Galatasaray vs DetonatioN Gaming

This is where things get a lot more competitive and, well, uncertain. Who'll come out on top between these two teams is anyone's guess at this point. DetonatioN FocusMe are generally considered a fair bit better than the TCL champions, but they didn't look nearly as impressive in their first two outings. Now sure, they had a few great moments and plays worth mentioning, but as a whole they just weren't as feisty and commanding as was the case back at this year's Mid-Season Invitational. That doesn't necessarily mean they're no longer in the running to make it out of Play-Ins, but it *is* telling that maybe we had given them a bit too much benefit of the doubt coming into Worlds.

In any case, they'll face an uphill battle going forward -- this year's Play-In Stage is stacked with exceptional teams and capable challengers, which means that the margin for error is basically non-existent. DFM obviously have a shot, but they cannot afford to drop too many games and they'll also have to overperform a bit and pull off a few upsets if they want to stand a chance of making it out.

Galatasaray aren't exactly the most hyped team around, but their play yesterday was absolutely stellar, and they're obviously more than capable enough to compete on even footing with most of their peers. Whether they're good enough to compete with the likes of LNG, HWE, and C9 still remains to be seen, but everyone else is "fair game." In any case, they're not favored odds-wise but have impressed us a bit more than the LJL champions, so we'll take a calculated risk on this one and go with the underdogs. Still, if you're looking for a "safe" bet, a match-up that is inherently one-sided and therefore easy to predict, you'd be wise to look elsewhere.