The first best-of-fives on the road to Worlds 2022 are played in LCS, and we have four more waiting for us this week. After the kick-off between Team Liquid vs FlyQuest and CLG vs Cloud9, the double-elimination bracket will officially start. At the end of this week, we will find out two of the LCS’ Worlds 2022 representatives.
Both series were fun, but the upcoming series will definitely be more fun. Out of the four remaining winner bracket teams, at least one will miss Worlds 2022, and the level of competition will get higher as we get closer to the lower bracket final. Let’s take a look at the first matches.
LCS 2022 Summer Playoffs Round 1
The first match was Team Liquid vs FlyQuest. First of all, Team Liquid had one of the best rosters coming into 2022. However, they needed time to build up the team synergy and increase the performance of the team. Right now, especially considering Bwipo’s form boosted by the current meta, TL is one of the most dangerous teams in the LCS.
I always considered FlyQuest as one of the weakest teams in the top six, and although they could pull upsets during the best-of-one league phase, my expectations were that they couldn’t carry that performance over to the playoffs. I think that was what happened against TL. Even when they started with a victory, we could see that TL could easily come back with a better draft.
When TL obtained one of the best mid laners in the meta, Azir, and paired it with Sejuani and Draven, they were able to dominate the Rift with a 20-3 score. When they couldn’t get everything they wanted because of side selection, they changed their draft accordingly and adapted well during the series. Their ability to adapt will be valuable against 100 Thieves and Evil Geniuses because they won’t be as poor as FlyQuest in terms of individual skill.
While Hans sama performed superbly, I think I should point out Bjergsen as the man of the match. His 17-5-34 KDA overall was impressive, but the fact that he played four different champions and managed to lead his team and carry them should be enough to explain his value for Team Liquid. Hans sama is a great ADC, but Bjergsen’s performance will decide if Liquid makes it to Worlds 2022 or not.
A closer series followed between CLG vs Cloud9. Cloud9 has a trusted strong roster while CLG improved before the summer season and became the surprise of the year. Before the series, they had roughly the same strength, and although they lost 3-2, CLG should take this series as a huge positive. They played their first best-of-five against the legends of LCS and managed to take two games.
Although it’s hard to manage a lower bracket miracle run, it’s not impossible, and it’s a great start for CLG. While Cloud9 showed how experience affects best-of-fives in League of Legends, CLG being able to compete this well will hype them and they will try to get further in the playoffs no matter what. Even if they can’t make it to Worlds 2022, CLG is a scary team for 2023.
It doesn’t matter if you take the games individually and comment on the performances, five games were played between two close teams and the one with the most experience in similar situations came out on top. Cloud9 is still one of my favourites for Worlds 2022 tickets, but they will have to find out how to not lose 5-21 at the fourth game of a best-of-five series if they want to take on 100 Thieves and Evil Geniuses.
While all five players of Cloud9 had their ups and downs, unlike Bjergsen and Team Liquid, I liked the freshness Berserker brings to C9’s side. A player so inexperienced managed to offer enormous amounts of firepower in the fifth game of a 2-2 series. Berserker is a great value for Cloud9 and they should be very happy that they didn’t let him go during the offseason.
Four matches await us this week and if you are looking for a place to watch the games, you can find live streams of the LCS playoffs on Luckbox. Sign up now to claim your 100% bonus before placing your bets on your favourite teams.
LCS 2022 Summer Playoffs
The playoffs will continue with the following matches:
Thursday, August 25
TSM (2.35) vs FlyQuest (1.52) - 22:00 CEST
Friday, August 26
Golden Guardians (3.30) vs CLG (1.28) - 22:00 CEST
The lower bracket matches will be more one-sided than expected. Golden Guardians, at least, will not be able to find a single victory against CLG if they can play as they did against Cloud9. However, GG’s style against CLG’s style might offer some entertainment for the viewers.
TSM’s roster has some incredible players like Maple, but they couldn’t figure out how to become a team throughout 2022. They might pay for their faulty decisions with an early elimination. If you don’t have anything better to do on a Thursday, you can watch the game but I don’t even expect a “fun” series from these teams.
Saturday, August 27
100 Thieves (1.82) vs Team Liquid (1.90) - 22:00 CEST
Sunday, August 28
Evil Geniuses vs Cloud9 - 22:00 CEST
100 Thieves vs Team Liquid is the closer matchup out of these two. Although they finished second place and threatened first place, 100 Thieves did not play perfectly at all. They always improve during the playoffs, I expect something similar from Closer and his friends. TL is strong, but they are not strong enough to take down 100 at this point.
The second Worlds 2022 ticket will probably go to Evil Geniuses against Cloud9. Considering the differences in strength, EG just outclasses Cloud9 in every single way. Additionally, Cloud9 loves miracle runs, and after getting defeated by EG, they will definitely force the third Worlds 2022 slot through the lower bracket.
