This years pickem for worlds is hard :S
Every group is a mess for second place :S There's really no safe bets except for the Korean teams. I don't think fnatic will make it out, and I dont think c9 will make it out.
thoughts on group A and B?
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When in doubt pick china, as they technically have the 2nd-best worlds record of all regions.
http://pickem.lolesports.com/share/series/4/user/288522/my-picks
Coin toss for 2nd place in groups ABD, unsure about WE, but I really dont feel good about putting FW or TSM 1st
I decided to go super hard on my NA bias in my selections, and made picks based on the following predictions:
- Everyone > EU. EU teams last, because I want G2-8 to lose spectacularly, and I don't think Fnatic or Misfits are very good.
- China is sloppy and will fail to show up (like TSM). Despite this, I still have RNG and WE making the bracket.
- TSM, for once, WILL show up and win their painfully weak group. If only because I am a masochist and enjoy disappointment from my eighth-favorite NA team. This extends to my hopes for Cloud9, and Immortals, who have a 2nd-placeable group.
- H2-What? H2Korean teams in finals.
Edit: My picks, as follows: A: SKT, C9, EDG, AHQ B: Longzhou, IMT, GAM, Fnatic C: Samsung, RNG, Fenerbahce, G2 D: TSM, WE, FW, Misfits
I'm not convinced by 1907 over G2, that one is a bit of wishful thinking.
Well I just did the same as I did last year: wing it! And then hope I don't need the 34 Points that badly by Knockout Stage. I'm not going for a perfect.
Group A is very easy actually to predict ON PAPER, EDG should easily get 2nd unless they sh*t the bed hard...allowing AHQ to get through in that situation
Group B is slightly harder, but depends all on how much you trust FNC players in their ability to show up on the big stage (and in FNC staff ability to get decent team comps), as anyone but Rekkles and sOAZ is a guarantee on international stage. If you think FNC can perform up to their talent, they get through easily at least as 2nd as their individual talent is superior to IMT/GAM, otherwise you go for IMT (GAM is feared after last season ANX and this season MSI so I don't think anyone will underrate wildcards and 2nd place is unlikely imho)
My opinion:
Group A - SKTelecom T1, Edward Gaming, Cloud 9, ahq e-Sports Club
Group B - Longzhu Gaming, Fnatic, Immortals, GIGABYTE Marines
Group C - Samsung Galaxy, Royal Never Give Up, G2 Esports, 1907 Fenerbahçe Espor
Group D - Team WE, TSM, Misfits Gaming, Flash Wolves
Those are the teams I chose for my Worlds Pick'ems hopefully you enjoy :)
For me groups A and C were the easiest.
Group D is the one I'm having problems figuring out because it seems like it's the weakest one. I don't see any team getting past the knock out stage.
A-i pick SKT/Cloud9 B-i pick Fnatic/Immortals C-i pick G2/Samsung Galaxy D-i pick TSM but i dont know what to pick for second.
My pick-em's logic went something like this:
A: SKT, EDG, C9, AHQ - appears like a standard group with a possibility of C9 leapfrogging EDG for second. From what I hear AHQ doesn't look all that good and they're the only team I haven't watched this year.
B: LZ, FNC, GAM, IMT - other than LZ at first, this one could end up being totally different. GAM is good at BO1s and FNC is FNC. You never really know what you're gonna get with them. If they pop off they take 2nd easily. I'm not sure how IMT will perform on the big stage. They looked really good in NALCS, but this is totally different. Like I said, this group is muddy.
C: SSG, G2, RNG, FB - for me it's a battle for 2nd. There's a distinct possibility that the top 3 teams can all play well and take games off one another, but it's hard to bet against Koreans. FB are likely to go 0-6 unless someone completely disrespects them. This group is all about who is most consistent. G2, I'm looking at you. Don't fail ... again.
D: WE, FW, TSM, MSF - this one is probably the hardest to predict. WE didn't look as dominant in play-ins as expected. It's to be determined whether that's a sign of things to come, or whether they were just warming up. FW is very unpredictable and I think the group shapes up according to how they perform. I was tempted to give TSM the benefit of the doubt, but that came back to bite me last year when I picked them to top their group. The problem I have with TSM is that they don't seem to have another gear. They go hard all the time and what you see is what you get. I think other teams have an easier time preparing for them. Speaking of, preparation is what MSF does really well. I think them being overlooked plays into their hands. I'm looking at this group and see TSM splitting with FW and MSF and losing both games to WE, while FW splits with all 3 teams to edge TSM for second. Or it could be another tie breaker scenario for second. I seriously wouldn't be surprised with any way this group ended up.
So, yeah, don't have a lot of expectations for NA teams, but at least I won't be as disappointed if/when they don't do anything.