These are my predictions on the final standings of the 2015 Summer Split.
NA LCS:
EU LCS:
What do you think about my predictions? Leave your hate comments below.
TheSequelsRBad1 votesIn my humble opinion, I see 2 things wrong with your predictions. One, I think you are overestimating CLG a bit, and i think you are underestimating Gravity and T8 a bit. Could be mistaken, but I thought gravity and to a lesser extent T8 looked like they had potentia, and since they kept the same roster, might have a slight advantage in the beginning of the split over teams who had roster swaps. Also, CLG's collapsing under pressure has become so consistent, that I have almost come to expect it, and am nervous about their chances this split. I might be wrong on both of these points, but food for thought.
The Bíg Ticket1 votesGambit should easily be top 3 in europe now after they got Forg1ven. Dude's a beast.
Yoshi is cool1 votes[{quoted}](name=Danielas Kitten,realm=EUW,application-id=9hBQwnEU,discussion-id=1GqZ40vk,comment-id=0001,timestamp=2015-05-17T22:46:04.915+0000)
Gambit should easily be top 3 in europe now after they got Forg1ven. Dude's a beast.
Nah man don't do this to me. Not Gambit with Betsy, no, no no no no no no. Would be really nice if they brought back Alex Ich or Fox to GMB. Betsy is sooo inconsistent, niQ is still > Betsy. NiQ is dominating Turkey right now (only a few weeks though) with an average team (he's 2nd I think)
The Bíg Ticket1 votesHe is dominating Turkey? Damn must be a god to succeed on that highly competitive server filled with Elite prospects... Seriously man, has niQ had 1 good game for Gambit?
The Bíg Ticket1 votesHe is dominating Turkey? Damn must be a god to succeed on that highly competitive server filled with Elite prospects... Seriously man, has niQ had 1 good game for Gambit?
THE KILLER GUY1 votesI'm a diehard CLG fan and I can't say I think they will be top 3. You're definitely overhyping Enemy Esports (who I predict will be 8th seed at best) and undervaluing Liquid AND Impulse (both of whom I believe will be above CLG, if not also above C9). You're also taking away credit from TSM because of their MSI performance, but they still got the international experience and had plenty of time to recuperate. They still took last split without breaking a sweat. C9 are playing their first ever split with a roster change and a shotcaller change and you expect them to place 1st? I'm telling you right now the only reason top 3 is possible for them is because TiP and CLG have been so inconsistent.
As for EU, H2K was top 4 last split and you're going to put them at 6? Elements just lost their top and adc and you're going to put them at 5 when they ended bottom 4 last split? Same for SK who ended top 4 and now they're without their star adc so how are they going UP while UOL's unchanged roster is going from 2nd place to 4th? Origen's roster looks good so I will give them top 4 but top 2 in their first LCS split? Not a chance. UOL did it because EU was weak last split but now that the EU LCS teams have played for a split and found their identities, it's going to get much more competitive. Here's my predictions:
NA LCS:
EU LCS:
PoisonedTea1 votesHistorically Challenger teams that have dominated the Challenger scene have down well in the LCS, That is what Enemy Esports has done. Maybe he was overrating them but you are for sure underrating them.
THE KILLER GUY1 votesTheir roster doesn't impress me. I don't see them being able to take down any of the top five for sure; as for T8 and Gravity maybe, but both of those teams have taken down teams from the top five numerous times, meaning they know how to win against teams that are better than them. I'm not undervaluing Enemy; contrarily you're undervaluing Gravity and T8
Abyssphere1 votes[{quoted}](name=Shashou nanren,realm=NA,application-id=9hBQwnEU,discussion-id=1GqZ40vk,comment-id=0002,timestamp=2015-05-18T09:50:11.135+0000)
I'm a diehard CLG fan and I can't say I think they will be top 3. You're definitely overhyping Enemy Esports (who I predict will be 8th seed at best) and undervaluing Liquid AND Impulse (both of whom I believe will be above CLG, if not also above C9). You're also taking away credit from TSM because of their MSI performance, but they still got the international experience and had plenty of time to recuperate. They still took last split without breaking a sweat. C9 are playing their first ever split with a roster change and a shotcaller change and you expect them to place 1st? I'm telling you right now the only reason top 3 is possible for them is because TiP and CLG have been so inconsistent.
As for EU, H2K was top 4 last split and you're going to put them at 6? Elements just lost their top and adc and you're going to put them at 5 when they ended bottom 4 last split? Same for SK who ended top 4 and now they're without their star adc so how are they going UP while UOL's unchanged roster is going from 2nd place to 4th? Origen's roster looks good so I will give them top 4 but top 2 in their first LCS split? Not a chance. UOL did it because EU was weak last split but now that the EU LCS teams have played for a split and found their identities, it's going to get much more competitive. Here's my predictions:
NA LCS:
- Team SoloMid
- Team Liquid
- Cloud 9
- Team Impulse
- Counter Logic Gaming
- Gravity
- Team 8
- Enemy Esports
- Team Dignitas
- Team Dragon Knights
EU LCS:
- Fnatic
- Unicorns of Love
- Origen
- H2K
- Gambit
- SK
- Copenhagen Wolves
- Elements
- Roccat
- Giants Gaming
I believe he was looking at what they'd be like at the end of the split, not after playoffs. And SK won the split, so #2 is a drop for them.
THE KILLER GUY1 votesPredicting end of Spring Split standings vs post-playoffs standings doesn't change their standings going into the Summer Split. SK entered the Summer Split coming from a 4th place finish in the Eu LCS.
Vixanys1 votesFirst off, I should preface that I don't really have a team that I get behind. I just enjoy watching good games. That being said, there are a couple of inconsistencies in the OPers predictions.
First, Hai was the captain, shotcaller, and supportive mid laner. Every player on C9 knew his role and to think that Incarnati0n can come in and just pick up where he left off and do better, is a bit too optimistic for me. I would say we will see them rise in the latter part of the split similar to what we saw spring.
Next, CLG is fielding a new member which runs into the same complications as C9, Aphro/Link were shotcallers and unless the sole responsibility can rest with Aphro, this means Pobelter/HuHi can help (which once again is extremely optimistic).
Next, Enemy eSports. While it is a trend to see new teams into the LCS do well, they are still only a middle of the pack team for right now. Placing TiP/TL below them seems more bias and less factual. I see them doing well, but Challenger Scene is not LCS. I do not see them in the same league as the top half of LCS.
That is all I am going to say about NA. Now for EU,
First, ORIGEN it fields a unique matching of xPeke/SoAZ with Amazing (which in his career hasn't seemed very amazing) and Mithy. All of which have been in top teams in the EU LCS. They look amazing in the challenger scene (but once again it is only challenger). We need to see what has changed in Amazing. If SoAZ has broadened his Champion Pool and if they can do anything with the amateur Neils when it comes to facing EU's brightest, I see them as top 3 EU unless Elementz/UoL/H2K did something over their breaks.
Next SK, they have lost their star ADC (UN)FORG1VEN and seen the return of CandyPanda. While I will agree this lineup has had some success in the past, most competition has risen since that and the dramatic change in losing Forg1ven will likely see this team in the middle of the pack. Behind H2K/UoL and maybe even Elementz.
Next Elementz, this is the team I am most excited to see return to former glory. And with the lineup changes I believe they can do it, it will just take time. Now that Drama Queen Rekkles is no longer there to do...well nothing (his hype was puffed up with YellowStar, as can be seen with what he has done with Steelback!)
I think I have rambled enough, but here are my predictions (based on the previous splits information and off split changes):
NA LCS:
EU LCS:
THE KILLER GUY1 votesI think 2nd place for C9 is still too optimistic. There are certain things you can't practice as a team immediately after such an impactful roster change. Meanwhile, the other three top-four teams have faced zero changes in their roster and now have a whole split and pre-summer practice under their belts. I think this will be the first split since C9's LCS debut that we don't see them in the finals.
Bear in mind that Pobelter isn't a new player and neither is Huhi; they're simply new to this roster. But Pobelter is more than familiar with being in a leading role and Huhi has a lot of raw skill, meaning we'll likely see him on the more mechanically demanding carry-type champions when aphro/xmithie take more engage-heavy roles. I think that, with this new roster change, it isn't necessarily up to their new mid laners to decide how well CLG does, rather it's more up to xmithie and aphromoo to step up their leadership in this split.
Next, while we have seen new LCS teams in EU do well, we haven't actually seen much from NA's newer teams. Granted, TiP and Liquid did well but I think they are exceptions in that their rosters have captains with LCS experience and very individually skilled team members; and even then we still had the el clasico TSM vs C9 in the finals. Gravity, T8, and Coast, on the other hand, while Gravity and T8 had their upsets, still finished the split at the bottom of the pack. Altogether, I don't think these results prove that new NA LCS teams have done well recently and Enemy's roster doesn't have any top-of-the-pack LCS experience (some of their members being without any LCS experience at all). We won't see them in playoffs.
I agree with most of your EU predictions, or I can at least see your reasoning, with the exception of Elements. Their roster going into Spring looked like a world class team and they didn't even make playoffs. To me, their current roster looks even less promising than their roster did going into Spring while all of the other top teams have either improved their rosters substantially or have had no changes (not to mention we're going to see Origen's debut). I don't realistically see them making playoffs.
Vixanys1 votesJust because Huhi/Pobelter have LCS experience does not mean they will immediately mesh with CLGs style. Additionally it has to be noted that Xsmithie is a confirmed follower. CLG was shotcalling from Link and Aphoro. Without that component (As I do not see either Pobelter/HuHi filling the role) they will suffer more than anyone thinks.
Meanwhile, it has been confirmed by Hai that Lemon has been taking a firm hand in shotcalling before he left, additionally Meteos has been stepping up in that regards as well. I think this may almost balance out the loss of Hai and with the addition of Incarnati0n (a noticeable more mechanical midlaner) should revitalize the team.
I would also like to note I did mention in each prediction that with changes to rosters and new teams that there was room for some juggling of the standings (5/6/7th places for NA and 4/5/6th for EU). That being said, I do see your points and the understanding behind them.
THE KILLER GUY1 votesIt's actually been confirmed that Link was SUPPOSED TO BE shotcaller when actually he was one of the more quiet team members. I also agree with Huhi/Pobelter potentially being unable to immediately mesh with CLG's style. I actually think that it's VERY likely that they WON'T be able to mesh completely until at least half way through the split; which takes us back to my comment about CLG depending on xmithie and aphromoo to step up THEIR leadership. If you look down at my predictions, you'll see that we're in agreement on CLG's seeding. I think the only thing about CLG for which we're in disagreement is who to look for to be a leader. It may be difficult for a half-starting half-sub mid laner who is new to a team to become a leader of said team, which is why xmithie and aphromoo should be expected to take a firmer grip of the reigns. I never said Xmithie WASN'T a follower and I would actually agree with anyone who says he is. What I'm saying is that it would be in CLG's best interest for him to learn how to be more of a leader.
It had been confirmed by Hai that Lemon handles picks and bans; hai said nothing more about Lemon's leadership role than that. Regarding Meteos, I haven't seen or heard anything about him stepping up in those regards. All I have heard about Meteos is that he makes calls for himself and everyone is happy to allow him to do that. C9 has lost a majority of their shotcalling in Hai's departure, whereas Liquid and Impulse have only improved since the beginning of the Spring split and have been practicing with the same rosters since the end of the split. The odds are most definitely not in C9's favor for a spot in Worlds this season; however I'd love to see them make it.
I don't think I said anything about NA's 5/6/7 or EU's 4/5/6 that we didn't agree on save Elements, who I actually believe will be below 6th place. They have had 80% of their roster changed and there are no standout players in their new roster. I have very low hopes for them, but we will see. Maybe when the cinderhulk metas dies a tad bit more we'll be able to see Froggen carry again.
Vixanys1 votesRegarding C9, most of the information I have had been on Hai's AMA or his stream when asked questions. I do believe that Lemon has been stepping up and doing more than just pick/bans (since Charlie can do that), but it does put more pressure on Meteos to help with that shotcalling. I don't think they can just throw Incarnati0n at the top of the team and hope it works, I also don't see that being something Charlie would allow to happen.
I still think with Meteos/Sneak/Balls (if he can workout whatever was up last split) they can be a top 2 team with the inclusion of Incarnati0n.
Now, CLG this is a pride team. They are buddies when they are winning. They lose and its a solo q blame game. Where the highest priority is usually the most to blame, but with just a dominating personality he crushes all his teammates into submission. By this I mean Doublelift. He may not shotcall, he may not be CLG management, but from all information (Link leaving document, multiple team-centric videos, and interviews with previous team members). He either gets his way and crushes the team's spirit or doesn't get his way and pushes everyone aside like they are beneath him.
The only way I see this roster doing more than regular split "Golden Age" shenanigans (like the last 2 splits) is if Double grows up and the team becomes an actual team.
Lastly, the changes to Elementz. I think the only impacting role to come in from all of their changes is Shook's inconsistency being pushed aside for Dexter. This is likely going to be pretty unique dynamic as I have seen Wickd/Dexter duo q more than Wickd/Froggen (feels like a more Fnatic-esque feel Reignover/Huni). Their new support seems to love the aggressive playmakers which can only do good things now that they have Tabzz back.
SinatraZ1 votesI agree with C9, TSM, CLG being on top 3. I would put TL before Enemy but yeah i think Enemy will have a good split and surprise others teams.
As for EU LCS, I agree on FNC and OG being the top 2 but I think SK will not be in the top 4. Lets be honest SK was a top team because of FORGIVEN. I can see H2K in the top 3.
I will be rooting for TL, C9 and Enemy on NA LCS. For EU LCS I will be rooting for H2K and OG.
ZeroAnarchy1 votesNA LCS
EU LCS
Lugg1 votesSK Gaming won't even make the top 6.
