After the tournament break for Katowice, all of the North American teams came back to the big stage with a clear head and plenty of rest. Only three weeks remain after this one, and the teams fighting for playoffs are hungrier than ever. The stakes are growing increasingly high. Some teams are fighting off relegation, while others are making a serious statement to cement themselves as a contender in the postseason.
The Juggernauts
Cloud 9 and Team SoloMid continue to dominate the league, and show no signs of letting up. Jensen and Bjergsen have been playing out of their minds, leading the league in KDA. The rest of their respective teams have also held up their own. Both of these teams are proving that they are still World Championship caliber teams. Cloud 9 played a great series against Flyquest this week. They managed to win in only two games, but this is not a statistic that tells the whole story. They were both incredibly close games, but Cloud 9 was able to win the high pressure teamfights at the end to close it out. On the other side of the coin, TSM smashed all four of their games this weekend.
On The Bubble
Although Flyquest and Phoenix1 have held top four positions throughout most of the season, there are a few other teams knocking at the door. Counter Logic Gaming showed their worth this weekend by beating Phoenix1. Stixxay put the team on his back, and they never looked back. Immortals and Echo Fox are right there as well, but neither has really been able to dig their heels in and push past mid-tier status. Pobelter has really been struggling, and Echo Fox just haven't been able to pick the right fights.
Roster Moves
Piglet made a big splash by switching to the mid lane for Team Liquid. He was really struggling at the ADC position, and he and Matt just could not connect in the bot lane. Youngbin took the reins at ADC, but he definitely was not spectacular in any game. He still has to get used to being in a carry role for a major organization. The roster move seemed to make a positive impact, but they have a few kinks to work out going forward. There isn't much time left. They were able to edge out Immortals on Saturday, but lost in three games to Echo Fox.
Looking Ahead
Look for Counter Logic Gaming to break into the top four and make a strong playoff run if they continue to play like they have been. It's still going to be very hard for them to overcome the bogeymen at the top of the standings, but I definitely put them at the same level as Flyquest and Phoenix1. Liquid might be able to avoid relegation if they can find their synergy.
The rest of the season is shaping up to be really exciting. We're going to see who has steel resolve, and who is going to let the season slip through their fingers. We're going to see if the league’s best have an Achilles’ heel, and if the bottom of the barrel has any cream to rise to the top.
