Three weeks down, six to go.
With two-thirds of the Summer Split still ahead in the League of Legends Championship Series (LCS), week four is the point in the split where lines become clearly drawn in the standings. By the end of this week, nearly all of the teams will have played against one another.
This is the time in the split when the contenders reveal themselves, the pretenders fade from championship contention (or second-place contention as the league stands), and the ‘bad’ teams either begin their rebound or continue their plight.
To that end, what are the most important games to watch this upcoming week of the summer split? Read on to find out!
Golden Guardians Vs. TSM
Insert obligatory comment about how this will show that these teams are the real deal.
In seriousness, this game is about two teams that seem incredibly inconsistent. Both have had flashes of brilliance and flashes of idiocy. TSM was resoundingly smashed by some of the teams around them and did the same to others. It is incredibly hard to place them.
For Golden Guardians, they just came off a week where they received a surprise loss to the Immortals academy roster, and then followed that up by thoroughly dismantling Evil Geniuses. Those performances couldn’t be further apart. Which is the real Golden Guardians? Hopefully, this match will provide the answer.
Will TSM take the fight to the top teams or will Golden Guardians show themselves to be contenders? Find out Saturday at 4 p.m. EST.
FlyQuest Vs. Team Liquid
FlyQuest (FLY) and Team Liquid (TL) appear to be two of the major contenders this split. They seem to be the only two teams that can even seem competitive against the likes of the behemoth that is Cloud9.
As is the theme of this week, this game will be about drawing the line in the sand. Who is really going to be the team challenging for that second position? Both teams have been dealt losses by the teams around them in the standings. At both 4-2, this game is likely going to reveal who is up to the task of being the David to C9’s Goliath. Team Liquid, despite losing to C9, is coming off their strongest week yet in the LCS summer split, while FlyQuest in experiencing the opposite. Will momentum be a factor?
Check out this matchup at 5 p.m. EST on Sunday!
TSM Vs. Counter-Logic Gaming
Just as with the previous matchup, both TSM and Counter-Logic Gaming (CLG) sit in the five-way tie for second at 4-2 in the standings. TSM and CLG are the old kings of North America, a perennial rivalry spanning all the way back to the year 2010 before the LCS even existed. It is incredibly exciting to see these two former-titans battle once more towards the top of the table within the league.
CLG has had a quiet but strong start to the summer split. After a tenth-place finish in the spring split, CLG has already put up more wins than in the earlier half of the 2020 season. Although they were beaten in a ‘perfect-game’ fashion by Evil Geniuses in the first game of the split, CLG has beaten the four teams at the bottom of the barrel in the LCS and showed a very competent and competitive game against FlyQuest only last week. They have shown they are surely a playoff contender, but this game will be about showing that they are more than that. Are they a championship contender, or a pretender?
TSM, on the other hand, has a lot more pressure placed upon them coming into this match, not only for the bragging rights of the rivalry but in solidifying what was been an inconsistent run to show they mean business. If they lose to CLG it would not only stunt their momentum, but it would be a big blow to their confidence and the confidence placed on them by analysts and fans alike.
Check out how the old kings stack up at 6 p.m. EST on Sunday!
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