We are well and truly coming into the final bend of the LCO Split 2 season now.
With four games left in the season, three berths into the playoff have been secured by Pentanet, the Chiefs, and Order, with a fourth spot all but locked up by the Dire Wolves. This means we will see attention move to the fifth and final slot in playoffs, and the road towards China for Worlds.
With Mammoth out, three teams remain in the fight for that last place.
Legacy and Peace find themselves tied at seven wins apiece, with Gravitas one game behind. Every win matters for these three teams, and one slip-up could be the difference between making it in and being left out in the cold.
Week 8 will open with the Chiefs and Order taking each other on a clash where the winner will enter the position to push Pentanet for the top spot. Afterward, Mammoth will attempt to play spoiler to a Dire Wolves attempting to lock in their spot in the Bo5s.
In the day’s third contest, league-leading Pentanet will look to continue to push in their journey for a bye straight into round two, but will take on a Legacy line looking to continue their postseason push.
The day’s most critical matchup however will be its last, when struggling Peace take on a Gravitas lineup that has fallen off in recent weeks.
Taylor’s Pick of the Week: PCE vs GRV
Peace come into Week 8 off the back of a confusing round.
In a move described in the pre-game interview by Tally as “giving the players a break,” struggling Peace decided to overhaul their starting roster. Halo, Babip, and Violet hit the bench, Apii returned to the top lane, LeeSa resumed his Split 1 position in the jungle, and Tally returned to the mid lane.
The monster reshuffle also saw two new LCO debutants join the lineup, Yuncheng “Chayon” Wang, and new support signee Junfu “Zingy” Jia.
The move went down like a lead balloon.
Tuesday’s game was lost before it had truly started, with PGG dominating out the gates and never giving their reshuffled opponents a chance. Wednesday against the Dire Wolves was a little closer, with Peace boasting a slim lead at one stage in the game, but the Wolfpack eventually took the match.
If the team is to be believed, Peace should be back to their strongest five this week, and — for the sake of their season — I hope that’s the truth.
PCE should take this opening Week 8 game, even with the changes. Gravitas has seen the wheels fall off in recent weeks, after a fairytale start to the split. The once top challengers are staring down the barrel of their seventh consecutive loss, and are on the verge of losing their chance at playoffs altogether.
If Gravitas can’t get their comfort though, like Kyose on LeBlanc, and Safa on Camille or Aatrox, and it’s looking like seventh again for the LCO hopefuls.
Taylor’s Week 8 Day 1 Predictions
- Order def. Chiefs
- Dire Wolves def. Mammoth
- Pentanet def. Legacy
- Peace def. Gravitas
Week 8 of the LCO starts today: Peace vs Gravitas kicks off at 9pm (AEST). Catch up on all the LCO 2021 Split 2 details in our ultimate coverage hub.
