The LCS playoffs continue as four teams in the Lower Bracket fighting for the remaining Worlds 2021 spot in Round 2.
LCS has been a playoff tournament of surprises with the resurgence of Team Liquid and 100T locking in for one series to lock in a Worlds spot. So far, the LCS has two spots locked in while teams like Evil Geniuses, TSM, Cloud 9, and Immortals are fighting for the last spot. Let’s talk about Evil Geniuses and Cloud 9 where all is at stake for the series.
The Lower Bracket Round 2
With how the lower bracket has shaped up, Evil Geniuses and Cloud 9 are set to play later today while TSM vs Immortals are set to play tomorrow. A lot is in play for these teams as two more series wins for any of them secures Worlds. For some of these teams, it will be a disappointment to not make it and only one makes it out. Let’s talk about EG vs C9 first then move on to TSM and IMT.
Evil Geniuses vs Cloud 9
This series will potentially be one of the best series we watch in this playoff tournament. Cloud 9 had a bad start with losing to Team Liquid quite handily. They did turn it around by beating up Golden Guardians convincingly. On the other hand, Evil Geniuses beat Dignitas as well, but a close series against 100 Thieves went against them. For both teams this is a must win as they were both top contenders to make Worlds. Sadly, how it has shaped up, only one moves forward, and the other goes back home.
Cloud 9
It will be a bigger disappointment for Cloud 9 than Evil Geniuses to be perfectly honest. Cloud 9 acquired Perkz and made the switch to Fudge to get to Worlds. They were the best LCS team during Spring Split and then competing at MSI. However, MSI was a sad story for C9 as they could not simply show up in the tournament. That same form translated to the Summer Split, and they have simply not been the same team.
A lot of it has to do with Perkz’s form. Perkz’s form this split has been fairly bad, and it is a concern for a team who has invested in him. Blaber has been very streaky as a player and his inconsistencies are a problem. On a good note, Vulcan and Zven have been a consistent duo and Fudge has player good this split. Vulcan’s roams does a lot for this team and Zven is very good at holding his own.
Most of the problems for C9 has been their under-performances and their drafting in many cases. With Fudge being a strong point of the team, sometimes the drafts do not put him in a strong position. Relying on Perkz on his bad stretch is a problem and one that will definitely be exploited against Evil Geniuses. What C9 does well is Vulcan moving around the map to make plays, and they are very good at snowballing a solid lead. They have to be at their A-game when facing against Evil Geniuses.
Evil Geniuses
EG was a solid team this split with the team playing well together along with the ascension of Danny. Danny has been one of the best prospects the LCS has seen in a while with his gutsy plays and decisiveness. That style of play embodies Evil Geniuses to a tee. Their entire team is aggressive and goes in to make stuff happen.
Ignar is one of the most aggressive supports in the region and his plays are a big part of the team. Jiizuke is another player who embodies a similar style going to risky plays and making it work. Contractz has played their previous series, but his struggle against 100 Thieves could make the team swap to Svenskeren. Danny as mentioned earlier has been a standout player for the team. Impact was playing the best top lane during the regular season, but he has been inconsistent in the playoffs.
With that said, Evil Geniuses plays an aggressive style while being fundamentally solid. To beat C9, they have to go back to basics and fix the fundamental issues they have had in their previous series. Impact in particular has to step up with Fudge playing well. Nevertheless, Evil Geniuses have to be ready for a tough series to keep their Worlds chances alive.
Analysis This Series
EG vs C9 will be a battle of the solo lanes. Both sides will want to win their individual solo lanes to translate that into objectives and teamfights. Fudge should be the main focus for Cloud 9 to accelerate while Jiizuke should be the player EG needs to unlock to roam around. Both supports roam and are aggressive with their plays around the map. Zven and Danny can be big difference makers for the teams as well. This series is going to be exciting, and we are expecting Evil Geniuses to win 3-2.
TSM vs Immortals
This series between TSM and Immortals will be kicking off tomorrow. TSM finds themselves in this spot after losing to a red-hot Team Liquid team while Immortals has started in the lower bracket. This series is going to be fairly one-sided based on how the regular season went. Meanwhile, Immortals is a strong team as they beat Dignitas and the series did not look close. Immortals routed Dignitas, and they look like a strong team.
However, against TSM, it is going to be a tall task. Immortals’ strengths are their top jungle duo as they both showcased against Dignitas. Revenge is a good laner while Xerxe is an unconventional and solid jungler who is willing to take chances. The biggest storyline from their last series was Destiny and Raes playing well and showing up as well. Overall, Immortals looked strong against Dignitas, and it will be up to them to show up against TSM.
On the other hand, TSM looked off against Team Liquid. Huni in particular looked terrible while TSM’s bot lane struggled against Tactical and Corejj. Overall, TSM is a team that plays to go late into the game and clutch it out in teamfights with PowerOfEvil taking his control mages. Spica and PowerOfEvil will need to play better against Immortals as they are both the main keys for TSM’s success.
However, Huni’s plays are going to be a problem if he plays the same as he did against TL. Immortals will take full advantage of it as Revenge has been good this split. Xerxe as well is an aggressive jungler that will not hesitate to make stuff happen early in the game. TSM does not play in that tempo so TSM will need to fend against Immortal’s early aggression. If TSM can do that, they should be winning the series comfortably. However, if IMT gives them problems in the early game, this could be a tough series for TSM. For us, this will be a 3-1 TSM, but it will not surprise us if IMT makes it harder for TSM.
In Conclusion
Both series are must wins for any of these teams. For teams like C9 and TSM, it means more given the pedigree of this team. On the other hand, EG and IMT will also want to win the series as well. IMT would be the one team that would want to give it their best, but the other three teams will definitely want to win it. Winners of either series fights against each other to claim the last spot. With all that said, both the games will be a must-watch and will have a lot of action in them. So tune into the LCS today as Evil Geniuses and C9 kicks off in a few hours.
For the LCS schedule, go to the LoL Esports Website.
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