Summer Split Weekly Grades: LCS Week 2

The Summer Split is underway, and the second week of play has come and gone! Teams are shaping up more and more the deeper we get into the split. Just like last week, we will take a look at the ten LCS teams and how they did in LCS Week 2. After grading them, we will rank them and reflect on how their rankings changed since last week.

Cloud9

LCS Week 2 Record: 1-1 (3-1 Overall)

Cloud9 had a mixed bag of results in LCS Week 2. They defeated Echo Fox in a solid showing, but then Golden Guardians stunned them. This latter loss hurts even more with Licorice literally dancing in a bush for a total of two minutes. That is not an exaggeration, it was literally 1:58 spent on an incredibly ambitious pair of flanks. It cost C9 first place when he was eviscerated both times.

Grade: B-

To be completely honest, this grade would be higher without the Licorice shenanigans. Losing to Golden Guardians, one of the hotter teams, is no shame. However, to see Licorice imitating Nero for two minutes was disappointing, to say the least. C9 face the undefeated OpTic and the ever dangerous TSM in Week 3. The pressure is all on Cloud9.

Team Liquid

LCS Week 2 Record: 1-1 (2-2 Overall)

LCS Week 2 should have been easy for the reigning champions. They faced 100 Thieves and Counter Logic Gaming, two teams they have had no trouble with in 2019. While they played an objectively perfect game against 100T, CLG was another story. Team Liquid’s early to mid game comp was cannon fodder for CLG, who outsmarted the champs at every stage.

Grade: C+

Team Liquid should have been able to 2-0 LCS Week 2 with ease. However, they collapsed hard against a CLG team they hadn’t struggled with in years. Was the composition a bad fit for TL? Yes, but they need to be flexible if they want to contend for their fourth title. Week 3 has the struggling FlyQuest and unbeaten OpTic, so they need to shake off the rust ASAP.

Golden Guardians

LCS Week 2 Record: 1-1 (3-1 Overall)

LCS Week 2 could have been when Golden Guardians established themselves as a contender. But a strong win against Cloud9 does not erase a nasty loss to Clutch Gaming the day prior. The composition was questionable by the blue and gold, but they were beaten on every level by the Texans. While the players are looking white hot, that loss delayed their climb to the top.

Grade: B

Golden Guardians should have beaten Clutch, but I will give them slack for a bad draft. Froggen, Deftly, and Olleh have otherwise been great, and they have an easier week ahead. The pushover 100T and the wild card CLG await them, but GGS cannot let off the gas for a moment.

Team SoloMid

LCS Week 2 Record: 1-1 (2-2 Overall)

TSM were expected to turn around and sweep their LCS Week 2 schedule. They did not. The draft against FlyQuest was awful. Picking a scaling Sona/Taric and a Pyke top into V1per’s Riven is suicide. For those who don’t know, V1per is the best Riven in the Western Hemisphere, and the champion is strong at the moment. They bounced back against Echo Fox, but that doesn’t change the developing pattern.

Grade: B-

TSM have lost both times when picking scaling compositions, and they have won with two stampede comps. It doesn’t matter that the junglers were different, Grig would have been equally as doomed as Akaadian the past two weeks. TSM have insisted that their scaling style will work, but it doesn’t. Until this team can commit to the mid game style that they are built for, we will keep seeing these 1-1 weeks. The rebounding CG and Cloud9 await them next week, two must-win games.

Echo Fox

LCS Week 2 Record: 0-2 (1-3 Overall)

In LCS Week 2 Echo Fox could not secure any objectives whatsoever. They were 0-2 on Barons, 3-10 on dragons, and 5-19 on towers in losses to Cloud9 and TSM. Rush struggled to make an impact in the games, and Echo Fox as a whole caved under pressure. The caveat is the teams they lost to placed second and third in Spring, so it was a brutal schedule.

Grade: D

If Echo Fox had been facing lesser opponents, they would get an F. They were constantly outfoxed by their opponents on a macro level, conceding the map at every turn. Yusui and Lost have looked surprisingly solid, but the question of “is it worth benching Fenix and Apollo” plagues this organization. Week 3 should be easier, as they have the same 100T and CLG schedule as Golden Guardians.

Counter Logic Gaming

LCS Week 2 Record: 1-1 (2-2 Overall)

We are two weeks in… and I still have no idea what to make of CLG. They lose to OpTic… then beat Team Liquid. They are dangerous in that they are unpredictable and inconsistent. This can work to their benefit or their detriment. LCS Week 2 leaves them an enigma.

Grade: B-

They lost to the only undefeated team and beat the reigning champions. I can’t go too hard on them here, but consistency issues need to be addressed immediately. Echo Fox and Golden Guardians are two sides of the coin, and both will look to exploit CLG if they falter. Just because a team is scary doesn’t mean they are good.

FlyQuest

LCS Week 2 Record: 1-1 (1-3 Overall)

FlyQuest had a rough schedule in LCS Week 2, and they did okay, all things considered. Their drafts don’t look bad, their macro is okay, and they have good players. The question is, why is this team still suspect? TSM gift wrapped a victory for them and OpTic toyed with them, leaving FlyQuest on the lower half.

Grade: C+

Beating TSM looks worse when looking at drafts, and the OpTic loss was embarrassing on a macro level. For a team with Worlds aspirations, a continued slump is unacceptable. Team Liquid and Clutch will show no mercy in Week 3, meaning FlyQuest are running out of time to regain Spring form.

OpTic Gaming

LCS Week 2 Record: 2-0 (4-0 Overall)

If you had told me OpTic would be the final undefeated team, I would have laughed at you. But here they are at 4-0 atop the league after LCS Week 2. Crown has been a monster so far this split. His Twisted Fate against FlyQuest and Sylas against CLG were game-changing for the Green Wall. Dhokla has been lights out on his native tanks even in a supposed carry meta as well.

Grade: A+

OpTic were lethal in Week 2, defying all expectations. Their macro play improved immensely from Week 1 against stronger competition, earning them some believers in the process. I am still not entirely sold that they are the best team yet, and Week 3 will shape my opinion. Cloud9 and Team Liquid will be the test to see if the future Immortals are legit or lucky.

Clutch Gaming

LCS Week 2 Record: 2-0 (2-2 Overall)

Clutch looked massively improved in LCS Week 2. Granted, Golden Guardians had a terrible draft and 100 Thieves is the worst team in the league, but progress is progress. Huni looked good for the first time in 2019, and the bottom lane really gelled. LiRa was put on tanks, and the difference was drastic.

Grade: A

If this Clutch shows up next week, they could stun FlyQuest and TSM. Clutch have been plagued by bad drafts and a lack of identity all split, and they finally looked coordinated as a unit. Their grade reflects the fact that they appear to have fixed the issue for now, but long term could be a different story.

100 Thieves

LCS Week 2 Record: 0-2 (0-4 Overall)

LCS Week 2 confirmed what we guessed after Week 1: 100T is a mess. I believe this is the first time in LCS history that a team has failed to get a single objective in an entire week. That is correct, they got zero objectives all week. The team is uncoordinated, conflicted, and a disaster on the Rift. No one player is at fault: Ssumday is abandoned, Amazing is reportedly furious, Soligo is still green as Shrek, Bang looks halfhearted, and Aphromoo plays drained.

Grade: F-–

Yes, they have matched the level of poor performance achieved by Excel this past weekend and arguably exceeded it. Excel at least got eight towers, five dragons, and a Baron. Combining kills and objectives into a score, 100T scored nine points lower than Excel. This isn’t even mentioning 100T have the white hot Golden Guardians and pissed off Echo Fox in Week 3. This could be the mythical 0-16 split.

Power Rankings after Week 2:

1. Cloud9 –
2. Golden Guardians +1
3. Optic Gaming +5
4. Team Liquid -2
5. TSM –1
6. Clutch Gaming +3
7. CLG -1
8. Echo Fox –3
9. FlyQuest –2
10. 100 Thieves –

This week, OpTic were the big winners by being the only undefeated team, and they will take the top spot if they can keep an unblemished record after Week 3. Check back then for more grades and rankings on the LCS!