LTA
LEC
LCK
LPL
LCPLearn more
Events & Standings
6 thoughts going into Playoffs Week 2
TL and C9 finally enter the playoff fray as the LCS looks to lock its first Worlds representatives.
This year’s LCS playoff format is all about second chances. That means you can experience pain not just once but twice -- we are all about the fan experience here. For example, TSM fans have had one pain, but what about a second one? Tune in this week to find out as the #1 and #2 seeds finally enter the fray. Here’s 6 thoughts going into Playoffs Week 2!
**1. Team Liquid (1) -- No doubt**
What did we learn about Team Liquid in the off week? Absolutely nothing because they didn’t play. So I am to remind you of some things, such as the fact that despite finishing #1 in the regular season, CoreJJ is the only TL player to finish on the All-Pro 1st Team. I haven’t looked it up but I bet you this is the lowest representation we’ve ever had from the #1 team on the All-Pro 1st Team (though they may yet have the last laugh with CoreJJ winning MVP). They did, however, also win Coaching Staff of the Split, which means the LCS Analyst desk is officially a developer of bonafide coaching talent (not to mention it attracts literal world champions). Jensen has been the subject of some media attention recently for saying that [TSM and Bjergsen were overhyped][1], so it must have been pretty [vindicating][2] for him to watch them get swept out of the upper bracket. This was compounded by the fact that he finished 2nd to Bjergsen in the All-Pro voting (I personally had Jensen on the 1st team), so my actual dream for this playoff is for TL and TSM to face each other at some point in time -- preferably with a ton of stakes on the line (such as winner goes to Worlds and loser does not). For that to happen, though, TL would first have to lose to GG this week. It’s a matchup between two of my favorites this summer, so I’ll be curious to see how they stack up against each other over an extended set. I think this set will likely be determined by how well GG can shut down Jensen in mid game -- if he’s allowed to reach the end game in an even state, he is arguably the deadliest carry in the league. TL could permanently shut up all the doubters with a strong showing here and clinch a Worlds berth in the process.
[1]: https://twitter.com/Jensen/status/1292591126520578048
[2]: https://twitter.com/Jensen/status/1294046819798773760
**2. Cloud9 (2) -- Drumming**
You know how in gladiator movies (I am sure there are a lot, but honestly I mean specifically Gladiator starring Russell Crowe) when they are in the ring waiting for the doors to open? There is a thunderous anticipation as the encircled await what is almost certain doom. Right now the gladiators huddled together in the center are FlyQuest, and the constant drumming noise beating against the closed doors is Cloud9. None of us know exactly what form Cloud9 will take when they emerge this week, but we do know what that form has looked like in the past. We’ve seen the burning chariots crash out of the gates and set everything ablaze, but we’ve also seen tiny soldiers stammer out like they’re in a drunken stupor. This week, though? C9 has prepared towards this moment all year -- the chance to clinch Worlds -- and more than that they want to be beyond here. After being robbed of an opportunity to test themselves against international competition after winning Spring, you know they are extremely hungry. FLY is a team that they have destroyed pretty much all year long, including the 3-0 thrashing during the Spring Finals, so they still enter this weekend as the favorite. Let’s see if Nisqy and Blaber can return to their dominant pre-slump form -- a C9 at the top of their game feels truly untouchable.
**3. FlyQuest (3) -- In front of them**
FLY was on the verge of riding a nine-game winning streak into their playoff grudge match against C9 when someone on their team thought of the viewership numbers and decided to push their set against EG to five games. Their brains are massive. Do it for the narrative. I am sure they are relieved to have eventually won that series, though. I’ve always thought that winning that 5th game when you are on the verge of being reverse swept is the single most difficult game to win in League of Legends. Like, the entirety of the reverse sweep is obviously harder to pull off, but once you get to that 5th game, all of the momentum is in your favor. For FLY to recover then and there says a lot about their mental fortitude. At the beginning of the split, Solo told me the only goal the team had for this Summer was to overcome Cloud9, and now they are on the precipice of making that hurdle. All that stands between them is three Nexuses, but given how their year has gone against C9, what I mean to say is not “all that stands between them” but “all of this stands before them.” They’ll need a massive undertaking to overcome this, but their recent form is exactly what you’d want (part of me wishes they had just swept EG to maintain the win streak). If they can’t win now, with all of the pieces lining up (C9 is also struggling lately), then perhaps they never will. The biggest difference for FLY in the second half of the split was the revitalized play of their bot lane -- WildTurtle and IgNar need to provide the extra torque to the engine that is PowerOfEvil and Santorin in order for FLY to come out on top.
**4. Golden Guardians (5) -- Draft difference**
**Riot:** what would you like for your first ban against TSM
**GG:** mid
**Riot:** and second?
**GG:** also mid
**Riot:**
**GG:**
**Riot:** okay third?
**GG:** you already know
Their game plan against TSM was foolproof, and it resulted in a 3-0 sweep. Bjergsen, though, can’t really be banned out -- you could ban ten champions against him and he’d still show up in lane and flash a Mastery 7 icon on whatever you forced him on. You can only hope to contain him and push him towards picks that you are personally more equipped to deal with. The more impressive thing about their win was just how dominant FBI and Huhi looked over the Doublelift/Treatz combo from TSM. We were all pretty high on FBI in particular heading into the series anyway, but I don’t think anyone expected them to just trounce the TSM bot lane like that. That makes this coming matchup against TL all the juicier. Tactical is another fresh face in the LCS ADC carousel who has made waves this year, and it feels pretty certain at this point that both him and FBI are going to be mainstays for a while. What makes this matchup particularly interesting are the two support players -- on one hand you have CoreJJ, who is the quintessential support player and is a major favorite to take home his second MVP award. On the other, you have a guy who only started playing support this year in Huhi. The difference in pedigree is straight from an 80s rom com movie, and Huhi is the John Cusack-underdog type, which is a microcosm for the GG vs. TL matchup as a whole. It is the loveable upstart against the titan that is TL, but unlike the movies, there isn’t a scriptwriter who will guarantee them a happy ending.
**5. TSM (4) -- Second chance**
One of the adages you repeatedly hear NFL broadcasters say ad infinitum is that quarterbacks must have short memories. They can’t think about the interception they just threw or it’s going to affect their next pass and the one after that and so on and so forth. You don’t want people to get into their heads too much. Forrest Gump showed the same thing with Forrest being described as a perfect soldier because he just followed orders and didn’t overthink things. Likewise, TSM needed to quickly forget about being swept by GG to then overcome DIG, and I would argue they need to continue forgetting that sweep. Doublelift mentioned in an [interview][1] with Travis Gafford that 3-0ing the loser bracket and continuing on is what likely “saved” his career. I personally don’t think his career is in jeopardy at all right now, but I did stop and think about it for a bit longer and realized that he’s not entirely off by feeling that way. If he stomachs another bad split, for example, then what? Especially with all the up and coming ADC talent -- it is just a reality that is much more real now than it was a year ago. In many ways, it truly must feel like he’s playing for his career right now, and I hope that fire helps him. But I also hope he is able to forget about that crap and just focus on the game itself -- you can’t be thinking about external things. DIG was a bit of a freebie to help TSM bounce back, but their next opponent will drop from the upper bracket, which means no more easy outs. No more second chances. This is all they’ve got left.
[1]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzRmarOcpbQ
**6. Evil Geniuses (6) -- Banger run?**
After the first week of playoffs, EG has the distinction of being the only losing team to not get swept. What does that mean? Absolutely nothing of consequence. However, it is a nice consolation and prevents them from being mercilessly flamed like the teams that did get swept. It may also serve as an indication that EG isn’t too far behind the upper bracket teams in terms of quality -- had FLY finished the sweep against EG, I’d pretty much write them into certain doom going into the weekend. However, based on the resilience shown there and in their sweep of 100, I feel like EG may yet pull it together to make a run in the lower bracket. This is a team that struggled greatly in the second round robin of the regular season, and maybe dipping into the lower bracket immediately was exactly the thing they needed because it gave them some more stage games to get more comfortable as a unit. The Goldenglue/Svenskeren combo completely outclassed their 100 counterparts and pretty quickly silenced the calls to bring Jiizuke and Kumo back in. Especially after EG stuck with them despite being down 0-2 in the upper bracket, it feels like this roster of five is more or less locked for the remainder of the playoffs.
