CLG vs Cloud9

For our second match of the day, we have a fight between Cloud9 and Counter Logic Gaming. Now, even though there's nothing on the line for these two teams (Cloud9 has already locked in their playoff spot whereas Counter Logic Gaming is out of playoff contention), there's still a reason to watch. Whenever these two perennial North American titans square off, fireworks are almost guaranteed.

CLG, regardless of the meta or line-up, always steps up whenever they're up against Cloud9. It's just a stylistic kind of thing, both teams match-up nicely in terms of playstyle and willingness to skirmish from the very get-go. This game should be no different, even though both teams find themselves on opposite ends of the LCS standings (first versus tenth). For Counter Logic Gaming, this is basically as inconsequential a game as possible. They don't have anything to fight for, and all that's left now is to look forward to the Summer Split and work on their issues during the upcoming off-season. Still, they can use their last three games to test stuff out and to see just how strong and capable they really are at this point in time.

Ever since they replaced Crown with Pobelter, they've looked much better and more cohesive. That's still not enough, in the grand scheme of things, but at least they improved, and it was a noticeable difference. It's not like Crown was to blame, but rather the team itself had immense underlying problems -- team-wide communication, individual play, mid-game decision-making, and so on. There's just so much to work on, and it's hard to imagine Counter Logic Gaming improving as much as they need to in just a couple of months' time. Huge changes need to happen to this roster in order to stand a chance of leaving a mark -- and this includes their coaching staff. A team simply cannot improve enough if they're not instructed correctly, and without a coach that can actually recognize his team's faults, there's no reason for optimism.

Cloud9, on the other hand, are as sound and talented as they come. Their game yesterday wasn't exactly a spotless showing, but you could see that they were experimenting and just trying stuff out, now that they've secured their spot in the playoffs. They're one of the most dominant teams in the history of the region and they have no reason to worry going forward -- they can fool around to their hearts content, at least up until the playoffs.

Counter Logic Gaming simply doesn't any tools to work with, especially not against a team of Cloud9's caliber. They're going to fight from the moment they spawn on the Summoner's Rift, but it's just not going to be enough. Even if they create a lead early on, Cloud9 is well-known for their ability to fight from a deficit. In any case, expect a skirmish-heavy game that could develop into a complete blow-out in the mid and later stages of the game.