Let’s take a closer look at the North American standings after seven weeks of competitive play in our 2019 LCS Summer Split week 7 recap! With only two weeks of play left, the margin for error is non-existent. Teams simply don’t have the luxury of dropping games seeing how a single win or defeat could end up being the determining factor between getting into the playoffs or waiting things out on the sidelines.

LCS Summer Split Week 7 Recap

Last week’s games ended in an expected manner, and they gave us a solid look into the five best team the LCS has to offer. We can safely assume that Liquid, Cloud9, Counter Logic Gaming, Team SoloMid, and OpTic Gaming will all lockdown playoff spots this week, which leaves us with just a single spot left. The Golden Guardians, Clutch Gaming and 100 Thieves are all fighting to reach the Top 6, and who’s going to take it is anyone’s guess at this point. That said, 100 Thieves definitely look like the most capable of the bunch. They’re the most decisive and they actually have a clear game plan in mind every time they step foot on stage. They might not succeed and their execution is often flawed, but at least they have an idea on how they want to play the game — for better or worse.

It will all come down to the wire, and everyone’s strength of schedule will play a key part as well. Either way, it’s going to be one heck of a conclusion.

With that out of the way, let’s do a somewhat quick look at the standings in our LCS Summer Split week 7 recap!

First — Team Liquid (11W-3L)

Everything that can be said about Team Liquid right now has already been said. Simply put, they’re the best and most capable team North America has to offer. We’re all aware of that. And we’re also just waiting for the playoffs to begin in order to (potentially) see them challenged in a Best of 5 format.

They’re still the Liquid of old — a stable early game that snowballs into a commanding mid game with exceptional objective control and team fighting prowess. They play games “by the book,” and while that’s not exactly the most exciting way to play the game, it sure gets the job done. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” is the Liquid mantra.

Everyone’s carrying their share of the weight, and watching them dominate and win with such ease is a beautiful sight. They do have more than just a couple of inherent weaknesses but there’s not a team in North America that will be able to exploit them fully.

Tied for Second — Cloud9, Counter Logic Gaming (9W-5L)

This is where things become much more interesting. We have both Cloud9 and Counter Logic Gaming tied for second place. That said, it seems like the latter is definitely a more layered threat at this point in time. And that’s strange, to say the least. No one expected it to happen, but two roster changes later, and Counter Logic Gaming is reborn. They’re very flexible, aggressive, proactive, and they have perhaps the best 1-3-1 out of all ten North American teams.

Despite this, they’re still prone to making egregious errors and there’s still a lot of work to be done. Regardless, they’re a very talented five-man roster and they have the right tools at their disposal in order to tango with the LCS upper echelon.

Cloud9, on the other hand, is quite shaky at this point in time. They’re still a top-tier team, but they’re fairly inconsistent and there’s no obvious reason why that’s the case. Sometimes they get on stage and dominate but that’s not happening nearly as often as it should — considering how long they’ve been playing a five-man unit and how much talent they have.

There’s a palpable gap between them and the next two teams, so they’re definitely a Top 3 contender, but they’re far less dangerous than most people expected.

Tied for Fourth — Team SoloMid, OpTic Gaming (8W-4L)

Next up, we have a two-way tie for fourth between Team SoloMid and OpTic Gaming. Even though they share the same spot in the standings, they’re entering the eighth week of regular season play with completely different amounts of hype and momentum.

Let’s focus on OpTic first. Their spectacular start to the Summer Split got everyone thinking — “did we just get a brand-new contender?” Weeks went by and their level of play remained the same, which was rather unexpected, considering just how bad they were in Spring. They weren’t winning through sheer luck either — they had a fair bit of synergy and were playing as a solid, well-rounded five-man unit. But once other teams caught up, they really didn’t have much to offer and had, as a result, started slumping.

While it’s still too early to say that they’re back, they were at least able to get a 2-0 week and have solidified their spot in the Top 6 with a very respectable 8W-4L record. They’re still rough around the edges, but they’re definitely a solid mid-tier team with a fair bit of potential — given that their three-man core steps up and accepts the burden of hard carrying.

Team SoloMid, on the other hand, are still hot and cold. They’re definitely not playing like a top-tier contender, and that’s confusing. We want to see more from the perennial North American titans. Scratch that — we need to see more, especially after their incredible Spring Split performance. In order for that to happen, they need to get on the same page and step up immensely. That’s especially true for Jesper “Zven” Svenningsen who’s been underperforming for quite a while now.

They’re going to lock down a playoff spot, that’s a given, but how high they will eventually climb remains to be seen. They need to step up or they’re not going to have much fun once the playoffs come around.

Tied for Sixth — Golden Guardians, Clutch Gaming, 100 Thieves (6W-8L)

Ninth — FlyQuest (4W-10L)

It sucks being a FlyQuest fan right now. There’s just no other way to put it. Sure, their dreadful start to the split was a worrying sign but many people hoped they would sync up, get on the same page, and make yet another run for the playoffs.

For FlyQuest, it was a case of “too little, too late.” They’re not playing badly, but they’re just not on the same level as the many teams above them. They’re not as aggressive, proactive, or flexible, and that’s a problem. Their losses to both 100 Thieves as well as Counter Logic Gaming last week was the last nail in the coffin. With such a bad win/loss tally, they are bound to end up at the bottom of the standings regardless of how well they play over the next two weeks.

That said, they’re still a somewhat capable team and they definitely have the capacity to upset when you least expect it.

Tenth — Echo Fox (3W-11L)

There’s not much that can be said about Echo Fox at this point in time. They’re just abysmal in every way, shape and form. They’re still capable of having short bursts of excellence, but they’re few and far between. As a team, they’re as volatile as possible and they’re unable to maintain a solid enough level of play in order to warrant a spot higher up the rankings.

We’ve all seen their highs, and we all know what they’re capable of, but right now, their 2019 season is pretty much over. They could potentially upset over the coming weeks, but don’t expect much from the Echo Fox boys. Seeing them so out of sync is confusing — they’re all veterans of the game, after all.

It’s only natural to expect a higher level of play, but it seems like this five-man unit just can’t mesh well enough in order to actually stand a chance against even the many LCS gatekeepers. And that’s a shame. Because they imploded to such a degree, North America lost a solid middle-of-the-pack contender. Looking ahead, they should restructure from the ground up and focus on the 2020 LCS Spring Split.