Team SoloMid vs Immortals

To start the day off we have a rather peculiar clash between Team SoloMid and Immortals. On paper, this isn't the kind of match-up you'd skip school over. Heck, it's not even close. And yet it's more than worthy of your undivided attention precisely because it carries a lot of significance for both of these teams and the overall LCS playoff picture.

As expected, TSM and IMT find themselves at opposite ends of the spectrum, but the gap between them isn't nearly as big as you'd think. TSM, on a bad day -- of which there were many -- are actually worse than IMT whenever they get on the same page and execute to the best of their ability. We mustn't forget that IMT are currently sitting at a fairly commendable seven wins and nine losses. They're by no means a competitive behemoth, but they're far better than most of us thought they'd be coming into 2021. Again: they're not predicted to upset the long-established status quo, but they can certainly trade blows with teams ranked above them. They're a feisty bunch, is what they are, and watching them play has been one of the bigger surprises of the ongoing split.

Team SoloMid, on the other hand, are a strange team to analyze and assess. Heck, maybe it's not even possible at this point. We've been watching them play for two months straight and yet we're no closer to understanding of what they're capable of than when the split first began. They're an enigma through and through, and even though their highs have been downright staggering, they seemingly don't have any control over when these moments of brilliance tend to happen. They're not a coin-flip kind of team, mind you, but they don't always draft that well and the same goes for their early games too. Without the right tools to work with, TSM tend to fumble and fail pretty quickly. That happened in their game against Evil Geniuses yesterday as well -- they were outclassed across the map and they simply couldn't respond in time, despite having more than enough talent and experience for the job.

So, simply put, this isn't that easy of a game to predict. In fact, given the recent -- and quite mind-blowing -- trend of upsets, you might be wise to skip this one entirely as IMT definitely have a puncher's chance. Regardless, we know what TSM are capable of, and whenever they get on the same page and execute they're definitely a force to be reckoned with. This one game should be an "easy" win and they know it, too. Getting the "W" here tonight would allow them to distance themselves from Dignitas and perhaps even overtake Cloud9 in the standings, should the stars align. It's a lofty goal, but it is by no means unrealistic. On the contrary!

They're favored to win and with good reason, so we'll give them our benefit of the doubt. It probably won't be a clean or commanding win, though.