The first two weekends of CBLOL 2022 Split 2 playoffs are over, and we have a finalist at our hands. After defeating LOUD 3-2 in a back-and-forth semi-finals series, paiN Gaming lived up to the expectations and made it to the grand final. In return, they will have two weeks to prepare.
After the first weekend, we witnessed Miners getting defeated 3-0 and leaving the playoffs early. KaBuM! followed them after a 3-1 loss, and only four teams are left in the race for the championship now. Let's take a look at what happened in the playoffs and what will happen next.
CBLOL 2022 Split 2 Playoffs
The playoffs started with KaBuM! e-Sports vs Miners. Miners made it to playoffs after a series of lucky results from their opponents, and most of the CBLOL fans knew that their fate would end here against a team like KBM. With a 3-0 score and a solid performance, KBM moved on to the next round in the lower bracket.
Once again, the favourites of CBLOL, FURIA Esports, managed to lose their first series in the playoffs. After finishing the regular season in first place, this could have been the year we finally saw Brazil send their strongest team to Worlds, but FURIA will have to make it through the lower bracket.
Although FURIA started with a solid victory where Netuno was 14-0-6 on Draven, their performance quickly dropped. paiN Gaming didn't let FURIA get too many early advantages in the following games and kept the games in control. Thus, FURIA couldn't snowball it and finish the game. paiN was the better team in team fights and won the series 3-1 deservedly.
A similar series was played between RED Canids and LOUD. RED Canids won the first game 26-8, utilizing the advantages they got in laning. Instead of taking paiN Gaming's approach, LOUD decided to beat RED in their own game. They looked to get even stronger early game champions.
For example, while Grevthar played Viktor, tinowns and Robo played Camille - Galio to increase synergy. RED Canids tried to win the draft by taking a similar approach in the following game, but this time, Brance and Ceos won the bot lane thanks to individual skill. The fourth game was total chaos at this point, and LOUD came on top.
After this match, RED Canids had to make their way through the lower bracket. It is not impossible. We have seen Brazilian teams make miracle runs more than the favourites winning the league. Plus, they already started with a win over KBM. RED Canids was definitely the better team, but it went even better than expected and KaBuM!'s 2022 ended prematurely. Such a disappointing ending for such a big potential.
We have witnessed the greatest game of the playoffs so far on the other game of the weekend. LOUD and paiN Gaming clashed and it was a great one, both for people who love analysing League of Legends in-depth and for those looking for entertaining games and team fights.
Both teams looked familiar with the meta, and after watching the series, I can safely say that LOUD is clearly a better candidate for the grand final than FURIA Esports. LOUD's improvement during the last few weeks of CBLOL continues in the playoffs, they studied their enemy and the meta perfectly to get this series to five games.
In the end, the team that looked better during the regular season won. However, it was exciting seeing LOUD challenge their enemies and taking them to five games. If you are looking for a dark horse to root for, keep an eye on LOUD. You can find the live streams for the playoffs on Luckbox to watch LOUD's games. Sign up now to claim your 100% bonus before placing your bets.
CBLOL Playoffs schedule
Check out the schedule below:
Saturday, August 27
FURIA Esports (1.72) vs RED Canids (2.00) - 18:00 CEST
Sunday, August 28
LOUD vs FURIA/RED - 18:00 CEST
Saturday, September 3
paiN vs LOUD/FURIA/RED - 18:00 CEST, Grand Final
Only three matches are left before who represents Brazil at Worlds 2022 is decided. paiN and LOUD are the closest candidates, but FURIA vs RED Canids will give us a better idea of what to expect from these teams in the following rounds.
FURIA Esports is and has been a better team than RED Canids during Split 2. However, losing the first series with such a poor performance might have affected them mentally. On the other hand, RED Canids has nothing to lose now. They have already crushed KaBuM! and lived one week longer. Although FURIA is definitely the better team, I see a great possibility of an upset here. Their betting odds of 2.00 is also juicy.
However, considering what I saw from these teams in the recent best-of-five games, none should be able to steal more than two games against LOUD. LOUD proved to have a stronger ability of adaptation and a stronger grasp of the meta than anyone else except for paiN Gaming. FURIA and RED Canids will not only work hard to win their first game but also to catch up with LOUD's level.
