The first semifinals of the LPL Playoffs is set to be held tomorrow between Team WE and FunPlus Phoenix
FPX and Team WE have had great runs in the Summer Split Playoffs so far. Team WE in particular has been a surprise with running the full bracket to reach the semifinals. That builds up for tomorrow where the prohibitive favorites in FPX are set to play WE, the underdogs.
The Series
FPX has been a dominant team thus far including the one playoff series they have had. Team WE have looked pretty strong with the likes of Elk and Shanks stepping up while Breathe and beishang are doing their own thing. Let’s talk about FPX first and then move to talking about Team WE.
FunPlus Phoenix
As mentioned earlier, FPX has been the best team in the LPL for most of the Summer Split. DoinB has been on a tear winning MVP as well. Nuguri has had on and off games, but he played well against LNG. Tian has been one of the best junglers this split covering the top and the mid lane mostly. Lastly, LWX and Crisp has been the consistent bot lane for them while Crisp does roam around to help out the rest of the team. LWX’s strength comes into play when they get into teamfights where LWX is a huge contributor for the team.
What makes FPX strong is their ability to win from any condition while DoinB is their main carry. This team is well-rounded, and the players complement each other well. At the moment, there is not a big flaw with FPX that you can latch onto and point at. They are excellent at teamfighting, playing around side lanes, skirmishing, etc. This team is deadly and Team WE will have their hands full facing them.
Team WE
Team WE have been on a Cinderella run so far. They went through the entire playoff bracket series by series beating BLG, RA, and EDG. They have faced strong teams and exceeded expectations every time. The two players that have exceeded expectations are Elk and Shanks. Shanks has surprised more so than Elk as there were question marks around Shanks and his champion pool and play style.
Shanks has proven most people wrong on how solid he can be on different picks in the playoffs. He has been one of the biggest factors of Team WE being a strong team with his influence around the map or in teamfights. Elk as well has stepped up and proven himself as one of the best teamfighting carries on the team. Breathe and beishang are playing as we expected them to but the emergence of Elk and Shanks has taken some pressure off of both of those players. Missing has been one of the best roaming supports thus far, moving around the map and making plays.
Team WE work really well around their players with most of the resources going to the top side into Breathe. Meanwhile, Elk stays bot lane and farms up safely while Missing roams to top or mid and get a dive or a gank in. One thing that Team WE does well is giving Shanks some priority in lane, in order for him to roam around the map. When Shanks can roam around, Team WE are in their comfort zone. Their teamfighting is pretty good if it comes down to them playing through that.
FPX vs WE
This series is going to be a lot of fireworks with Nuguri vs Breathe in the top lane. Both junglers like to go top side in order to get ahead of the matchup. The difference could very well be support roams as both of them roam a considerable amount. DoinB and Shanks is going to be a lane to watch as well given how good DoinB has been this split.
The teams are similar in a sense with good solo laners and a safe bot lane. However, the side of FPX is more talented in terms of players than Team WE. Thus, this will be an uphill battle for them as FPX will be a very strong opponent. This series should be fun to watch, and we expect FPX to win.
In Conclusion
Team WE and FPX will be a fun series to observe as both teams have played really well. We are expecting a lot of action and surprises in this series. FPX should be the team winning it as they have looked like the best team in the LPL and possibly the best team in the World. Either way, the series is going to be interesting.
Tune into the series tomorrow when it kicks off. Also, to check the schedule and timing for the match, please visit the LoL Esports Website for more info.
