fnatic vs. #4 Gambit Gaming

　　Old rivals meet on familiar ground as Enrique 'xPeke' Cedeño's Fnatic face off against Aleksei 'Alex Ich' Ichetovkin's Gambit Gaming. Lolesports.com ranked the two teams #9 and #4, respectively, but don't let that fool you. This match can go either way. The clash of the titans in the mid lane between Cedeño and Ichetovkin will be a major highlight of the match, but bottom lane will be an interesting battle of the new vs. the seasoned. Fnatic has been fostering their young AD Carry, Martin 'Rekkles' Larsson, for some time, but he didn't have a strong showing at the Battle of the Atlantic against Cloud 9. On the other hand, Gambit Gaming's re-acquisition of Edward 'Edward' Abgaryan appears to have revitalized the team. With picks like Amumu in Abgaryan's back pocket, Larsson could be in for another rough match.

　　The Copenhagen Wolves vs. The Alliance

　　The Wolves have only up to go after a catastrophic Season 3. A 13-15 record in the Spring Split meant relegation, and once they reclaimed their spot, the roster left for Ninjas in Pyjamas, forcing a new Wolves roster to battle back through the Promotion Tournament. The new roster, made mostly of members from PrideFC, seems impressive enough. They went 5-0 in the group stages of the Promotion Tournament, and then defeated MeetYourMakers 3-1. Standing in their way is star-studded The Alliance, which has one of the Wolves' former players: jungler Ilyas 'Shook' Hartsema. There's a lot of name power on The Alliance roster, including legendary mid laner Henrik 'Froggen' Hansen, but the Wolves appear to be on a roll. Dismantling The Alliance could be the jump start they need to a better season.

　　SUPA HOT CREW XD vs. Team ROCCAT

　　You can call it luck or a miracle, but SUPA HOT CREW XD got a break regardless. The unfortunate Lemondogs situation opened up the door to their second big break after they failed to qualify for the LCS the first time. After Ninjas in Pyjamas forfeited, it was just them and MeetYourMakers. Now they face off against Team ROCCAT, formerly KMT. The teams met in the round robin of the Spring Promotion Tournament, with SHC squeezing out a 52 minute victory. Team ROCCAT will be looking for payback, but both teams have grown since their last meeting after facing off against the pros. SHC went the distance with SK Gaming, forcing five games after jumping out to a 2-0 lead. Team ROCCAT made quick work of Ninjas in Pyjamas, sweeping them 3-0. The match could be the beginning of a beautiful rivalry between ROCCAT and SHC.

　　The Alliance vs. #9 Fnatic

　　Fnatic's second match will also feature a mid lane brawl. Hansen and Cedeño will draw a lot of attention during the broadcast. The last time they met was in the Summer Playoffs, and Hansen was on Evil Geniuses. Both mid laners could say they took a game a piece against each other. Hansen went 2/3/4 on Orianna against Cedeño's 8/3/8 Ahri. Hansen stormed back the second game with an 11/3/2 Fizz, “beating” a 5/5/12 Ahri. However, Fnatic ended up taking that series 2-0 overall. Both Hansen and Mike 'Wickd' Petersen, also part of that series between Evil Geniuses and Fnatic, have a score to settle.

　　#4 Gambit Gaming vs. The Copenhagen Wolves

　　Gambit's second match is against the Wolves, which many would consider an easier match up. Across the board Gambit looks strong, and this Wolves roster has yet to prove themselves against a high caliber, veteran League of Legends team like Gambit. It could be a stomp, or it be a close call in favor of the Wolves, but it's easy to see the team with the predatory namesake becoming the hunted instead of the hunter.

　　SK Gaming vs. Millenium

　　The new SK Gaming roster gave their fans quite a scare by dropping two games against SUPA HOT CREW in the Spring Promotion Tournament. The rewarded the loyal ones with three wins in a row to secure their spot in the Season 4 Spring Split. Still, this roster is not what it was a year ago. Carlos 'ocelote' Rodríguez and Patrick 'Nyph' Funke are the most recent departures, with the latter joining The Alliance. Millenium, on the other hand, is Team Alternate rebranded, a team that avoided relegation and went 13-15 in the Summer Split. In fact, this is the same Team Alternate that prevented SK Gaming from going to the playoffs in a tie-breaker match, forcing SK to work their way back through relegation. This is a good ol' revenge match, through and through.

　　Image Credits: lolesports.com, lol.gamepedia.com