100 Thieves vs Team Liquid

For our first match of the day we have a fascinating clash between Team Liquid and 100 Thieves. This might not be a fight between two titans of equal strength and potential, but it should be still be insanely entertaining nonetheless.

To say that Liquid are entering this one with a metric ton of hype and momentum would truly be an understatement. They've mopped the floor with Team SoloMid in one of the most one-sided shellackings of the entire Spring Split, and it certainly took everyone by surprise. Here's the thing -- Team SoloMid, in many ways, have all the right tools to not only compete for the LCS trophy but even win it. That's a fact. After all, this might be one of the best and most promising TSM line-ups in the history of the organization. Then again, they're not without fault, and one of their biggest problems is their coaching staff.

You really have to be an abysmal coach to draft Maokai for Bjergsen -- not only one of the best Western mid laners in history but also your best performing player, Tahm Kench for Biofrost (an indivudla who excels at engage supports), and an out-of-the-meta Kayle for Broken Blade. As a whole, there was absolutely zero logic and reasoning behind their team comp as they had no ability to survive until the late game when Kayle could, potentially, come online and dominate beyond measure. Very little engage, not a lot of early and mid damage, and not many proactive tools to work with. This was, without a doubt, one of the worst drafts you'll see all year, and it came from a team that had their best chance at taking Liquid down yet: they were playing without Doublelift but instead with their Academy ADC Tactical.

And yet they failed as much as humanly possible. To Liquid's credit, they played around top lane, completely neutralized Kayle from the very get-go and were very proactive and patient. For every inch given Liquid was able to take a mile and that, in a way, is the best way to summarize the entire game. This was the Liquid everyone expected to see in 2020 and they've finally hit their stride. This was a sub-thirty minute win and it came against a team many considered as the second best in the region (only behind Cloud9). Thirteen kills to one. Talk about dominant.

So naturally, it's impossible not to side with Team Liquid on this one. Now sure, they were kind of given an "easy" game because of TSM's abysmal draft (and sloppy play), but they still showcased some immaculate League of Legends.

100 Thieves, on the other hand, are as hard to read as ever. They're dangerous, that's for sure, but just how strong and capable they really are still remains to be seen. They're inconsistent, which is the biggest problem right now. They have abysmal games where they run around the Rift without any apparent plan or strategy, but also spectacular showings like their most recent win over Evil Geniuses. It was far from perfect, but they had a game plan and managed to execute it from start to finish.

We saw the Meteos of old, and his Rek'Sai play had a huge impact on all three lanes from the very get-go. Perhaps most importantly, Ssumday, their biggest and most important catalyst, got his hands on Sett and was able to create absolute chaos in each and every team fight. With Kumo and Svenskeren having uncharacteristically bad showings, there wasn't much Evil Geniuses could do. They were out of sync from start to finish and looked like a bunch of solo queue randoms, rather than a team brimming with top-tier talent.

100 Thieves, to their credit, did what they had to and looked fairly good in the process. As time goes on, it's becoming evident that Ry0ma, even though nowhere near as talented as the LCS mid lane pantheon, is still a solid pick-up, and as the team improves as a whole, they're bound to reach the playoffs and actually put up a fight once all is said and done.

Still, it's impossible not to side with Liquid after watching them dominate a top-tier team with such staggering ease. Everyone's playing their part and with Jensen once again getting back to his old, dominant ways, we're finally seeing a dangerous, well-rounded Team Liquid that can go places. That said, this might not be such a one-sided affair, should 100 Thieves come prepared. In any case, expect an exciting skirmish from start to finish.