After an impressive summer split, Fnatic mid laner Rasmus “Caps” Winther is taking home the 2018 EU LCS season MVP award. It is the cherry on top for the best season of his career, one that would solidify him as a true superstar mid laner.
Your 2018 #EULCS Summer Split MVP: Rasmus "Caps" Winther! pic.twitter.com/pAplwlwCdR
— LoL Esports (@lolesports) September 9, 2018
No Surprises Here
Many EU LCS fans would expect this outcome, as Caps would have an amazing season by any standard. The stats show how well he was playing throughout the season as an individual. He led the league in kills, with an absurd 93 kills for the summer. Also, he had the fourth most assists by any mid laner in Europe with 92. Additionally, he was second amongst EU LCS mid laners for both average gold difference at ten minutes (GD@10), and average creep score difference at ten minutes (CSD@10). He was also the EU LCS leader in damage per minute, and the damage per minute difference.
However, it isn’t just his individual play that made this a standout season for Caps. It is mostly his overall effect on the team that would propel him into stardom. He is now looking to prove his claim that he could be the best mid laner in the West. Let’s take a look at what his performance has allowed Fnatic to achieve this summer.
Caps Stepped Up
For a few years, the perennial European champions would focus on the bottom lane — Fnatic’s star ADC Martin “Rekkles” Larsson won the MVP last season. However, after Rekkles would bench himself only two weeks into the summer, someone would have to rise to the occasion. That person would be Caps, as he would become the carry Fnatic so desperately needed. His play in the mid lane would become polarizing for both his team and his opponents. In many moments, Fnatic’s success would depend on how ahead Caps got early, so many teams would try to shut him down.
This season was a bit different for Caps though, as he found a consistency in his play that he had not found in his past splits. He was the most reliable player on Fnatic, and was also the best player in the EU LCS. Also, he found his stride and would look unstoppable on playmaking, aggressive champs like Zoe, LeBlanc and Wukong. He was always someone you had to worry about, if you were across the Rift from him. He now looks towards the World Championships, where he says that this year will be Fnatic’s year.
Any other candidates?
The race for EU LCS MVP wasn’t really close, as Caps won 81 percent of all MVP votes this season. However, at a purely statistical level, there are a few players who were close to Caps’ level or even better. For example, G2 Esports’ Luka “Perkz” Perković was better than Caps in a few categories, as he would be first in both average gold difference at ten minutes and average creep score difference at ten minutes. He also had a higher Kill-Death Average than Caps, with an impressive 5.7 KDA. However, his effect on his team was no significant enough to get G2 Esports out of the first round of the playoffs.
What do you think of Caps winning the EU LCS MVP award for summer? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below! If you want more EU LCS coverage, check us out here!
