Playoffs scenarios: How your favorite team can make EU LCS Playoffs
It's that time! Playoffs in the LCS.
Week 9 is the special time when we'll go into the five-way-tie for third in Europe and we'll have an extra few hours of tiebreaker matches.
But is that good for your favorite team? Find out what has to happen for each EU LCS team to get to the Playoffs and on track for Regionals and Worlds!
EU LCS
Fnatic (16-0)
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Opponents: vs SK Gaming (5-11) & Unicorns of Love (8-8)
Fnatic has the No. 1 overall seed locked in. Even if they feel compelled to surrender at 20 to catch an early movie, they will still have a first round bye in the Playoffs. That's generally what happens when you win all your other games.
Origen (11-5)
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Opponents: vs H2K (10-6) & Team ROCCAT (7-9)
Origen can finish only in 2nd or 3rd place.
All Origen needs to do to secure a first round bye is beat H2K in their first game of the week -- a wholly reasonable outcome considering H2K's lost three of their last four games. However, if they lose to H2K, things become more complicated. A loss to H2K would put both teams at 11-6, and then they would each have one more game to try to close the difference. A win or loss by both teams on Friday would set up a tiebreaker between them.
However, no matter what, Origen cannot fall below 3rd place. xPeke you handsome man, welcome back to the Playoffs!
H2K (10-6)
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Opponents: vs Origen (11-5) & Gambit Gaming (7-9)
H2K can only finish in 2nd or 3rd place.
If they beat Origen, then they only need to go even with Origen on Friday to force a tiebreaker. If H2K goes 2-0 and Origen goes 0-2, then H2K would lock in 2nd without needing a tiebreaker.
In most circumstances there would be a danger of H2K ending even with UOL, but because H2K owns the 2-0 tiebreaker over UOL, even if they both end up at 10-8, H2K would take 3rd. Magic can only carry UOL so far.
Unicorns of Love (8-8)
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Opponents: vs Giants Gaming (7-9) & Fnatic (16-0)
The Unicorns could finish as high as 4th place or miss the Playoffs entirely. And unfortunately for them, they have the hardest schedule of any team in Week 9. Yikes!
If they lose to Giants Gaming, a ton of different things could happen: the most intense of which would be a four-way tie for 4th. If they secure the win against Giants, they become much more safe, and will at least lockdown a Playoffs spot.
The only thing that will secure their 4th place finish is a 2-0, which means ending Fnatic's undefeated season. They control their own destiny, which is more than a lot of other teams can say, but it's not very safe. A little help from the (7-9) teams below would go a long way to ensuring a repeat Playoffs performance.
Gambit Gaming (7-9)
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Opponents: vs Elements (6-10) & H2K (10-6)
Gambit could finish as high as 4th place, or find themselves in Relegations. There is not much margin for error here.
They partially control their own destiny. If they go 2-0 and either Giants or ROCCAT lose a single game, they make the Playoffs. If they perform equal to at least Giants OR ROCCAT , then they at least will force a tiebreaker. If they perform worse than Giants AND ROCCAT, they will end up in at most 7th, and could be in Relegations, depending on their first match against Elements.
At least they know if they beat Elements, they will be safe from Relegations. However, all of the victories will come a little tougher now that Konstantinos "FORG1VEN" Tzortizou is suspended for Week 9.
Giants Gaming (7-9)
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Opponents: vs Unicorns of Love (8-8) & Copenhagen Wolves (3-13)
Like all (7-9) teams, Giants could finish as high as 4th place, or end up in Relegations. Luckily for Giants, they have perhaps the easiest schedule in Week 9.
A win over Unicorns of Love doesn't lock in their Playoffs spot, but it at least makes it likely a tiebreaker will be played regardless of how the rest of the games go down. Assuming Giants win vs UOL, they would would force a Playoffs tiebreaker unless UOL, Gambit, AND ROCCAT all win their remaining games.
Given that Giants' second game is against the probably-auto-relegated CW, they are most likely safe -- but they still need to win. As H2K found out last week, CW is not a free win.
Team ROCCAT (7-9)
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Opponents: vs Copenhagen Wolves (3-13) & Origen (11-5)
ROCCAT could finish as high as 4th place, or end up in Relegations. ROCCAT's path isn't quite as clear as Giants, but they still partially control their own destiny.
In all likelihood, they'll finish 1-1 during this week, and that will be good enough unless UOL, Gambit AND Giants all outperform them. In all likelihood, ROCCAT is headed for tiebreakers with at least one other team. However, an upset over Origen would do great things for their Playoffs chances.
Elements (6-10)
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Opponents: vs Gambit Gaming (7-9) & SK Gaming (5-11)
Elements currently sits on the outside looking in and are headed for Relegation. But there is a weird parallel universe where they make Playoffs at (8-10).
If Elements beats Gambit Gaming, that puts both of them at 7-10, and Elements would have a 2-0 tiebreaker over Gambit. From there they would need to outperform either Giants or ROCCAT. Following? Cool! Moving on!
If ROCCAT loses both their games, ROCCAT would be the odd man out since Elements holds tiebreakers over both Gambit AND ROCCAT (assuming Elements beats Gambit), and that means that Elements would get the 6th place seed. Still following? No? Just go with it!
That said, it's a lot of "if"s, and Elements needs other teams to lose to get in. On the other hand, they would avoid Relegations simply by beating Gambit and then matching GMB's Friday record to end up in 7th place.
SK Gaming (5-11)
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Opponents: vs Fnatic (14-0) & Elements (6-10)
SK has about a snowball's chance in hell of making Playoffs. For starters, they have to win both their games, including beating undefeated Fnatic. Not only that, their only shot to make it involves unlikely four-way ties, assuming multiple teams lose both their games.
Needless to say, it's highly unlikely. Very similar scenarios play out for them avoiding Relegation, but again, its highly dependent on weird tiebreakers based on other teams tanking 0-2.
Copenhagen Wolves (3-13)
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Opponents: vs Team ROCCAT (7-9) & Giants Gaming (7-9)
Needless to say, CW is dead for the Playoffs. Their only hope of avoiding auto-relegation is an 0-2 week from SK Gaming and a 2-0 week for the Wolves. And even then they still have to win a tiebreaker match.
God speed.
Make sure to tune into the EU LCS this Thursday at 9:00am Pacific Time or 18:00 Central European Summer Time
Which six EU LCS teams do you think make it to Playoffs? Let us know on Twitter or in the comments below.
to the World Cup.UNICORNS UNICORNS
