Golden Guardians vs Team Liquid

Given the way things have unfolded thus far, one could argue that each and every single match-up has more than enough potential to warrant our time and attention. And, well, maybe that holds true for Team Liquid vs. Golden Guardians as well. It's not an inherently interesting clash primarily because there's such a staggering gap between these two teams in terms of sheer power and potential, but there's so much more to it than what first meets the eye.

Golden Guardians are by no means a surging behemoth. They're okay. Nothing more, nothing less. They can, at times, overperform and trade blows with the best teams in the league, but that's pretty much it. Still, given their line-up and the fact that there are no superstars or hardcarries fighting under their banner, the Guardians have done alright, and they deserve a bit of praise and commendation. Ablazeolive, in particular, has improved leaps and bounds and is undoubtedly the most dangerous player over at GGS — one that can, at times, make the game-winning play and push his team over the finish line.

Team Liquid, on the other hand, have been both hot and cold. Depending on your expectations coming into the second half of 2021, perhaps they've been a bit more cold than hot, but the point still stands. We know what they're capable of, and the fact that they've yet to truly shine shouldn't worry anyone *just yet.* Be that as it may, they haven't been nearly as dominant as most of us expected, and without Alphari in the starting line-up, they've looked out of sorts regardless of whom they were up against. A couple of great showings here and there are by no means enough to warrant our benefit of the doubt — they're struggling in more ways than one, and it's hard not to be worried for their chances given just how good 100 Thieves and Team SoloMid have looked thus far. They're far from perfect, of course, but their highs have been a lot more pronounced.

Regardless, they have all the right tools to get the "W" over the Golden Guardians tonight. They might not be all that commanding, but they're still one of the best teams in North America and should, by all means, be able to emerge victorious even if they don't get on the same page and execute to the best of their ability. GGS are feisty and they should not be underestimated, but they're still nowhere near as capable and layered as Team Liquid, so we'll side with the four-time LCS champs on this one.