LCO Split 2’s sole Super Week commenced last night, and brought a surprisingly close set of matches in a departure from the array of one-sided affairs of last week.
The evening commenced as Gravitas contested the Dire Wolves in one of their stronger showings of the split; however, the league’s cellar-dwellers still fell short and still are yet to pick up a win.
They will be hard pressed for that to change this evening as they run head first into the undefeated Chiefs Esports Club, looking for a perfect double-digit 10-0 run for the season.
Kanga upset a resurgent Peace, whom after the reintroduction of Chayon, appeared to have finally struck some form.
A much needed win for Kanga, who close the gap from playoffs to just two matches. With this momentum, Kanga will be seeking to upset the Dire Wolves today.
Mammoth, in spite of being capable of securing an ocean soul, fell short to Pentanet. As we near the mid way point of the split, playoffs chances are slipping for the seventh placed squad.
The Chiefs continued their strong form last night against Order. The early game, while seemingly kept close by Order on the scoreboard, masked Chiefs’ far superior objective control which ultimately proved the difference maker in this one.
Order be looking to bounce back, in the match of the day against Pentanet, in a middle of the table clash.
Matthews’ Pick of the Week – Order (5-4) vs Pentanet (6-3)
This evening’s clash of Order and Pentanet draws a particular focus to playoffs seedings as we draw closer to the middle of the season.
Only a single match is the difference between a second and fifth place finish. The double elimination system in place proves advantageous to the top three finishes, allowing them to continue their run in spite of a single slip up.
Order will no doubt be looking to avoid being forced to replicate their run from Split 1, which saw them make a full lower bracket run to their first LCO trophy.
With the teams being as evenly matched as they are, the higher seeding could prove crucial to their hopes of lifting the trophy come season’s end.
This clash takes place as both teams have struggled to truly gain any momentum throughout the split.
The congestion in the middle of the ladder has been tight, and the match on paper is really up in the air.
The integration period of Jeong “Goodo” Min-Jae for Order has been longer than what was expected, as large deviations to game strategy were required to take place to accommodate the new jungler.
I do not believe Order has honed in on the consistent strategic foundations as to best utilise their players this split, but will need to do so quickly as playoffs draws ever closer.
Pentanet, similarly, will be required to refine their own style; currently, they’re a scrappy team, who are more than capable of picking up wins against any of the top sides.
That said, they’re also prone to fluctuations in performance that can see them have to fight out closely-contested matches against the bottom of the competition.
It is for this reason that I narrowly lean towards Order to pick up the victory this evening — in spite of their own inconsistent Split thus far.
Matthews’ Week 5 Day 2 Predictions
Peace def. Mammoth
Order def. Pentanet
Chiefs def. Gravitas
Dire Wolves def. Kanga
The LCO Split 2 Day 2 begins tonight at 6pm AEST, with Order and Pentanet set to kick off at 7pm AEST.
Catch up on all the split details in our ultimate coverage hub.
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