Unfortunately, if you are a fan of domestic competition then you will be sad to hear the LCS will be taking a one-week hiatus. In its place will be the 2019 Rift Rivals event, pitting the three best teams from NA and EU against each other. This is the most hyped Rift Rivals event to date with everyone labeling these teams the best in their region. This years’ event will include the following teams:
- Team Liquid (NA Champion)
- Team SoloMid (NA Runner up)
- Cloud9 (NA Third place)
- G2 Esports (EU Champion)
- Origen (EU Runner up)
- Fnatic (EU Third place)
Matchups for TSM
The first round of the tournament is a single round robin with TSM going up against each representative from Europe once. The tournament kicks off Thursday, June 27, with four games being played; play will resume on Friday with five games being played before the best of five on Saturday. TSM will play once on Thursday and twice on Friday.
Team SoloMid kick off their Rift Rivals campaign against Origen. This is a game that could go either way. Both teams have started slowly and will be looking towards Rift Rivals as a spark they desperately need. If there is a wildcard for international competition then you will have to look at Origen. The revitalised brand is well known for its stunning game preparation. There is no doubt they will have a trick up their sleeve for North America.
TSM face off against G2 Esports in their second matchup on Saturday; this matchup for North America will be David vs Goliath. This is a matchup that will be heavily favoured on the side of the European Champions. Fans will be excited to witness the hyped matchup between Søren “Bjergsen” Bjerg and Rasmus “Caps” Winther, Rift Rivals was the last time the pair faced off against each other in 2017.
In their final matchup of the day, TSM will be up against World finalists, Fnatic. It has been a long road for Fnatic but they are finally back where they rightfully belong on top of the LEC ladder. Fnatic took down G2 Esports in week three of LEC to sit undefeated and uncontested at the top of the table. TSM again will not be expected to take down the European powerhouse but they have more than enough quality to take the game.
Predictions
“Team SoloMid have more than enough quality on their roster to take games off of the best teams the EU has to offer, I simply do not believe they are currently at the level in which they can compete with teams on an international scale. We saw what Team Liquid could do to them at the start of the Split and I do not believe they will have it in them to take down G2 or Fnatic. I do, however, believe they are good enough to take down Origen due to their slow start to the Split. I predict TSM to go 1-2 in the single round robin.”
Featured Image Courtesy of LoL Esports.
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