Entering Week 8, Team Liquid sits atop the LCS with a record of 11-3. They’re fresh off another 2-0 weekend from Week 7, but they’ll be faced with two highly competitive opponents this time. Week 8 will likely show TL’s true colors, as the Summer Split approaches its halfway point.
Prologue
Team Liquid have been surging recently. After starting the split 2-2, they’ve clearly found a rhythm by winning 9 of their last 10 matches. Specifically, they handily defeated Clutch Gaming last week. CG were looking for a morale-boosting win against the league’s best team, but TL made quick work of them.
Day two ended in similar fashion, as Team Liquid took another win over Golden Guardians. However, Peter ‘Doublelift‘ Peng was the clear difference in this match-up. His dominance in the Bottom Lane spread to the rest of the map like wildfire, and TL were able to attain their 3rd 2-0 weekend of the split.
Week 8 Matchups
All eyes are on Team Liquid heading into Week 8, as they’ll likely have their toughest feat in front of them.
On Day 1, Team Liquid and OpTic Gaming will battle it out on the rift. Despite OpTic’s recent struggles, they’ve certainly shown that they’re capable of shaking things up. A 4-0 start to the Summer Split had hopes high, but losses to teams like EchoFox and FlyQuest have kept spectators uncertain of their true abilities. These two teams met back in Week 3, where Doublelift – again – carried his team to victory. Whether OpTic have improved since then is uncertain, but the sheer talent of each squad should make it an interesting game.
Day two will consist of heavyweight fight between Team Liquid and Cloud9. C9 caught TL on a bad day back in Week 5 and took home an easier win. However, the scripts have flipped since then and Cloud9 might be the ones to give up a freebie. In the last two weeks, C9 are 2-2: including an upset loss to EchoFox. Team Liquid also fell victim to FOX during their 2-2 stretch to start the split, but they’ve come a long way to get back to the top. Despite the logical breakdowns of each team, Team Liquid and Cloud9 almost always put on a show, so expect a lot of effort from both sides.
Predictions
At this point, it’s become evident that Team Liquid are the best team in the LCS. They know it, the fans know it, the other players know it, and the casters know it. However, this doesn’t mean that they don’t make mistakes. If the first two weeks of the split entail anything, it’s that TL are human just like everyone else, but their resilience and determination separate them from the pack. There likely isn’t another team in North America that’s capable of this type of success, and they’ve earned it.
With that being said, Team Liquid’s biggest opponent this weekend will be themselves. In the past, they’ve proven that they can beat OpTic and Cloud9, but their success will be dependent individuality. If each player can show up, do their job, and stay in the boundaries of their game plan, Team Liquid will grab another 2-0 weekend. Their opponents haven’t shown the same attention to detail as of recent, giving TL the edge. However, if they look to try new things and not take this week seriously, they’ll easily drop one game. Nonetheless, it’ll be another exciting week of LCS action for Team Liquid.
Featured Image Courtesy of LoL Esports Flickr.
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