SK Gaming vs exceL

This should've been a much easier game to predict, with SK Gaming being ranked tenth and all. The EXCEL bunch by no means spectacular, but they've shown immense progress over the last couple of weeks and are undoubtedly capable enough to compete for a spot in the playoffs. They have their own identity, and that's strange as it wasn't the case for the vast majority of the split. And then, almost overnight, once they decided to promote Markoon and Advienne, it's like they were instantly unlocked in the best of ways.

The fact that they went blow for blow with Misfits yesterday is very promising sign. Now, granted, Misfits are by no means the benchmark by which we measure teams in the LEC, but they're a well-rounded contender and have done incredibly well thus far. If EXCEL are capable of competing on even footing then they are, by all means, worthy of a spot in the playoffs. Whether they'll be able to reach Top 6, however, is heavily up for debate. Their stellar play still isn't enough to offset a shoddy start to the Summer Split, and even though they're well-equipped to make a respectable run, we're not so convinced they'll be able to pull it off once all is said and done.

As for SK, that's when the real confusion begins. How in the world were they able to upset MAD Lions? The defending LEC champions haven't been playing their best League of Legends, of that we're all aware, but they should've still been capable and cohesive enough to get the win over SK. There's just no other way to put it.

SK were astoundingly proactive, always on the lookout to create a lead and push MAD into a corner. It was an absolutely stellar showing from a team that, in all honesty, had no business looking as good as it did. MAD, of course, kept things fairly competitive from start to finish, but SK never relinquished control, nor did they make any huge blunder to allow MAD to turn the tables. It was their third win of the Summer Split thus far — a shocking fact that makes their upset all the more impressive. And so now we are left to wonder: have they improved to such a degree that they can trade blows with MAD Lions, or have the defending champions regressed and imploded at the most random of moments? We can't know for certain at this point in time, but we'll find out soon enough.

In the end, we'll side with EXCEL on this one and hope for the best. They were by no means perfect yesterday and certain "plays" made by Advienne definitely cost them a bit too much, but if they get on the same page and shore up a couple of their most egregious flaws (all of which were on full display yesterday), they should definitely be able to get the "W."