League Championship Series: Week 2 Predictions

Week 1 of the LCS gave us a lot to digest after ten intense games that have given us some upsets already. With a mix of coaching and roster moves throughout the offseason, it was difficult to determine team standings in the new LCS. After one week it is not any easier, though we have seen some teams that might already be showing some signs as contenders while others look to have another sluggish start. OpTic did shake things up by playing their season with the academy roster playing both games. We are also shaking things up with Major Castleman taking over Ibriz's picks for the week. The standings are the following Brandon (6-4), Manny (5-5), and Ibriz/Major Castleman (3-7). (All times are approximate and are displayed in the Eastern Time zone if need help converting for your time feel free to use this time converter).

Saturday, February 2nd

5 PM ET Echo Fox (1-1) vs. Team SoloMid (1-1):

For the first game of the week, we have Echo Fox against TSM. Both teams ended their first week with a 1-1 scoreline, both dropping their match against Clutch Gaming. One of the standout performers for TSM was, TCL import, Sergen “Broken Blade” Çelik. The impact that Broken Blade has been impressive even taking down, ex-Worlds' finalist, Heo “Huni” Seong-Hoon on multiple occasions. It seems that TSM will have to work on some more aspects to be able to lock down victories and get back to their dominant form. Echo Fox also had a rough time against Clutch Gaming, showing some of the significant changes they will have to face after the trade for three of their starters. This will be an interesting match against two teams that want to get an early start on the race for the playoffs.

Manny: TSM
Major Castleman: TSM
Brandon: TSM

6 PM ET Cloud9 (1-1) vs. Golden Guardians: (0-2)

The Golden Guardians were a team many hoped would bounce back from their back to back tenth place finishes. With a wide variety of acquisitions to help bolster their two young carries, GGS was hoping that this would be the split were things turned around. Sadly, the start of the season was less than ideal and are set to face one of the favorite teams of the split Cloud9. C9 went 1-1 in their opening week looking solid throughout both their games. Yasin “Nisqy” Dinçer had some strong showings under his new team and regardless of many claiming he has big shoes to fill; he seems to be doing a fine job at it. This does sound like a favorable game for C9, but GGS could show up big, and prove that they have improved and look to only go higher.

Manny: Cloud9
Major Castleman: Cloud9
Brandon: Cloud9

7 PM ET 100 Thieves (0-2) vs. Team Liquid (2-0):

After the signing of Bae “Bang” Jun-sik, many thought that 100 Thieves would be the team to challenge the number one stop from Team Liquid. 100 Thieves did face strong opposition week one in TSM and C9, but many hoped that the Thieves would have been able to take at least one game off. Starting 0-2 usually means a tougher road to make it into playoffs, and it won't get easier when they do go up against Team Liquid. A lot of eyes will be on the bot lane matchup between Yiliang “Doublelift” Peng and Bang, but this match has many vital pieces going from Top to bottom. The main problem for the Thieves is their combined 1-10 record against Team Liquid all time. Even with an improved roster, it feels like the odds are against the Thieves and a 0-3 start would be disastrous for the team's ambitions to win the LCS title.

Manny: Team Liquid
Major Castleman: Team Liquid
Brandon: Team Liquid

8 PM ET FlyQuest (2-0) vs. Counter Logic Gaming (0-2):

FlyQuest has had a decent 2-0 start against two of, last year's, bottom tier teams. This week they face another one in CLG. Two of the standout players for the FlyQuest side have been Eugene “Pobelter” Park and Omran “V1per” Shoura. Counter Logic Gaming, on the other hand, still feels like the disjointed team from last year. They have added new players to their that have yet to change many of the mistakes the team faced from last year. We have yet to see much return, on the hiring of Weldon Green for the head coach position in CLG. This is a crucial game for CLG, who can show that the faith is still with the team. If FlyQuest gets a win, however, they will be in a great position in the playoff race.

Manny: FlyQuest
Major Castleman: FlyQuest
Brandon: FlyQuest

9 PM ET Clutch Gaming (2-0) vs. OpTic Gaming (1-1):

OpTic Gaming had a bizarre start to their Spring split when they decided to use their Academy team, the day before the LCS split started. Even though this came to a shock to some, the team did go 1-1 dropping a game to FlyQuest. This time around they will have to face Clutch Gaming, who started the season 2-0. One of the standout members of CG was Nam “Lira” Tae-Yoo, who had a performance reminiscent of his 2017 self. It feels that Clutch Gaming can be one of the top performing teams in the league. One of the most important factors will be consistency. If CG does keep a consistent record going forward, then they should be placed higher in people's power rankings. It will be interesting to see what OpTic roster we see face Clutch. Our writers think this game will be sided towards OpTic, but Clutch pulling off a big win can change our minds going forward.

Manny: Clutch Gaming
Major Castleman: OpTic
Brandon: OpTic

Sunday, February 3rd

4 PM ET Golden Guardians (0-2) vs. 100 Thieves (0-2):

It is hard to see a world where both the Golden Guardians and 100 Thieves win their first games of the week. With that in mind, it seems that this could be the first opportunity for both teams to pick up a win. On paper, 100 Thieves are more favored to win. GGS don't want to be counted out just yet and will be hoping to pick up a win against the struggling Thieves. A lot is in the line for both teams, and this game can be a decider later on in the split.

Manny: 100 Thieves
Major Castleman: 100 Thieves
Brandon: 100 Thieves

5 PM ET OpTic Game (1-1) vs. Echo Fox (1-1):

Echo Fox had their best year to date, last year, and are looking to improve this year. They have a tough week up ahead but hope to pick up one win. OpTic Gaming seems to be a completely different team with the signing of Lee “Crown” Min-Ho. Sadly, OpTic has encountered visa issues with their starting AD carry Noh “Arrow” Dong-Hyeon. Without seeing the finalized roster play it is hard to determine the full strength of OpTic. We hope to see them play at their full potential in the following weeks. If it isn't the case, it can be difficult to consider OpTic as one of the better teams in the league.

Manny: Echo Fox
Major Castleman: Echo Fox
Brandon: OpTic

6 PM ET Team Liquid (2-0) vs. Clutch Gaming (2-0):

Two of the starting three undefeated teams will be facing each other when Team Liquid take on Clutch Gaming. In the short history between these two teams, TL has defeated CG in three occasions. It remains to be unseen who can be the team to dethrone Team Liquid at the end of the Spring Split, but with a strong showing, Clutch could get into the conversation early. Doublelift still feels very confident that he is the best AD carry in the LCS. Chae “Piglet” Gwang-jin, usually has been the black sheep of ADC, since arriving from Korea, but with a big performance last week, could we see someone challenge DoubleLift for the title?

Manny: Team Liquid
Major Castleman: Team Liquid
Brandon: Team Liquid

7 PM ET Team SoloMid (1-1) vs. FlyQuest (2-0):

FlyQuest might have gotten to a quick 2-0, but many feel that it came against the lowest ranked teams in the LCS. Facing one of their significant challenges will be an essential step in their quest for a successful split. Team SoloMid, for many, has lost their “powerhouse” status since their disastrous 2018 season. Still, this is a big challenge for both teams to show how much they have improved since we last saw both teams face off in the summer split. Soren “Bjergsen” Bjerg hopes to keep Pobelter in check and show that he is still one of the most dominant mid laners in the LCS. Bjergsen is the only mid laner not to have changed teams this season and proves time and time again that he is the rock of the TSM lineup. If TSM can pull off a big win, this could show that they're back as one of the top teams in the LCS.

Manny: FlyQuest
Major Castleman: TSM
Brandon: TSM

8 PM ET Counter Logic Gaming (0-2) vs. Cloud9 (1-1):

CLG was once one of the top three teams in NA. Since then, we have seen a steady decline and have yet to see them make a strong case for themselves. Cloud9 encountered themselves in an awful spot at the beginning of the 2018 Summer Split. They were able to pull off a monumental comeback in the standings to reach Summer Finals. During the offseason, they did lose Nicolaj “Jensen” Jensen and seemed to be in a hole before the season started. Nisqy has proven himself to be a suitable replacement and will hope to prove himself when he faces Tristan “Power of Evil” Schrage. CLG have the odds against them but will hope to pull off a win in true counter logic fashion.

Manny: Cloud9
Major Castleman: Cloud9
Brandon: Cloud9

Do you agree with our picks? Who are your favorite teams going into Week 2? Let us know via Twitter.

Images via: LoL Esports