What to Watch – Week Three NA/EU LCS

Well that was a week.  Europe stayed consistent while NA was all over the place.  
My predictions went on target in EU at 9/10, but thanks to Piglet vastly under performing
I once again only hit 6/10 in NA.  I’m glad to see CLG performing back at top form, they were looking so good for most of last season until the lack of synergy with Seraph tanked their chances.  They’ve looked strong so far, with the most comparable team really being SK over in Europe.  SK look hilariously strong right now, lead by Forg1ven who is simply unstoppable right now. 

The biggest surprise is still C9, who looked so strong in their one win, but to see them fall yet again is a little baffling.  They have an easy week coming up, so let’s hope they take this time to get back in shape.  A loss to either Coast or T8 would be very worrisome for the former champs.

While most of this week is fairly predictable, there are a few matches which are going to be vital for determining who is really at the top this split.

H2K v SK
Fnatic v UoL
MYM v EL
RoC v GIA
CW v GMB

Game to watch:  Fnatic and the Unicorns of Love both have been putting on shows for LCS fans.  Neither one has had a boring game, and while Fnatic has been on a rampage, they’re starting to show a lack of diversity that could be exploited.

Fnatic v GIA
GMB v H2K
RoC v MYM
UoL v CW
EL v SK

Game to watch:  Elements vs SK is a must see.  By that really I just mean Rekkles vs Forg1ven is a must see.  These are two of the best in their role meeting with great teams behind them.  It’s hard to give this to Elements after watching them return to their ponderous pace that has held them back, and I look to see SK follow the blueprints set by Fnatic week one and make this an extremely aggressive match.

Gravity v TIP
C9 v T8
DIG v TSM
TL v Coast
WFX v CLG

Game to watch:  Gravity and Impulse are a great matchup of team synergy versus individual talent, respectively.  I’ve generally been disappointed by TIP, but they’ve had entertaining games, with no real challenging game for the day, this one at least will be fun.  Honorable mention to Winterfox vs CLG, which will be great provided the solid WFX shows up and doesn’t get pushed around too hard by CLG.

C9 v Coast
CLG v Gravity
TL v DIG
T8 v WFX
TSM v TIP

Game to watch:  TSM and TIP is a match to see if TSM can stay consistent.  They’ve shown weakness, and if any of the mid tier teams is going to show it, Impulse with Impact is the one to do it.  Dyrus vs Impact should be a great top lane war.

Not as strong a week as last, but with all the starters coming in for the various teams, the adjustment period is over.  No more grace, no more excuses, just results.