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Team SoloMid 
vs 
Phoenix1
One of the biggest matches of the week is going to be TSM facing off against the highly impressive Phoenix1. With how things have shaped out, this battle is likely going to determine whether or not TSM finishes in the first place or not. For Phoenix1 it is equally important because if they are able to win the remainder of their matches, they have a realistic chance of getting a playoff bye with their final two fights being against C9 and TSM.
Although Team SoloMid are currently sitting in first place, they definitely display some weaknesses that can be exploited by stronger squads. A weaker early game and a slow start to Bo3s are things that seem to be plaguing TSM. Luckily for Phoenix1 they are fairly strong in the early stage and if given early phase leads, they are able to close out games well. This match-up will definitely hinge the most on the early game and if TSM is able to prevent falling behind too much they will be the favorites heading into it. While I do think P1 has a very good chance of upsetting TSM, I would still make my League of Legends prediction for TSM to win the series in a close 2-1 victory.
Immortals 
vs 
Counter Logic Gaming
Several weeks ago this series would have been hard to predict because of both teams struggling. Right now it’s still hard to predict but that’s mostly because each squad has made important improvements in their play. For CLG the most consistent player remains Stixxay. The good news for him is that his teammates are finally stepping up as well and it’s resulting in CLG winning more games near the end of the season. Their communication and decision making still seems shaky at times however assuming that they make playoffs, they will likely iron out their issues to become a solid contender for the NA LCS title.
Immortals have been on a huge upswing lately. Dardoch is finally stabilizing his play and is carrying his mates to easy wins. Flame and Pobeleter are becoming more consistent in their play, resulting in Immortals having two reliable solo laners. The most significant improvement seems to be the bottom lane with Cody Sun and Olleh stepping up big time as a strong Top 5 bottom lane in the league.
It’s certainly tough to predict how this series will shape up. Both crews are decisive in their plays whenever they gain a lead. It should be expected that the team which manages to gain more early phase advantages will take it. However, I personally expect Immortals to win the series in a close 2-1 victory. It feels like they are improving at a faster rate than CLG. But most importantly Dardoch has been a better performer than Xmithie, especially in the early game which is the most important stage of the battle in this match.
Cloud9 
vs Phoenix1
Another match involving Phoenix1 that has huge standings implications. It hasn’t been looking too good for Cloud9 lately. They haven’t been improving too much in recent weeks and it feels like their grasp on the meta is slipping away. In their series against CLG and Immortals, they would lose games just off of making lackluster team compositions in draft. Jensen and Sneaky in particular haven’t been performing to their usual level and they need to pick it up if C9 wants to have a chance in this series. Especially when they have to face off against Ryu and Arrow, two of P1’s best performers throughout the entire split.
P1’s level was expected to drop when they replaced Adrian with Stunt but that hasn’t been the case. In-fact in some ways, Stunt is a better fit for P1 than Adrian and it shows with Arrow’s performances being even more impressive since Stunt joined the team. Normally C9 would have had an edge in the top lane but it doesn’t seem like that’ll be a concern for P1 anymore. Zig has been performing very well on both tanks and carries while on the other hand, Impact hasn’t been doing as well as he did at the start of the split.
Although Cloud9 will be looking to get revenge on P1 and secure their second place spot, I expect P1 to barely grab the win here in a very close and hard fought 2-1.
Team Dignitas 
vs Immortals
We’ve already talked about Immortals and their improvements. But when it comes to Dignitas they have also improved massively. Chaser and Ssumday have improved their English and are participating in the shotcalling of the crew. Keane has stepped up as a big carry for the team which is something that they needed desperately with Ssumday being their only win condition prior to that. LOD and Xpecial don’t really crush in lane but they rarely lose it either. Things are looking good for Dignitas and under Cop’s coaching, we can expect great things out of them coming into next split.
As for this particular match-up I would imagine Immortals has the edge. Both squads have improved but just like in their series vs CLG, Immortals has the advantage in the jungle role with Dardoch likely to have a bigger early game impact than Chaser. Obviously if Immortals has a bad Week 9 they can lose easily however as it stands now, I expect them to take the series and secure their playoff spot.
FlyQuest 
vs 
Echo Fox
With FlyQuest‘s playoff spot on the line, I expect them to grab the win here but it won’t look pretty.
Cloud9 vs Dignitas
Although they’ve improved, I don’t think Dignitas has what it takes yet to defeat Cloud9. So I’ll give it to the blue team.
Liquid 
vs SoloMid
Fairly straightforward. Liquid is done for and a 2-0 for TSM seems very possible despite them losing a lot of first games in their series.
Echo Fox vs 
EnVy
Both squads are at the bottom of the standings and both of them suffer from having great early games but dropping the ball in the mid to late stage. Echo Fox seems a bit more stable though so I’d say 2-1 to Fox.
FlyQuest vs Liquid
FlyQuest will definitely want to keep their playoff spot. Plus they just simply look better than Liquid despite their recent losses. Expected 2-1 win for FlyQuest with TL being able to at least take one game off of them.
Counter Logic Gaming vs EnVy
Obvious outcome here. CLG is simply the better crew and are likely to win 2-0.
May the odds be in your favor and good luck!
