Rogue vs Astralis

A clash between Rogue and Astralis isn't exactly the most premier match-up imaginable, but it'll surely be an entertaining scrap — one that is all but guaranteed to go in Rogue's favor. Astralis have been doing a lot better than expected, but they're still a severely flawed team with a relatively low skill ceiling. They're good, but will never be capable enough to compete at the highest of levels — there's just no other way to put it, really.

Still, they're tied for sixth place with Team Vitality, so they must be doing something right. The fact that they were able to get five wins on the board is still mighty surprising, so credit where credit is due. They're not a pushover, despite looking like one. Their last game against Fnatic, however, was arguably the biggest and most one-sided beatdown we've seen yet. The former "Kings of Europe" had six kills on the board in just four and a half minutes into the game — it was an absolute disaster for Astralis and, frankly, we expected as much. That's what happens when the best-performing team in Europe faces off against a bottom-dweller — absolute carnage is the only logical outcome.

So, frankly, we're going with Rogue on this one — there's no other viable option. Astralis are surprisingly feisty and capable, but nowhere near enough to truly compete with a team of Rogue's caliber. Well, assuming that the boys in blue huddle up, draft to their strengths, and execute to the best of their ability. They're better across the board and are probably looking to get as big of a statement win as possible. Beating Astralis to a pulp probably isn't worth much these days, but Rogue need as much hype and momentum as possible, especially after getting manhandled by G2 last week. They want to enter the playoffs feeling like they actually have a shot, and to get there, they need to string a couple of dominant wins before once again clashing with the LEC creme de la creme.

That said, don't expect Astralis to roll over and surrender to a team everyone deems superior — they'll fight like their lives depend on it. If Rogue are smart, they won't underestimate Astralis whatsoever as we've seen what can happen whenever they're not given enough respect. They're capable and will surely give the boys in blue a run for their money.