The stage is set for the LCS playoffs round 1. We have what could be two really fun best of 5’s, Dignitas vs Evil Geniuses and what has to be a banger of a series Cloud9 vs Team Liquid. We will give you a quick rundown on both of the matchups what to look for and what really matters is who we think is going to win.
Saturday Match (Dignitas vs Evil Geniuses)
The first matchup of the 2021 LCS playoffs round 1 may not actually be that good of a series if all goes as it should. As much as I would love to have a great 5 game series to start off the playoffs it’s just rather unlikely. Dignitas has looked shaky at best as of late. Even if they perform at peak level saying they still would be able to beat debatably the best LCS team right now 3 times I just don’t think so.
But before we completely write off Dignitas let’s take a closer look at the lane matchups and strategies both teams may look to use to move on to the next round while still in the upper bracket.
Top Lane (FakeGod vs Impact)
While Impact has been playing super well normally you think of him as more of a solid glue player. He may not always pop off but we did see him pop off harder than anyone ever in the history of the LCS against this Dignitas team and FakeGod. If you didn’t catch that game by chance, look at our Impact LCS player of the week post for a little insight.
What this matchup comes down to though is just the fact Impact is just a tier above FakeGod in almost every way. There honestly may not be a single champion FakeGod has performed better on in their shared pool. I will say I don’t think we will see a repeat of the absolute stomp by Impact. Impact will likely be leaned on as the consistent player in the playoffs. We know this EG team can be very coin flippy and while they haven’t been in the recent past it could very well come back at any time.
To combat this EG may use Impact to be the rock they need just in case things start to go array. Regardless of how EG chose to use Impact, I think they will have the upper hand in the top lane.
Jungle (Akaadian vs Svenskeren)
Akaadian and Svenskeren are much closer of a matchup than in the top lane. When it comes to pure skill I think most people would lean toward Svenskeren pretty much every time. However, the way Dignitas has been playing has largely been through Akaadian. With this being said I would be surprised if Dignitas didn’t continue to try and put resources into him.
Even with this, it’s still hard to give the jungle advantage to Akaadian over Svenskeren. It’s no secret that the jungle largely relies on their other laners to really make a huge difference in the game at least at the highest level. Not to spoil the next lanes but EG is just better.
Mid Lane (Yusui vs Jiizuke)
First off congrats to Jiizuke for earning first-team all-pro for the LCS. I truly believe he has been the best Mid lane overall throughout this split for sure if nothing else. With that being said I don’t think it’s hard to see where this is going. Yusui has brought out some very interesting picks already in this split and can be really fun to watch. But even while being fun not only is Jiizuke just normally more fun to watch but he also just plays better most of the time.
It will be interesting to see what tactics Yusui and Dignitas bring out in order to try and deal with Jiizuke. We have already seen some interesting counter picks out of Yusui and I assume that will continue on into the LCS playoffs round 1. But when it all comes to an end I believe you would be extremely hard-pressed to find anyone who wouldn’t have a massive advantage for Jiizuke and EG in the Mid Lane.
Bot Lane (Neo Aphromoo vs Danny IgNar)
One of the most veteran players against one of the newest. Aphromoo has been known to be the guide for plenty of young ADC’s and I’m sure he wishes Danny had been one of them. Danny has been one of if not the best ADC’s in the LCS. Not only has Danny been performing extremely well but so has IgNar.
The Bot Lane again just becomes a case of EG are just better. While Neo and Aphromoo have been a shining point for Dignitas they just don’t really match up to Danny and IgNar. In lane I give the advantage to EG, roaming is no different, and finally like I said Danny might just be the best ADC in the LCS right now. Again EG gets the advantage and it’s a big one at that.
Strategies
The strategy for Dignitas will likely be pretty straightforward. They can play one of two ways either try and play pretty standard and hope to outplay EG within the mid and late-game or my preferred look for the team try and play around some really out there counter picks. While it may not be the most sure way to win a game I don’t really think Dignitas have many other options. They truly just seem outclassed in every way.
Evil Geniuses however have been crushing all their games for quite some time. They have a signature aggressive play style that in the past has gotten them in trouble but lately seems to have been perfected. Expect them to pick early game champions and run the game from the get-go.
Prediction
My prediction for the first LCS playoffs round 1 game is 3-1 to EG. I could very easily see a 3-0 but will give Dignitas at least one game just based on the fact that EG has had a history of throwing games. I hope we see a very clean and strong-looking EG however to give more hope for a new team winning an LCS championship. Even within my predicted loss for Dignitas, I do hope they can bring some interesting and fun counter picks to the table and at least make the series fun to watch.
Also, be sure to catch both games over at lolesports.com.