League of Legends LCS finals preview: Liquid vs. Cloud9 – why C9 is poised for an upset
By Josh Tyler
Top Lane
Eric “Licorice” Ritchie vs. Jung “Impact” Eon-yeong
The top lane match-up is going to be the spiciest because of how close in skill these two players are. First, there’s Licorice, who had a dominant Spring Split and was on his way to a strong summer before an injury sidelined him for two weeks.
In the playoffs has continued his trend of being one of the most versatile players in the league. In four games, he’s played three different champions – Aatrox twice, Gangplank, and Kled – and he’s proven to be effective on all of them. In only one game, his second on Aatrox, did he die more than twice.
On the other side, Impact has shown the capability to put up some monster performances in the playoffs. He’s incredible at controlling play and absorbing pressure, but unfortunately, he hasn’t shown that same level of consistency that Licorice has. Those 0/7/3 and 2/3/0 games on Renekton and Jayce showed a player who doesn’t always come through even when given the tools.
Impact may be the player who ended the season with the higher upside and getting more accolades, but I continue to be big on Licorice. I think if he’s healthy, Licorice is the best top laner in the LCS.
Advantage: Cloud9