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Events & Standings
10 thoughts going into Summer Week 9
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I've said this elsewhere and I'll say it again here: the LCS has rarely been more interesting than it is right now. Where teams in previous splits would end up being weak carbon copies of what they thought the meta should be, LCS teams in 2021 have actually worked towards developing and drafting for whatever playstyle they feel suits them best. It may not always work, or be the best idea strategically, but it's interesting to watch, especially when you compare and contrast playstyles of not only the top teams, but the three teams at the bottom of the standings vying for the eighth and final playoff spot.
Let's get it. Summer season order again.
**1. 100 Thieves: 28-14 (Summer, 17-7)**
100 Thieves are in trouble. Their recent downward slide isn't as obvious as their spring troubles which were characterized by the Damonte/Ryoma comparisons after the roster swap and an obvious meta shift, but they could end up being more insidious. 100 Thieves have the talent across all positions and the champion pools to be completely comfortable in the current meta. I still disagree with those who say that they're only towards the top because they figured out the Xin Zhao/Karma meta first. Teams quickly banned both Karma and Xin Zhao against 100 Thieves and the team simply found other answers for Closer and Abbedagge while showcasing flexibility in the bottom lane with Huhi's Ziggs or FBI's Lee Sin. If anything, the recent Tahm Kench changes and the absence of Senna from the metagame since the beginning of the season have had more of an impact on 100 Thieves than anything else.
All that being said, I don't think it's a champion pool issue, but mid-game macro problems that were always there from the very beginning. Even in losses, teams like Evil Geniuses and TSM showcased better understanding of how to cross-map trade than 100 Thieves. Now that these teams have caught up and found their stride or style, 100 Thieves look lackluster by contrast. You can see small blips in communication when Huhi goes in without follow-up or Closer hitting the baron by himself while the rest of the team turns for a fight. The acquisitions of Reapered and Abbedagge in the offseason were signals that 100 Thieves was definitively vying for an LCS championship and a worlds berth. They're going to have to improve their mid game significantly in order to get there.
**2. TSM: 28-14 (Summer, 16-8)**
With 100 Thieves slumping and Cloud9 on the rise but close to what we know their roster is capable of, the current "best team" debate is between TSM and Evil Geniuses. This is in and of itself, a really interesting debate even without the best team context due to the fact that TSM has such a wildly different playstyle than EG and are visibly comfortable in the current metagame. I've previously talked about how this current meta is one that TSM are completely comfortable playing around, and their recent games have showcased this.
Yes, there were mistakes from both teams in the TSM-C9 game. But that game was also really interesting in the way that both teams played around what they believe themselves to be best at, and arguments for things like do you take that top-side inhibitor (I'm against it, in case anyone's asking me specifically) or how they played around SwordArt and Huni roaming mid rather than having PowerOfEvil roam to lanes can turn into fascinating broader discussions of their playstyle holistically. In order for TSM to contend for the title, they'll need to keep up the early proactivity we saw from them that game, and think even more specifically about what their objective trades can mean for their opponents.
**3. Evil Geniuses: 26-16 (Summer, 16-8)**
Speaking of Evil Geniuses, they're still the most fun team to watch in the LCS right now. Last week I picked "flexibility" as a word to describe 100 Thieves, in the hope that their newfound draft flexibility this summer could lead to shoring up their mid game. Yet this past week — and arguably this entire split — flexibility was synonymous with EG top laner Impact. The same Impact who was declared washed-up going into this season with only the ability to play tanks.
Impact's new groove (or return to his old groove) meshes particularly well with Evil Geniuses' overall playstyle. EG like to set up their side lane pressure and keep Jiizuke roaming around the map, drawing pressure as much as possible. This remains the same whether they decide to play with Contractz or Svenskeren in the jungle, with Svenskeren being generally more of a facilitator and Contractz a more defining hard carry.
As always, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the pitfalls of EG's aggressive playstyle. Their tendency to play fast and loose is why viewers and analysts sometimes have a difficult time believing in them. Simply put, if you can see the mistakes more visibly and easily, they'll stick in your mind more than the miraculous outplays, even when that's not wholly fair. To win the title, EG should continue to stick to their playstyle but tweak it ever-so-slightly so they pick fewer bad fights and leverage the side lane pressure that they frequently create. EG will never look like the soundest team, but that doesn't mean that they're not currently the best one the LCS has.
**4. Cloud9: 26-16 (Summer, 13-11)**
We often ask, "Is [x team] back?" after a slump. Cloud9 are the latest team on the list for this question, along with fellow Mid-Season Invitational compatriots Royal Never Give Up and MAD Lions.
So, are Cloud9 "back?"
Once again, to copy what I said last week, probably?
If you remember my "hot take" (or lukewarm take) from last week, it was that C9 have the potential to run rampant through summer playoffs. Due to the capability of this roster, and how much Fudge has individually improved from spring and his attention to detail regarding wave management and the map itself, I still think that's entirely possible and plausible. The most important part of C9's potential success will likely hinge on Blaber and whether C9 can find strong meta picks on which he feels comfortable. With Olaf working his way back into the current metagame, it's looking good for both Blaber and C9 even with the narrow loss to TSM.
**5. Team Liquid: 25-17 (Summer, 13-11)**
In their win over Golden Guardians this past weekend, Team Liquid still looked visibly shaky in the mid game, prompting more community doubt and an odd place between the top four in TSM, EG, 100T, and C9 and the rest of the field. TL are, apparently, the line between average and good, especially when considering their record against teams above them in the standings this summer. It's 1-9 in case anyone was curious, with their one win coming against Evil Geniuses in Week 4.
An inability to transfer the massive amount of top-side pressure that Alphari creates was something that TL admittedly struggled with in spring, and something they continued to have trouble with this past weekend. Particularly against Golden Guardians on Sunday, fights where Alphari set up and zoned with his team on the Gangplank were always won. Fights where he wasn't able to set up with the team were almost always lost. This isn't a matter of Alphari versus the rest of the team, but on their overall coordination and communication around objective setups, especially with a champion like GP where his ultimate and barrels can easily break an enemy team's defenses.
One need look no further than TSM Huni's Jayce against Cloud9 this past weekend for a good example of how to transfer top-side pressure to other lanes — coordinating roams mid with the support — but Huni is a vastly different style of player than Alphari and their respective teams play differently because of this. If TL want to make the most of Alphari's pressure, they need to communicate better regarding their setups and potentially take more risks, especially since their team has the talent to overwhelm opponents.
**6. Immortals: 20-22 (Summer, 13-11)**
Immortals went from having one of their worst games all year (the Week 7 match against CLG) to a 3-0 week that included victories over two of the league's top teams in Evil Geniuses and 100 Thieves. In their win against EG, Kayn was an accidental pick for Xerxe due to issues in moving to an online environment. This team weirdly seems prepared for anything, and yet their execution and ability to stand up to opposing laners (alongside some complex drafting) are often suspect.
Their streaky nature and inconsistency were factors that I called out last split and at the beginning of this split, but even in that jump from spring to summer, Immortals were visibly better at setting up their vision patterns and playing around it. This past week was obviously tough for them since they went online first, yet they mitigated that pressure by executing well in-game, especially around giving their bottom lane more pressure and agency. If they keep this up in the final week, they should earn the coveted sixth-place playoff spot and qualify for double-elimination, giving them a bit more leeway to continue to grow and experiment.
**7. Dignitas QNTMPAY: 21-21 (Summer, 10-14)**
I owe Dignitas and both Akaadian and Yusui a massive apology for not believing in the solo lane Kindred into Lucian. I have seen the light and beg for your forgiveness.
More than the laning Kindred pick, the most important thing to come out of that particular victory over FlyQuest was the coordination between Yusui and Akaadian. If they hadn't been able to communicate and capitalize together on the lane pressure that Yusui's Kindred and their bottom lane of Draven and Leona was giving them, the pick wouldn't have worked out nearly as well. It's a good sign for the team as they go into this final week and contend for that last top six spot to avoid single-elimination in playoffs. While it's certainly true that FlyQuest could have punished Dignitas more in draft, it was also nice to see this kind of creativity coming out of the team, especially since Akaadian was also the first on the pocket Kayn pickup. If they're going to beat some of these tougher teams (TSM, C9) that they have to face in Week 9, Dignitas is going to have to find off-beat picks like this to catch their opponents unawares.
**8. Golden Guardians: 12-30 (Summer, 9-15)**
Of the three teams at the bottom of the standings, Golden Guardians are the best team of the group. Unfortunately, they also have the toughest schedule with a must-win game over FlyQuest on Friday that will likely decide whether they make it in or not, and more difficult opponents in 100 Thieves on Saturday, and Immortals on Sunday. Now that Golden Guardians are performing even better in the early game — coordinating dives, using triple teleport at times, making the most of Licorice and Ablazeolive in the solo lanes — where we see them making mistakes is in the mid-to-late game as they face scenarios that they're likely less used to seeing. We see this from a lot of League of Legends teams as they improve over time.
**9. FlyQuest: 13-29 (Summer, 7-17)**
Sadly, the luster has faded from the former FlyQuest Academy lineup as they've floundered over the past few weeks. Since this team's initial 3-0 debut in Week 6, they've gone 1-5. Their one win was a miraculous comeback victory thanks to a solid teamfight in the top lane as TSM were sieging and resetting on a push. I still enjoy this team a lot and the way that they're always willing to take fights together; however, this doesn't mean that they're a particularly proactive team. Their early game is comparatively passive to how they always want to engage on opponents and fight in the mid-to-late game, and their laning leaves a lot to be desired. All that being said, I'm happy this team was able to come in and have this LCS experience (although it's sad that the initial roster crumbled) because at least they're not going to roll over and die in the face of what appear to be insurmountable deficits.
**10. CLG: 11-31 (Summer, 6-18)**
Although CLG still have an outside chance of making playoffs, if FlyQuest beats Golden Guardians on Friday, it's all over. CLG essentially have to win out with FlyQuest losing out and Golden Guardians either losing more games or tying (with CLG owning the head-to-head tiebreaker).
It's never good to have your playoffs destiny outside of your own control, and this is certainly not where CLG wanted to be, especially with this lineup. Much like FlyQuest, there were specific hopes in picking these players up for 2021 CLG, and for whatever reason, it not only didn't work out, but sent them plummeting to the bottom of the standings.
