The match started off as expected, with Cloud9 taking control early and jumping out to a 7-1 lead inside 15 minutes. While down in kills, EchoFox were not down in spirits, and their great macro play, dragon control and excellent farming kept the teams close in total gold acquired.
By keeping their composure and utilizing every mistake their opponents made, Echo started to frustrate Cloud9, who could not find a way to close out the match.
Minutes passed and items started to accumulate in the bags of the champions, which meant the tie was approaching late-game. That was excellent news for Solo’s Gangplank and Fenix’s Corki, which managed to scale up and became a huge thorn in Cloud9’s side, as they had no way of defending themselves from Corki’s poke and Gangplank’s damage.
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A huge team fight took place in the 29th minute when Echo Fox came out victorious and won a Baron. While they failed to utilize the buff to its full potential, Echo created enough pressure to turn the match in their favour.
There were several team fights that followed, including the nail-biting Elder Drake contest in the 44th minute where Echo managed to win the battle while taking down Sneaky and Blaber.
A 5v3 situation and long death timers allowed EF to take Baron for the second time, win one last team fight in the 51st minute and close out the match a minute later.
The win moves Echo Fox to 3-8 in the split, which is a huge improvement from their 1-7 run in the previous four weeks; however, they still face an uphill climb to reach the LCS Summer playoffs.
Cloud9’s inability to close out the game is cause for concern, especially with the playoffs closing in and huge expectations for the former no.3 side to qualify for the LoL World Championships.
]]>FlyQuest sit bottom of the standings with a 1-7 record after a disastrous five-game losing streak. They have lost to Cloud9, Golden Guardians, OpTic Gaming, Team Liquid, Clutch Gaming, CLG and 100 Thieves, while their only win so far came against Team SoloMid in week two when TSM were battling through a slow start.
FlyQuest have a lot of issues to address, as there is a difference between simply having a bad run and holding a 1-7 record after four weeks. One of their biggest problems is the less than impressive performances coming from the mid lane. Eugene “Pobelter” Park has been one of the strongest NA mid-laners in recent years, but he has made a few too many mistakes of late and is starting to weigh down his teammates.
The problems, however, are not limited to the mid lane. FQ are still waiting for Jason “WildTurtle” Tran to pop off in the bottom lane, which might take some more time because he needs to get in sync with his new support. Given Pobelter’s recent form, the team will hope WildTurtle can find his touch sooner rather than later.
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Echo Fox head into week five with a 2-6 record that puts them in ninth place, one above FlyQuest. While those numbers are nothing to be proud of, the team has a bit of momentum after breaking a five-game losing run with a win over second-placed OpTic Gaming on June 24.
SEE ALSO: ECHO FOX SIGN MIKEYEUNG FROM TEAM LIQUID ACADEMY
While EchoFox have plenty of potential, it seems they go to great lengths to hide it. They have beaten two of the best teams in the LCS in OpTic and MSI finalists Team Liquid, and yet they have lost all their matches against opponents that now sit in the bottom half of the table.
Echo Fox’s best is very good, but will their inconsistency be their downfall?
FlyQuest vs Echo Fox betting predictions
These teams finished with a win apiece when they met at the LCS Spring Split. Neither side has changed a lot since then, so the upcoming match might be a toss-up.
That said, Echo Fox look to have the edge. LoL betting sites have them as slight underdogs at around $2.00, which is surprising when you consider all the issues FlyQuest have on their hands.
FlyQuest look like a 50/50 team at the moment, meaning they have potential to improve and even push for the playoffs, but it will all come down to WildTurtle and Pobelter. If they suddenly find their rhythm, FlyQuest could be dangerous; however, their recent form does not inspire a lot of confidence.
Prediction: Echo Fox to win – Best odds at GG Bet
]]>Speaking via Twitter on Sunday, Liquid expressed their gratitude and said it made them proud to see one of their academy prospects land a big move to another LCS team.
The move sees MikeYeung return to the main stage after a long year playing in the TSM Academy and the Team Liquid Academy, where he got a chance to learn from the best and improve as a player. Now filled with experience and desire to prove himself once more, the 20-year-old jungler did not hesitate to let the world know he is back and ready to “show NA what’s up”.
MikeYeung has switched teams many times in his career. His journey started in December 2015, when he joined Astral Authority as a mid-laner. Following his rather short spell at his first-ever professional team, the American moved to Samadder Gaming, Solaris and Phoenix 1, where he won a Rookie of the Split award in 2017. That drew the attention of NA heavyweight Team SoloMid, who decided to sign the young prospect in November 2017 to replace Dennis “Svenskeren” Johnsen as their new starting jungler.
During his time at TSM, MikeYeung achieved a third-place finish at NA LCS 2018 Spring, which remains his biggest career achievement. That was, however, a rather disappointing finish for TSM, who decided to demote Yeung to their academy team. There he remained until November 2018, when he was acquired by the Team Liquid Academy.
While under the Liquid banner, MikeYeung finished third at NA Academy 2019 Spring and went on to earn a third/fourth spot in the NA Academy 2019 Spring playoffs. In that tournament he proved a key player, showcasing his wide champion pool, great vision and high-tempo playstyle.
Those impressive performances with the Team Liquid Academy did not go unnoticed by Echo Fox, who decided to bring MikeYeung into their main team to replace Lee “Rush” Yoon-jae after a disappointing start to the LCS Summer Split.
Echo Fox decided on an unusual way to let the world know about their new addition. Releasing a video titled “MAJOR Echo Fox ANNOUNCEMENT”, they hit two birds with one stone by unveiling their new merch and their new jungler at the same time.
Only time will tell whether MikeYeung is the right fit, but the move offers both the player and his new team a fresh start.
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Betting Predictions for Sunday June 17
Team SoloMid vs FlyQuest
Match 1 – 12pm PST / 3pm EST
The most famous NA team, Team SoloMid, will be sparring against the newly reorganized FlyQuest in our first match of the day. Trying to finish off the second day as strongly as possible, it is very likely that FQ will pull off some shenanigans to gain the lead early.
On paper, TSM’s botlane is a direct upgrade to FLY’s botlane. That being said, this meta has destroyed the foundation of the ADC/Support roles and puts Zven and Wildturtle at a lower priority than most other lanes. The combination of Keane, Flame and Santorin still have yet to solidify their playmaking when compared to the time Bjergsen, Hauntzer and MikeYeung have received. Unfortunately for the players in green, the advantage still goes to TSM for the simple sheer strength of the midlane and botlane synergy between the two.
Betting prediction: Team SoloMid to win, paying $1.25 at GG Bet.
Team Liquid vs Golden Guardians
Match 2 – 1pm PST / 4pm EST
The Golden State basketball team may have won in a landslide during the NBA Finals, but the opposite story may hold true in this match versus the 1st place finisher during Spring. Team Liquid are probably not considering this to be a terribly difficult match, but should they fall into complacency, the GG’s will absolutely attempt to usurp them.
Roster wise, the GGs removed Hai for Mickey. Although this brings some needed stability in the laning phase for midlane, it is unclear whether or not Mickey can communicate effectively enough to take over Hai’s shotcalling. And against TL whose playstyle is flexible and headstrong enough to do what they effectively want, the lack of coherent shotcalling puts the GGs in a heavy disadvantage. A roster change was definitely needed but it stands to reason that the GGs will have to put much more into practice, scrimming and team cohesion before challenging for the top spots.
Betting prediction: Team Liquid to win, paying $1.20 at GG Bet.
CounterLogic Gaming vs 100 Thieves
Match 3 – 2pm PST / 5pm EST
The ever faithful fans of CLG will be cheering their boys on against the second place team of last split, 100 Thieves. Aphromoo will take the stage against his former team of three years, a team that he helped to build a lasting legacy and reputation for.
The question becomes whether or not CLG gains momentum at the beginning of the split. With Reignover’s lack of jungle pressure compared to his former self on Immortals or Fnatic, the pressure heavily lies on Huhi and Stixxay to win the early game. Even Darshan has been struggling employing his aggressive laning, split pushing style he is known for. 100T on the other hand have a silver lining in this ADC-less meta in Aphromoo, who can and will exert pressure across the map from his bottom lane territory. Lane by lane matchups in top, mid and ADC are favored to 100T but not by much. As mentioned before, this will be a jungle pressure battle and Meteos is the clear favorite to win.
Betting prediction: 100 Thieves to win, paying $1.66 at GG Bet.
Clutch Gaming vs Echo Fox
Match 4 – 3pm PST / 6pm EST
Perhaps one of the more interesting matches of the day, Clutch Gaming and Echo Fox will begin their skirmish as the fourth match of the day and each hope to end the day with a victory. When it comes down to skill matchups, these two teams may be the most similar but for different reasons.
As always, Huni and Dardoch will aim to steal the show by going full throttle right out of the gate. Unfortunately for CG, Solo has been the weakest link on the team as of the latter half of last split. This effectively creates a power sink for FOX on the upper half of the map, which can also arguably be seen as the more powerful half of the map. Febiven matching up against Fenix is not the worst matchup, while Altec/Adrian versus Apollo/Hakuho should actually tilt a bit in favor of CG. But as reality sets in, when deciding to further a top laner versus and ADC on patch 8.11, the former is a safer option for victory.
Betting prediction: Echo Fox to win, paying $1.57 at GG Bet.
Cloud9 vs Optic Gaming
Match 5 – 4pm PST / 7pm EST
Closing out the first week of the NA LCS will be a match between C9 and OPT. This match will most likely be OPT’s largest chance to show the world their mettle as their matchup with C9 is not horrible by any means.
Dhokla versus Licorice is a battle of the rookies, but is in Licorice’s favor due to Licorice being able to display his stellar abilities last split. Akaadian and Svenskeren will be at each others’ throats in the jungle as their playstyles are quite similar, utilizing mainly CC heavy junglers with the occasional Kha’zix throw in. The sparks will fly in midlane with PowerOfEvil, arguably one of the best EU midlaners, facing off against Jensen who is known to hold lane quite soundly. All in all, this match will be decided by jungle pressure and Dhoklas ability to hold Licorice in the top lane. Don’t be surprised however if a third win condition pops up in the form of Mordekaiser midgame powerspike or a protect the Darius composition though.
Betting prediction: Cloud9 to win, paying $1.57 at GG Bet.
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In terms of roster changes, some teams decided to swap one player on their roster while others went more drastic changes. A summary can be seen below:
FlyQuest
Jungle: Anda -> Santorin
Support: Stunt -> Konkwon
Golden Guardians
Mid: Hai -> Mickey
Optic Gaming
Top: zig -> Dhokla
Support: LemonNation -> Big
The bottom three teams from last split were the only teams to make changes to their main roster, whereas all the other seven teams seem to be sticking to their former roster in the spring.
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Betting Predictions for Saturday June 16
100 Thieves vs Team Liquid
Match 1 – 2pm PST / 5pm EST
Starting off the day with the two largest titans of the Spring Split, Riot Games is not playing any games. 100 Thieves will seek revenge on the team that had stolen first place from the thieves themselves, Team Liquid. Team Liquid, after making a comeback during MSI but falling short, still seem to be the most interesting team when it comes to inconsistencies despite their past glory.
The largest deciding factor about this match will be the patch this game is being played on, which would be patch 8.11. This patch has effectively gutted critical chance attack damage carries (ADC) and is toying around with the Rageblade ADCs to the point where ADCs have very, very late power spikes in a short game environment. Although this hurts Cody Sun plenty, this will hurt Doublelift even more as the main MVP ADC in NA. The question becomes if the ADC does not perform well, which team can pick up the slack. Although top lane and mid lane may be evenly matched, Meteos came flying out of the gate last season with surprising aggressive moves to push his laners ahead. And despite Olleh’s consistent performance, he will be matched against the MVP of Spring Split, Aphromoo.
Betting prediction: 100 Thieves to win, paying $2.25 at GG Bet.
Team SoloMid vs CounterLogic Gaming
Match 2 – 3pm PST / 6pm EST
Two of the most famous names in the NA LCS are to play after the aforementioned match of 100T vs TL. Neither team has made significant roster changes as of yet and despite any doubt from the fans, both have managed to secure safe-ish standings last season.
It was apparent that CLG had struggled finding their rhythm starting off last split, with every lane on CLG forfeiting pressure or just simply dying from a majority of ganks. TSM had a similar problem, mainly with incorporating Zven and Mithy into their team composition as well as MikeYeung hitting his stride. Taking both points into account, CLG has still failed to meet its fans’ expectations by finishing 7th place and missing playoffs while TSM had actually secured themselves 3rd place going into playoffs. Across the board, TSM looks stronger if it is an average day for both teams. Even on weak days, TSM still has the heralded Bjergsen and the Zven/Mithy combination for consistent gameplay.
Betting prediction: Team SoloMid to win, paying $1.50 at GG Bet.
Clutch Gaming vs Cloud9
Match 3 – 4pm PST / 7pm EST
Going down the list of power teams, the newly formed Clutch Gaming takes on the titan of Cloud9 in the third match of the day. Cloud9 had first place contested for the longest time before succumbing to their poor habits of being lax during the latter half of the season. Clutch Gaming however sparked massive interest after their 3-1 victory over TSM, cementing them as a team to be taken seriously.
Again, with both teams not making roster changes, the power rankings will look curiously similar to last season. With the current patch, Apollo and Sneaky from both teams will probably find it difficult to snowball. In the midlane, Febiven had a great showing last season but Jensen also had an immaculate KDA and KP%. Solo and Licorice in the toplane are both double edged swords, so it stems from the ability for one top laner to get ahead to decide the game in a more absolute fashion. Svenskeren is the epitome of standard, by the book jungling while LirA has been known to be more eccentric. Under the same idea of 100T vs TL, this game might very well be decided as which team will be able to cover for an ADC’s weakness.
Betting prediction: Cloud9 to win, paying $1.57 at GG Bet.
FlyQuest vs Echo Fox
Match 4 – 5pm PST / 8pm EST
At first, the power ranking of this match seems obvious – 2nd place Echo Fox vs 8th place FlyQuest in the regular season. With the roster changes, FLY may fare a bit better than last season, although it is still a herculean task to bring down the FOXs.
FLY has swapped two of their members, Anda and Stunt, for Santorin and KonKwon. When it comes to experience, the substitutions make sense as both the newcomers possess years in the competitive scene. In full respect for the players’ skill, the newcomers may not necessarily be an upgrade in terms of mechanics but FLY is aiming for the veteran experience to solidify their playstyle. In the meanwhile, FOX is staying with their star studded roster that, on the back of Dardoch and Huni, aim to spiral the game out of control as soon as possible. Still possessing a stellar roster than earned them third place in the playoffs, FOX is still looking strong with FLY being the severe underdogs.
Betting prediction: Echo Fox to win, paying $1.33 at GG Bet.
Golden Guardians vs Optic Gaming
Match 5 – 6pm PST / 9pm EST
Although being branded initially as the bottom of the barrel, these two teams did pull off surprising upsets in the regular season last split. Both possessing a slightly different roster, correctly assessing each team’s power is not as simple as it sounds.
With Hai’s replacement in Mickey, GGs aim to replace their expert shotcaller with an experienced player that relies on mechanical outplays and overall better laning and teamfighting plays. OPT on the other hand has replaced their top laner zig, who has had poor matchups last season, with Dhokla, a player relatively new to the professional scene. OPT has also replaced LemonNation with Big, a change similar to GG’s in terms of age versus experience and mechanics. This patch will once again play a large part in deciding the stronger team, as the focus will be on the top-jungle-mid combination. PowerOfEvil may secure OPT the midlane, but the combination of GG Lourlo and Contractz have a clear advantage over Dhokla and Akaadian due to the time they have had to synergize. In addition, the Korean import Mickey may not necessarily lose to POE in the midlane, creating quite a threatening composition in favor of GG,
Betting prediction: Golden Guardians to win, paying $1.83 at GG Bet.
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Our two teams jousting for the position of third will be Clutch Gaming, paying ($1.77) and Echo Fox, paying ($1.91) with GG Bet.
Echo Fox, formerly the second place team in the regular split, has had its rough patches in the latter half that were displayed quite prominently in their match against Team Liquid last Saturday.
Their strategy of putting the most versatile and aggressive top-laner on tanky champions completely backfired in their games. Despite taking game 2, FOX was actually down in kills and the gold difference was manageable. Unfortunately for FOX, Fenix probably had his worst playoff series in his career, going a total of 3-14-9 as his KDA, which in turn prompted a plethora of question marks from analysts and Twitch chat.
Clutch Gaming on the other hand has been looking stellar not only from the end of the split but also through their matches between TSM and 100T. Taking 100T to a full 5 game series, CG looking amazing by capitalizing on Hakuho’s threats in picks and bans, LirA’s jungling routes and most surprisingly of all, Solo’s stellar performance once resources are thrown into his lane.
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Echo Fox vs Clutch Gaming
Saturday April 7th – 1PM PST / 4PM EST
Echo Fox and Clutch Gaming have had great seasons despite the result of this match. Coming from Rick Fox and his sons’ dream of creating a professional esports team, Echo Fox has made its footprint as a respectable if not dynamic organization. Clutch Gaming, an organization hailing its support from the Houston Rockets, is in its infancy stage for esports and has managed to place top four with a roster riddled with doubt. Both these teams have proved their worth in the NA LCS and now they have to prove that their team deserves the bronze medal.
Echo Fox: Priorities, Top Players, Weaknesses
Priorities – Last week, FOX prioritized Huni in the wrong way by giving him a bunch of tanks. In addition, Altec was the main win condition of the match with Fenix severely underperforming. FOX should take a serious though as to subbing in Damonte for Fenix should the same situation occur as Damonte has had a few games of LCS experience beforehand. The same goes with Adrian and Papa Chau; Adrian’s week has been absolutely horrid on paper. Other than that, Dardoch absolutely has to make plays in the early game instead of being docile and half dedicated to a gank.
Top Players – Once again, Huni should be the lane to play around as his mechanics and game sense have earned him the top spot among top laners. With most of the team in disarray, Altec and Huni have shown more than enough nerve to withstand public sentiment. Fenix is still a great mid laner as history has shown but needs to reset his mentality coming into this week.
Weaknesses – There may be too many weaknesses to count for FOX. Early game laning, early game jungle pressure, objective control, early game rotations. The only thing that FOX did well was matching rotations in the mid game but the snowball had already turned into an avalanche. The main culprits of FOX’s weak points were Dardoch, Fenix and Adrian; if FOX can successfully remedy two of the three players, FOX will already become a tougher team to face.
Clutch Gaming: Priorities, Top Players, Weaknesses
Priorities – This week, CG has shown they can play through literally any lane and have it shine. However, most of this is due to LirA’s jungle resources being donated where it counts. As such, securing Olaf, Skarner or another early game jungler for him will allow CG to make mapwide plays. Hakuho is a second priority in the sense of his specialties; if FOX leave a Thresh or Morgana up, Hakuho will have a field day.
Top Players – LirA, Solo and Febiven were all standouts last week. LirA with his jungle pressure allowed Solo to dominate lane and in turn, Solo had priority on any teleport or mapwide plays over his lane opponent. Febiven still remains a great anchor for CG in the midlane, demonstrating a large champion pool that cannot be banned out as well as absorbing and surviving enemy ganks.
Weaknesses – CG honestly does not have any apparent weaknesses that can be exploited easily. However CG has had faults when it comes to snowballing situations. Should a lane in CG get repeatedly put behind, the outcome is a long and drawn out bleeding wound that CG cannot mend. Most of CG’s games are low kill games which means that although they may be able to prolong their suffering, they also have trouble pushing the snowball in the other direction as well.
The Betting: Predictions and free tip
When all is said and done, CG are the extremely heavy favorites this weekend to emerge victorious. FOX have too many questions that still need answering regarding strategy and playstyle while CG has done more than most people would have imagined. That being said, FOX is still an unexpected team that will manage to pull at least one win away from the newcomers.
My best bet: Clutch Gaming to defeat Echo Fox 3-2 in the maps betting which is paying $4.50 with GG Bet.
]]>A quick recap of last week’s League of Legends North America LCS action.
C9 gets blown out of the water by TL by losing the series 3-0 while TSM, after starting strong, got swept by CG in a 3-1 series.
Nobody expected C9 to roll over belly up, but considering the late trend of C9’s games, a loss was nearly guaranteed.
On the flip side, a lot of people predicted the heroes of old TSM to triumph yet again but were upset by CG who adapted much quicker on a game by game basis.
Treading into new territory, the NA LCS will finally have its first year without the big three even participating in the semifinals; CLG, C9 and TSM were all eliminated.
As a result, this year will be the first year that the split title will go to a new team. Even more exciting is the fact that 100T and CG are in the semifinals, an astounding accomplishment due to the freshness of these organizations. The semifinal matches are determined by seeding – the higher seed always plays the lower seed, while the two in the middle face off.
As a result, the matchups are:
Saturday: FOX(2nd) vs TL(4th)
Sunday 100T(1st) vs CG(6th)
LOL NA LCS Semi finals Match 1 – Echo Fox v Team Liquid
The first semifinal match is between two teams that have more seniority in the NA LCS than their other semifinal counterparts. Team Liquid comes into this week feeling very confident after utterly dismantling C9 the week prior. Echo Fox has had a shaky second half of the split, dropping from first place to second place after a tiebreaker with 100T. However, FOX has had a week to shore up any weaknesses and plan new strategies due to their first round buy.
Echo Fox strategy and prediction
Priorities: This is arguably the most difficult section to analyze. FOX has recently been subbing in Damonte for Fenix and Papa Chau for Adrian to allow their Academy team to get some experience. If either of two are subbed in, ensuring that each receives a comfortable champion is important due to their relatively new arrival on scene. If FOX stick with their regular lineup however, playstyle wise should mimic their first half season – Dardoch on an engage support to snowball any lane. All of FOX’s laning strength can turn into a focal point to carry the game.
Top Players: Huni. I could say more but the player who won the best top laner by a landslide will take the role of MVP on FOX. Huni has the uncanny ability to turn any matchup into a winning matchup for himself and will almost never go negative in lane. And if Huni gets a carry toplaner while getting fed, godspeed to whoever has to match the split push. Other than Huni, Fenix has had a very consistent performance. Although not as much as a risk taker as Huni, Fenix absolutely knows the limitations of his champions and plays conservatively and efficiently.
Weaknesses: As of late, FOX has consistently lost the early game. Yes, FOX can trade a rift herald for first blood, maybe even take a dragon while the enemy team gets first tower. But all of FOX’s plays are reactionary and trading down in the early game is a precursor to snowballing the enemy team. This early game deficit is mainly due to playstyle and team cohesion; even when drafted an early game team composition, FOX could not capitalize on picks needing to snowball early such as Zac and Caitlyn.
Team Liquid strategy and prediction
Priorities: Banning out anything that can one sidedly destroy Impact in the toplane. On one hand, we have the stalwart guardian in Impact but on the other we have the most aggressively versatile toplaner in Huni. If Impact gets soloed in lane, this series will not be competitive at all. Other than that, placing emphasis on the standard ADC and Mid lane carries of Doublelift and Pobelter to guarantee comfort and playstyle would be ideal.
Top Players: Doublelift and Xmithie. In their matches versus C9, both of these players performed outstandingly with Doublelift still in his top form since late in the regular split. Xmithie played the role of the super fast scorpion, piloting engage after engaging and more importantly, rarely taking kills to skyrocket his laners ahead. Xmithie’s champion pool is also nothing to scoff at, possessing enough skill to work around the big three S tier junglers. Doublelift went unkilled in his series against C9. That alone speaks volumes to his conditioning coming into this week.
Weaknesses: TL has proven lately that despite their inconsistencies, they are strong across the board. When it comes to exploitation, the most likely avenues would be Impact and Olleh, both of which are not glaring weaknesses at that. As a team, TL is more focused on the win botlane, hold mid and top even and eventually, through experience and veteran status, mid game rotations would end up in their favor. However, if they are attacked early on in the game and build a deficit, TL has shown signs of crumbling.
The odds and best bet
The battle between 2nd and 4th seed has some intricacies that alter the playing field severely, namely FOX’s mixed roster and TL’s ability to play their powerful win lane style. Team Liquid though has been on an upward streak whereas FOX has been out of competitive play for nearly two weeks. As such, I see TL as the favorite to upset the 2nd seed.
Head to head: Team Liquid ($1.83) to beat Echo Fox ($1.83) – place bet at GG Bet
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]]>CLG, TL and TSM will have to secure their 6th place playoff spot. Echo Fox and Cloud9 are in a power struggle for first place whereas Clutch and 100T are jousting over positions in the room just below.
In terms of the NA format for the playoffs, the first two seeds automatically are granted a buy in the first round and proceed to the semifinals. 3rd and 4th place in the regular split will randomly play either the 5th or 6th team, with the winners proceeding randomly against one of the top two teams. The break-point for the 4th place spot essentially guarantees that the team will face a lower caliber team, at least as the regular season has shown us.
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Team SoloMid vs CounterLogic Gaming
Game 3: 2 PM PST/ 5PM EST
The largest hurdle for CLG for their playoff run and the largest poison dagger to TSM’s sixth place hold. Both teams will face off in the middle of the day and the impact of this match cannot be understated. If CLG wins this match, they will have tied the head to head with TSM, which means should both teams’ records be tied at the end of the day, TSM will not automatically win the spot due to previous bouts with CLG. There will be no shortage of bloodshed here.
On paper, CLG is the lower ranked team and will need to pull off some stops. Banning out Bjergsen’s absolute stomping picks is a must, namely Galio. Picking a favorable matchup for Darshan to style on Hauntzer should be CLG’s next priority. In the game, Reignover will most likely lose to MikeYeung, so Biofrost will have his hands full organizing rotations to mitigate the objective control that TSM will surely have. If Stixxay can pop off through early ganks and good mid game rotations, CLG can hold off TSM’s mid game power spike long enough for the game to scale into a coin flip situation at worst for them.
TSM’s objective should be to crush lane, win game, and preferably quickly. Dispatching Huhi with Bjergsen’s large pool shouldn’t be a problem for the battle hardened team, but the problem lies with Zven and Mithy’s lane. In addition, despite Hauntzer’s stability in the past weeks, Darshan’s split pushing will become a problem if not taken care of immediately. MikeYeung’s jungle focus, a 4-1 Ryze split push composition or a dogpile botlane are all avenues TSM can exploit to earn their early leads.
This game is a tough one to call, with both teams being nearly even in skill and experience. As much as we’re hoping for a TSM CLG tiebreaker, TSM has the upper hand in winning this game simply due to the raw skill they have acquired in the off season.
Best bet: Team SoloMid to win $1.72 with GG Bet
Echo Fox vs 100 Thieves
Game 4: 3PM PST/ 6PM EST
It’s no surprise to anybody that FOX has had some team synergy issues as of late. Dardoch and Huni have stepped off the accelerator while the rest of the team has not had the clearest direction on where to go. 100T on the other hand have played as they always have – standard protect the Cody Sun with lots of teamfight and skirmishing. The question will become whether or not Echo Fox will lose its top seeded spot this weekend or will 100T….fall to a less favorable, yet incredibly good, spot in playoffs.
There are two routes FOX can go – abandoning a burning ship or applying a lot of Gangplank oranges in hopes to heal their wounds. Huni and Dardoch have been underperforming, and Ssumday/Meteos is not an easy team to steamroll. Definitely focusing Fenix for mid to outperform Ryu is a must, but the rest of the focus will be better used botlane at the enemy hypercarry. By setting Cody Sun behind, which is not an easy task, FOX will have stifled one of 100T’s largest winning conditions. Getting Huni ahead simply has not done the trick as of late, but being a world experienced, SKT veteran, Huni will always be bound to perform professionally.
100T may actually have to tunnel vision into botlane even more than usual. Altec and Adrian, after their complete thrashing a week ago, have not yet solidified themselves as an ironclad, completely immune botlane. Killing two birds with one stone is the motto here, as Ryu will undoubtedly struggle against Fenix and top lane success is small at best. Drafting for Cody Sun is also another priority on 100T’s list, but with so much attention directed at botlane, plays can definitely be made elsewhere on the map…
In my honest opinion, 100T’s synergy looks better than FOX’s, so they’ll be the favorites for this week’s matchups. The power between the two teams isn’t as large as one would expect, and with the momentum shifts of last week, FOX is looking dire.
Best bet: 100 Thieves to win $2.20 with GG Bet
Team Liquid vs Optic Gaming
Game 5: 4PM PST/ 7PM EST
Should Team Liquid lose this match, they would be one step closer to missing playoffs. Highly unlikely, but still a possibility, an Optic win would once again shake the foundation of the middle ground. Team Liquid have dropped multiple games and as such, have been inconsistent in the latter half of the split. With CLG at their heels, they cannot afford another fluke loss.
Team Liquid is no stranger to professional veterans. Although Doublelift hasn’t looked at the top of his game these past few weeks, he is still one of the best ADCs in NA. Xmithie has shown up in the past week, securing jungle pressure for the team quite handily. Drafting yet another tank for Impact is TL’s bread and butter, but if they can destroy OPT’s top laner even further, the term ‘nonfactor’ will be fulfilled in its entirety.
OPT’s win condition through Arrow becomes a lot more difficult against TL considering the caliber of the botlane. PowerOfEvil will also have his hands full against Pobelter, who has shown to be at minimum a midlaner who can mitigate losses but not necessarily exacerbate leads. Ultimately, jungle pressure from Akaadian is what OPT needs to win the game. Putting botlane and midlane behind creates a little breathing room in the bottom jungle while simultaneously smashing three of the five pillars TL can stand on. A clown fiesta of a game should be OPT’s goal to prolong the game, and it may all start with a 5 man gank botside.
TL are heavy favorites here. Their experience, veteran players, and general, if not shaky, power ranking should be enough to net them a win. It’s unfortunate for OPT to have a difficult schedule this late in the split.
Best bet: Team Liquid to win $1.36 with GG Bet
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League of Legends NA predictions for Sunday
- C9 vs FLY – C9
- GG vs CG – CG
- CLG vs TSM – TSM
- FOX vs 100T – 100T
- TL vs OPT – TL
Also read: How to bet on esports
Echo Fox vs CounterLogic Gaming
Game 1 – 12PM PST/ 3PM EST
It’s the old faithful versus the new young foxes. Echo Fox clearly has an edge in terms of record, so they can rest easy in this match. CLG however is a completely different story – a win here would help them tremendously in reaching tje playoff stage. But in order to overthrow the kings, you’re going to need some really good plans.
CLG in their wins have shown Reignover and Huhi stepping up to the batting cage with Stixxay always playing well as of late. Reignover’s success is of utmost importance, as unchecked jungle pressure usually ends up with a monster snowball situation. Getting Reignover on one of his comfort picks like Olaf while giving Stixxay and Biofrost a manageable botlane duo is paramount to winning against the number one team.
FOX on the other hand can only improve their record. Granted that CLG is on an upswing, the weakest factor on CLG would have to be Reignover and Darshan. On a good day, they each can solo carry their team, but at their worst they become heavy liabilities. As such, focusing on Huni and Dardoch’s duo synergy will have positive effects in terms of map balance and game tempo.
CLG has definitely been making a miracle run for playoffs, but to most viewers, Echo Fox is just an overall stronger team in most respects. Maybe CLG can win the botlane, but it will come at such a high cost to the rest of the map. Echo Fox are heavy favorites without a doubt.
Best bet: Back Echo Fox to win at $1.50 with GG Bet
Clutch Gaming vs Team Liquid
Game 3 – 2PM PST/ 5PM EST
Clutch holds third place coming into this week against the fourth place TL. Liquid has won the previous iteration between the two but that was about two patches ago. With new builds, new metas, and new champion pools, differences in gameplay and strategy will be held in this battle for third place.
CG has an all around good team composition, with Febiven , Hakuho and Apollo standing out. Solo and LirA are definitely skilled but may fall short of their TL counterparts. In this matchup, instead of playing to the strengths of CG, the focus should be to stop the TL top laner and jungle from popping off. Giving both Solo and LirA counterpicks that do not detract from the teamfight while focusing on the top side of the map can prevent massacres like Impact’s Shen from emerging.
TL on the other hand, despite their inconsistencies, are mechanically strong across the board. Doublelift and Olleh may want to turn the botlane into a bloodbath, and by shutting Hakuho and Apollo down, they essentially free up Doublelift to go to town on anybody that would contest him. Pobelter and Impact should not have a difficult time holding their lanes if they work around Xmithie for warding LirA’s pathing, so all in all, a peel for carry, through and through teamfight comp may be their aim.
This may be the most difficult game to call for Sunday. Both teams have excellent records with all star ADCs and mids on both sides. However, history is favored to repeat as TL have the edge when it comes to teamfighting and pro level experience.
Best bet: Back Team Liquid to win at $1.61 with GG Bet
Team SoloMid vs Cloud9
Game 4 – 3PM PST/ 6PM EST
Yet another bout between titans of the NA LCS scene. C9 took the victory last time these two teams met up. Will the upswinging TSM secure another victory for their playoff run or will C9 successfully pass Reapered’s infamous braincheck pregame.
Bjergsen is now having his title as best NA midlaner severely tested by not only Febiven but also Jensen. Winning the midlane or outroaming his counterpart will be a very difficult task, so the focus for TSM should definitely be on the botlane. Hauntzer and MikeYeung again have not shown their focus throughout the split, but will have to donate their focus to the botlane at the correct time to start fracturing C9’s teamfighting infrastructure.
C9 aren’t in the same boat as FOX when it comes to throwing away games, but we can all assume they want to continue the dominance over TSM. Sneaky and Smoothie have been slacking on the jungle pressure they exert as a bot lane duo due to Svenskeren’s tendency to hover Licorice. As such, champion select should hold a more specific win condition for the team that can be executed with relative ease. Licorice should not be allowed to fall being Hauntzer, with Sneaky and Smoothie drafting for a synergistic duo.
C9 have dropped the ball as of late, falling to both 100T and CLG. However, each week has ended with their victory over a lower ranked team. TSM may be on a pseudo upswing, but C9’s fundamental strength mentally and mechanically will bestow them a win this week.
Best bet: Back Cloud Fox to win at $1.83 with GG Bet
League of Legends LCS NA Spring Split Week 8 Sunday betting predictions
FOX vs CLG – FOX
FLY vs GG – GG
CG vs TL – TL
TSM vs C9 – C9
OPT vs 100T – 100T
Last week, we all saw some of the most amazing upsets this season yet. Tenth placed Golden Guardians through Hai’s shotcalling completely dismantled Echo Fox, with Altec and Adrian receiving a thrashing they will not soon forget. CLG has breathed new hope for both the team and its fans, moving their previous last place record up to 7th place. They will still need a miracle to hit top 6, but at least there is now a chance.
Meta wise, the usage of pure tanks in the top lane has now become common due to the ability to build Banner of Command. Formerly scarcely built, the item now causes poorly thought out team comps to lose out simply to map pressure – using an AP Ryze split push can now be countered, early Baron plus a bannered siege minion will destroy compositions without mid game damage or range, and simply put the item also provides a decent armor value. Although minion dematerializer is a huge counter to this new play, every team must be even more wary of their draft phase.
Clutch Gaming vs Echo Fox
Game 1 – 2 PM PST/ 5 PM EST
Possessing the sole position of third place, CG finishes last week 2-0 while FOX suffered a humiliating defeat against GGs. The question becomes whether or not CG can triumph over FOX, as they have lost their previous bouts with the top-ranked team. However, a counter question can also be raised – are FOX still tilted from their Saturday upset?
CG has heavily played around Febiven, Apollo and Hakuho in the botlane. Hakuho has demonstrated a propensity to play what is needed at the time, whether it be a peeling Braum, engaging Thresh or hybrid Morgana. Especially here, CG should aim to break the FOX botlane again as GGs has shown to do – by taking out two players in the botlane, the jungle situation spirals out of control. LirA may have the lowest KDA on the team, but even he should be able to see the glaring weakness of FOX.
FOX’s Huni has been underperforming as of late despite the amount of resources donated to the topside. In addition, the team as a whole has looked to be a lot less cohesive during the early game, which may spell some trouble. Shoring up Fenix in the mid to help him survive Febiven’s wrath is an absolute must because if CG take the mid tower early, the gold lead will only increase in favor of CG. Although Solo has been quiet of late, Huni is still a world class top laner that should be able to hold his own, especially in a tanky meta.
Rank 1 versus Rank 3, the versatile foxes versus the up and coming eSports team of the Rockets, who will prevail? Both are assured a top 6 finish, but in this case, Echo Fox has not yet faltered against Clutch. Despite the last week setbacks, FOX is favored to win this challenge.
Best bet: Back Echo Fox to win at $1.57 with GG Bet
Team SoloMid vs Team Liquid
Game 4 – 5PM PST/ 8PM EST
Team SoloMid has started a tremendous comeback, placing them at the bare minimum needed to qualify for playoffs. Team Liquid on the other hand are as erratic as ever, going 1-1 for their matchups in the past few weeks. Each team has clear strengths and blatant weaknesses, each of which are large enough to be played around.
Bjergsen’s revival as of late has spurred TSM to go on quite a positive record, securing TSM a 7-7 win loss ratio. Zven and Mithy have finally started to shed their passive playstyle and Zven is slowly emerging as a secondary carry for TSM. The botside focus for picks and bans as well as jungle pressure should absolutely be TSM’s priority even before heading into the game. As long as MikeYeung and Hauntzer can go even, even lose their matchups just a little, the team will be fine.
TL has had some interesting losses recently but that has not detracted from their iconic 4th place standing. Impact, despite his early start, still remains a sentinel in the top lane, holding down the fort and playing for the team. Doublelift and Olleh are still as powerful as ever, but have shown some inconsistent play. Matching TSM’s botlane in terms of pressure in game should be Xmithie’s priority. Pobelter will have his hands full in the midlane, but he rarely loses matchups and Bjergsen rarely outright wins his lane without jungle assistance.
TSM has had an upswing while TL has been stagnating, and the closer we venture towards playoffs, history would like to side with TSM. Unfortunately for the famous champions of the NA LCS, the gavel will be in favor of TL simply through the lack of weaknesses top and jungle.
Best bet: Back Team Liquid to win at $1.80 with GG Bet
100 Thieves vs Golden Guardians
Game 5 – 6 PM PST/ 9PM EST
Nobody expected GGs to be covered once they revealed themselves as one of the worst teams in NA. Let alone covered against one of the 4th place teams. The meme of Hai bringing a super buff to team either striving to make playoffs or during playoffs is not dead yet. Should GGs upset 100T in this match, there is a strong possibility that the league subreddit will break.
100T is still notoriously playing around Cody Sun with Aphromoo and Meteos at the helm for shotcalling. Cody Sun keeps putting out consistent performances and the team predictably would like to keep enabling their superstar ADC to carry games. Ryu and Ssumday need to hold their lanes even, call out missing laners, and provide a decent amount of distraction to ensure their botlane can thrive.
GGs….oh boy. Contractz and Matt as of recently have been playing out of their minds. Lourlo has had repeatedly consistent performances that were above average, but winning one of five lanes usually doesn’t constitute a win. Winning the support role, the jungle and the top lane however may change that story entirely. Admittedly, GGs need to win both the pregame draft as well as in game execution, but having Hai at his best with this upset ball still rolling may be GGs best chance at a victory.
Banking on the favored team versus GGs….is a risky move nowadays. GGs upset teams that had overall cohesion and balanced focus. However, against 100T whose focus is primarily botlane, it is predicted that GGs will fall sadly.
Best bet: Back 100T to win at $1.57 with GG Bet
League of Legends North America Week 8 free tips for Saturday
CG vs FOX – FOX
FQ vs CLG – CLG
OPT vs C9 – C9
TSM vs TL – TL
100T vs GG – 100T
Also read: How to watch LoL esports
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