by Reece "Sabrewolf" Dos-Santos
This season is shaping up to be the first
season of NA where the three spots for worlds are not completely predictable.
The NA LCS, by the half-way point, has already seen a good share of upsets,
turnarounds, and explosive matches. By week six, the usually dominant Cloud 9
have already picked up their most losses in a split and appear to mirroring
their European counterparts, Fnatic, in putting up inconsistent showings that
vary from world class dominance to frighteningly average slumps. When looking at the NA LCS with an objective
view of only this split, it’s hard to deny that the three teams currently in
pole position look to be the ones that push for the three NA spots.
The NA LCS:
CLG have consistently shown superiority in
rotations, and mid to late game clarity in their game play. They know what they’re working towards in
almost every game and cleanly achieve their goals. The only team CLG cannot
seem to overcome at this moment is Cloud 9, who delivered two of their four overall losses. LMQ got off to an electrifying start in the
NA LCS, and while there were concerns about their ability to hold it up, they
have been addressing the critics with particularly strong performances from
Vasilii and three time "MVP of the Week," XiaoWeiXiao. Performances
that are being backed up more and more by an improving Ackerman. Meanwhile,
Dignitas have shown that they mean business with their additions of ZionSpartan
and Shiphtur, and they have honestly shocked many watchers with their
overpowering form in the first half of the split. However, like the other two
front runners, Dignitas show signs of cracks. These cracks were clearly evident
in their complete decimation at the hands of compLexity. Dignitas, out of the
three, has had the best showings, but also put out one of the worst. The key to
securing the Worlds' spot for them is simply consistency.
Despite being the favorites and the
biggest NA names, Cloud 9 and TSM have had some substandard performances and only recently began
clawing their way back. TSM , in particular, have begun to find some sort of form since the
addition of Locodoco as a coach, but their main problem as a team is their
inability to take games from the top teams in NA. They have a clean 6-0 record
against the bottom three but are 0-5 against the top three. If TSM can work out how to
challenge the top teams, they can push their way in for one of the spots at
worlds, but unfortunately, a perfect record against EG, COL , and CRS won’t get TSM anything more than a
mid-table finish. In almost a complete opposite regard, Cloud 9 are 2-0 against
CLG, yet they haven’t been able to pick a win against the two bottom teams in
the NA LCS. Whether it’s an issue with underestimating the lower tier
competition or simply a bad clash of match-ups, Cloud 9 are sitting in fourth
place solely because of their inability to take games from the lower tier
competition. Both Cloud 9 and TSM can make it to Worlds, but only if they look at each other’s
weaknesses and learn from them. The NA LCS is no longer their playground - it’s
a battleground.
NA
LCS Dark Horse: Evil Geniuses
The Evil Geniuses were mediocre at best
last split and looked to repeat that form this split until they swapped out
Snoopeh and Yellowpete, who honestly were well past their prime. The additions
of Altec and Helios have completely revitalized the team and seem to have
brought out the best in Pobelter, Krepo and Innox. Their performances have
suddenly become fluid, calculated and hard-fought, and they only look to get
better and better as they become more adjusted to each other - which is a scary
thought when considering how good they looked in Helios’s first week. EG may
sneak their way into playoffs and could be the team to upset the war between
the Top Five.
The EU LCS:
EU, however, isn't as much of a tight
contest compared to NA. Alliance are
already an almost guaranteed spot with a completely dominant 10-2 record, with
losses against SHC and GMB which honestly seemed like they had simply removed
their foot from the gas pedal. Alliance was a team created by Froggen to go Worlds, and honestly it seemed
shaky at the start of the Spring Split, but then the team grew used to each
other and almost perfectly synergized. We have to give it to Froggen, he knows
how to create a top tier team. At this point, the only plausible way Alliance could not
make it to Worlds is through a monumental internal explosion between them, the
chances of that are highly unlikely. But EU have shown that any team can slump
their way out of first place in the blink of an eye. Alliance ’s test now
is merely breaking that stereotype, which shouldn't be hard for them.
The other team that looks jet set for Worlds
is SK gaming who, like Alliance , completely shot out from the bottom of the table into complete
bliss in the second half of spring. SK has shown complete dominance in their
team-based game play and map rotations, and clarity in ending games where they
are comfortably ahead. Jesiz, in particular, has blossomed into a hero that SK
Gaming can rely on in almost every game, along with consistent performances
from CandyPanda and Nrated, with Freddy and Sven rarely making mistakes
themselves. Two of SK’s four losses are against Alliance and that's perfectly understandable considering
the depth of Alliance ’s dominance in the first few weeks of summer.
The third EU spot for worlds is where
things heat up as there is no clear team that looks set to take it. The main
battle seems to be between Supa Hot Crew, Fnatic, and Millenium, all of whom
have put up good performances but still have consistency issues that hold them
back. The one thing that unites all three teams is the talent of their mid
lane: Kerp, Selfie, and xPeke are all world class mid laners who can easily
carry their teams on a good day, but have also shown that they are not exempt
from being shut down. Similarly, all three teams also have standout ADC ’s in Creaton, Mr
RalleZ, and Rekkles, who are complete monsters when left unchecked. The battle
between these three teams is where EU playoffs will become interesting, as SHC
and MIL have mirrored Alliance and SK’s resurgence from the bottom two teams into top of the table
powers, but Fnatic are three split champions for a reason. They always find a
way to weasel themselves into pole position when it matters, but this split
will be their hardest test yet.
EU
LCS Dark Horse: Roccat
Roccat are undeniably talented. They are
one of many teams to deny NiP a space in the LCS and showed overpowering form
in spring that led them to finish third place overall. They, however, inherited
the “first place slump” that so greatly affected Fnatic, and have only recently
begun to recover with two back to back 2-0 weeks (partly due to one of the
matches being a forfeit). Roccat’s point to work on is simply closing out games
and playing with more of a passion rather than playing not to lose. Their
overly passive game play was the main catalyst of the ward chanting and Mexican
waves from the London LCS crowd that sought entertainment.