Evil Geniuses vs Team Dignitas

The 2021 LCS Summer Split Playoffs are finally here and, needless to say, the hype is starting to mount! This is the moment we've all been waiting for and things really cannot get any more exciting! Best of 1s are great — they're fun, packed with action, and often serve as a fodder for a myriad of different narratives; they have a very concrete purpose and they serve it beautifully.

But Best of 5s are what we all yearn to watch the most; that's where we get to find out *who's* good and *why.* Moreover, there's a wholly different set of rules — it's more about pacing and strategy and depth rather than anything else, and it's mighty entertaining to watch. The teams with the deepest champion pools and the most practice will invariably shine the brightest; those who can adapt mid-series will thrive whereas others — seemingly less prepared and capable — will crumble underneath the pressure.

It's a marathon, rather than a sprint, and only a select few have what it takes to truly go all the way and potentially hoist the LCS trophy.

To start things off, we have Evil Geniuses taking on Dignitas QNTMPAY — not exactly the most premier match-up imaginable, but a wholly entertaining one nonetheless. We're talking about two extremely aggressive teams, two line-ups with a metric ton of mechanical prowess and bravado. If you're into the most entertaining League of Legends — i.e. the biggest skirmishes and the most chaos — this is pretty much an absolute must watch.

Be that as it may, we'd be remiss if we didn't say that Evil Geniuses have an upper hand in basically every conceivable way. They're more experienced, they have more synergy, depth, they're more flexible, talented, and have all the right tools to run circles around Dignitas QNTMPAY.

Additionally, this is the very first time since their return to the LCS that they actually stand a chance of doing some damage to the LCS status quo. They're layered and incredibly versatile, although it's fair to say that they still prefer the "tried and true" method of skirmishing like their lives depend on it and throwing all caution out the window. There's just no other way to say it -- and we wouldn't want them to change a thing.

Dignitas are good, if not even great (depending on the day and the draft) but they're nowhere near as good or capable as the boys in black and white. They definitely have bursts of brilliance so they're not to be trifled with, but they're just not consistent enough to truly maintain that respectable level of play throughout a longer period of time — or even a Best of 5, for that matter.

Still, they're seriously good at the game and they've earned their spot in the Top 6 for a reason. They're also 4W-2L in their last six games which is fairly respectable given the level of opposition they had to face. Moreover, they beat both Team Liquid and Team SoloMid during the eighth and ninth week of the regular season so they must be doing *something* right.

Regardless, Evil Geniuses are amongst the best and most dangerous teams in North America right now, and even though they might not have as much momentum as was the case a couple of weeks ago, they're still head and shoulders above Dignitas when it comes to mental fortitude, versatility, and sheer resilience.

They're a veteran squad and they know how to traverse the challenges and pitfalls of a Best of 5 — and so does their stacked coaching staff which, coincidentally, has won the "Coaching Staff of the Split" award for the first time in the organization's history. A spectacular achievement, no doubt, and it's made all the more impressive given EG's stellar Summer Split record (18W-9L).

In the end, we'll side with Evil Geniuses on this one as it's the only logical choice. They might not beat Dignitas to a pulp, they might make mistakes throughout the series, but they still have all the right tools to get the "W" and advance further into the playoffs. In any case, expect a skirmish-heavy affair that is guaranteed to deliver!