Just one* day of the LCO Split 1 Stage 1 remains. Assuming no tiebreakers are necessary, by this evening we’ll know all eight seedings as squads prepare for the double-elimination group stage up next.
The standings began to fall into place on Monday evening with all four matches taking place. The final few opening matchups are allowing teams to finally show their true colours before seeding.
Team Bliss continued to pleasantly surprise the LCO with their consistency, destroying Mammoth’s Nexus at 20:05.
Ground Zero took their first official on-Rift win against Kanga after a tough opening schedule against some of the harder hitting rosters.
Reality was forced on the Dire Wolves as they lost their five match winning streak to Pentanet.GG — with both squads now tied for first.
No longer giving away free wins, Peace took one from themselves in their 2023 debut against the Chiefs powerhouse.
With the Dire Wolves slipping from the peak, they’ll need to dig their heels in to stay on top.
Starting with a two-week handicap, Peace begins their ascent of the leaderboard before the group stage begins.
In tonight’s opening match, both teams fight, looking to sustain themselves in the standings.
Dire Wolves, looking to prove that their loss was an outlier.
Peace, looking to become synonymous with victory.
Nadette’s Pick of the Week — Dire Wolves vs Peace
Coming into 2023, I thought that the Chiefs would continue their reign over the LCO — that their only contender for the title was PGG. But, it seems that the LCO teams have flipped my narrative on its head.
So far, 2022’s Split 2 champs and Worlds reps have suffered two losses — at the hands of the Dire Wolves and Peace.
I believe that Dire Wolves have utilised their disciplined gameplay to remain at the top of the leader board during the first two weeks against all expectations.
Based on the dominant victory against The Chiefs yesterday, Peace are entering the LCO in full force, and according to Chayon, they deem the Wolfpack as a threat.
We don’t know much about where Peace stack up in the LCO just yet, but if they’re able to replicate last night’s performance, they shouldn’t be taken for granted, despite their late arrival.
The experience of the PCS players shone through their debut match, notably with Weizhe mechanics maxing on Camille while his teammates held down the fort in their respective lanes.
Peace found their first win by taking advantage and punishing the misplays of The Chiefs. Despite the game maintaining an even pace for the first 20 minutes or so, it went from a teardrop to a torrent in a matter of seconds following a nasty Baron fight.
Now it’s the Dire Wolves less-experienced topside’s turn against the enigmatic Peace roster.
Keep an eye on the top lane matchup of Zorenous and Weizhe. With an outstanding performance against some of the titans of the top lane so far, the rookie shows no signs of stopping against his next challenger.
The former PGG boys might be able to lead their younger teammates to victory if they play their cards correctly.
As much as I love a good underdog (haha, get it?) story, I believe that the Dire Wolves have met their match in Peace, especially with how their mechanics were demonstrated in their debut.
That being said, if the Dire Wolves are able to maintain a steady pace without cracking under the pressure, they’ll give us a game that demonstrates they’re not giving up without a fight.
Week 2 Day 3 Predictions
The final evening of scheduled matches before the group phase takes place tonight live on the LCO Twitch channel, with potential for tiebreakers tomorrow.
Peace and the Dire Wolves play the opening match of what is shaping up to be another exciting broadcast. Keep up to date with the split details on our ultimate coverage hub.
Follow our prediction team @CDMLoL, @ImHarryTaylor, @NadetteOCE and @Ties_AU on Twitter.
