With Eintracht Spandau, YouTuber HandOfBlood and his agency INSTINCT 3 have sent a team into the highest German league in League of Legends. The start was rocky with many defeats, earning them ridicule. However, the team has since regrouped and finished the first split in 2nd place.
How did the season go?
- In November 2021, HandOfBlood announced the entry of Eintracht Spandau into the Strauss Prime League. They took over the spot from EURONICS and promised more identification and storytelling. Overall, it was supposed to feel like a football club.
- Eintracht Spandau lost the first four matches very clearly. Many mocked them since HandOfBlood had previously announced a long-term ambition to compete for the EU Masters. That is the highest prize you can win in Europe outside of the LEC.
- After that, things slowly improved, and the first games could be won. They even celebrated loudly in front of a pub, just like real football fans.
- However, they lost the Berlin derby against BiG. At the halfway point of the season, the team stood at 4 wins and 5 losses in 8th place. At least 6th place had to be achieved to make it into the playoffs and compete for a possible EU Masters spot.
- By the end of the season, Eintracht Spandau really stepped up. They managed to win 7 games in a row. They always relied on the same strategy. On February 24, the grand finale took place against Unicorns of Love Sexy Edition, where nothing less than 2nd place in the league was at stake.
Eintracht Spandau dominates the dragons and thus every game
How did the last match go? The last match in the spring split of the Strauss Prime League was Eintracht Spandau against Unicorns of Love. The winner of the match would move up to 2nd place, while the loser would remain in 4th place. There was a lot at stake, as 1st and 2nd place in the regular league at least qualify for participation in a play-in tournament for the EU Masters.
However, the match went just as most fans of Eintracht Spandau are now accustomed to. Right on the five-minute mark, Obsess was at the dragon and easily secured it. The second and third dragons also went to HandOfBlood’s team.
While Unicorns of Love could secure more kills, overall, Eintracht Spandau was ahead in objectives like platings, towers, and dragons. At minute 22, there was a risky but spectacular Baron kill from Spandau, made possible only because the opposing jungler Lurox had no Smite.
Eintracht Spandau then played the rest of the match without taking major risks, allowing them to destroy the opposing Nexus at minute 27. Particularly notable was the performance of Pride in the top lane, who had some good 1v1 and 1v2 scenarios, and Obsess, who as a jungler had the best stats for Spandau with 3/0/1.
You can watch the entire match on YouTube (from 4:54:00):
“The roster was not chosen by name”
What do the players say about the success of Eintracht Spandau? Eintracht Spandau finishes the first split since the team’s inception in 2nd place – with 12 wins, 6 losses, and recently even 8 wins in a row.
Thus, they are qualified for the upper bracket of the playoffs and have secured 3rd place there. With a victory over either GamerLegion or the team that progresses to the semifinals, they can achieve direct entry into the EU Masters Spring 2022.
In an interview after the match, supporter Olivier “Prime” Payet explained what makes Eintracht Spandau so special:
The way the coaches put the team together. They did not select players by name and fame. They chose in a way that they knew we would play well together, that we all had the same mentality and would work hard.
We have strong opinions on things, discuss them, and learn quickly. We are the team with the best macro in the Prime League and we are evolving faster than the others.
What’s next? In just a few days, the playoffs will begin for the first teams of the Prime League. On Tuesday, March 1, MOUZ and BIG will face each other. The special aspect here is that the playoffs are played in a best-of-five format.
For Eintracht Spandau, it continues a week later, on March 8. They will face Gamer Legion, the only team they lost to in the second half – and that in a very dramatic manner.
What do you think of Eintracht Spandau? Do you follow the team and the league closely? Or do you only watch the highest division, the LEC? And if not, do you trust Spandau for a good spot in the EU Masters?
The well-known Twitch streamer Tyler1 achieved an interesting success in the past week. For this, he earns respect from many players and other streamers:
LoL: Twitch streamer completes crazy challenge, takes 2 years and 6000 matches – is now the hero
