World's Groups Predictions-Group B

1st Place: Invictus Gaming

The 2nd seed from China is one of the most inconsistent teams in this tournament. At times, they seem to be unmatched and untouched by any team in China and at other times they seem like they could lose to even the lowest rank team.

Most of this inconsistency comes from the team's carry roles-KiD and Rookie. Both players at their peaks have shown that they can stand toe to toe with the best. KiD actually has quite an illustrious history in E-Sports, one of the few chinese adcs that has remained after the 'Korean Invasion'. This is a testament to his insane mechanics as an ADC. It is often said that Korea is the best region when it comes to ADCs with revered players like NaMei and Uzi, but in actuality, very few have actually survived the Korean imports. Even today,the koreans Deft and Imp are considered the best ADCs in china. So it makes KiD's long standing career is a pleasant surprise in the Chinese scene.

So, this being said- I think IG will either get out first place in the group, or not get out at all. If they show up as the dominant team they have shown they can be- they may not even lose a game. And if they show up as something else they will 'crash and burn' #spicymemes.

2nd Place: Fnatic

At this point, talking about Fnatic almost seems like beating a dead horse. Great individual strength, great early game macro and great late game vision control and positioning. Fnatic is the full package. This being said, they're seemingly unbreakable armor has shown it's chinks. Firstly,  even as Huni and Reignover have shown great synergy in the toplane and have proved more than capable of taking on even the best of the best- one word seems to be their bane: lane swaps. In almost all scenarios, lane swaps have shown to be any team's best shot at beating these Kuropean terrors.

3rd Place: Cloud 9

This is probably the biggest surprise to the readers here. " Cloud 9 over AHQ? lel NA fanboy". I'm not going to lie, I am a fanboy, a big cloud 9 fanboy. But that isn't the reason that i'm placing Cloud 9 at third. I honestly believe that cloud 9's shotcalling is improving at an exponential rate with the addition of Hai. Sneaky and Incarnati0n have both shown to be world class players. Their win against Team Liquid wasn't just 'some fluke' that was planned and carried out to perfection. I believe they can do the same thing this worlds and if they're fortunate (i.e if IG screws up) they can even make it out.

4th Place: AHQ

Ouch, even typing the line above was painful.  The LMS power house has shown massive improvement over the years. Westdooor, SwordArt, GreenTea. ALL know they're shit. They showed at MSi that hey could stand toe to toe with any team in this group yet they still failed to win a game versus any of the top tier teams... Why is cloud 9 better than them? I think on a macro level, Hai's understanding of the game will trump AHQ's and C9 will simply out rotate them on the map. Moreover, I feel that AHQ relies too much on Westdoor to carry their games. It's almost like TSM's case where games are decided by who wins mid lane. In this Meta, things could change. And Ziv arguably 'obliterates' Balls , right? Well not really. So far last season we've seen Balls only on a plethora of tank champs- in this carry meta Balls can actually flourish as he is a player who is very hard to snowball over.

Worlds Groups Predictions - Group A.

1st Place: KOO Tigers.

Even with their mediocre run into the Korean playoff finals, the KOO tigers have shown a vast variety of strategy and innovation though out the korean scene. Innovating comps such as the 'Jugger-maw' and the 'freight-train' they have shown that they are very good at adapting to the new Meta. However, I believe that most of all victories at worlds will be judged by the top laners and their ability to put on their carry socks.

In this context their only real concern is CLG ( that's a sentence I never thought I would say) because time and time again ZionSpartan has shown that he is a very capable player who excels at carry top laners- we are already well aquainted with his riven, which he used to great effect in the 2014 splits with his former team 'Coast'. Smeb, however, has shown no lack of ability in the carry department constantly bolstering his team's success with pocket picks like Lissandra and Jax.

2nd Place: YOE Flash Wolves

Surprised? Yes, I did just say that CLG would be a problem for KOO. But that was in the context of toplaners. Overall, the Flash Wolves are a far more superior team. Before you start busting out the apple pie spirit, hear me out. The Yoe Flash Wolves, within Taiwan, have always been considered the best team in the region- before the LMS playoffs, FW were the biggest predicted to get first seed to worlds. These assertions weren't made on blind fact- Yoe, in taiwan, are revered as the 'china killers' owing to the fact that they can consistently defeat top tier chinese teams in scrims. In my opinion, they may not have shown up for regional playoffs, but they damn sure will show up for worlds. 

3rd Place: Counter Logic Gaming.

This is honestly a hard call to make, especially since Xmithie was just announced as a part of their starting roster in group stages. The only reason I put them below Flash Wolves is a personal 'gut' sensation. Otherwise, the competition between these two teams are actually very comparable. Even with BOTH teams playing at their best it would be hard to call a definite winner.

In fact, on paper, CLG's chances of beating the Flash Wolves are much greater, again owing to the fact that ZionSpartan is a great fit to the current Meta. Furthermore, Steak, is considered one of the weakest toplaners playing at this year's worlds. If CLG can withstand yoe's shear aggression, they should easily be able to place second- I just don't think they can.

4th Place : Pain Gaming.

If anyone could discount a team enough- it's Pain Gaming. Analysts following the brazillian scene will actually tell you that this team is decent. However much i'm inclined to agree with them, I can't place them anywhere above 4th. I will however make the bold assertion that Pain will take two games in this group and one of them will be a stomp.

  A look at The Dragon Knights

This is a team that's been generating some heat in the last few weeks. This team found itself in the bottom of the standings in the past few weeks, appearing as the season's Velocity or Coast. However, last week they acquired two star players whom they hope can carry them out of the sullen hole they have dug themselves into. 

 Emperor and Ninja, two players of Korean origin each have had a unique history for how they reached the NA LCS. Emperor started his professional career as the ADC for CJ Entus Blaze known by the name Topi. Emperor had a broad spectrum of performances throughout the split but relatively stable compared to those of his team members. In each performance one thing was certain: Emperor possessed some of the best mechanical skill seen in league of legends. In fact, at the time Locodoco, the current coach for TSM, considered him as the best mechanical ADC in the world. Many agreed, players like Faker,Impact and Madlife labelled him as the Best Lucian player alive ( apparently Bang wasn't born ;) ) . 

Emperor gets vaynespotted

Since his days at CJ, Emperor has seen mild success in the Brazillian league as AD carry for the Keyd stars. However, the role of AD carry has changed quite a lot since Emperor was at his prime and is difficult to judge his relative skill level. I believe that Emperor will be a great addition to the league and an overall motivation for NA big names,veterans and amateurs alike. So far in the NA lcs, he's shown to be WAY (yes,bold and italics )too aggressive. I mean there's Wildturtle flashing into the enemy base, then there's P1inoy flash ulting people as graves, then a dry day at north Scottish bar and THEN is Emperor's aggression. And in 80 percent of the situations I saw, it got him killed.

Ninja, to me is the more interesting player. He started his career in the rookie team Prime Optimus (AUTOBOTS MOVEOUT- sorry, couldn't resist). Not just any rookie team though, this was the rookie team that manage to upset SK Telecom T1 S (No, that's not the one with faker) in a 2-0 victory at the group stage. Unfortunately, Prime Opitumus didn't qualify in the group stage either way. He was then bought by WE as their new midlaner- which meant he had HUGE shoes to fill. Shoes so big , Shaqille O'Neal woudln't be able to wear them. Shoes, of course, of the great Misaya. His time at WE was a huge failure- the team was placed dead last until himself and his AD carry were replaced. 

Ninja out play:TDK vs NME

As for the NA lcs,from a sample size more than adequate for any redditor, I conclude that he can easily compete for top 3 midlaners in NA. His laning phaze is a spectacle to watch- always aggressive and a thirst for kills. This thirst has also been his bane in teamfights, when it turns into a ravenous gluttony. He, on multiple occasions, has tried to flash in to burst the enemy team- leading to an embarrassing moment of him staring at his grey screen.

Ninja outplay:TDK vs TSM

In the end, I think the road for both TDK and their two new arrivals is a long one. As we've seen countless a times- a team with incredible potential on paper doesn't necessarily lead to the best results. We'll just have to wait and see if they can salvage the rest of the season and materialize all that potential.

                                Player Spotlight: Niels.

The Origen Marksman came out strong at the beginning of the split and has been hyped as one of the best in Europe ever since Xpeke's troupe had acquired him in the fall of 2014. Playing a semi-defensive style akin to that of his european counterpart Rekless and Hjarnan-the Dutch champion dominated the scene.

He is a player formed from the embers of Solo-Q. He reached high challenger grinding Solo Q with a mere 200 or so games. After which, he was recognized by many as a player that is a contender for Rekless' crown as Best Marksman in Europe. Many, such as Krepo and Edward(Gosu Pepper) believed he held that crown already.

 Joining a team composed of seasoned champions can be a daunting task.  On joining Origen, he quickly adapted to the team's 'vetran status'. The team was able to ravage through the challenger scene seamlessly- obliterating opponent after opponent as all 3 players in the team were able to take the team's burden if required.

The reason i'm bringing this up, is simple. After Roccat and nukeduck's medicore performance and Cloud9's abysmal one people were quick to criticize the effects of bringing 'Solo Q' talent into the competitive scene. While in reality there are a plethora of factors that can change the outcome when it comes to the success a player can bring to a team. A majority of that relies not on what the team is gaining but what the team is losing. In Cloud 9's case the team didn't just gain a Class A player with great mechanical ability- they lost a worldclass shotcaller who was pivotal in their success as a team.

PLAYOFF PREDICTIONS : Europe

PART 1- Top 3

1st Place - Fnatic. 

The second obvious choice would have probably been SK. However, from IEM and recent LCS drafts we’ve learnt that SK is somewhat a one-trick pony.  If they win lane- they win game otherwise they just seem to roll over and die. 

Fnatic on the other hand seems to be able to play everything. Reignover probably being their star player with his incredible diversity in the jungle. Fnatic’s main strength lies in their team fights which are sometimes perfectly executed with a good mix of Febiven zoning the back line where as the rest peel for Steelback and allow him to pew pew from the back.

2nd Place- H2K

SK not even second? You gotta be kidding me, right? Well no. For the same reasons as Fnatic being number one on this list. The best of 3/5 dynamic changes this game completely. It becomes more about adaptability and player champion pool and diversity in strategy- things we haven’t seen yet in SK.

H2K on the other hand as shown all of these things and is one of the few teams in the lcs that can handily out lane SK. Sorry for sounding redundant but it's probably the lynch pin of the whole LCS right now- Beat SK in lane, win game.

3rd Place- SK gaming

SK gaming has undisputedly been the best European team throughout the LCS. BECAUSE it was a best of one league. SK consist of 5 players who are incredibly gifted at League of Legends. When they win lane they know how to take advantages of powerspikes and close out the game. The chinks of their armor is revealed when they LOSE their lane. That’s why i’ve chosen H2K and Fnatic above them. Anybody else on this list simply do not have the ability to beat them in lane.

THE FINALS MATCH 

World Elite vs Team Solo Mid

Prediction: Word Elite  3:1

Don’t get me wrong guys i’m no TSM hater. But did you SEE WE? They were DOMINATING the top Korean team, the undefeated team from the supposed best league in the WORLD. After WE’s breathtaking victory yesterday so many people pegged it as GE’s performance or lack there of. However,once you read between the lines it was so obvious that WE’s growth was monumental in the past few days. Xiya and Mystic, the two substitutes were the perfect metaphorical ammunition for the ‘Good Samaritan’ish jungler that is Spirit. I mean seriously, the guy was playing out of his MIND. Always sticking in the fight for just the right amount of time, with just the right amount of work to let the carries eviscerate the Tigers. As spectacular as their team fighting was to watch WE’s true strength lied in their map rotations. There was no point in time in which you felt that they weren’t doing something productive. Every Teemo of distance walked in game paid dividends. 

GE tigers’ only definitive uncanny poor play was seen in Game 2 , in which their atrocious team fighting was their downfall. But overall WE seemed like the BEST TEAM IN THE WORLD. I’m not exaggerating. If WE plays at the 80 percent of what they were yesterday, TSM would be lucky to get even graze by with one victory.

SPLIT PREDICTIONS

                      North America.

10. Team Coast.

Sadly, this is a team that I quite enjoyed watching. They sometimes could pull off the best individual plays. Sometimes,Cris in the toplane has perfect synergy with their jungler Impaler. However, they just seem to have lost contact with each other in teamfights. It looks more or less like a Solo Q game whenever they play. Makes it all the more enjoyable to watch though.

9. Team Dignitas.

Ahh, the fall of the Dongnitas. A team that throughout the split has shown zero signs of improvement; Crumbzz left the jungle only to be replaced by arguably the worst jungler ever to be in the in the LCS. Then he was replaced by Azingy. Either way, Dignitas has shown 0 sign of an upward trajectory. They've either worsened or plateaued.

8. Team Impulse.

Whaaaat? you exclaim as you read this. Yes, Team Impact ;-) has had decent showings. But sometimes their play seems to fall SO flat. Every game they play- TSM to Coast seems to be like watching a person swim up the current with his hands tied behind his back.

7.Team Winterfox

At the beginning of this split I honestly thought this team would on the top half of the bracket. The Pobelter hype and Altec all looked to be doing so great individually. They truly had a bitter case of just falling behind the meta and not researching their opponents enough.

6.Gravity Gaming.

Great performances all around. One of the lower tier teams that actually uses strategy instead of simply trying to win lane and carry from there. 

5. Team 8.

At this point you probably think I'm certifiably insane. Team 8 over Gravity and WFX?  Well yes. This team has truly shown how to play this game AS A TEAM. Their mid- late game is coherent and well executed. They have decent carries in Maple and Slooshi. They really have it all.

4. Counter Logic Gaming.

I have a feeling they will be slightly higher in Playoffs. But as for the split, a dead 4th. Liquid just seems too good right now with 'KEITH' and while they are putting Piglet back as a starter, I have a feeling they are going to revert back to KEITH. In which case CLG is left to be the worse team of the top. 

3. Team Liquid.

THE PRODIGAL SON RETURNS! Yes, Piglet is back and Liquid could plummet again. However, something this time tells me that that's not going to happen. Xpecial and IWD have carried Liquid through so many games and I see more on the Horizon..

2. Team Solo Mid.

This was the toughest call to make in the list. Will TSM be 2nd or 1st?  There's your answer.

1. Cloud 9.

"Just another day in the office" - Cloud 9. Watch them come first in yet another split.