Team SoloMid vs Evil Geniuses

Evil Geniuses vs. Team SoloMid is a barnburner even on paper, let alone in reality. These two teams, regardless of their inherent flaws and potential (or lack thereof, depending on whom you ask), are insanely aggressive and never back down from a challenge. That doesn't mean they always look good in the process, but their games rarely disappoint entertainment-wise.

Despite this, both teams find themselves on opposite ends of the spectrum, even though they're still separated by just a couple of spots in the standings. The subjective read on both is vastly different, which is what matters most at this point in time. Evil Geniuses are, without a doubt, the third best team in North America, bested only by the likes of Cloud9 and FlyQuest. They're playing some of their best League of Legends yet, with multiple of their members performing way above expectations (Kumo, in particular). They're insanely aggressive, surprisingly cohesive, and haven't skipped a beat over the course of the off-season. They picked things up where they left them and now have six whole months of experience as a five-man unit, and the difference is quite visible whenever they step foot on stage to compete.

Team SoloMid, however, wasn't nearly as clean or dominant. Heck, one could argue that TSM looked rather meek and fragile over the last two weeks. There was a lot of good -- that's a fact, but it wasn't enough to balance things out. Their drafts were some of the worst you'll see in 2020, and their in-game play left a lot to be desired as well. Even when they did pick the right champions and comfort picks, they didn't look at ease, regardless of whom they were up against. Still, this is TSM we're talking about, and if there's one team that has the potential to turn things around in staggeringly short amount of time, it has to be the boys in black and white.

The thing is, they'll face an uphill battle going forward, and they know it. There are many issues that need to be fixed and the margin for error going forward will be extremely small. They need to step up, both individually as well as a unit if they intend on leaving a mark in the grand scheme of things. This is by no means a sprint but rather a marathon. Still, nothing in TSM's last two and a half years instills us with confidence that they have the gas tank to go for such a long-distance run. They always make numerous blunders along the way, and this line-up, while definitely stacked and talented beyond belief, is by no means favored to accomplish much. Teams like FlyQuest, Evil Geniuses, and even Team Liquid have a noticeable lead (in every sense of the word), and TSM will have to fight tooth and nail to compete on even footing.

The potential is there, but it's still a bit too early for them to pop off in any way, shape, or form. Because of this, we simply have to side with Evil Geniuses, although this is by no means a one-sided, easy prediction. Both teams have what it takes to get the win and they're bound to skirmish from start to finish. Either way, we have a reason to tune as it surely won't disappoint entertainment-wise.