Team Liquid vs Cloud9

If there's one game you simply have to tune in to this week, make sure it's this one -- Cloud9 vs. Team Liquid is almost guaranteed to deliver in every way, shape, and form. Both line-ups are stacked with talent and experience, and they need no introduction. Furthermore, there isn't all that much on the line with both teams being locked in the playoffs. Still, they want that oh-so-important playoff bye, and by finishing first, Cloud9 is guaranteed to have side selection which could prove to be incredibly important depending on whom they end up facing.

Both teams have had positive trajectories so far, but they haven't been perfect. One could argue that Liquid has exceeded all expectations, but they haven't been all that impressive. They're much better individually and their teamplay has improved as well, but they're still playing in the exact same way as before: macro-oriented, slow and subdued, late-game reliant team comps and strategies are the name of the game as far as TL is concerned. And while it does work more often than not (given the fact that they have just three losses across over two months of play), it's just not enough against teams like Cloud9 -- a titan that's playing the most up-to-date style of League. Liquid, by comparison, is a low-variance kind of team. They'll set things up in advance, play the game "by the book" and only take the risks they know will pay off. That's the age-old LCK formula, and it's neither particularly entertaining nor is it the most optimal way to play the game in 2020.

Perhaps most importantly, they're not better as a team nor on an individual level. Broxah has received a lot of criticism for his lackluster play and with good reason. He's been a complete non-factor and Liquid has basically been stringing wins 4 vs. 5 for quite a while now. He's still the same old Broxah we all know and love, but he just hasn't been in sync with the rest of the team. That said, the fact that TL has found to so much success even "without" a jungler is a true testament to their talent and ability to compete at the highest of levels.

Blaber, on the other hand, is once again in the running for MVP. This is only the second full split of his career, and yet he's already locked in a spot in the history books with some of the cleanest and most dominant play we've ever seen. If TL doesn't slow him down from minute one, he's bound to take over the game.

The one aspect where Liquid has the edge should be in the mid lane, but that's also up for debate. Jensen has been having a renaissance split with some exquisite laning stats and damage numbers, but Nisqy was never the kind of player who was this unassailable mid lane giant. Instead, he often foregoes the laning phase entirely and roams around the map in an effort to get his laners ahead -- to great success, one might add. He's no pushover mechanics-wise either, but he's not selfish in any way and would rather get his team ahead (en route to a clean and commanding win) than set any CSD records or create solo kills.

TL have clear and well-defined avenues for success. They might not be as good as Cloud9 but they're still in the same ballpark. They'll face an uphill battle, but they have what it takes to compete on even footing. Still, Cloud9 has been so incredibly dominant over the last seven months that it's downright impossible not to give them the full benefit of the doubt. They've shown some kinks in their armor, but you can be certain that they'll be on their best behavior given the fact that they're facing their most dangerous opponent to date. Either way, regardless of the final outcome, this game has "fireworks" written all over it!