Misfits vs Origen

Here's a fascinating match-up: Origen vs. Misfits. Now, coming into the 2020 season, Misfits basically had no hype behind their backs. After all, with just a single veteran within their ranks, it was hard to give them any benefit of the doubt. The region as a whole upgraded, and yet Misfits went a couple of steps backwards. Maybe that's even an understatement.

After their superteam experiment failed (to a spectacular degree), Misfits decided to do the opposite: invest in local, homegrown talent. Now, they didn't do so because they firmly believe in the LEC superstars of tomorrow, but rather to save a bit of money after spending way too much on a team that basically became the laughing stock of the region.

And, frankly, Misfits' first week performance was much of the same. They were out of sync, prone to making egregious mistakes, they had abysmal macro, they were bad individually but also as a team, and in short, their play left a lot to be desired. They looked like a group of five solo queue randoms (of varying skill and experience) rather than a top-tier LEC team.

But something changed, and no one's quite sure what. Obviously, the former LEC champion Febiven is playing out of his mind, but the rest of the team cleaned up their play seemingly over night. They're not making many mistakes, their execution is clean as are their drafts, they're rotating at the right time, playing to their strengths and capitalizing whenever possible. They don't look like the Misfits we all saw in week one, and are currently sitting at a very respectable 3W-2L record. That's above Schalke 04, SK Gaming, and Team Vitality -- all veteran organizations that are fielding much more experienced line-ups.

And while their schedule up to this point wasn't particularly complex or challenging, they did beat Excel Gaming, a team many deemed as a lock for the playoffs. That, in itself, is very impressive. It also tells us that Misfits are far stronger than they look.

But here's the thing: are they strong enough to compete with Origen?

Odds are -- no, but they're definitely capable and should be able to compete with Origen on a somewhat even footing. That's far from an expected development which makes this game an absolute must watch.

Origen, on the other hand, are entering today's game after taking down Team Vitality. Now, that's no seismic triumph, but a win is a win, and they needed one desperately after getting outclassed by G2 Esports last week. They'll now look to further solidify their spot at the top of the standings and make yet another statement. If they draft to their strengths and play as well as they can, they shouldn't have too big of a problem in taking Misfits down.