Week 3 of the LCS has come and gone, and teams are finally settling into place. While the top and bottom of the league are becoming more clear, the middle of the pack still has some work to do.
How long will Cloud9 be able to keep up their unbeaten streak? Will Jesper “Zven” Svenningsen surpass 100 KDA? Is Broxah really the solution to all of Team Liquid’s problems? Week 4 of LCS action will bring many informative matchups along with much-needed answers.
100 Thieves is having a really difficult time deciding whether they are contenders or pretenders. Almost as if intentionally redundant, 100T finished the week 1-1. Again.
As mentioned last week, a 1-1 record was to be expected of them this time around. What most people didn’t expect was how they ended up with that record.
100 Thieves will have yet another chance to prove themselves this weekend, but who knows if they’ll take that chance. Mediocre performance is almost expected given their 2020 track record.
100 Thieves vs. Team Liquid
Result: W (3-2)
This game was everything 100 Thieves fans wanted.
Kim “Ssumday” Chan-ho absolutely flourished on Aatrox in this match. Being in arguably the least impactful role in current League of Legends, it’s always a strange mix of surprise and expectation to see Ssumday have such a huge role in his team’s success.
At the beginning of the day, all three analysts chose Team Liquid to win this game, and could you really blame them? 100 Thieves has been a cornerstone example of average, and TL still are the 4-time champions.
William “Meteos” Hartman finally played well (sans a Baron smite), easing worry on the continuation of his recent slump.
Similar to last week against CLG, this game was quite a clean performance apart from one crucial mistake: TL’s baron steal. Only due to a horrific smite, this is a simple mistake that a Jungler like Meteos simply cannot be making.
Nobody knows where TL’s true skill level is, but this win definitely earned 100 Thieves some respect.
100 Thieves vs. Immortals
Result: L (3-3)
Good god, does this team just want to remain in purgatory? After beating Team Liquid, 100 Thieves had prime position to go 4-2. All that was in their way was a 2-2 Immortals squad who had only beaten Golden Guardians and a Week 1 TSM.
Of course, they did not succeed.
100 Thieves didn’t have a necessarily bad draft. Senna has been a horrible pick so far in North America, and it’ll be interesting to see if teams not named C9 still prioritize her.
Frankly, 100 Thieves played as if Immortals were going to hand them the win. Ssumday was caught overextending, and fell behind due to mental mistakes like this. The team played with no urgency, and man, did it show.
100T can’t afford to drop winnable games like this if they want to prove what they can be.
100 Thieves Going Forward
Going into next week, 100 Thieves has a golden opportunity. What will they make of it? With two of the once top teams in a slump, they certainly must take advantage if they want to climb not only in the ladder but in the public eye.
Team Dignitas and FlyQuest both are looking to regain their footing, and 100T has the chance to cut them off.
Trust the Papa
As GM Chris “PapaSmithy” Smith said, this team was built with the future in mind. The team’s goal was never to succeed right away, and yet the team has the chance to do so.
With Tommy “Ryoma” Le showing improvements week by week, expect him to be more comfortable by the time playoffs roll around.
If the team is able to have a 2-0 week, success may be much closer than Smith thought.
The Ssumday Conundrum
Ssumday is a generational talent, and he showed that again this week. He made Jeong “Impact” Eon-yeong look like a rookie, rather than the top talent he is. During the first game this last weekend, Kim showed what he could do with a lead as he stood head and shoulders above anyone else by the end of the match.
Somehow, though, he looked different in the following game. Ssumday wasn’t making any mechanical errors, but mental ones. As a top laner, one or two kills can sway a matchup heavily. As such, one cannot afford to give up a kill because they’re playing too cocky, too risky, or just without care.
Playoffs?
Most people have the Thieves as a 6th or 7th place team currently, which is right on that playoff border.
There are only slim differences between the second and ninth-placed team, and each game is vital for ladder positioning. Luckily for 100 Thieves, the schedule has done them a huge favor.
Once alone near the top, FlyQuest and Team Dignitas both endured 0-2 weeks. With both of these teams being in a playoff race with 100T, the Thieves must kick them while they are down.
Beating these teams and going 2-0 would not only put them ahead holistically ,but also would hurt the record of two of their close contenders. This week’s matches carry great importance, and 100 Thieves cannot afford to lose.
Featured image courtesy of TheGamer.
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