Tag Archives: Team Liquid

Analysis and Opinion

LCS Finals Weekend Preview

Three teams remain in the battle for the LCS Summer 2020 title. On Saturday, TSM and Team Liquid will play for a spot in the Final against FlyQuest on Sunday.

Since the schedule is so tight for the last two matches, I’m going to do something a little different with this preview and cover everything in one piece. First I’ll break down my expectations for TSM vs. TL, and then I’ll spend some time discussing FlyQuest and how they’ll need to prepare and play against either opponent.

The TSM vs. TL preview starts immediately below, but you can also jump straight to the FlyQuest section if that’s what you’re most interested in.

TSM vs. Team Liquid

Win Conditions

TSM

  • Keep playing a strong top side
  • Get Bjergsen moving

Team Liquid

  • Win the bottom lane
  • Clean up dragon fight setups

Continue reading LCS Finals Weekend Preview →

Analysis and Opinion

Team Liquid vs. Golden Guardians, LCS Summer Semifinals Preview

Patreon subscribers had access to this post early.

The Golden Guardians pulled off the only upset of the first week of LCS Summer Playoffs, dismantling TSM 3-0 on the back of star performances by FBI and huhi. It was a coming-of-age of sorts for that bot lane, who spent the entire season playing the same way and delivering similar results but not really getting credit for it until they did it to Doublelift three games in a row.

The bad news for GG is that they’re coming up against Team Liquid in the next round, a team that not only finished the regular season with the LCS’s best record, but also employs a play style and skill profile that almost perfectly counters the way GG won in the first round.

Win Conditions

Team Liquid

  • Control early dragons
  • Be patient and play reactively

Golden Guardians

  • Get Damonte out of his lane
  • Surprise TL with something they haven’t seen before

Prediction

TL 3-1 Continue reading Team Liquid vs. Golden Guardians, LCS Summer Semifinals Preview →

Analysis and Opinion

LCS 2020 Summer Preseason Power Rankings

The LCS 2020 Summer Split kicks off this Friday, and we’ve seen quite a few changes to the rosters. Aside from Cloud9‘s solid hold on the LCS’s top spot, the balance of power around the league was pretty precarious in Spring, and the movement of players like Doublelift, Dardoch, and Damonte could introduce a lot more volatility, making it hard to predict who might emerge to take a shot at C9 come playoffs.

I foresee a lot of movement from a few mid-tier teams, and a holding pattern from others, which should allow for some leapfrogging and hopefully a tighter pack of contenders looking to dethrone C9.

The following power rankings are my attempt to sort through the rosters and gauge each team’s strength, and where I think they’ll finish by the end of the split. Along the way, I’ll make notes of what I had predicted for Spring, and what actually happened, to provide some context for what I’m thinking now.

Edit: I don’t normally edit this type of analysis after it’s posted, but the Immortals announced an unexpected starting roster on June 10 and I felt compelled to revise accordingly.

Continue reading LCS 2020 Summer Preseason Power Rankings →