Here are the 2 ways the 2023 LCS Spring Split could end in a wild 4-way tie

Coming into the final day of the 2023 LCS Spring Split, four teams in the middle of the standings have still yet to lock in their place in the Spring Playoffs. With just five games left on the schedule, playoff destinies still need to be resolved for 100 Thieves, CLG, Golden Guardians, and TSM.

While it’s almost a guarantee that we’ll be treated to at least one tiebreaker game today—especially considering how tight the standings are coming into the Spring Split finale—there are a handful of scenarios in which four teams could lock up in an unresolved four-way tie. In these situations, the four teams would be placed in a seeded bracket (it is March, after all) and a total of four games would be played to determine where they’d end up in the standings. 

Winning two games would reward a team with the highest available standing while losing two would give them the lowest available standing. In some cases, two tiebreaker losses in a four-way bracket format would spell elimination. 

The last time a four-way bracket was needed to resolve a heavy tie like these potential ones was in the 2018 Summer Split—and tonight, the league could see another one. Here’s what would have to go down for a four-way tie to close out the 2023 LCS Spring Split. 

Four-way tie at 9-9

The first possible scenario for a four-way tie involves all four remaining playoff contenders ending their Spring Splits with even records of 9-9. In this scenario, TSM would have to stay alive with an upset over FlyQuest, while CLG would need to fall against top-seeded Cloud9. Those two outcomes could be resolved in the first two games of the day, simultaneously giving C9 full control over first place in the league. From there, Liquid would need to upset EG before Dignitas and Immortals upset Golden Guardians and 100 Thieves, respectively, to close out the day. 

Needless to say, this scenario involves a lot of favorites losing their scheduled matchups today, and due to that condition, it’s quite unlikely to happen.

Four-way tie at 10-8

Another four-way tie could occur if most of the league’s playoff hopefuls have positive days and a battle for seeding unfolds. In this scenario, TSM would lose to FlyQuest, eliminating them from the playoffs, while the rest of the teams fighting for a berth would win their game and subsequently play tiebreakers for a place in the upper bracket. In this universe, CLG would need to take down C9 while EG lose to Liquid. Golden Guardians and 100 Thieves would then need to beat their bottom-two opponents to close out the split to force the four-way tie at 10-8. 

The last day of the 2023 LCS Spring Split starts today with CLG vs. C9 at 4pm CT.