Team Liquid vs Cloud9

Next up, we have an absolute spectacle on our hands: Cloud9 vs. Team Liquid. A repeat of the first-ever LCS Lock-In finals means this game is an absolute must watch. We're talking about two of the best and most stacked teams in North American history, both of which can make a case for being considered as the frontrunners to win the whole split. They have all the right tools to hoist the LCS trophy in a couple of weeks' time, and are no doubt in line for an immensely successful 2021 season.

Still, they're not entering this game with equal amount of hype or momentum. In fact, it's quite the opposite. Team Liquid, at least right now, simply cannot be considered as a Top 3 team, and that's strange, to say the least. Nay, it boggles the mind! What's happening over in the TL camp is anyone's guess at this point, and even though there are *some* indications and clues, it's still nigh impossible to pinpoint the main culprit. They have the best players in each and every role, along with more than enough synergy between them. We saw what they are capable of throughout the LCS Lock-In and we were not left indifferent. So what happened in just a couple of weeks time? Nothing changed whatsoever, and even though the jungle meta shifted ever so slightly, it's not a big enough change to matter in the grand scheme of things. And that's the thing: TL will surely bounce back any moment now, but until that happens, they'll probably continue dropping games they have no business losing.

They're 1W-3L in their last four outings, and that's a debacle, given the talent, experience, and potential present within their roster. Although, in all fairness, all four of their losses came at the hands of top-tier challengers: Team SoloMid, 100 Thieves, and Evil Geniuses, so it's not like they're losing to any bottom-tier dwellers. That's an insanely hard strength of schedule, so the fact that they're losing is somewhat excusable. Still, they shouldn't be on the receiving end of things — not after mopping the floor with everyone throughout the LCS Lock-In. These are some of the best players the West has ever produced (and a bona fide legend in the support position), and the fact that they're struggling this much simply boggles the mind. It's truly vexing in every sense of the word. And yes, they'll improve and bounce back — of that we're all aware — but we're starting to worry and there's a very good reason why.

To make matters even worse, they're schedule to face Cloud9 — arguably the best-performing team in the LCS. They're not perfect either (not by long shot), but they're getting wins and have been dominant beyond measure (at least more often than not). Perkz has finally decided to show up, and it's been quite a show. The same goes for C9's impeccable bottom-lane duo and Blaber who's once again one of the frontrunners for the MVP of the Split award. They've been playing some incredibly good League of Legends and have shown no signs of stopping any time soon.

Does this mean Team Liquid doesn't have a chance? Perish the thought. They have all the weapons they need to get the win over Cloud9, but they simply haven't earned our benefit of the doubt. This isn't the same Team Liquid from the LCS Lock-In either — they're more reserved and are making egregious mistakes at the worst possible moments. We need to adjust our expectations going forward, and while they'll surely put up a huge fight against Cloud9, they're not favored to win, and it's easy to understand why.

We're going with C9 on this one, but it'll surely be close — unnervingly so. Still, if they maintain their recent level of play, they should definitely be able to get the win. In any case, an absolute spectacle is all but guaranteed!