Week 8 stands to be a very good week to watch games--we have a formidable three way tie for 5th place (which has a good chance at staying that way through the weekend); Team SoloMid has come back victorious through IEM (how will that affect their gameplay?); and Cloud 9 bottomed out in the second round of IEM. Now that we're in the home stretch, we can expect to see a lot of noteworthy matches in the NA LCS.
Matches to Watch:
1. Team SoloMid vs Counter Logic Gaming. The rematch will prove to be a formidable one. Last time, Counter Logic Gaming put up a really tough fight; this time around, Team SoloMid is just coming off of the IEM championship. Has Team SoloMid found their stride? Or will Counter Logic Gaming use all they could out of those IEM matches and find TSM's achilles' heel?
2. Team 8 vs Cloud 9. Of the three 5th place matchups against higher ranked teams (Team Liquid vs Cloud 9, Team SoloMid vs Gravity, and Team 8 vs Cloud 9), Team 8 and Cloud 9 look like they're bound to have the most heavily contested matchup. Will Team 8 be able to pull ahead of the rest of the three way tie for 5th place, or will Cloud 9 rally after IEM and fend off Team Impulse and keep 3rd place?
3. Team Impulse vs Winterfox. Things have changed quite a bit since their last meeting in Week 4, when Winterfox pulled off a win over Team Impulse. Will they be able to do the same again? Or will Team Impulse be able to learn from their last match and take the win?
Full Schedule and Predictions:
Saturday:
12:00 PM - Team Coast (1 - 13) vs Team Impulse (8 - 6)
Last Match: Team Impulse. 5 - 11 towers, 11 - 24 kills. Match time: 39:40. Week 4.
Prediction: Team Impulse. With the end of the Spring Split drawing ever closer, it's more important than ever that Team Impulse secure every win they can. Currently they're just below Cloud 9 in the number 4 position, and one win above the three way tie for 5th place; Team Impulse is in a prime position to contend for 3rd, but also needs to keep in mind the three teams that are working hard to pass them up.
1:00 PM - Team Liquid (7 -7) vs Cloud 9 (9 - 5)
Last Match: Cloud 9. 4 - 11 towers, 3 - 15 kills. Match time: 37:00. Week 2.
Prediction: Cloud 9. In Week 7, before roster changes, Team Liquid was looking poised to vie for a 2nd or a 3rd place spot; now, as we're drawing to the end of the Spring Split, they're looking like the team to most likely fall to 7th of the three teams tied for 5th.
2:00 PM - Team SoloMid (11 - 3) vs Gravity (7 - 7)
Last Match: Team SoloMid. 11 - 3 towers, 25 - 17 kills. Match time: 42:14. Week 4.
Prediction: Team SoloMid. Team SoloMid won IEM last week; compared to their international opponents, Gravity should be a fairly straightforward game. Now it's up to TSM not to let their recent victories go too quickly to their heads so they don't give up their tentative lead over NA.
3:00 PM - Counter Logic Gaming (10 - 4) vs Team Dignitas (5 - 9)
Last Match: Counter Logic Gaming. 11 - 2 towers, 14 - 5 kills. Match time: 34:45. Week 5.
Prediction: Counter Logic Gaming. Team Dignitas is going to work harder to win this game than they have in prior games, but Counter Logic Gaming has a lot invested in securing their #2 spot just behind TSM. Expect to see a lot more out of Team Dignitas, but eventually a CLG win.
4:00 PM - Winterfox (5 - 9) vs Team 8 (7 -7)
Last Match: Team 8. 2 - 11 towers, 3 - 18 kills. Match time: 30:17. Week 3.
Prediction: Team 8. Winterfox will bring their A game to the table to try to take a game off of their slightly easier match up this weekend, but Team 8 is in that delicate three way tie for 5th place, and will do whatever it takes to get ahead.
Sunday:
12:00 PM - Team Dignitas (5 - 9) vs Gravity (7 - 7)
Last Match: Gravity. 2 - 11 towers, 4 - 5 kills. Match time: 51:31. Week 2.
Prediction: Gravity. Like the Winterfox vs Team 8 game on Saturday, expect Team Dignitas to bring their A game to this matchup because it is their easier of two matchups this weekend. However, in order to at least maintain a tie with the other teams vying for 5th place, they need to win one game this weekend. This is that game that they're likely to win.
1:00 PM - Team SoloMid (11 - 3) vs Counter Logic Gaming (10 - 4)
Last Match: Team SoloMid. 9 - 6 towers, 20 - 15 kills. Match time: 45:02. Week 4.
Prediction: Team SoloMid. This is a hard match to call. The last time these two teams met, Counter Logic Gaming honestly looked better--and if not for a few unfortunate misplays, CLG would be at the top of the ladder. Last weekend, though, TSM came off looking stronger than they have so far in the NA LCS. If they take what they've learned from IEM back to NA, they should be able to take down CLG for a second time.
2:00 PM - Team 8 (7 - 7) vs Cloud 9 (9 - 5)
Last Match: Cloud 9. 3 - 9 towers, 4 - 17 kills. Match time: 34:27. Week 3.
Prediction: Team 8. Cloud 9 had a very hard time at IEM. Between their two matches this week, Cloud 9 has a pretty good chance at winning their match against Team Liquid (since they're still disjointed with the roster changes), but will have a much more formidable time against Team 8. Team 8 beat Team Liquid soundly last week, and even though they lost to Team SoloMid, they still put up a pretty good fight. Between the setbacks at IEM and the momentum that Team 8 has, Cloud 9 will have a rough time in this matchup.
3:00 PM - Team Impulse (8 - 6) vs Winterfox (5 - 9)
Last Match: Winterfox. 3 - 8 towers, 12 - 30 kills. Match time: 41:36. Week 4.
Prediction: Team Impulse. This week, Team Impulse has a chance to step up to a two-way tie for second place with Cloud 9. The odds are definitely in their favor to take this game off of Winterfox. Of their two matchups this weekend, Winterfox is far less likely to win this one.
4:00 PM - Team Coast (1 - 13) vs Team Liquid (7 - 7)
Last Match: Team Liquid. 11 - 2 towers, 10 - 4 kills. Match time: 42:22. Week 3.
Prediction: Team Liquid. Although Team Liquid has taken quite a hit in recent matches, with Piglet they did pull off a win against Team Coast last time. They will probably do so again, and probably perpetuate a tie for 6th place with Gravity.
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