Eight LCS teams will compete for the 2021 LCS Summer Split Championship. Here’s who we think could win it all.
The 2021 LCS Summer Split has had a wild and unpredictable regular season. The season has been fraught with upsets and roster changes, some teams only recently playing with their complete squad. This makes predicting who will win incredibly difficult, but some teams and players have shown enough consistency to earn them a ‘forerunner’ position. Here are our picks for the teams most likely to win it all.
Evil Geniuses – The best team in Summer?
Evil Geniuses’ 2021 performance has been a tale of two splits. In Spring, EG were middling all season long as the squad barely made playoffs and only finished in 5th-6th place. The meta drastically shifted in EG’s favor afterwards though, as Daniele “Jiizuke” di Mauro has massively turned around his play. Jiizuke has found some of the best laning differentials, in stats such as GD@10 (+304) and CSPM (9.0), while finding the second most total kills among midlaners (102). Alongside this, EG’s botlane has immensely improved since adding Kyle “Danny” Sakamaki to the roster.
Evil Geniuses still have to prove themselves in a Bo5 series, however seem poised for a deep tournament run. On the ‘easier’ side of the bracket, only Dignitas and 100 Thieves stand in the way of a Worlds berth for EG. If the team can keep up their level of play in longer series, then EG could be the next LCS Champion.
Team Liquid and Cloud9 – How will the Spring finalists fare?
Team Liquid and Cloud9 have largely been considered the teams to beat in 2021. With some of the most dominant solo laners in the LCS, the two will undoubtedly be powerhouses in the post-season as well. Team Liquid seem to be the most vulnerable to drop off early however, as they have been unable to beat a top four team in the last round robin of the Summer Split. TL have also suffered from constantly switching around their roster. In just one season, we’ve seen four different iterations of the same squad.
Though back with their full roster, the team has relatively few games in Summer together, and while their previous experience and individual prowess may take them far, it may not be far enough. Cloud9 on the other hand has recently been heating up after falling victim to several regular season upsets. Ibrahim “Fudge” Allami has consistently shown his ability to carry. Alongside this, Luka “Perkz” Perkovic has always shown an increased level of play during the post-season though he no doubt will unlock once again.
Cloud9 have relatively few weaknesses and have shown the ability to improve and adapt over the course of longer Bo5s. Cloud9 will have a difficult route, as they must face two of the strongest opponents in the tournament right off the bat, Team Liquid and Cloud9. C9 fans should feel some relief that they’re coming into this tournament hot.
100 Thieves – Regular season titans looking for redemption
100 Thieves had the best start to the Summer Split however one of the worst endings before playoffs. Largely, the same things that initially made 100 Thieves a powerhouse costed them as the season went on. Can “Closer” Celik’s proactive jungling then turned to over-aggression, 100 Thieves’ botlane carry quickly became a crutch, and Kim “Ssumday” Chan-ho’s team fight presence turned to massively losing laning phases. Still, 100 Thieves has some of the best talent in the LCS. The NA newcomer, Felix “Abbedagge” Braun has the potential to be one of the most influential midlaners in the post-season.
100 Thieves are also on the ‘easier’ side of the bracket with only one series between them and a Worlds placement. Facing off against either Dignitas or Evil Geniuses, 100 Thieves have a bye against some of the hardest teams of the tournament and get a chance to ‘ramp-up.’ 100 Thieves may have struggled throughout the later half of the season, they have a golden chance to get their second shot at Worlds.
TSM – NA’s old kings look to reclaim the throne
TSM have the first seed in the upper bracket, but have stiff competition ahead of them as they must either face Team Liquid or Cloud9. Like many other top teams this Split, TSM weathered slumps and managed to come out on top. In the case of TSM though, they have maintained the same roster and managed to build upon their already impressive team cohesion.
TSM finished in a lackluster third place, but Mingyi “Spica” Yu has drastically improved his level of play, making himself the front runner in the MVP debate. Few junglers have been able to match Spica’s pace, and his midlaner, Tristan “PowerOfEvil” Schrage has benefited greatly. TSM have a difficult road ahead of them, but have continually proved themselves as a solid Bo5 team. TSM have all the tools to turn their first place seeding into another LCS title.
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