LCS Week 1, Day 1 predictions: return of the kings
By Josh Tyler
The LCS (no more “NA” needed) returns today with all ten teams in action. There’s plenty of intrigue with new rosters finally hitting the Rift, so we give our LCS predictions on which teams are favored to win and which we think will be upset.
There is no shortage of hype entering the 2019 LCS spring split. Liquid begins their title defense, TSM is trying to rebound from their worst season ever, and underrated teams are looking to prove themselves. To kick off the first day of play, we’ll be giving our LCS predictions for all of today’s matches!
We’ve already given our power rankings for this split, as well as our three teams to watch out for. But, early in the split, the best team doesn’t always win. Remember, Liquid lost to Golden Guardians in the first weekend of the 2018 summer split, so upsets are entirely possible – though not likely. With that in mind, here are our thoughts on the first day of play and our LCS predictions as to the outcomes of each match.
Team Liquid vs. Cloud9
A true grudge match between NA’s two best teams: the defending champions and the World’s semi-finalist. It’s not only a clash of titans, but it’s also Nicolaj “Jensen” Jensen’s first game against his former team, as well as Yasin “Nisqy” Dinçer’s first game in NA.
More from LCS
- EMENES retires following leave from Cloud9, cites military service
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- C9 Jojopyun: LCS superstar to Cloud9 after “a huge series of events”
- EG Sheiden reportedly staying on Evil Geniuses as starting jungler
- 2023 LCS Summer Split Awards – LCS All-Pro Team
Just looking top to bottom, Liquid out-talents C9 at almost every position, with the same stars from last year’s NA LCS Champions team (Impact, Xmithie, and Doublelifts) along with two clear upgrades (Jensen and CoreJJ). The only question will be whether their raw talent will make them the true super-team we all expect, or if – like last year’s TSM – the stars won’t align due to lack of synergy.
C9’s returning roster is basically the same as the squad that went to the World’s semi-finals last year – other than swapping out Jensen for Nisqy – and they’ve always been a team that’s talent synergized to create a team greater than the sum of its parts. Will that synergy be able to overcome the raw talent gap? My gut says no.
Prediction: Team Liquid.
100 Thieves vs. TSM
100 Thieves were the third representative of NA at last year’s World Championships, although many spectators wondered if they were truly the third-best team NA had to offer given their downswing at the end of summer and abysmal performance at Worlds. This year, the Thieves come back with a new roster including pure upgrades at the ADC position (swapping CodySun/Rikara for former World Champion Bang) and a swap at mid (whether Huhi is an upgrade to Ryu is still debatable).
On the other side, TSM has made some changes to their roster, but none appear to be pure upgrades. Still remaining are Grig, Bjergsen, and Zven from last year’s disappointing squad (although Grig will be replaced with Akaadian for now due to a wrist injury), but they swapped out rookie Brokenblade for Hauntzer and Smoothie for Mithy.
Ultimately, there are still too many questions on the side of TSM for my liking. 100 Thieves is still a World’s-level team that upgraded their weakest position, and they should be favored.