and the playoffs are now set. yea, i took another day off, mostly to collect my thoughts for the playoff brackets...and to watch wrestlemania, but we're back and ready to break it down. in the na, its CLG v. Team Liquid and Team Impulse v. Gravity in the first round. the winners of those games go on to play C9 and TSM respectively and so on and so forth. Team 8 got the short end of the stick, missing relegations but also missing the playoffs. i feel bad, Team 8 really started to come alive in the last few weeks of the split, but at least they have a spot secured for next split, so they can continue to improve their game. Dignitas and Winterfox will be playing for their lives in relegation. Dig never really got it all together this season. they had times where it looked like the roster would come together and start to gel, but it was never consistent enough to get out of their own way. i like their chances to stay in lcs, but anything can happen. i think they have a lot of talent, they just need to all get on the same page. Winterfox took all split to get going, but when they looked good, they looked unbeatable. i firmly believe they will win their relegation games and stay in the lcs for next split. i think they have a lot to prove and have a chip on their shoulder. they know what they're capable of and without paragon screwing with their chemistry, they should continue to play better and could scare a few teams in the summer split.
Team Liquid is a team that simply does not deserve to be where they are. this team blamed all their problems on Piglet, who, yea, didn't play amazing this split, but also didn't have any support. TL assumed that Piglet would carry their heavy asses to worlds, well, i hate to be the bearer of bad news...but its a team game. after watching a few games, Piglet wasn't the problem, sure, he needed to work the kinks out of his game and learn a whole new team style, but his supporting cast, specifically Xpecial and IWDominate are about as useful as a poopy-flavored lollipop. these 2 were at the front of the "lets all blame Piglet" train, and their play this season, as a whole, has been so bad, that Liquid should consider replacing them. Xpecial, who is so passive aggressive, at times, looked like he had never played support. his would muddle around lane doing almost nothing, it was like watching low bronze. and IWDominate, don't get me started on him. i haven't been a fan of his in general, and this thought that he's this world class jungler, blows my mind. he's made some nice plays, but simply put, he's not a good enough player to make those around him better.
ultimately, i believe TSM will end up taking the split. i haven't been in love with the way they have played recently, but i do think they are the strongest team. C9 got it together late enough to manage 2nd place over CLG, which isn't surprising, since CLG's big problem is the fact they can't finish a season. i don't believe either of those teams are playing at a high enough level to win. my darkhorse is Team Impulse. while they looked pretty bad against Dig, which is almost unforgivable, i think they have the talent to put it all together and make a run, while i don't think they will, i think they can, which is why they're my darkhorse. Gravity made some nice strides this season, but i don't see them going far in the playoffs.
in eu, Copenhagen Wolves managed to sneak into the final playoff spot, while Elements, deserving so, sit at home, not relegated, but not out of next split, which is a shame, because if any team deserves to go home, its them. in the brackets, Gambit plays Unicorns of Love in a match that will definitely be interesting, with Gambit really coming on, as of late, and UoL playing some inspiring matches as well. CW plays H2K and this game has a lot of intrigue around it. both of these teams suffer from multiple personality disorder. there are times when both seem like they could be top 3, and other times when they could easily be bottom 3. i will be watching this game, curious to see which of them shows up in summoners rift, because these games could be bronze promos or instant classics. the winners of both of those games will go on to play SK and Fnatic, respectively. while SK is the favorite to come out of the playoffs as winners, i have to throw my support to Fnatic. i think the way that they play, they could completely blitz their way to a playoff win. my darkhorse here is CW. if they play like i know they can play, they are capable of beating any of these teams. Freeze and Soren are 2 very strong carries, and if Airwaks can get going, and YoungBuck doesn't feed, they can make a real run at this.
well, thats all for me. the games start on april 4th, so we have a bit of downtime till then. hopefully there will some juicy bits to talk about between here and there, otherwise, my blog will be very interesting! also, the first Tower Dive Podcast will be recorded tonight, look for its release this week! take care, my readers, and always take your gank tax. see you on the rift!
Cheers,
@Cptn_Hooks
Cptn_Hooks on Twitch
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