100 Thieves vs FlyQuest

To start the day off, we have quite an entertaining scrap between FlyQuest and 100 Thieves. On paper, this is one of the more important matches playoff-wise and getting a win here will greatly benefit both teams in their attempts to solidify their spot in the Top 6. That said, they find themselves on opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to potential, hype, and momentum.

On the one hand, we have FlyQuest, the second best team from Spring. Once Summer began, they wasted little time in letting everyone know they mean business, but their strong performances and exquisite team fighting didn't last long, for whatever reason. The coaching staff decided to sub WildTurtle out (citing motivational issues) in favor of Mash, and FlyQuest never quite looked the same. A couple of abysmal losses later, and WildTurtle is back, seemingly as good and forward-flashing as ever. The rest of the team stepped up as well, which was paramount given just how important PowerOfEvil and IgNar are for this roster. They're the ones leading the charge, the two players who constantly move around the map and create leads for the team as a whole. They're also insane mechanically speaking and are often the biggest factor once those hectic five on five team fights break out.

If their last two weeks are any indication, it seems as though they've fixed their biggest issues and are once again back in the driver's seat. Their recent triumphs came over Team SoloMid, Team Liquid, and Golden Guardians, with their sole loss coming at the hands of Cloud9 -- the team we already know they struggle against from a stylistic standpoint. The fact that they outclassed both TSM and TL -- two teams generally considered as Top 3 contenders -- tells us all we need to know. They're clean, commanding, and their drafts have been on point when it mattered the most. Santorin, in particular, has been having a renaissance split. It is his individual play that is getting FlyQuest ahead in the early game regardless of whom they're up against. Tonight's game should be no different.

100 Thieves, on the other hand, are still a confusing mix of players and potential. With just a single win across their last four games, it's hard to truly give them the benefit of the doubt. They do many things well, and with Ssumday in the top lane they're always a potent team with a puncher's chance of getting the win. But everyone else, however, is incredibly volatile and, at times, even straight-out bad. Contractz is hit or miss and is heavily reliant on getting a good match-up in the pick and ban phase, Cody Sun is also far less consistent than one would expect, and Ry0ma is painfully mediocre regardless of the match-up. Sometimes they do well, but more often than not there's always one or two egregious mistakes that costs them the game. That's 100 Thieves in a nutshell, basically, and there's very little room for drastic improvement. With just five wins and nine losses, 100 Thieves will need to go on a mind-blowing miracle run if they intend on reaching the playoffs and actually making their 2020 season count.

Unfortunately, they'll face an uphill battle as they don't have an easy strength of schedule going forward. FlyQuest are by no means perfect, but they've done more than enough over the last couple of weeks to warrant our benefit of the doubt.