The rising stars of the EU LCS mid lane
Europe has long been the mine of the top-level League of Legends mid lane talents for the entire Western scene. The names of Froggen, xPeke, Bjergsen and since last year Febiven have been written into tournament history for their signature moves, crazy outplays, creativity and talent on the Rift. In 2016 the EU LCS has two newcomers looking forward to making their names known for mid lane domination worldwide. We want to present to you Luka ‚PerkZ‘ Perkovic from G2 Esports and Chres ‚Sencux‘ Laursen from Splyce.
Before the start of the EU LCS hardly anyone would consider G2 Esports‘ team one of the top squads in European power rankings for this season, mostly due to the fact that team just got into the EU LCS from the Challenger Series. However, during the first week the teamed showed that, after winning the 2016 EU LCS Spring Promo against SK Gaming back in September, they improved a lot. The addition of Korean jungler Trick and ADC Emperor, together with talented mid laner PerkZ, seemed to work together miraculously.
Excited to show his Zed
The main motivation for Croatian PerkZ, who celebrated his 17th birthday three months ago, is now that sweet taste of victory. „I like playing in the LCS, because games here actually matter. Not like in solo queue or scrims. I do not feel any pressure myself. Maybe people know me because of my solo queue performance, but for now it only matters how I play in the LCS. I can play both assassins and mages. I can adapt to any Meta, but I prefer to play assassins.“

Photo: Riot Games
PerkZ is quite coy, when talking about his strengths, but he stresses his ability to come out on top in the laning phase and have a significant impact during the team fights. However, he is especially excited to face one of his solo queue rivals on the LCS stage. „I was in the solo queue top 10 for the past two seasons. I played against the best European mid laners like Febiven or Jensen a lot and got friendly with them. I really want to face Febiven on the EU LCS stage, my Zed versus his LeBlanc“, – he says.
When talking about personal idols, PerkZ mentions the legendary SKT T1 Telecom player Faker: „He is the most perfect player in the world. He is very good in every aspect of the game. I believe I can become one of the best mid laners in Europe.“ He adds that right now G2’s squad is feeling strong. „Our scrims have been good so far, so if we keep the performance up, we will be contenders for the top 3 this split. Before the scrims I was not that sure, but right now we look solid. We had our line-up for a very short time and we’re still new together, but we want to go as big as Fnatic did last year“, – he tells.
Looking up to Febiven
Another European newcomer, the Danish mid laner Sencux, has not been as successful. During the first week his team Splyce lost both matches against Unicorns of Love and Elements. Even his Varus and Zed picks did not seem to be influential enough, to help the team grab the victory. 17-year-old Sencux as well as PerkZ were rumoured to be possible replacements last year, if Origen’s xPeke would retire. Although it did not happen, these players got some spotlight, even before joining the LCS.
„I played in the Challenger Series for two years, so it is really nice to finally be on the big stage instead of playing at home. I can’t say for sure, but I had some offers and if I was a bit older, I might have been here earlier. Even though it’s my first season in the LCS, I’ve played a lot competitively and I think having a lot of competitive experience is one of my main advantages. I also strive to win, that makes me a good catch“, – Sencux explains. According to him, although his first two losses were pretty devastating, it is not an indicator of how the whole split will go. „We are a new team, three rookies. The longer we play, the better we will get“, – he is sure.

Photo: Riot Games
The Danish mid laner is not looking for someone to look up to, who plays in a different region. Fnatic Febiven’s story is the one he’d like to follow. „He also came from the Challenger Series to the LCS, to Fnatic. After half a year he developed so much and got so much better. Right now the most important thing for me, is to play with the team and to find the best ways to play the game. Everything still revolves about the whole team. It is not only about individual gameplay. You can’t carry the game 1 vs. 9. At the same time I will try to play as much as I can myself and constantly improve. I’m not pure talent or a hard-worker, I’m a bit of both“, – he explains.
When Sencux started to get the hype while playing in Challenger Series, he mainly played assassins. It is no secret that these kind of champions are the favourite for most mid laners. „That’s what I like to play the most, but I don’t mind to take some poke champions. I’ll play what my team needs, I’m a very versatile player. I do not stick to one or few champions. I feel like I’m a quick learner, if there is a new champion apparent in the Meta, I can adapt pretty fast,“ – says Splyce’s mid laner. One thing we can be confident about – it is just the very start of Sencux’s journey in the EU LCS and this young player still has a lot to show. He might also stick to Europe for a long while, as he says – currently NA is a no-go for him: „I like to play in Europe, to be closer to my family and friends. As I see it now, I won’t ever go to NA. I already had offers and said „no“ to all of them.“