I'm extremely excited for the 2015 LCS Summer Split to get underway. Europe is going to be an incredibly interesting region to watch, as a lot of new talent has come in, and some veterans are returning. The level of competition may very well be higher than ever before, and it should make for some can't-miss games. Here are my top 5 questions for the EU LCS before it starts:

Will Europe always belong to Fnatic?

With the exception of the 2014 Summer Split, Fnatic has won every single split of the EU LCS. Before this past Spring, they looked like they were going to be a mid-bottom tier team, with a complete roster overhaul that brought in a lot of unproven talent. In the end, Huni and Reignover were among the best at their positions, Febiven shone brightly when finally given his shot in the LCS, and YellOwStaR guided Steeelback as the duo formed a fearsome bottom lane. Now, Rekkles has come home to Fnatic, appearing to shore up the one “weak point” the team had during the Spring. Does this make Fnatic unstoppable, or will the rising tide of competition see them knocked down?

Is Origen going to be the next Cloud9?

Speaking of Fnatic…xPeke is back! In all seriousness, the question posed is whether or not Origen can go from Challenger team to one of the best in their region once they enter the LCS. The lineup appears to be star-studded, as only their bottom lane doesn’t have experience on a top-tier LCS team; even then, Niels and Mithy are both highly regarded players. Origen absolutely destroyed the Challenger scene, and on paper they look like they could easily be in the top 4 teams in Europe. xPeke has waited a long time to watch his dream of a team of his own creation making LCS, and he’s going to do everything he can to make sure this story has a happy ending. After all, what could be more dramatic in this split than xPeke’s team being the one to dethrone Fnatic?

What’s going to happen with the great Elements experiment?

The story of Elements is certainly a strange one. They went from decent team, to best team in Europe, to one of the worst in their region in almost the blink of an eye. Importing Rekkles didn’t work out, and a large portion of their roster underperformed. Now with Tabzz back and Froggen anchoring the mid lane, new additions Jwaow, dexter, and PromisQ will look to restore the team to its former glory. With only Froggen remaining from the Spring Split roster, this mix of veterans and newcomers will be eager to prove themselves. From a team that was #1 not all that long ago, the organization has come to have high expectations. Now, they’re going to need to live up to them.

Will love be in the air?

Unicorns of Love surprised everyone, including themselves, when they finished in 2^nd place during their first split in the LCS. Pegged by almost everyone as a middle-of-the-pack team, they looked that way as they ended the regular season with an even 9-9 record. However, they absolutely took off in the playoffs, bringing down both Gambit and SK Gaming before pushing Fnatic to a full 5 game series in the finals. Every single member of the team looked like one of the strongest in Europe at their respective positions, and their excellent team synergy and desire to enjoy their ride were incredible to watch. Now the question is, was the team we saw during the playoffs the real UoL, or did their .500 record before then reflect their actual skill level?

Speaking of love, how many love letters will Krepo get?

Krepo is going to be on the caster and analyst desks for the EU LCS, and it’s a move that’s going to be embraced wholeheartedly by the fans. He’s already proven his mettle by being part of the Seasons 3 and 4 World Championships broadcasts, and now he’s going to get to have a full time gig. We’ve never heard him cast a game before, but odds are his color casting abilities should start out at least pretty decent, and only get better from there. Krepo is an extremely popular figure, and bringing him on to work the LCS is a fantastic move for all parties. Fans can’t wait to see him as part of the regular broadcast.