League Championship Series Week 3 Predictions

Week three of the LCS looks to be an interesting one. The two main games to focus on will be TSM vs. C9 and FlyQuest vs. TL. With another week of LCS on its way, we hope to see the real strength of teams. With seven teams currently tied on 2-2, it is difficult to set out many of the teams apart. As for our prediction leaderboard, it goes as follows: Brandon (12-8), Manny (12-8), and Ibriz/Major Castleman (10-10). Let’s get into the games.

Saturday, February 9th

5 PM ET 100 Thieves (1-3) vs. Clutch Gaming (2-2):

100 Thieves has gotten off to a slow start and will be looking to get the wins everyone expected them to get. Clutch Gaming has been enjoying the beginning of the new season but seems to show that they are a better team from last year. Many fans hope that the Thieves can use their tools and show that this team can actually be a title contender. This is starting to feel like a must-win game for the Thieves to start gaining momentum and confidence going forward.

Brandon: 100T
Manny: CG
Ibriz: 100T
Major: 100T

6 PM ET FlyQuest (3-1) vs. Team Liquid (4-0):

Up next is the fight of the top teams to see if there is a clear 1st place. FlyQuest has started strong against a different array of teams, but they face their biggest challenge when they face the two-time NALCS champions Team Liquid. TL will be hoping to prove that they are an untested team in the region and that teams need to step up to have a chance at taking them down. It does look like TL will be the victor, but FlyQuest can show to be a team to be feared if they pull off an upset.

Brandon: TL
Manny: TL
Ibriz: FLY
Major: TL

7 PM ET Team SoloMid (2-2) vs Cloud9 (2-2):

TSM and Cloud9 have a long-lived rivalry that has given us some amazing moments throughout the years. Last year was the first time it felt that Cloud9 was able to dominate TSM in the Regional Qualifier. The fact is that these two teams have had many changes within the past year, but both are looking to put their best face in this early rivalry match.

Brandon: C9
Manny: TSM
Ibriz: C9
Major: TSM

8 PM ET Counter Logic Gaming (2-2) vs. Echo Fox (2-2):

CLG had an impressive 2-0 week bringing back the faith to the fans. Last week we talked about what CLG was lacking, but now they seem a dangerous team that can start challenging some of the top teams as well. Echo Fox will have their work cut out for them if they look to fight against a strong CLG side. It is essential to see these teams start to get into a more consistent swing to understand where to rank them in comparison to the rest of the league.

Brandon: FOX
Manny: CLG
Ibriz: CLG
Major: CLG

9 PM ET Golden Guardians (0-4) vs. OpTic Gaming (2-2):

The Golden Guardians are a struggling team that many expected to do a lot better. When we look at the league and its standings it is hard to see a team that could lose to what GGS has shown so far. After a significant investment in rebuilding one has to question the infrastructure of the Golden Guardians. They will be facing and OpTic Gaming side that has shown some great promise and as, mid laner, Crown improves it will be hard to see them falling to many teams.

Brandon: OpTic
Manny: OpTic
Ibriz: OpTic
Major: OpTic

Sunday, February 10th

4 PM ET Echo Fox (2-2) vs. FlyQuest (3-1):

FlyQuest's Pobelter has shown that he is one of the best native mid laners in the LCS. With the team flying high It is hard to see them drop this game against Echo Fox. What is important is making sure that you keep going forward. If FLY was to start losing games against the teams that are currently below them in the standing, then their strong start will be quickly forgotten. This can be a statement game for Echo Fox and will show what both teams can do in a tough matchup.

Brandon: FLY
Manny: FLY
Ibriz: FOX
Major: FOX

5 PM ET Clutch Gaming (2-2) vs. Cloud9 (2-2):

C9 was one of the most anticipated teams coming into the season. It is starting to feel that some of that magic has fallen off, as C9 look to get back into winning ways. There is still a lot of optimism in the fans, but it is clear that the loss of Jensen has hurt them a bit. CG has been enjoying some good wins and hopes to keep showing that they can get even better.

Brandon: C9
Manny: C9
Ibriz: CG
Major: C9

6 PM ET Team Liquid (4-0) vs. OpTic Gaming (2-2):

TL is looking for their 3rd consecutive 2-0 week. OpTic wants to show they are a playoff contending team, but it still seems clear that TL is the favorites. OpTic's Crown will want to get revenge on Jensen from last year's Worlds when C9 too down Gen G. It is hard to see a world in which TL loses to OpTic. I feel like it will be 2 more weeks until we see TL be challenged for the top spot. It all could change if they start having spotty performances, but it looks unlikely to happen any time soon.

Brandon: TL
Manny: TL
Ibriz: TL
Major: TL

7 PM ET Golden Guardians (0-4) vs. Team SoloMid (2-2):

GGS Hauntzer was ousted from TSM and is looking to prove himself against Broken Blade. With the shape of the GGS team, it seems unlikely that Hauntzer will be able to get his revenge this time around. The only way that seems possible would be if GGS show a turn around like CLG's. Yet, it feels that TSM is in a much better state than last year. Like many teams in the league, there are still very evident synergy issues that need to be worked on and will prove to be useful in the second half of the season. This seems to be a TSM win, but one can't be too sure with the way many games have gone against TSM in the past year.

Brandon: TSM
Manny: TSM
Ibriz: TSM
Major: TSM

8 PM ET 100 Thieves (1-3) vs. Counter Logic Gaming (2-2):

The final game of the week is 100 Thieves facing CLG. This one would be easier to predict after watching both of these teams play their first game if the week. If CLG shows a similar dominance as they did last week, it would be tough to predict against them. The Thieves still seem to have the benefit of the doubt from many fans and writers, but if they fail to perform this week, then it would be difficult to favor them in many matches going forward. This is a decisive game for both teams to determine their current ranking.

Brandon: 100T
Manny: 100T
Ibriz: CLG
Major: CLG

Do you think we got any of these games wrong? Let us know via Twitter.