Team Liquid vs Gen.G esports

The sheer fact that both Gen.G and Team Liquid are currently tied in the standings simply boggles the mind. And it's a rock-paper-scissors kind of thing: TL beat MAD, MAD beat Gen.G, and Gen.G beat LNG who, in turn, embarrassed Team Liquid last night. Group D is absolute chaos, is what it is, and there's very little rhyme or reason behind what's going on. Who's better than whom is not only unknown at this point in time but also nigh impossible to predict seeing how all four teams have huge ups and downs and there's no way of predicting what'll happen once they step foot on the stage in Reykjavik, Iceland.

Toss a coin, basically.

Team Liquid was demolished and beaten to a pulp by LNG yesterday and, frankly, it wasn't easy to watch. The fourth seed from the LPL was darn near perfect in execution, whereas TL basically did anything whatsoever. It was a clash between a top-tier competitive LoL team and a bunch of scrubs, it seemed like. Now sure, that *was* a one-off kind of thing, an uncharacteristically bad showing by the former LCS champs, but it still happened and is most indicative of their volatile, inconsistent nature. They're a force to be reckoned with but only when they get their hands on a series of comfort picks and opt for a strategy that's up their wheelhouse. The moment they decide to branch out — as was the case with Santorin's dreadful Talon pick — things start to fall apart. Team Liquid are one of the best teams in the world at a handful of team comps and strategies, but that's it, there's very little depth beyond that.

Gen.G, on the other hand, really put up a great fight against MAD Lions and were in the drivers seat for quite a while. The fact that they eventually fell prey to MAD's stellar late game teamfighting (and a most potent team comp) should in no way diminish their efforts. Simply put: MAD had more tools to work with and had harnessed them to a tee when it mattered most.

So while they *did* lose, Gen.G's stock really didn't take much of a hit. Heck, it didn't take a hit at all, one could argue. They're still one of the favorites to get out of groups and will surely make the right adaptations after their loss so as to stand the highest possible chance of advancing further into the tournament. This is one of the most capable and seasoned line-ups at this year's Worlds, and while they might not be quite as dangerous as, say, DWG KIA or EDward Gaming, they can still pack one heck of a punch and should be respected for the fact

Team Liquid, while undeniably capable, cannot be counted upon — as is so often the case with North American representatives. Whether they'll put up a fight or not is impossible to predict at this point in time, but if Gen.G starts swinging, they shouldn't have too much trouble in closing things out.