LCS: A postponed league and the same favourites. Anyone surprised? Preview of the US LCS Summer Split

Dispute between Riot and LCSPA, players’ strike, league postponement. But it’s all been averted. Today, the battle for the LCS title and a Worlds berth begins in America.

The dispute between Riot and the LCSPA has shaken up the American LCS schedule. The whole issue came to a head two days before the league’s original start date, when players walked out in protest. Riot had to postpone the league for two weeks based on this unpleasant situation and negotiate some changes in the meantime.

It now appears that the situation has been stabilized for now and the league will start with a two-week delay. Still, due to the postponement, the league schedule will be slightly altered from the traditional Thursday-Friday format to Wednesday-Friday. This change should make up for the time deficit while not disrupting the scheduled league finals on August 19 and 20.

The league will now have to build the respect of its fans, who have grown considerably bitter after the recent incident. But that doesn’t stop us from discussing the balance of power before the league kicks off.

After all, there’s more at stake than just the LCS title. There are three certain Worlds spots in play, and the fourth-place finisher will play the European top four for the last spot. Clearly, this qualifying match will be played on American soil and the winner will be in the Worlds play-in stage.

The American sure thing will try to make another run at the title and Worlds

We’ll start with the American champions Cloud9. They, like the Golden Guardians, didn’t show much of anything at MSI. However, it will be a different story on American soil. Cloud9 is generally one of the biggest favorites in the league and the same should hold true in the summer split.

The team can lean on a stable and experienced lineup with rookie EMENES, who shined in the spring and has become the new discovery of the league. Generally speaking, if the team doesn’t win the league, it will at least reach the semifinals.

Also, unless there is some kind of results earthquake, it is almost certain that Cloud9 will be assured of at least a qualifying match against a European side.

Will FlyQuest make up for the unexpected crash from the spring split and confirm their role as favourites?

The first big question mark of the split will definitely be FlyQuest’s players. The team, which relies on big Korean stars with a lot of LCK experience, unexpectedly failed to reach the finals.

While FlyQuest absolutely dominated the league for two-thirds of the regular season, there was a score slump from which the team never recovered. The team then lost in the playoff semifinals to the surprise of the spring – Golden Guardians.

However, the situation may be different now, and the team can bounce back from the unexpected loss. On paper, the team should be the biggest favourites for the title with Cloud9. Some even have this ambitious team as the number one team in the American League.

Similar to Cloud9, if the team doesn’t suffer any results, they are assured of a Worlds appearance in some form. Regardless of the strong import policy that the US LCS is known for, America needs to show its strength on the international stage once again.

Will the Golden Guardians repeat their spring campaign?

The other big question surrounds the Golden Guardians team. They admittedly had to fight until the last few games in the regular season to make the playoffs (sixth place – last to advance). But in the playoffs, the team put on a great performance ride that was only stopped by Cloud9 in the finals.

Thanks to this great result, the team made it to MSI, where they were able to make it out of the first round. Combining rapacious youth and veteran players, the team will definitely be looking to build on their splashy performance.

However, the hares are counted after the hunt, and even a good starting position for possible qualification to Worlds may not mean the necessary peace of mind.

A shake-up in the team and new motivation for Team Liquid

Another team that could have a significant say in the overall standings would be Team Liquid. Similar to FlyQuest, the organization has bet on a heavily Korean roster.

However, the team catastrophically failed to live up to expectations and the announced title assault ultimately didn’t even make the playoffs. The blow of doom for the team was then delivered by Korean topper legend Marin, who quit as the team’s coach.

Still, the unit should have enough quality to fix the broken split. With gradual changes in the current meta, the team could find new breath and direction.

Whether the unit can reach Worlds, we will see in the now condensed schedule. However, one thing is for sure, any failure would shuffle the cards in the organization for the following season.

Will both the Evil Geniuses and 100 Thieves shake off their roles as a surprise joker?

Both teams have fallen a bit from the glory of last season, where they were one of the best teams in the league along with Cloud9. The new, fierce competition and especially the massive purchases from Korea have shuffled the balance of power considerably.

In addition, Evil Genuises is weighed down by the shadow of the Marksman Danny scandal, who was one of the biggest stars in the league last season. The 19-year-old talent eventually retired due to mental problems and a tendency towards autism. Moreover, the organization did not behave in an exemplary manner and due to many pressures, added to the player’s problems.

the 100 Thieves did not have as serious a problem as their competitors. However, it was clear that the days when the team surprised the league with interesting and imaginative play were over. The team eventually stabilized the performance swing and advanced to the playoffs. There, however, they did not show anything miraculous and confirmed their lackluster performance.

Both teams have a tough task ahead of them. Ignoring Cloud9 and FlyQuest, we have more or less four teams that should be fighting for one sure and one uncertain spot at the World Championship. If anyone else is added to the mix, we can expect a very hard fight.

TSM’s latest split, will they surprise everyone at the end of the American leg?

The last team that is garnering more attention and apologies to the rest of the starting field is TSM. The legendary American organization recently announced that they will be leaving the American scene at the end of the season.

Whether this decision was influenced by the clash between Riot and the LCSPA or the lingering speculation about financial problems that circulated around the team during the spring, it’s hard to say.

At any rate, TSM had been lagging well behind the competition in recent splits. While the team has tried to give room to young talent, it has never achieved great placements. That may make the organization’s recent struggles all the more enjoyable to watch. TSM will definitely not be among the favorites. But that doesn’t stop them from surprising everyone.

Source: LCS, Leaguepedia, Kaza LoL