SK Gaming vs Misfits

Misfits vs. SK Gaming is by no means the most premier match-up imaginable, but it still has its own allure, especially after Misfits' opening match against Fnatic yesterday. To say that they dominated the former "Kings of Europe" would truly be an understatement. Now, Fnatic *were* slightly gimped with Bwipo role swapping to jungle, but they should've still been a bit more cohesive and capable against a team many folks deemed as gatekeepers.

In reality, though, it seems that the roles have reversed.

Fnatic had a couple of good moments but as the game progressed, their limited draft and non-existent synergy become too big of a hurdle. Misfits, on the other hand, kicked things into overdrive and, two quadra kills later, were able to seal the deal and hand the boys in black and orange their first loss of the 2021 Summer Split. The most important thing, however, isn't the mere fact that they had won, but rather the fashion in which it all went down. Vetheo, their promising young mid laner, completely decimated Fnatic and had make it look easy, too. His Akali play was a sight for sore eyes -- he was waltzing around his opponents with staggering ease and, had you removed the name tags, you would've never been able to tell that it was an 18-year-old prospect doing the hard-carrying.

So credit where credit is due -- Misfits have entered the second half of 2021 with a chip on their shoulder and you can see it in their play, too. They're not perfect, of course, but they have a very solid foundation: an experienced bottom lane duo, a talented young mid laner who's currently surging, a former Rookie of the Split in the jungle, and a severely undervalued top laner in HiRit. All in all, they have all the right tools to compete for a spot in the playoffs. The only fear, though, is that they'll fumble and fail like so many Misfits line-ups in the past. They always have these moments and flashes of brilliance, but are unable to maintain them over a prolonged period of time. To truly compete at the highest of levels, they need to tap into their reservoirs on cue. These sporadic brusts of excellence are great and all, but they won't be sufficient against the likes of MAD Lions, G2 Esports, and Rogue.

Be that as it may, it's hard not to be excited for what Misfits might be able to accomplish going forward, assuming the stars align and they continue playing their best League of Legends.

SK Gaming, on the other hand, were unable to close things out against Astralis despite having numerous opportunities to do so. They weren't bad, frankly, but their play still left a lot to be desired. So, in all fairness, if they were unable to win against Astralis -- undeniably one of the worst teams in the LEC -- how in the world could they ever compete with a team like Misfits? They're outmached and outgunned in every which way, so we're going to side with the boys in black and red on this one. They're far from a top-tier behemoth, but they've earned our benefit of the doubt based on what they've shown yesterday.