LCS Week 2, Day 1 predictions: coming up Clutch

The inaugural week of the rebranded LCS brought both surprises and predictability. Will week two see some of the struggling teams start to gel, or is week one indicative of the rest of the split? We try to sus it out with our LCS predictions.

The first week of LCS brought some unexpected results, the surprising dominance of Clutch Gaming for example. Or 100 Thieves who look completely lost in terms of teamwork despite a hyped roster. It is difficult to accurately gauge the power level of each team after just two games but this week’s matches will serve to make the power rankings of the league – and future LCS predictions – a lot clearer.

Day one of week two has plenty of potential for upsets as well as also having games where there is no clear favorite. It’s a tough task to separate some of these teams but that’s what we’re here for. These are the LCS predictions for the Week 2, Day 1 games.

Echo Fox vs. TSM

Both Team Solomid and Echo Fox come into this game with a 1-1 record with both teams having their respective losses inflicted by Clutch Gaming. Both teams also recorded their respective victories over teams which currently sit at the bottom of the table, Golden Guardians were defeated by Echo Fox and 100 Thieves were beaten by TSM. So based on results alone, these teams appear to be evenly matched.

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Of course, there is more to League of Legends than just results. If we look at how TSM and Echo Fox played in their games last week, it is clear to see that TSM played significantly better in both defeat and victory. Echo Fox seemed to struggle with staying competitive against Clutch and their victory over Golden Guardians was clumsy at times. TSM’s play was far from stellar but they stayed on top throughout their game against 100 Thieves and they only narrowly lost to Clutch.

If we compare their rosters on paper, TSM comes out ahead on this metric as well. It’s fair to say that TSM has a superior player in every role with the exception of the jungle where Echo Fox may have a slight advantage with the exciting yet unpredictable Rush. When we combine all these factors, TSM has got to be considered the favorites.

Prediction: TSM

Cloud9 vs. Golden Guardians

Despite a clearly upgraded roster, Golden Guardians find themselves in an all too familiar spot at the bottom of the table. The return of star mid laner Froggen to competitive League of Legends was unable to spur the Golden Guardians to any victories in week one as they were handily defeated by both FlyQuest and Echo Fox. Cloud 9, on the other hand, sit at 1-1 after an opening game loss to current champions Team Liquid and then a day two victory over 100 Thieves.

Cloud9 are clear favorites in this game. They have maintained the bulk of their roster from their very successful 2018 season which already gives them an initial advantage in terms of synergy. Golden Guardians have some talented players but they will need time to gel and even at their best, Cloud9 still have an advantage in most roles. Cloud9 looked strong even in defeat against Team Liquid, their core problem in that game was poor mid-game engages. Meanwhile, Golden Guardians looked unconvincing in both their losses with Olleh playing particularly poorly.

There is some potential for Golden Guardians to upset the apple-cart but it’s an unlikely scenario, Cloud9 shouldn’t have too much trouble brushing aside the 0-2 team.

Prediction: Cloud9