Rogue vs FunPlus Phoenix

Needless to say, it's been a strange day of League of Legends. Then again, this always happens — the seemingly impossible gets pulled off, and everything turns to chaos. The only difference is: no one thought this would happen in Group A seeing just how clear-cut everything was after the first three days of play. And the fact that things have shifted so much in such a short period of time is both staggering but also a testament to Cloud9's preparation, coaching staff, and sheer resilience.

We knew they had it in them the whole time, but they just didn't show any willingness or readiness to harness said potential and actually put up a fight. But leave it to a North American representative to generate as much drama and hype as humanly possible! They've no doubt caused a ton of chaos and are playing their hearts out — and right on cue, too, seeing how each and every single game matters immensely.

With wins over Rogue and FunPlus Phoenix, they've — potentially — eliminated the third seed from Europe (baring any huge, unforeseen twist), and have pushed FPX into a corner. For the former World Champions to make it out, they'll have to deliver in every which way, and step up in record time, too. We know they have the tools to do it, but the fashion in which they've lost is definitely worrisome. Plus, it's hard to stay resilient and maintain team morale when you've just been outclassed by both DWG KIA *and* Cloud9. Had it been even remotely competitive (i.e. decided by the slimmest of margins), it would've been a lot easier to believe in FPX's chances. But the way things have panned out, it's impossible not to consider them the underdogs going forward. And just writing such a thing feels surreal, if not ludicrous. How is it even possible, for FPX to have such a tremendous fall from grace?

Rogue have definitely looked a lot better against DWG KIA, but that fact can, in all fairness, be attributed to DWG's different approach — they wanted to play things out in a more subdued, relaxed manner. "By the book" would perhaps be the most apt way to describe it.

No one's quite sure what'll happen, and that's both hugely exciting and also somewhat unnerving, doubly so if you're looking to put your money on the line. We're going to side with FPX on this one as it's still the only logical option, but we cannot know how badly they've taken their upset loss to Cloud9, and whether or not it has affected their mental game. If they can bounce back — as champions would — they really shouldn't struggle much against Rogue. In any case, expect a chaotic, skirmish-heavy affair that's bound to entertain!