Schalke vs Vitality – LEC Match of the Week (2019 Spring)

Posted on February 13, 2019

Two EU powerhouses meet in the Schalke vs Vitality battle, but only one of them will walk away without a loss. We break down our fifth LEC match of the week! FC Schalke 04 are a League of Legends machine. Not only are they great at teamfighting and working together as a unit, but they’re exceptional at setting up objectives and moving around the map. They’re not without fault, though. Despite their reputation of the second-best team in Europe, they showed signs of weakness in face of Origen’s high-tempo early game, so the laning phase might be the best place to beat them.

In that sense, Team Vitality have everything they need to become Schalke’s kryptonite. This team thrives on aggression, and you can count on Vitality to do everything in their power to get early advantages over their opponents. Their only issue is that they don’t always know how to translate their leads into a dominant mid game, so they inevitably overstep their limits in teamfights and skirmishes.

Schalke vs Vitality Match Breakdown

Top Lane Matchup

The Schalke vs Vitality top lane matchup is a clash between veterans! Despite what his 2.4 KDA and 8.5 CS per minute might indicate, S04 Odoamne is a confident carry player that knows full well how to secure individual leads and dominate the laning phase. He does have trouble managing his aggression, though, and it’s common to see him fall prey to enemy ganks.

Cabochard has his flaws too. With a 3.8 KDA and 8.5 CS per minute, he went from being the rock of Team Vitality to someone who frequently falls behind in CS and gives away free kills in the early game. Granted, he makes up for it through teamfighting and shot calling, but in the end, these will be of no help to him in a 1v1 clash against Odoamne.

VERDICT: S04 Odoamne secures a lead in the top lane.

Jungle Matchup

The jungle is hard to evaluate. Sporting a 4.1 KDA and 5.1 CS per minute, Memento has a natural knack for pathing and playmaking, and his constant aggression turns him into a pillar of Schalke’s early game. That being said, he tends to lose direction towards the later stages of the game, so Schalke have to make full use of him before then.

Schalke vs Vitality

However, the same can be said about Mowgli. With a 4.2 KDA and 4.7 CS per minute, Vitality’s jungler can single-handedly break open the entire game in the right circumstances, but he struggles to do so on a consistent basis. His mechanical prowess is undeniable, but it’s clear he still doesn’t have the best synergy with his teammates. And it’s this difference in coordination that gives Memento an upper hand in this matchup.

VERDICT: S04 Memento finds an edge in the jungle.

Mid Lane Matchup

Things will get wild in the mid lane. Holding a 4.1 KDA and 9.3 CS per minute, S04 Abbedagge may be a rookie, but he’s already playing better than most veterans. He has a great understanding of mid lane matchups as well as the game sense to set up winning trades and mid/jungle skirmishes.

Unfortunately, these tactics are unlikely to work on Jiizuke. With a 2.5 KDA and 8.8 CS per minute, Vitality’s mid laner has the perfect mixture of game knowledge and mechanical skill to put most EU mid laner on the back foot. Combine that with his high-risk, high-reward playstyle, and Abbedagge will have a hard time holding on in this Schalke vs Vitality matchup.

VERDICT: VIT Jiizuke takes over the mid lane.

Bot Lane Matchup

A different narrative takes place in the bot lane. Holding a 10.3 KDA and 10.5 CS per minute, S04 Upset is an AD carry juggernauts that exerts insane amounts of pressure in lane and outside of it. The same applies to his support IgNar (4.6 KDA), who can take over entire games with his wild playmaking.

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Vitality also have a strong duo on their hands. With a 4.4 KDA and 10.1 CS per minute, Atilla made a name for himself as the most lane-dominant marksman in the league, but he doesn’t have the positioning or the presence of mind to keep up with Upset in teamfights. And even though Jactroll (2.7 KDA) can make a few plays of his own, he pales in comparison to the force of nature that is IgNar

VERDICT: S04 Upset an IgNar break open the bot lane.

Schalke vs Vitality LEC Match Prediction

FC Schalke 04 have individual leads in four out of five positions, so they’re more than capable of withstanding Vitality’s early game onslaught. And once the match enters the mid game stage, S04 should have no issues outmaneuvering their foes around the map. Our prediction is a victory for FC Schalke 04!

You can bet on Schalke’s taking the W against Team Vitality for odds of 1.80 at Bet-at-Home.

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Kieran L.

Kieran is a gaming & esports betting enthusiast, and one of our top contributors based in Australia. He mainly follows the LoL esports scene, focusing on North America, LEC and LCK. Follow Kieran's updates, exclusive stories and bookmaker reviews.

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