LCS Spring Split 2020: Playoff Scenarios Heading into Week 8

The LCS Playoff race is heating up! Here’s our look at each team’s playoff qualification scenario heading into Week 8 of the Spring Split!

Earlier in the Spring Split regular season, we discussed how tight the standings were and why each team would emerge or sink from the LCS “soup”. Now, after more games have been played, we can update our expectations and look into each team’s playoff situation heading into Week 8!

1. Cloud9 (13 – 1)

Cloud9 top the standings at 13-1 with four games remaining. With a five-win gap between themselves and second-place, no team can surpass C9 in the standings before the regular season’s conclusion. Cloud9 is a lock-in for playoffs and have secured the number one seed.

2. FlyQuest (8 – 6)

The LCS’ second-place team is FlyQuest at 8-6. Prior to Week 7, this team was 8-4 and looked set to lock-in a playoff place.

Yet, after a 0-2 week with losses to Evil Geniuses and Team SoloMid, FlyQuest now sit tied with the latter for the second seed and hold just a single win advantage over the three teams directly below them in the standings. Even 5-9 Dignitas isn’t mathematically out of the equation if FlyQuest collapse in the final two weeks.

The good news for FlyQuest is their remaining schedule. They face off against 100 Thieves and Immortals in Week 8, followed by Team Liquid and Golden Guardians in Week 9.

FlyQuest has already established a 3-1 head-to-head record against those teams and should be pretty confident heading into Week 8’s matches. A 2-0 weekend should hand FlyQuest a playoff spot as they’ll have notched up 10 wins, a tally that has usually been enough to secure playoffs in previous LCS splits.

3. Team SoloMid (8 – 6)

Next is Team SoloMid in joint second-place with FlyQuest with an 8-6 record.

The “feast or famine” 2-0 or 0-2 kings of the LCS are flying high heading into Week 8 after defeating close rivals Cloud9 and ending their undefeated streak.

Despite their huge win, TSM didn’t really make any ground in the standings and remain neck-and-neck with the teams around them in the league, with a potential 9th place finish still on the cards if they end the regular season 0-4.

TSM face Golden Guardians and Immortals in Week 8, then 100 Thieves and Dignitas in Week 9. So far, SoloMid has achieved a 3-1 record against these four sides in the regular season, so repeating that scoreline in the second half of the split would put them in great shape to reach playoffs.

If TSM and FlyQuest end the season with identical records, they’ll be forced to play a tiebreaker on the final day of the regular season due to their 1-1 head-to-head record. The battle for the second seed is definitely one to watch!

4. 100 Thieves (7 – 7)

100 Thieves are the next team in the standings with a 7-7 record following their first 2-0 week of the Spring Split.

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Like many LCS teams this season, 100T has enjoyed high highs and suffered low lows, but they’ve improved their chances of reaching playoffs significantly with a successful Week 7.

The Thieves are tied with Evil Geniuses and Immortals in terms of win/loss record with a 1-1 head-to-head record against both of these teams. One place below 100T in the standings are Team Liquid and Golden Guardians, who they possess 1-1 and 2-0 records over respectively.

Clearly, tiebreakers are on the cards for 100 Thieves, but at least they’ve made headway in their chase for playoff places in recent weeks.

Two losses in Week 8 could end 100T’s chances of reaching playoffs with a difficult schedule of Cloud9 and FlyQuest over the weekend, followed by a tricky clash against TSM in Week 9. So far, 100 Thieves are winless against these three sides and a repeat of that in the final two weeks of the split will leave them with 10 total losses, hurting their playoff chances significantly.

5. Evil Geniuses (7 – 7)

In fifth is Evil Geniuses at 7-7 after two impressive victories in Week 7.

In their upcoming schedule are Team Liquid and Dignitas in Week 8, followed by Cloud9 and Immortals in Week 9. A win over Team Liquid on W8D1 could make things very difficult for the defending LCS champions and a win over Dignitas would see the LCS newcomers basically eliminated from the playoffs race.

EG has a fair share of work left to do before clinching a playoff spot, but they have momentum and a less difficult schedule than 100 Thieves, which should help them out.