James Weller takes an in-depth look at the teams attending Poland this weekend.

This column is the sole opinion of the author and does not represent the opinion of Heaven Media Ltd or the opinion of any affiliates.

With ECC:Poland starting tomorrow, I think it's probably about right that we kick off the big event with a good old preview. With eight teams from across Europe looking to take home both the cash and the circuit points, a lot is on the line for the competitors. With so much on offer, let's take a look at the teams who will be doing their utmost to make their mark over in Warsaw.

Can Moscow5 continue their dominance?

Alex ich, Diamondprox, Genja, GoSu Pepper, Darien

Moscow 5 have been dominating Europe for a little while, picking up almost every single LAN event they've attended. As well as this they seem to very easily shut out the big North American teams whenever they cross paths. Their most recent result however was 2nd place at Dreamhack Summer 2012, losing to other huge European threat CLG.eu. With this on their minds there may be an extra incentive for the Russians to take on their former opponents and prove that they're still number one in Europe and possibly the world. With this said I think Moscow 5 will take the number one spot, as they have proved time and time again that they are not only able to invent new and innovative strategies, but execute them spectacularly as well.

Can the strong arms of Froggen strike again?

Froggen, Snoopeh, Yellowpete, Krepo, Wickd

Counter Logic Gaming Europe have been on the brink of success ever since they formed back in late December last year after the split of SK. However, CLG EU have always never quite made it to the top spot, that is until they managed to take the number one spot at Dreamhack Summer 2012. This was the team's first major LAN victory, and it cemented them as one of the best teams in the world as of now. With continued success in Korea, they look like a bit of an unstoppable force, most notably including AP Carry Froggen. The guy has been a wrecking machine, taking names across the world as he does his best to prove he is the best AP Carry in the game. With the event immediately following their return from Korea, there's a chance that jet-lag may get the better of them, but let's just wait and see.

Curse will need a black cat to lift their namesake

extinkt, Sleper, Malunoo, xinec, Angush

Curse EU are a strange lot, not in the sense of the players, but in a way they perform as a team. When they came busting out of the blocks as Absolute Legends, they were taking the scene by force, taking out some big names and earning their rightful place as one of the top European teams. However, after such amazing online performances, the team has failed to replicate their results as they only just make the podium or don't make it at all. A team with such potential should be setting their sights on top 3 places wherever they go, but somehow they just cannot do it. Coming into Poland I can see these guys making the top 3, but not without a little trouble. Whether this trouble is from SK or another of the teams in their group isn't too easy to call, but I can see these guys not quite cutting it if they don't keep their heads down. I know a lot of people think these guys have the talent and I can't whole heartedly agree, but I still think these guys can achieve the third place spot in Warsaw.

I WANT YOU... to stop roster shuffling

Ocelote, Kev1n, Nyph, Who Knows, Any idea?

So I have a lot to say about SK Gaming, and not much of it good. For the sake of the article i'll try not to rant too much but I'll still put some points out there. SK Gaming have quite possibly the worst roster history than any other, having an amazing 22 players leave their team since forming. One of the causes of this in it's most recent cases is the man pictured above. Ocelote has complete control over his team, and is trusted by SK to make the right decisions for the team, but he simply doesn't. His ego makes his control of the team questionable, as we see players leaving because of it, and others being booted out. This leaves SK Gaming with a roster of 3 confirmed people for ECC:Poland, so I'm not even sure what the full lineup will be. Obviously this is a pretty bad standing point for the team coming into the event, but it's fairly obvious where the blame lies. Now my rant is over, I will say that if SK pickup the right kind of players, I can still see them making it into the top 4 and therefore into the elimination stages. However don't get too attached to their lineup for the event, it won't be around for long.

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James Weller takes an in-depth look at the teams attending Poland this weekend.

This column is the sole opinion of the author and does not represent the opinion of Heaven Media Ltd or the opinion of any affiliates.

Alright so with my predictions of the top four covered, lets take a quick look at the other teams that are attending the event. I by no means want to count any of these teams out, as they are all still very good and have a chance of surprising people. However I don't think they have the experience or skill to knock the others off the podium, but I guess I could always be wrong?

Making Poland ace!

LOLPRO, SuperAZE, Puki Style, Celaver, 760

I believe, and I know some may disagree, that Team Acer are a very strong and underrated team as of now. With a very strong roster and a couple of good results to match, if anyone is going to cause and upset I believe it will be these guys. Their most recent result saw the Poles come second in the League of Champions online tournament, beating teams such as Curse EU, fnatic and Millenium. I can definitely see these guys cause a little trouble if they're practised enough for the event, and not feeling the pressure of their first LAN event. For those who are cynical, just take a look at some of the group A matches today, as these guys should put on a good show.

Will the Spanish prove themselves as a nation to be feared?

Morden, Babeta, Exterminare, Samux, jimbownz

Ok, so many of the people reading this won't really know who x6tence are, unless you follow League of Legends vigorously. x6tence are a Spanish team who have been trying to make a name for themselves in League of Legends since the end of last year. Under this tournament, x6tence will be under the name of "Ocelote World" as the Spaniard decided to pay for their travel when they didn't have the funds available. These guys realistically don't really have a chance to even make it into the elimination bracket, not just because of their skill, but because of their group. These guys will probably be out for blood though, as they will be looking to place themselves as a top team in League of Legends and do their country proud.

They're from the depths of hell, but can they handle the heat?

Veggie, Kubon, HosaN, Grom, Shushei

Again a team that isn't particularly known, but that is because they were only formed 17 days ago. If you do know these guys, its probably because they have fnatic legend Shushei on their team. Lots of people will be looking forward to seeing Shushei play again, and it'll be interesting to see if he can carry the team to victory. The Poles will be looking to take on their fellow countrymen to prove that they are the best team in Poland, quite the task for such a new team. I can't really see these guys being too much of a destructive force in their group, but if Shushei is back to his old form, I guess anything is possible.

Meet your Makers are probably going to meet their end quite early...

Czaru, Mokatte, Makler, Libik, cinkowski

So here we are with my team that I think will come last. MYM are an all polish team that come into the event as underdogs to say the least. I haven't really seen these guys play for quite a long time, but when I did I wasn't very impressed. They're definitely not up to par with their Polish counterparts, and I think the top teams will have no trouble sweeping them aside. These guys will really have to dig deep to get some results at the this tournament, something I don't really believe that they're capable of. However, it being a LAN event with high stakes, I may be eating my words by the end of the tournament... but I doubt it.


So with the tournament preview over, stay tuned for coverage throughout today and tomorrow. Make sure to voice your opinions on who will win in the groups table as well as the match fixtures. Enjoy!