Cloud9 vs Team SoloMid

The North American el clasico — it really doesn't get any better than this! Moreover, both teams are playing some of their best League of Legends yet, which means that a spectacular clash worthy of the history books is all but guaranteed!

Let's cut straight to the chase: Cloud9 are better than the boys in black and white, but we're not all too certain they'll be able to prove it once they take the stage. They've simply been far too volatile ever since the Summer Split began and it's nigh impossible to predict whether they'll get on the same page and dominate or, conversely, implode at the first sign of trouble. That's just the way things are with Cloud9 right now and, frankly, it's hard not to be at least a little bit frustrated. They're one of the best teams in North America and are basically a shoo-in for the finals, but unless they get back to their Spring Split form they might have to relinquish the LCS throne in a couple of weeks' time.

Fortunately, they've improved leaps and bounds ever since they decided to incorporate Zven back into the starting line-up. You can see it in their play but also in their win/loss tally — they're currently riding a fairly respectable three-game winstreak and are amongst the best-performing teams in North America. That doesn't mean much, given just how inconsistent everyone has been thus far, but they've definitely improved, so there's a reason for optimism.

Team SoloMid, on the other hand, have performed a lot better in general, but they've also had their blunders and moments of weakness as well. They're 2-2 in their last four outings and have also been fairly one-dimensional when it came to their drafts and in-game play. They often telegraph their moves and rotations which means they can "easily" be exploited given the right preparation. Still, that's easier said than done — as evidenced by their stellar 10W-4L Summer Split record.

At their best, we know that Cloud9 are better than Team SoloMid. There's no doubt about it, but we don't know which shade of Cloud9 will come out and play. Regardless, they've looked really good lately so we'll give them our benefit of the doubt on this one, but it could truly go either way!