LCS All Star Picks, Part One - EU

With 5 weeks and just under half the spring split completed it's time to start really giving thought to All Star picks as the vote should be coming in just a few short weeks. Riot has said that the reward for All Stars will be different this year, as they're eliminating byes from Worlds. Beyond that we don't know what changes may come for the second incarnation of the All Star event, but it doesn't stop us wanting a win for LCS regions. So I'm going to give my top 3 picks for each role along with why I think they're the best choice for the All Star team.

TOP LANE

1. Xaxus - ROCCAT. Since qualifying for the LCS Roccat has proven to be a juggernaut of a team and currently sits alone in the number 1 slot taking games off Fnatic and Gambit. Xaxus has been a major contributor in a number of Roccat's victories including creating the early advantage against Fnatic in their most recent clash. Xaxus has also demonstrated strength across the current meta champions like Mundo or Shyvana, as well as an ability to dominate the lane on bullies like Renekton or his heavily favored Trundle. 
2. Darien - Gambit. It simply wouldn't be an All Stars list without the man who is solely responsible for making Warwick a thing. Darien and Gambit have long been hovering around the top of the pile in Europe and this season is no different. His ability to play from behind, and draw heavy focus both in games and in champion select make Darien a worthy addition to any All Star team. 
3. sOAZ - Fnatic. Despite his current slump sOAZ still clearly deserves a spot on this list when we look at his achievements. Part of the Fnatic team that won both splits of the EU LCS last season, last year's All Star top laner, a major player in Fnatic's 7-0 start to this season, and the list goes on. There's no doubt that sOAZ will sort his problems before the split is over and help Fnatic to more victories and that makes him a good choice for All Stars. 
4. Honorable Mentions: Honestly top lane is super hard to chose from in the EU LCS, all the players could easily perform as All Stars. With such an incredibly hard choice I had to go with the ones who've helped their teams to the best results.

JUNGLE

1. Jankos - ROCCAT. Picking the top jungler was a hard choice, I finally settled on Jankos for two reasons. The first is his team, Roccat, currently sits the undisputed top of the EU LCS. The other reason being his incredible synergy with my pick for mid lane All Star, Overpow. Jankos and Overpow have made an impressive team, from their ability to play hide the pantheon, to the way they pair their movements across the map. That synergy earns Jankos the number 1 choice for All Stars. 
2. Diamondprox - Gambit. It was tough to not put Diamond first on this list, he's always been a successful innovator of new champions and builds in the jungle. Gambit's strong performance even while Diamond pulls out new junglers and builds that the rest of the world struggles to wrap their heads around makes him an obvious choice for this list. 
3. Araneae - Millenium. While Millenium has struggled to close out games, resulting in them being tied for the bottom of the EU LCS, the only reason we can tell that is their intense early game built on the back of Araneae's fierce jungle style along with mid laner Kerp's strong roaming presence. The fact that Araneae is often able to build his team an early lead earns him the third spot on this list.
4. Honorable Mentions: Cyanide, Svenskeren, Amazing - all have had strong showings in the jungle this split and could easily contend with Araneae for the third spot on this list. 

MID LANE

1. Overpow - ROCCAT. If there's one Roccat member I'll get nearly unanimous agreement on it's got to be Overpow, which should make it no surprise he tops this list. The list of Overpow's strengths are immense, carried his team through promotion against NiP, top mid lane KDA, man handled star mid laners like xPeke and Alex Ich, enormous champion pool, this list could go on all day. Overpow has been such a major component of the Roccat team that it's hard to believe many would argue with him as the best choice for a winning EU All Star team. 
2. Alex Ich - Gambit. It's no surprise Alex is on this list, Gambit is the current number 2 in EU and a constant top team, multiple visits to Worlds, All Star mid laner last season. Alex Ich continues to show an ability to carry games with his impressive mid lane play, it simply would not be an All Stars list without him. 
3. Kerp - Millenium. The man with the trackball has made quite the splash mid lane this season. While Millenium has yet to sort out their late game problems, Kerp's early lane prowess and mid game roaming is something to behold and that earns him a spot on this list. 
4. Honorable Mentions: All the mid laners in EU from farm master Froggen to superstar xPeke are world class players and could easily be All Stars.

AD CARRY

1. MrRallez - Supa Hot Crew. Even when SHC was under performing in the opening weeks of the LCS MrRallez has been a shining beacon for the team. The continually impressive play whether his team is winning or losing enamored me to this fresh face in the LCS and it's what earned MrRallez the spot on this list.
2. Rekkles - Fnatic. After going 3 games without a death it would be impossible to have an All Stars list without Rekkles. Fnatic has not had the best results of late, but that does not take away from Rekkles setting the record for most kills without a death in LCS history. The Rekkles hype is real, and it earned him a well deserved spot on this list. 
3. Candy Panda - SK. After a not great start to the split Candy Panda has stepped up in a big way and helped to Carry SK into a tie for 4th place. Candy Panda is definitely the most improved player on this list and his performance makes him a strong choice for All Stars. 
4. Honorable Mentions: Celaver who was primarily left off this list because I'm working on the assumption that the 3 players per team rule remains in effect, as well as Forg1ven, Creaton, and Tabzz who are all strong players in their own rights.

SUPPORT

1. YellOwStaR - Fnatic. The last half a year has shown Yellowstar's impressive range as a player. He transitioned from ADC to Support, had a single game role swap with top laner Soaz, and adapted to a new lane partner when the team had Rekkles take over for Puszu after season 3 Worlds. Yellowstar's incredible adaptability makes him the single best All Star support option, no matter which AD Carry makes it through he's sure to make the EU All Star a force to be reckoned with. 
2. Migxa - Supa Hot Crew. This fresh face to the LCS has done a "Naiiice" job of making his ADC MrRallez look good in all of SHC's games which makes it no surprise that he's earned a spot on this list. 
3. Jree - Millenium. The strength of Jree's play is no secret, the casters love to mention Jree's play and especially his epic hooks while covering Millenium games. It should be no surprise that such a consistently talked about player has a spot on the All Star list. 
4. Honorable Mentions: Vander who only failed to make this list because of the 3 player rule, as well as EdWard who has always been a strong support player, and Unlimited. 

It's always hard to chose the best players in such a competitive region but I really do believe that assembling the number 1 picks in each role would produce a team well suited to bringing the EU All Stars a win. This post is a bit long so I'm going to separate out the NA picks and post them later in the week.

Edited to add: Bloodwater's recent AMA suggested the All Stars team might be limited to 2 members of any team rather than the 3, whether that's his inside track to Riot talking or just him making a mistake is unclear. If Bloodwater is correct the 2nd and 3rd choices of the list would need a revamp but the top spots could mostly stay the same with only elevating Diamond to the #1 spot. I only barely left Diamond off the top spot on this list because of Jankos' synergy with Overpow and it's no doubt that Diamond would perform.