The last few days have been ones of soul searching for LCS teams. After the three best teams in the region were roundly smashed by Europe at Rift Rivals, it’s clear that North America does not have a good read of the meta. The teams in this region are not nearly as proactive as they should be, and for the last year we have seen proactivity win out time and time again. That should lead to some teams changing their playstyles in order to better fit the strategies that are working at international games.
2019 LCS North America Summer Split Week 5 Betting Odds
Echo Fox -120
FlyQuest -110
It’s been a terrible season so far for FlyQuest. They are at the bottom of the Summer Split standings, and only WildTurtle has been playing somewhat well. FlyQuest have changed supports from JayJ to Wadid, but the problems lie deeper. V1per was seen as an up-and-coming top laner, but he hasn’t played well this split, and he has even had his problems on Riven.
I’m most surprised by the play of Pobelter though. Pobelter is one of the most facilitating mid laners in the world, but it’s clear that he’s feeling the pressure to carry. He has done 27.1 percent of FlyQuest’s damage per Games of Legends and has just a 1.4 KDA. Those damage numbers are much higher than we usually see from him, showing how he has been playing a different game. I’ll go with Echo Fox here.
Team Liquid -212
Cloud9 +166
Typically, I back Cloud9 without hesitation. However, Liquid were the one North American team that doesn’t have to do a lot of soul searching after Rift Rivals. Liquid have somewhat adapted and incorporated the more proactive style that has been very successful, while Cloud9 have not. I think Cloud9 will try to start moving towards this style, but it will take some time to get going.
Team SoloMid -250
100 Thieves +194
Have 100 Thieves finally turned things around? They have won three straight games after losing their first five this split, and they were able to knock off Cloud9 two weeks ago. Top laner FakeGod and mid laner Ryu have been a breath of fresh air since coming into the lineup, and Bang continues to impress. I’m not entirely convinced they are finally living up to their potential, but I think they have a great chance of taking down a TSM side that has some major problems to work through.
Golden Guardians -135
OpTic Gaming +105
They might be 4-4, but Golden Guardians have been pretty impressive so far this Summer Split. They have the third-best gold differential per minute of any team in the LCS per Games of Legends, and they can beat most of their opponents outside the top three teams in the region.
The mid lane battle will be what to watch here. Both Froggen and Crown have been pivotal for their teams, and both players have taken some unique champions into the mid lane. I think Golden Guardians will get the win because of they have better talent around their mid laner than Optic have, and because Crown missed both matches two weeks ago due to unspecified health issues.
Counter Logic Gaming -130
Clutch Gaming +100
Although they are 4-4, I haven’t been impressed by Clutch. I think Damonte can get bullied in a lot of his match-ups in the mid lane, and top laner Huni seems to be largely just picking for comfort rather than on a meta read.
Meanwhile, CLG’s bottom lane has been performing very well, and jungler Wiggily has been superb on Trundle and Sejuani. That’s the play.
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