FlyQuest vs Golden Guardians

If you found it hard to get excited about last week's opening playoff matches, no one will blame you. They were two match-ups that were fairly one-sided in nature. Of course Cloud9 was going to demolish 100 Thieves in quick fashion, and of course Evil Geniuses -- a team that was able to lock down sole possession of second place in the standings -- would be heavily favored over FlyQuest.

And as expected, both Best of 5s resolved in an expected manner.

Competitive League just isn't that exciting when you pretty much know the outcome even before anyone spawns on the Summoner's Rift. Now sure, twists and turns are always present, with upsets being a frequent sight, but as far as the LCS is concerned, things have pretty much been developing "according to plan."

The same can be said for last week's games as well. It's not like they weren't fun to watch, but we all yearn for the big matches, the clashes of titans that go down in history. Unfortunately, this week probably won't be much better in that regard, although things did become a tiny bit more engaging.

To start things off we have a fairly even clash between FlyQuest and Golden Guardians. This is, frankly, not a premier match-up that you simply have to watch, but it should still be fairly entertaining if both teams bring their A game. But before we delve any deeper into the match-up itself, let's focus on each team and how they got to this point.

We've already seen FlyQuest compete mere days ago in their playoff clash against Evil Geniuses. If you didn't watch, you're probably wondering: how did they look? The answer, however, isn't nearly as simple as it might seem. First of all, the 3-1 score isn't exactly telling of how the series developed. Many expected FlyQuest to win the first game as they not only had the lead but looked much quicker and more responsive in-game when compared to Evil Geniuses. They looked good in the beginning until they pretty much threw the entire game with an egregious fight around the Baron pit.

Perhaps the most confusing thing overall is the fact that FlyQuest decided to start the series off with their original top laner Viper, perhaps best known for his stellar Riven play and solo queue pedigree. That decision took many by surprise because it made little sense whatsoever given just how bad they looked as a five-man unit just a week prior. And, as expected, they didn't improve much, if at all over the course of just a couple of days.

Once they slotted in Solo, they looked like a much better, more competitive team. Still, they were facing a clean sweep, and it's confusing why they didn't just start off with the Echo Fox alumni in the first place. Even though they lost, they didn't look that bad. Well, their play definitely left a lot to be desired, but they were fairly competitive all things considered, especially once Solo got the nod and took over in the top lane. He's a low-econ kind of player, he doesn't get any resources and yet he's fairly impactful, given that he gets at least some priority in the pick and ban phase.

PowerOfEvil, one of the best performing mid laners in the entire region, had yet another spectacular showing and will definitely have the edge over Goldenglue tonight. If there's one shining light, one individual who has the tools to propel this FlyQuest roster to greatness and overcome a challenge that isn't all that complex (the Golden Guardians), it has to be the European import.

Would they've won had they started with Solo from game one? It's impossible to know, and that's a shame. Hopefully, they won't make the same mistake twice and will settle on a starting line-up right out the gates. There's absolutely no benefit to switching him and Viper game-to-game, so might as well slot in the better performing (and more flexible) top laner straight away.

Overall, they're still a huge question mark and now they'll have their backs against the wall against a surging GGS line-up that pretty much took everyone by surprise. If FlyQuest want to advance, they need to be on their best behavior. No blunders in the draft, and the same goes for their in-game plays as well. They're pretty darn good when they have the right tools, so at least they know what they have to prioritize.

Opposite them, we have the Golden Guardians. If you just did a spit-take, know that you probably aren't the only one.

This is a team that has defied the odds. Heck, that's even an understatement. Their late season resurgence took everyone by surprise, including the players themselves. But the Guardians rallied and won three incredibly important games against Counter Logic Gaming, FlyQuest, and Team Dignitas. Now sure, these aren't the most complex or dangerous challengers in the region, but GGS looked amazing in all three games. They looked like a completely different team, like they were tapping into some previously unknown reservoir and potential -- it really made no sense whatsoever.

So, naturally, no one's quite sure just how good they really are at the moment. Was that just a short surge, a flash of brilliance? Or a sign of what's to come? They're not predicted to upset the LCS status quo but beating FlyQuest -- again? That's definitely a possibility. In fact, there's very little stopping them at the moment, considering how the meta didn't change any FlyQuest definitely didn't evolve much.

Perhaps that's the most fascinating thing. The Golden Guardians is arguably the only mid-tier team that has actually improved. They settled on an identity and outworked everyone else. They're not the most talented or dangerous bunch in North America, but what they lack in talent or presumed potential, they more than make up with work ethic and resilience.

They're the ultimate underdog and the fact that they've even reached Top 6 is mind-blowing -- they deserve all the praise they've been getting, and then some.

Their recent rally makes this whole thing impossible to predict. That's both exciting, but also pretty frightening if you're looking to bet on the playoffs. No one's quite sure how good the Guardians currently are, but if recent history is any indication, they're going to enter this Best of 5 with a ton of bravado and should definitely be favored.

In that, however, lies the biggest problem. They just don't look threatening, but that's also somewhat deceiving. Closer was just voted onto the 2nd LCS Team, FBI is unexpectedly consistent and capable (especially on Varus), they're very creative in the pick and ban phase (like Huhi's support Ziggs from two week's ago), and so on. They're reveling in the underdog status and they're playing their best League of Legends yet. They're much stronger than the sum of their parts and the shift to online play definitely bolstered their chances. Once all of a sudden, they're much more confident and aggressive.

Again, they're far, far from perfect. They still make huge blunders that a more seasoned team can capitalize on, but after seeing FlyQuest fumble and fail so much over the last couple of weeks, it's impossible not to side with the Guardians on this one, as ludicrous and inadvisable as it might seem.

On the one hand, GGS is easy to read. Statistically speaking, they mostly win when they start off on the right foot. When that fails to be the case, they're pretty much a negligible challenger, one that simply cannot play from a deficit. Still, they're creative and flexible, especially as of late. We're banking on that being a trend, something they'll continue doing, rather than just a flash in the pan. They also had the luxury of kicking back and watching FlyQuest compete mere days ago. That's a huge benefit and it should definitely provide them with a noticeable upper hand, given that they actually know how to use it.

Hopefully they'll bring their A game tonight and get the upset over FlyQuest.