As the LPL looks to wrap up its fourth week, Week 5 and the second half of the Spring Split are just around the corner. Today, there will be a looking at the remaining two days of Week 4 as well as the first five days of Week 5.
Week 4: Day 6
Match 1: LDG vs Victory Five
To start off Saturday’s games, LGD and V5 face off. Both teams currently sit at the bottom of the table and, now more than ever, need the wins. With this being the last match they will play in Week 4, this is the halfway point for both these teams. LGD currently sit at 1-6, and Victory Five at yet to win. If they have any hope at all of making it to playoffs, they need to win this match. LGD has at least looked competitive, taking games off of better performing teams. Victory Five, on the other hand, is still sitting on the one game win.
Prediction: LGD
Match 2: Bilibili Gaming vs World Elite
Struggle city continues for BLG, as they look to face WE in their last match before reaching the halfway point. After looking incredible in Week 1, they are yet to win a match since the return of the LPL. World Elite have had a good week so far, beating both Rogue Warriors and Suning in 2:1 matches. World Elite seem to be more than able to keep up with the other high-placed teams, currently sitting at 5:3 alongside JD and TOP. BLG at sitting at 2:6, alongside Dominus, and with every passing series, are seeing a playoff spot slip away from their reach.
Prediction: World Elite
Match 3: Invictus Gaming vs Suning
After being handed their first loss of the split, Invictus Gaming will look to bounce back versus Suning. Having lost to eStar, IG were the last team to lose in the LPL. Up against Suning, it will be the battle of the bot lanes. While Puff and Southwind have looked incredible, Huanfeng and SwordArt have been the shining stars for Suning. While one of these teams does have a clear advantage, it will still be interesting to see how the bot lanes square up against each other.
Prediction: IG
Week 4: Day 7
Match 1: eStar vs Dominus
In another clash of teams on the opposite sides of the table, eStar will face off against Dominus. In the beginning of the split, many expected it to be the other way around, with eStar being a bottom of the table team and Dominus to do well. However, eStar have only suffered one loss so far, at the hands of EDG and have an 8:1 match record. Dominus, on the other hand, have only defeated Victory 5 and Rogue Warriors, both bottom of the table teams. If they have any intention of climbing, they need to have at least a good performance versus eStar.
Prediction: eStar
Match 2: OMG vs TOP
OMG and TOP will clash, in what will be one of the most important matches these teams have played so far. OMG are on a hot streak, winning five games since the LPL’s return and losing only to RNG and FPX, both in close matches. TOP were posed as a great team that could maybe win it all and where contenders for worlds. However, they went through some rough times, losing to LGD and not having the cleanest games. In this battle versus OMG, we will find out who is currently the fourth-best team in the LPL.
Prediction: OMG
Match 3: RNG vs EDG
In a tale as old as the LPL, RNG and EDG will face off. A while back, this would have been a clash worthy of the finals, but now, it is little more than a match to see who gets to stay close to the top of the table and who ends up falling even further behind. Both teams are sitting at 4-3, but only one will move on to tie up with the top tier teams and who will tie at tenth place with Suning and LNG. EDG are on somewhat of a hot streak and have their missing players back from quarantine. RNG, on the other hand, looked almost unstoppable before their loss to Vici and FPX
Prediction: RNG
Week 5: Day 1
Match 1: Vici vs LNG
Vici and LNG will kick off Week 5 of the LPL. Both teams were on an upward swing coming into Week 4, but only Vici emerged with a win. Vici lost to EDG but crushed LGD, while LNG lost to both Suning and to eStar. With this being the first match of the second half of the split for both teams, they need to step on the gas now, if they want to catch up with the other teams. As the table currently stands, neither of them would be making playoffs, with LNG falling just short and Vici hot on their tail. A win here would give the teams a necessary boost for the second half of the split.
Prediction: Vici
Match 2: Victory Five vs FunPlus Phoenix
If recent performances are anything to go by, this won’t be a long match. FPX are on a hot streak, winning seven matches in a row, the longest streak of any team in the split so far. Victory Five, on the other hand, are at the opposite side of the table: in dead last, with a single game win to their name. Even a 2:0 victory against LGD, the team directly above them, wouldn’t get them out of dead last. Khan has still not been seen performing with the team, since the LPL’s return. His current status is unknown and is possibly in Korea. The team has been playing GimGoon in the top lane and have yet to drop a match since.
Prediction: FPX
Match 3: JD Gaming vs Suning
In a match featuring two volatile teams, JDG and Suning will face off on Monday. With both teams seemingly winning one match and losing one match each week, they both are starting to look like middle of the pack teams. With playoffs now entering the question, Suning will be looking to break into a playoff spot, while JD Gaming will be looking to hold on to theirs. A victory from Suning will tie them up with JD, and bring them one step closer to playoffs. And a victory from JDG will bring them to 6 victories, as they continue to try to look for a better playoff spot.
Prediction: Suning
Week 5: Day 2
Match 1: OMG vs Invictus Gaming
In a top of the table clash, OMG will take on IG. Having recently fallen in a close match to FPX, OMG proved that they belong at the top of the table. Invictus Gaming, on the other hand, continues to dominate with the sheer individual strength of their players. Fans are starting to question if IG are really the best team in the LPL right now and their recent loss to eStar show that they definitely have cracks in their armor. A victory here would show that IG are a top tier team. A win from OMG, on the other hand, would prove that they should be in consideration for the title, and MSI.
Prediction: IG
Match 2: LGD vs EDG
EDG have finally started to ramp up in the spring split. Slowly getting their players and coaches back from quarantine, EDG have begun to climb the table. Meanwhile, LGD are still trying to claw their way out of the bottom of the table. Having lost the first three matches, won one and lost another three, LGD are desperate to get away from Victory Five and maybe, just maybe, slide into a playoff spot later down the road. Speaking of playoffs, EDG is currently sitting in eighth place, momentarily giving them the last spot in playoffs. If they demonstrate why they are favorites and defeat LGD, they will start to build some distance from the other middle table teams.
Prediction: EDG
Week 5: Day 3
Match 1: Dominus vs LNG
Another two teams looking to get back on track are LNG and Dominus. Actually, Dominus need to find themselves first. Despite having a decent performance last year, they currently seem lost and unable to keep up with the other teams. They still haven’t solved their mid lane issues, with Xiye being the better player, but bringing synergy issues. LNG were doing fine before, but had a rough week 4, losing to both Suning and eStar. To get back on the road to playoffs, they need to take down Dominus and use that momentum to keep up with the other teams.
Prediction: LNG
Match 2: Estar vs Vici
The team currently sitting at the top of the table, eStar will face Vici Gaming in their first game for the second half of the split. The team has looked great so far, having only slipped up once, versus EDG. With people starting to talk about playoffs, eStar look more than well on their way to playoffs, and if they keep up their good performances, a bye in playoffs. Vici, on the other side, have had a rocky road so far this split, struggling when the LPL returned. They started to look better once Forge returned to play, and while not perfect, they are looking more and more like a potential playoff team.
Prediction: eStar
Match 3: Victory Five vs RNG
RNG will be looking to get a convincing win versus Victory Five. Despite firing on all cylinders when the LPL returned, RNG has been brought into question recently. First, their streak was interrupted by Vici, who were struggling prior to that match. Then, they lost to FPX in what was a fairly one-sided affair. They did manage to bounce back and defeat JDG, but the team still looked shaken. Against the last-placed team in the league, anything but a convincing win will alarm the fans. Uzi is in the process of rejoining the team, but Betty is the last of RNG issues in recent times.
Prediction: RNG
Week 5: Day 4
Match 1: LGD vs World Elite
As they continue to impress, World Elite are officially tied up with the top of the table teams. Tied up with OMG and TOP, World Elite have shown the power of their young squad. After rebuilding for their next generation, many questioned WE ability to compete early on with this iteration, but they have proven that they belong up top. LGD are looking to end WE confidence and bring them back down to earth. Despite looking better than they did early on in the split, the struggles for LGD are still present. They will need to bring out their best performance yet if they hope to take down WE.
Prediction: World Elite
Match 2: Rogue Warriors vs Bilibili Gaming
Two teams at the bottom of the table, Rogue Warriors and Bilibili will face off. BLG have failed to perform to the roster’s full potential, failing to win a single match since the return of the LPL. Rogue Warriors, on the other hand, are having a similar performance to what people expected of them. No one really had high expectations of the team, and despite looking okay every now and again, the Warriors always seem to fall just short of the finish line. Despite both teams being at the bottom of the table, they still have their fate in their own hands. This is the time to start picking up games if they have any hope at all of making it to playoffs.
Prediction: Rogue Warriors
Match 3: Suning vs TOP
In what will be an interesting match, Suning and TOP will collide. Many had posed TOP as a top tier team, a team with the potential to win the entire thing. However, they tend to look shaky and many remain to be impressed by this team. On the opposite side of the rift, Suning are on a climb of sorts, with Huanfeng looking more impressive with every passing week. And it is the carry of Photic that has raised the most questions on the side of TOP. If Photic is able to keep up with Huanfeng, then TOP have a good chance of taking the series. But if Huanfeng and SwordArt are allowed to run away with the game, then TOP are in for a world of hurt.
Prediction: TOP
Week 5: Day 5
Match 1: EDG vs Dominus
EDG will look to continue their upward trend versus Dominus. With the roster getting back together, EDG are slowly crawling into the top spots, taking advantage of JD’s and TOP’s slip-ups. With that in mind, Dominus need, now more than ever, to wake up and get it together. EDG are getting back into shape, but still have cracks in their armor. If Dominus can take them down, they can hopefully use it as momentum going forward before it’s too late.
Prediction: EDG
Match 2: Invictus Gaming vs Victory Five
In what will be a do-or-die match for Victory Five, they will face Invictus Gaming. Depending on other results, should IG confirm their favoritism and takedown Victory Five, The Five will be the first team to be mathematically eliminated from playoffs. Up against IG, it will take a monstrous performance to best their opponents. Considering their current situation, this seems more and more unlikely. Fans are already looking at what potential changes could come in for the Summer Split, as the Spring Split seems like a hopeless situation for them.
Prediction: IG
Match 3: RNG vs eStar
In the last match we will discuss this week, RNG will face eStar. This will be the final hurdle that eStar have, as far as legacy teams go. Having defeated FPX and IG and having lost to EDG, RNG are the last of the elite four teams that remain. Their path won’t get any easier, as of the teams that they still need to face, only Dominus seems like an easier victory. Should RNG defeat eStar, they will receive a massive boost in confidence – one that they can hopefully use to balloon themselves back to the top of the table.
Prediction: eStar
And with that, we conclude the look at the remaining matches of week 4, as well as the first 5 days of week 5. As playoffs draw ever closer, next week we could get the first mathematically eliminated teams.
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