Everything is set for 2016 Summer Playoffs Quarter finals, where we will see TSM clash against CLG.
These two teams know each other well, as they faced-off many times before. The main difference is that this time around, they are not competing against each other in the finals, but rather in quarterfinals.
TMS only made one roster change (Vincent “Biofrost” Wang), however, the team looks completely different from their last playoff match in Spring Split finals. They won 92.9% of their lane swaps and 81.5% of standard lane matches, compared to CLG’s 60.7% lane swap and 44.4% standard lane games. In that regard, TSM comes off a bit better. But with the patch 6.15, lane swaps are not as important or in other words, are not being utilized as much anymore. Also, the addition of “First Brick Gold” resulted in needed adjustments in both teams strategy.
I’ll get straight to the point in this preview. In this matchup, I prefer TSM over CLG, and I’ll tell you why.
There is a reason, why CLG has a lower win % in standard lanes. Actually, there are many things that attribute to that. They have got somewhat weak solo laners Darshan “Darshan” Upadhyaya and Choi “Huhi” Jae-hyun. In addition, Trevor “Stixxay” Hayes preference for Ezreal, which is not a champion that is particularly strong in 2v2 matchups and the team strategy of “safe style of play” is not optimal. We could argue his safe style does more harm than not in the long run, as they got an average of 269 deficit of gold at 10 minutes. I have also noticed Darshan tends to overstay quite a lot in recent matches. For that, we could blame his greed for cs. This might not be that bad if Jake “Xmithie” Puchero prepared himself better for potential counter ganks. That is one of the things top teams (should) do, but we couldn’t see that in CLG’s playstyle. CLG did indeed defeat TL 3:1, but I don’t believe the result reflected the performance of the teams. CLG was slightly better but not that much better than TL.
TSM has had a lot of success this season, due to strong laners and their synergy. Søren “Bjergsen” Bjerg is arguably one of the best, if not the best mid laner in NA as of now. With his consistent dominance in lane, where he wins more times than not, he can freely roam to other lanes and put pressure where it’s needed, which will be a huge advantage for TSM. On the other side of the map, we have got Yiliang “Doublelift” Peng, who is an aggressive player, which does pay off, when he gets ahead. Kevin “Hauntzer” Yarnell is a player, I do not have anything specific to say about. He has games when he can carry, but sometimes that’s not the case. Of Course, we mustn’t forget Dennis “Svenskeren” Johnsen. He is known for constantly occupying the enemy jungle and tremendous effort he puts into securing the objectives. In my opinion, he is one of the main reasons TSM is a force to be reckoned with. Due to their style of play, TSM is extremely dangerous, when ahead, as they can snowball hard, and it’s hard for the enemy team to recover from that.
Verdict & Prediction
Both of the teams will showcase, what they have got to offer, and I can ensure it will be a great match to watch. CLG’s ability to play from behind and great shot-calling from Zaqueri “Aphromoo” Black will go against TSM’s great synergy, aggressive style and boasting one of the best carries atm. The fact that TSM is known for getting an early lead, and CLG being known to being able to play from behind, this match will surely be a treat to watch. CLG is clearly an underdog going into this match, and they will need to show outstanding performance to win and advance in this year’s NA LCS 2016 Summer Split Play-offs.
Prediction: TSM to win 3-1 Correct Score
Odds: 3.00 Bet365
