100 Thieves vs Team Liquid
100 Thieves and Team Liquid both played their most recent match on Saturday, when 100T lost to Team SoloMid, while Team Liquid took down Evil Genuises with relative ease. I have talked before how Team Liquid barely managed to win most of their previous matches and how I am not too confident in their quality, but at one point, we have to come to terms that a win is still a win and that a team with a six-game winning streak might not be as bad as it may seem.
Seeing TL defeat EG becomes that much more impressive if we consider EG defeated Cloud9, albeit it’s also worth noting that EG’s draft in their game against TL was far from optimal. Nevertheless, TL won that game with 11-7 and +15k gold lead so perhaps draft was not the main issue.
100 Thieves, on the other side, lost to TSM which was somewhat shocking considering they looked like the stronger side, but choked in the end and let TSM pick up two Barons. Ssumday had a solid game and the same goes for Contractz, while Cody Sun failed to show up, but overall played well given that he picked Ashe into Leona and LeBlanc.
On the other end of the spectrum, Ryoma continues to disappoint and quite frankly I don’t know how long are 100T prepared to tolerate his questionable performances. While he can have his flashes of greatness, he is still the worst-performing and the most inconsistent player on the team and I am certain a better mid laner would make 100T significantly stronger. Perhaps signing Jiizuke who got benched from EG would be a solid option, but for now, 100T have to work with what they have.
Talking about a poor mid lane, I am very concerned with how Ryoma will perform against Jensen. The latter has finally found his old form and is looking extremely solid and quite frankly, I have a hard time believing Ryoma can survive in the lane.
Other than that, 100T should be able to stack up against TL since all other lanes can play at high enough level to compete with TL’s players. Cody Sun’s performance will be crucial here and if Contractz and Ssumday can continue playing at this pace, 100T will not go down easy. I’m not ready to believe 100T will win, namely due to Ryoma, but they should at least make TL work for the win and pick up at least eight kills.
Prediction: 100 Thieves over 7.5 kills – 2.00
FlyQuest vs Cloud9
What’s happening with Cloud9? While losing two games does not spell the end of the world for them, it’s hard to praise the reigning LCS champions for what they have shown against EG and before that against 100T. It seems like they have found themselves in a mid-season slump which was expected to happen at some time, however, the question is when will they manage to get back on the horse and play at the level we know they are capable of.
Yesterday C9 got outclassed by EG across the board and seeing how EG managed to take all the drakes and even a Baron, while leaving C9 with only two Rift Heralds is somewhat shocking, considering C9 were known for having an exceptional objective control.
FlyQuest, on the other side, looked a bit shaky through Week 4 and 5, but have since proved they “still got it” with a commanding win against TSM. Even saying it was a commanding win is an understatement, seeing how FlyQuest ended the game with 12k gold lead, What’s more, they picked up four drakes, two Rift Heralds and a Baron, and left TSM with only one drake.
While there were not many kills in that game (8-4), FlyQuest did not exactly need to fight TSM but instead out-macroed their opponents with a solid movement around the map. Now the question is whether FlyQuest can defeat Cloud9.
If Cloud9 fail to improve upon their performances against 100T and Evil Genuises, seeing FlyQuest come out ahead would not be by any means shocking. Having said that, it’s difficult to side with a team that has looked solid in only one out fo their last four games over a team that has established themselves as LCS juggernauts.
Nevertheless, if there is one thing we have learned from FlyQuest in their last game is that they don’t take stupid fights which effectively helps them avoid giving up free deaths. With WildTurtle back on the roster, FlyQuest can also count on their bottom lane to hold their weight meanwhile solo should be able to survive against Licorice, as long as he can avoid being too aggressive and for once get put on a useful champion i.e. not Renekton.
I’m not ready to believe FlyQUest can win, but after seeing C9 struggle in their last two games, siding with FlyQuest to keep this match within seven kills is the bet we are confident to go for.
Prediction: Fly Quest +7.5 kills – 1.819
CLG vs Immortals
CLG are coming into this match following a humiliating loss to Dignitas on Saturday, where CLG even held a substantial lead but were unable to close out the deal. While it’s true CLG dug their own hole for letting V1per get on Riven and FeniX on Orianna, that’s not an excuse but rather an indication that CLG’s drafts are just not good.
Immortals, on the other side, lost to Golden Guardians this Sunday in a match that they could have easily won, since they looked far stronger in the late game, yet still managed to find a way to lose by forcing stupid fights instead of taking down objectives and closing out the game.
As evident from their recent showings both CLG and Immortals don’t have the basics down and while some of their players (can) perform well, it’s the overall approach to the game that is lacking.
This match seems like it should end in CLG’s favor since they looked far more stable throughout the season, but quite frankly, Immortals should not go down without a fight. They might have lost to GG but they have proven they can play at least decent in the early-mid game which is a strong weapon to have against teams like CLG, who don’t know how to fight when behind.
I foresee this match to be a complete fiesta as most of all CLG’s and Immortals’ matches were, so we can expect to see plenty of kills on both sides, especially on the side of Immortals who should look get ahead early and try to claim their third win of the season.
Prediction: Immortals over 9.5 kills – 1.787
Golden Guardians vs Dignitas
Dignitas have found their stride and now look like a very solid-mid table team. Last Saturday they crushed CLG and before that took down FlyQuest and Immortals, whereas Golden Guardians picked up a narrow win against Immortals this Sunday and before that lost to Team Liquid and won against Evil Genuises.
Based on Golden Guardians’ performance against Immortals I am not too confident they are really as strong as the odds would suggest. A win is still a win, but in all honesty, Golden Guardian would have lost to Immortals, if the latter had even slightly better decision-making.
On the side of Dignitas, we noticed Aphromoo has found his old form and is now the main actor in his team’s success both with his performances and shot-calling, while we can’t ignore Dardoch who is a beast in the jungle, and FeniX who is playing well above the expectations. What’s more, Dignitas brought back V1per, meaning that Golden Guardians have to give up one ban or face his Riven, which is not something they can afford. This will effectively give Dignitas an advantage in draft, which is a massive positive.
In all honesty, Dignitas have been performing much better than Golden Guardians and as long as they can keep playing at this pace, they just might fight their way into the playoffs, whereas Golden Guardians still have a lot more to prove before we can start praising them.
Prediction: Dignitas to win – 2.55
Prediction: Dignitas over 8.5 kills – 1.98 – Best Bet
