100 Thieves vs Team SoloMid

For our first match of the inaugural 2021 LCS Lock-In tournament, we have an absolute spectacle: 100 Thieves vs. Team SoloMid. This is about as good of a start as we could've hoped for, and watching it will be an absolute must. And we're not saying this out of any allegiance, either. Instead, it's because both organizations will field exceptional rosters, and we're itching to see how well they'll perform in a brand-new season, accompanied with a brand-new (and yet to be explored) meta.

Exciting stuff!

There is one confusing thing, though: the fact that 100 Thieves are being deemed as the underdogs this time around. That, in short, makes no sense whatsoever. This year's incarnation of 100 Thieves is basically an upgraded version of last year's Golden Guardians. We're talking the exact same jungler, exact same mid laner, and exact same bottom lane duo. This means one hugely important thing: they have synergy in spades. After all, they've been playing together for months. They know each other's playstyles inside and out, and there are no surprises whatsoever. Having synergy at the very start of the season is as big of a benefit as a team can ask for. There's no figuring out process, very little trial and error -- they all know what they're supposed to, how they're supposed to play, and where their biggest strengths lie. It's impossible to overstate just how incredibly important such a thing is, especially at this level of play.

Better yet, they've been joined by one of the best top laners in the world: Ssumday. He'll finally have the right support around him -- gone are the day of being shackled in elo hell! He'll no longer have to hardcarry by himself. Instead, it'll be a team-wide responsibility and that should, by all means, allow him to spread his wings and dominate even further. There's really nothing to criticize 100 Thieves for, nothing to point out as a potential weakness. Are they the perfect team? Of course not, but by North American standards, they're downright fantastic and, better yet, there are no question marks at all. We all know what these five individuals are capable of. We've already seen their highs, and we were not left indifferent. FBI and Huhi, in particular, have been dominant beyond measure throughout the second half of 2020, and we can't wait to see whether or not they'll pick up where they left off.

Team SoloMid, on the other hand, has assembled a brand new roster -- one that is void of Bjergsen and Doublelift, two of the biggest and most formidable veterans the LCS ever fostered. Out of the 2020 Summer Split championship roster, only Spica remains. Huni, PowerOfEvil, Lost (former TSM Academy marksman), and SwordArt (of Flash Wolves and Suning fame) have all joined and will compete under TSM's banner for the foreseeable future. Is this a bad line-up? Far from it, but it *is* a flawed one (volatile top laner and rookie marksman), and they have no synergy to speak of whatsoever. In a perfect world they can definitely compete with 100 Thieves (even this early on in the season), but they'll no doubt face an uphill battle. They still need to acclimate to one another, and that takes time. There are no shortcuts, for better or worse.

We're siding with 100 Thieves on this one as it's the only logical choice. It's the start of the season, so pretty much anything can happen, but 100T's pre-existing team-wide cohesion is more than enough to warrant our benefit of the doubt. In any case, regardless of the final outcome, we should be in for one insanely competitive (and entertaining) skirmish!