ok, so i lied when i said i would have a more comprehensive review of where the na lcs teams currently sit. mostly, it's because i re-read what i wrote yesterday and, really, i summed up what i wanted to say, pretty well in that. hooray for brevity! tonight, i'll try to keep it quick, but i'm also going through 2 days worth of games. while a lot were what i assumed the outcome would be, it has definitely put the na playoff scene in perspective.
day 1 - TiP shit on Coast. i can't say i didn't see that coming. TiP has looked monstrous the last few weeks. they are firing on all cylinders and what was thought to be their weakness (bot lane) has turned out to be a major strength. Coast will be on the outside looking in when its all said and done in the spring split, despite whatever bizarre moves they make with teams they buy. Liquid continues their up/down play, with a loss to C9. from start to finish, they were victimized. 32 minutes later, they had 3 total kills. you can't keep blaming your inconsistency on Piglet, because at some point, he can't be expected to carry anchors like Xpecial and IWillDominate. while he's looked bad, they haven't looked better and aren't making his job any easier. i genuinely feel bad for him, in this situation. he was given very little to work with and sometimes it seems like its "the world v. piglet", and it shouldn't be. he's a polarizing character that hasn't made his transition any easier with under performing. as much as i hate to say it, TSM v. Gravity was the game of the day. i'll be the first to say, i'm NOT a TSM fanboy. i don't like how Regi runs his organization, i don't care for Dyrus, and think he's incredibly overrated. i think without Bjergsen and Lustboy, this team would be middle of the pack, at best. with all that said, they have looked quite strong since IEM and their momentum carried into this weeks game. now, i know they didn't win, but it was by far the best game of the day, Gravity has stepped up their game of late and and find themselves in the midst of a possible top 3 finish, if they can keep up their strong play. CLG v. Dignitas only showed that Dig still can't close the deal in a game they have a chance at, and that ZionSpartan (even his teacher calls him that!) can grow a "creepy uncle" mustache. Speaking of teams on the rise, Team 8, with their victory over WinterFox, is also making a late run and has assured themselves a spot in the next split. CaliTrlolz and Slooshi continue to do most of the heavy lifting as they roll on.
day 2 - a somewhat less exciting day of games, day 2 provided us simply with a more focused look at who is going to be playing in relegation, as well as some glimpses of the new na blood. Gravity played another strong, smart game, knocking off Dig, who couldn't get out of the gates it seemed. that brought us to the game of the day, el classico, TSM v. CLG. no na game is more hyped, than when these 2 teams lock horns in the battle of "which teams fans will vote harder for their team to win?" after 41 minutes of play, TSM came out with the victory on the shoulders of a well played game by WildTurtle and Lustboy, with Dyrus at least having a positive kda this time around. right now, he is their clear weakness. his inability to carry, or at times, to be a presence in lane will hurt them come worlds, unless he figures it out, or is benched. on the flip side, DoubleLift was never able to carry his team, despite playing rather well. CLG's deficiencies are being exposed in these games against top talent, but they still remain a top na team. this was C9's chance to break away from the upper/middle pack, but they ran into the buzzsaw that has been Team 8 the last few weeks. a team no one expected much from, that was thought to be relegation fodder, has turned into one of the great Cinderella stories of the spring split. them, along with Team Impulse and Gravity have shown that there is top talent in na that doesn't always reside in the same old dinosaur teams. TiP took down the consistently inconsistent WinterFox, and to round things out, Liquid dumpstered the lowly Team Coast, giving Piglet his first really strong game of the split, could this be a sign of things to come?
all in all, the potential for new blood to be injected into the top 3, by splits end, is rather high, and i'm looking forward to it. in previous years, the eu lcs had been unbearably boring to watch, with na dominating my focus. this season, it couldn't be any more the opposite, at least until last week and this week. na is much more entertaining and now its becoming much less predictable, which is exciting. with the playoffs looming like a low hanging moon, it will be interesting to see how hard some of these teams that are on the doorstep of the top 3, react to being so close. will we see some crazy new picks or a lot of the same? either way, it should be fun.
see you on the rift!
-Hooks
@Cptn_Hooks
Cptn_Hooks on Twitch
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