As week 3 of the LCS has come to an end, it’s never been more difficult to pin down which team will go on to win it all during the Spring Split.
Of course, some teams look better than others with Cloud9 currently at the top of the standings. However, with them dropping a game against Team Liquid, it seems like we have no clear favorite yet. We also saw the first few games of Broxah, who has recently joined CLG after his visa finally got approved. Last time he turned around the season for Team Liquid after joining late and got them to Worlds. But now it seems like it will be a tough challenge, since CLG is currently 1-8.
Thank you for watching week three of the 2021 #LCS Spring Split! Head over to https://t.co/G6oUIiVKPL for the @budlight League Lounge with @JamesDash, @LeTigress, @TLCoreJJ, and @Jensen! We return next Friday at 2:30PM PT / 11:30PM CET with LCS Countdown! Have a great night! pic.twitter.com/SHv0ZSjBw0
— LCS (@LCSOfficial) February 22, 2021
No clear favorite in the top 6
As said in the introduction, the LCS has no clear favorite to take it all home. Cloud9 looks like a strong team, whereas Team Liquid has been struggling a bit after the Lock-In tournament. CoreJJ and Tactical have been making some mistakes that we are not used to seeing from the talented botlane of Team Liquid. This gives room for other teams to abuse that and get Team Liquid off their game. With CoreJJ being the main shotcaller for this team, putting him behind might be a good strategy to begin with.
Contenders for top 4
Nevertheless, not only Cloud9 and Team Liquid are in the running for best team. 100 Thieves, Dignitas and TSM are all three formidable contenders on their own. With their records of 6-3, the race to first place is still a reality for all of them. With every team developing different strategies, it is a remarkably interesting road to playoffs.
A perfect engage from @huhi leads to a team fight win for @100Thieves! Will they complete the comeback? #LCS pic.twitter.com/iDn9jtH55o
— LCS (@LCSOfficial) February 21, 2021
100 Thieves are using their skilled botlane in huhi and FBI in combination with Ssumday who has been in good form for multiple splits now. Together with selfless midlaner Damonte, they can do whatever they want with a carry jungler on Closer. Watching 100 Thieves play has been a refreshing sight to watch after they only had a good run back when the league first franchised. It is nice to see that Closer has found his place in the LCS and we expect him to even perform better if he can grow within this team.
Dignitas under leadership of aphromoo and Dardoch has been a growing place for rookies. Neo has surprised everyone and is currently in the lead for highest KDA for all players with 7.29 with aphromoo in second place with a respectable 6.73 KDA. Together they have been wrecking it down in the botlane. This team was not expected to perform this good, so it feels extra good for the players as well. The fourth week of LCS sees them playing against CLG, Dignitas and Cloud9. That will be the first real test to see if they can keep up with all the rest.
Congratulations to @aphromoo of @dignitas on winning the @MastercardNexus Player of the Week for week three of the 2021 #LCS Spring Split! #DIGWIN pic.twitter.com/lNHWJun9qj
— LCS (@LCSOfficial) February 22, 2021
Lastly, we have TSM coming back from a slow start to the split. Even though it is still not as clean as we may expect from reigning champions, it has been improving a lot every week. With Bjergsen also developing more and more into a coaching role, this team has a high ceiling and is possibly only scratching the surface a bit. Next week they will have a rematch against FlyQuest, the team from which they lost the opening game of the LCS to. This has also been a regional final last year so there is a bit of rivalry going on. Although all focus should be on their game against Team Liquid, as this will truly show how far they have progressed together.
The Dark horse
There is still one team we have not yet talked about, that has been showing some good results. It is Evil Geniuses of course, with their current record of 5-4. They are in the fifth place together with Team Liquid, but they are just two wins away from first place. It looks like the biggest point of weakness for EG has been their drafting. After they get a good draft, they can easily play the game out towards their own win conditions. However, when they blunder in the draft they usually have a hard time dealing with what the opponents throws at them. They match individually with a lot of teams, but it is hard to win a game where the opponents have an easier, better or overall stronger draft. Evil Geniuses will for sure be a dark horse coming into the second half of the split and no team can face them and expect a free win.
Despite a late rally from @clgaming (1-8), @EvilGeniuses (5-4) walk away with the win! #EGWIN #LCS pic.twitter.com/JQWr4MYm3r
— LCS (@LCSOfficial) February 22, 2021
The race for playoffs tightens in the LCS, but every team still has a chance of making it. Even though CLG, Golden Guardians, FlyQuest and Immortals are currently the bottom four, they are not out yet. It will be a long and difficult road to make it to the playoffs as only the top six advances, especially with how close the top six is right now. With the gap growing bigger, every bottom team has to step it up or lose their shot at greatness.
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