As Week Seven comes around the corner, the LPL is entering its final stages. With EDG still massively ahead, it seems like only a matter of time before they confirm their first-place seed. A double top-four finish would all but confirm a Worlds spot for EDG, be it due to winning the split or by points. On the opposite side of the table, Team Victory Five is all but eliminated from the playoffs, sitting at 0:10. Despite the roster remake having a few promising pieces, the team never clicked and they are nothing but a punching bag in the LPL. Another 0:16 split is on the cards for this team. While none of Suning, LGD, and IG are looking particularly well, they are going to be the favorites going up against V5. With all that said, here is the next week’s worth of articles.
Week 6: Day 6
Match 1: Ultra Prime vs Team World Elite
Saturday’s first match has Team World Elite take on Ultra Prime. Team WE have finally got themselves back on the board, with a victory over LNG. They aren’t looking convincing yet, but it seems like Shanks is a better fit for WE than Mole. What they are planning on doing with their players is a matter of time, but either could start on a lower-tier team.
After beating LNG, Ultra Prime have returned to struggle street. They lost in a pretty convincing series to OMG. While Ultra Prime are at least looking competitive now, their three and seven record means that they are a long way away from playoffs. Ultra Prime needs to get in shape quickly if they want to make playoffs.
Prediction: Team World Elite
Match 2: Rogue Warriors vs Rare Atom
The second match of the day should be an interesting one. Rogue Wariors managed a surprise win over Suning, a team that may have been struggling but were still considered a decent team. While their three and seven record says playoffs is still a ways off, they are still mathematically able to make playoffs. Another win here against RA would set them on the right track to make playoffs, even if it is an uphill battle.
On the other hand, Rare Atom also had a surprising loss to FPX. While RA weren’t on solid ground, FPX were looking worse for wear with losses to IG and BLG. That said, Rare Atom still came out with a loss against FPX. It seems like their recipe is still the same from spring, if Fofo get’s shut down, than Rare Atom can’t win the game.
Prediction: Rare Atom
Match 3: Top Esports vs FunPlus Phoenix
Saturday’s final match should be a good one. As mentioned above, FPX seem to have found themselves in their win against Rare Atom. With Shenyi as their starting support, FPX seems to have settled on a bot lane. It also helps that DoinB is playing out of his mind, playing some of the best league of legends he has played in his career so far. From bruisers like Lee, to assassins like Akali, to mages like Orianna, no matter the pick, it seems like DoinB always shows up to play.
While Top Esports previous game was a win, it is the series prior to that which is important. Top failed to bring down Suning, a team that is struggling to even make playoffs. Top Esports seem to be struggling with their consistency this split, even bringing back Yuyanjia to try to solve their consistency issues. Either way, this match against FPX should be a telling one, as to what state that Top Esports truly lie in.
Prediction: FPX
Week 6: Day 7
Match 1: LNG vs OMG
Sunday’s first match should be another interesting one. LNG seems to be going through a slump in form, as they lost to Ultra Prime and then WE. It seems like even though Snake became LNG, Snake’s curse of starting the split off well and then falling to the wayside continues. The team seems to live or die by Icon’s hand. Either he gets ahead, and LNG smash their opponents, or he gets camped and LNG suffer a quick loss.
OMG have also started to fall off, compared to their start of the split. Sitting at six and four, many of the teams that had a slow start to the split are starting to catch up to OMG. While Creme has been amazing and their bot lane has been serviceable, OMG’s struggles start when looking at the topside of the map. Specifically New has been struggling a lot this split. In a league full of A-tier and S-tier top laners, New, who tends to play weakside, often finds himself struggling in the match. And up against a carry top laner like Ale, New best brace himself for another rough match.
Prediction: LNG
Match 2: Suning vs JD Gaming
Two teams that are on opposite trends are facing off in the second match of the day. JD Gaming seems to have refound themselves, with wins over Rare Atom and Team World Elite. While they still aren’t looking like the team that made Worlds last year, JDG are starting to gain momentum, with Kanavi leading the charge. Last Sunday he brought out the Shaco against WE. Against the most creative jungler in the league, Kanavi will need to be on his best performance, if he wants to outshine Sofm.
Suning are a bit of a question mark team this split. After taking down Top Esports last weekend, they got taken down by Rogue Warriors, a team that only had two wins prior to that. Suning are sitting at five and five, a long ways away from where they were a year ago.
Prediction: JD Gaming
Match 3: EDG vs RNG
The final match of the day will feature the two most historically victorious teams in the LPL. For the first time in a while, EDG are the favourites to win the LPL, sitting isolated in first. The last time that EDG won a split was 2018 Spring. Fan, players and analysts alike are all but certain that for the first time since then, EDG have a good shot at winning it all.
However, RNG have always been a thorn in their side. In spring, it was RNG who knocked EDG out of the finals rematch against FPX. And when EDG was in their prime, it was always RNG who would rise to the occasion to challenge EDG. That said, RNG is a long ways away from how they were in previous years, or even this spring. Sitting at four and five, RNG need this win to remain relevant in the playoff race.
Prediction: EDG
Week 7: Day 1
Match 1: Rogue Warriors vs ThunderTalk Gaming
Monday’s first match will feature two team that are holding on for dear life. Rogue Warriors got a bit of a second wind in them, with their win over Suning. That gave Rogue Warriors a bit more of a fighting chance to remain in the race. LGD are currently taking the last playoff spot with six wins under their belt. If Rogue Warriors win here, they will close the gap between them and playoffs.
ThunderTalk Gaming, on the other hand, are sitting at one and nine, with their one win being over Victory Five. Their roster never came together, and changes are once again likely to be in store for TT during the off-season. A win here would move them to two wins, still a ways off from playoffs, but at least not mathematically eliminated.
Prediction: Rogue Warriors
Match 2: Victory Five vs Invictus Gaming
In a day full of interesting matches, Invictus Gaming will take on Victory Five. V5 are sitting dead-last, with no series wins and only a game win over JD Gaming. Even with Aliez and Reheal returning to the league to help V5, nothing seems to be clicking, as Victory Five have no identity. It is very possible that the off-season will be full of changes to the V5 roster.
All that said, Invictus Gaming seems to have a habit of dropping series against low-level teams. Rogue Warriors, LGD, and RNG are all struggling, but IG managed to drop series against them. With TheShy and possibly NoFe returning to the roster, we could start to see some semblance of normality in IG’s games. All that said, this is a series that very heavily favors IG, so managing to throw this series would be impressive.
Prediction: Invictus Gaming
Week 7: Day 2
Match 1: Team World Elite vs LGD
Tuesday’s first match will feature two teams fighting for the bottom spots in playoffs. Team World Elite has returned to their winning way and should they take down Ultra Prime, that would make two wins in a row. That said, they are yet to look convincing against teams that are in the same boat as they are, as they have tripped over other middle-of-the-table teams. A clean win here could set WE on the right path.
Team LGD also isn’t looking too hot right now. Currently, with a six and six record, LGD is the last team that would make playoffs if the final day was today. While this is better than their summer record, it is still underperforming compared to last year, when they made it to Worlds with 3/5 of this same roster. A win here would distance them from Suning, easing their transition into playoffs.
Prediction: Team World Elite
Match 2: Bilibili Gaming vs JD Gaming
JD Gaming are back on track. After a couple of rough weeks, JDG are currently in a four-way tie for second place. Only the game win-loss ratio separate JDG, FPX, Rare Atom and LNG. Kanavi is back to performing like he did for most of 2020. Backed by some of the most consistent solo laners in the league, as long as Kanavi performs, there should be no reason why JDG doesn’t do well.
Bilibili is having one of their best splits so far, in recent memory. Always viewed as a team that should, on paper, make playoffs, BLG has found themselves falling just short of the finish line in the last couple of years. While a six and five record isn’t awe-inspiring, it would net them playoffs if the split were to end today. A large part of BLG success has been through Zeka in the mid lane, who was the mid laner of week 5, and has been performing insanely well.
Prediction: JD Gaming
Week 7: Day 3
Match 1: Suning vs LNG
Wednesday’s first match should be an interesting one. Both of these teams are in a bit of a slump, with LNG on losing to both Ultra Prime and WE and Suning falling to Rogue Warriors. Curiously, both teams play a fairly similar game. Both teams have top laners that prefer champions they can show their skills and prowess off, both teams have carry-orientated junglers, and both teams have bot lanes that perform well in late game team fights.
The deciding factor will most likely be the mid-lane. LNG live or die by Icon’s hand. If he performs well and allows Tarzan to invade, the game is as good as LNG’s. But if he stumbles and falls, then LNG falls shortly after. And while Icon has always leaned towards the assassin picks, Angel is possibly the best assassin player in the LPL. Angel is one of, if not the cleanest Akali in the LPL. His Kassadin and Sylas are no slouches either. Angel must succeed if Suning are to stop LNG.
Prediction: LNG
Match 2: FunPlus Phoenix vs OMG
The second match of the day should be an interesting one. Creme has been OMG’s best player, and by a substantial margin. He will have an enormous task ahead of him, as DoinB is arguably the best mid laner in the LPL right now. With two opposite playstyles, seeing these two mid laners clash in a battle of rookie vs veteran should make for an incredible series.
While many international viewers might not associate DoinB to assassins, this year he has been popping off with the assassin picks. This summer he has a 100% win rate on Akali, in four different games. He also has a four and one record on Lee Sin, a champion that many probably wouldn’t consider a mid-lane pick in the past, much less a DoinB pick. While Creme may have shown a strong performance and performance on the assassins and divers, DoinB isn’t one to be easily outdone.
Prediction: FPX
Week 7: Day 4
Match 1: Ultra Prime vs RNG
Thursday’s first match features Ultra Prime and RNG. Ultra Prime will want to keep their playoff dreams alive and take away a win from their direct rivals. RNG aren’t doing too well, and if playoffs were to start, RNG would be out. If Ultra Prime manages to sneak a win here, they would only be a series behind RNG in the run for playoffs.
However, RNG has started to recover. After a slow start to the split, RNG are on a three-series winning streak going into their series against EDG. A win there would make it four, and if they beat UP here, they would tie with LGD at six wins. As far as the team’s MVP goes, Xiaohu is still the priority, picking up MVP eight times to the rest of his teammates one.
Prediction: RNG
Match 2: Bilibili Gaming vs Rare Atom
Rare Atom will take on Bilibili for the second match of the day. Previously, Rare Atom would be the absolute favourites coming into this match. But, RA have been on shaky ground, and have struggled to close games against adversaries that they were favoured. It also doesn’t help that Rare Atom rely so heavily on Fofo to perform.
The reason why relying solely on Fofo isn’t ideal is due to how stacked the mid-lane is in the LPL. And one of the hottest names in the moment is BLG’s Zeka. If he manages to perform well and shut down Zeka then Aiming can take over the late game and carry BLG to victory. While Weiwei also has a key job to do, in keeping Leyan in check, he needs mid lane to go well and have priority, so that BLG can have a shot at taking down Rare Atom.
Prediction: Rare Atom
Week 7: Day 5
Match 1: Top Esports vs Rogue Warriors
Friday’s first match features Top Esports against Rogue Warriors. While Top Esports has been performing well enough, they don’t feel like the same team they were in 2020. JackeyLove and Zhuo have been overaggressive at times, and the top lane remains a question mark. While they are unlikely to go unchecked in this series, the fans need to see a clean series out of Top Esports, if they are to hope to challenge the top of the LPL.
Rogue Warriors have become quite the obnoxious team to deal with. Consistently taking games off of better teams, it would be unsurprising if they manage to take a game off of Top Esports. Rogue Warriors are team that must be thoroughly stomped out, as they are used to working with little. Give them an inch, and they’ll take a mile. Give them a game, and they might just take the series.
Prediction: Top Esports
Match 2: Suning vs FunPlus Phoenix
The final match of today’s article features FPX and Suning. FunPlus Phoenix will want to continue their winning ways and keep challenging for a top-two bye. Due to them fighting Spring in second, FPX have quite a few championship points, and as long as they make it into the top-four, they have a very good shot at being auto-qualified for Worlds due to championship points.
On the other side of summoner’s rift, Suning need to watch out. With auto-qualifying for Worlds feeling like a distant dream, Suning will most likely rely on the regional finals to return to Worlds. Problem is, they only got 20 points in spring, so they need to make playoffs again if they want a shot. Only four teams qualify for the Regional Finals, and with LNG, LGD, BLG and OMG all doing well, Suning needs to make playoffs if they want to return to the Worlds’ stage.
Prediction: FPX
And that concludes the preview of the final days of Week 6, as well as the first four days of Week 7. Be sure to come back next time, to read about the last matches of Week 7, as well as the first few matches of Week 8.
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