Home » LPL 2021 Summer Playoffs Rounds 1 and 2

LPL 2021 Summer Playoffs Rounds 1 and 2

Publish Date: August 12, 2021

The LPL playoffs are finally here. An entire year’s worth of games and series, all leading up to this. Here, the teams will decide who will go to Worlds representing the LPL, and whose season ends here. 10 teams, four spots at Worlds, 1 title. All that and more will start to be decided on Thursday, the twelfth of August. Today’s article covers the first week of action, where both rounds 1 and 2 will be played.

Round 1 Series 1: Suning vs LNG

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In an interesting twist of fate, LNG and Suning will face each other once again in the first round of playoffs. Both these teams faced each other in the first round of the spring playoffs, where Suning absolutely ran over LNG.

However, the situation is very different. That LNG barely made playoffs and looked inferior to Suning in every role. This time, LNG booked their playoff spot before Suning did. And while they did fall from grace, they faced Top Esports and EDG in their final matches, allowing other teams to pass them up. That said, their previous encounter was fairly recent, and Suning did emerge victorious, beating them 2:1.

Prediction: Suning in a close series

Round 1 Series 2: Team World Elite vs OMG

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In the other side of the bracket, OMG will take on Team WE. After years being at the bottom of the LPL food chain, OMG are finally back in playoffs. While it isn’t in the best position, coming in as the last seed, having to play three best of five’s before reaching double elimination, it is still far superior to what many expected of them. Regardless of the outcome, OMG fans should look back at Summer 2021 with pride.

Team WE and stumbling at the final hurdle seem to be an inseparable duo. Much like in spring, in their final week, Team World Elite failed to play well, losing the matches and falling out of the top four. Team WE went from fighting for a top-four spot all the way down to seventh. Now, they willl have to climb their way up from the bottom of the barrel. While they have the talent to do so, they may lack the experience, as they are still a very young squad.

Prediction: Team WE with some ease

Round 2 Series 1: Top Esports vs Winner of Round 1

Suning or LNG

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A team that no one expected to finish this low, Top Esports have some ground to cover if they want to return to Worlds. With 369 coming back in the final week, Top Esports started to look more like their old selves. With Knight playing out of his mind, Top Esports will want to confirm their favouritism against either team that wins the first series.

In a sad twist of fate, either Suning or Top Esports will lose their spot at Worlds. Even if Suning beats LNG, they have to beat Top Esports here if they want to continue in the race towards Worlds. If Top Esports lose to Suning here, they are locked out of Worlds. They will still have a shot if it is LNG that passes them, but it still won’t be an easy climb for them. This match will most likely be the final match of the year for one of the World’s Semi-Finalists from last year.

Prediction: Top Esports in a close series

Round 2 Series 2: BLG vs Winner of Round 1

Team World Elite or OMG

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Finally back in playoffs, Bilibili Gaming finished their split with a massive upset over RNG. RNG were on a tear of the LPL, but much like in spring, BLG stopped them in their tracks. With Zeka playing like an absolute beast, BLG found that he is more than reliable, and he can compete with the best of the best.

Both of the teams from round 1 faced BLG early on in the split. OMG faced them in week 3, losing 0:2, while Team World Elite faced them in week 4, beating them 2:1. The reason why this is relevant is that Team World Elite has vastly improved since then. While BLG also has, it still seems like Team World Elite could find themselves an advantage against BLG. However, should OMG emerge victoriously, then BLG should be able to advance to the next round without much difficulty.