The seventh week of competitive LCS play is behind us. With only two weeks left, every single game matters immensely. Perhaps that’s even an understatement. A single win or loss could be the difference between reaching the playoffs or waiting on the sidelines for the Summer Split to begin. So let’s do a somewhat quick LCS week 7 recap in order to go over the standings.

It’s important to note that we’re finally gaining some clarity into the ever-elusive playoff picture. While things are far from finished, we do have a good enough sample size to judge who’s favored over whom.

Let’s take it from the top.

First — Team Liquid (13W-1L)

Another week, another dominant showing from the North American overlords — Team Liquid. Just when you think someone has their number, or that perhaps they’re getting complacent, they go out and completely blow the competition out of the water.

They’re the best and most potent North American team right now, and they’re only getting better with time. While their early game does leave a lot to be desired, their team fighting is pristine, and they always execute their win conditions to a tee. They have the best players in each and every role, and they show no signs of stopping. While they’re not perfect, it seems as though they’re a safe pick for yet another LCS final.

They have Clutch Gaming and FlyQuest lined up for week eight, and they should, by all means, be able to get to fifteen wins in a couple of days. While it’s a shame they won’t be able to go for a perfect split, at least they’ll come close.

Second — Cloud9 (11W-3L)

Last week really didn’t bring any change to the LCS cream of the crop. Yet another week, and yet another chance for the best teams in the region to show off. What we did find out about Cloud9, however, was the fact that they’re as ineffective against Team Liquid as they’ve been throughout 2018. They’re currently 0W-2L against the defending champions, and they couldn’t even come close to taking them down.

Sure, they have the right tools in their arsenal to make that dream a reality, but for one reason or another, they just can’t get the job done. It doesn’t matter what they draft, or how strong they start off, it’s never enough against the boys in white and blue.

They could be dominating over the rest of the region and still get completely outclassed by Liquid on any given day. They always make things exceptionally close, but it’s never enough. It wasn’t enough in 2018, and it seems as though it won’t be enough this time around either.

They’re in a strange spot right now. Calling them a gatekeeper wouldn’t be quite right, because they’re literally the second strongest team in the region. But if they can’t dethrone Liquid, what’s the point? What’s their goal? No one’s practicing day and night in order to be the second best — where’s the fun in that?

Regardless, they have many months ahead of them in order to figure the Liquid puzzle out. They’re incredibly creative and it is only a matter of time before they come up with a solution. Either way, they’re locked into the playoffs, but they’re still trying to get a top two finish in order to have an extra week to prepare for the semifinals.

Third — Team SoloMid (9W-5L)

The perennial North American titans are still plowing ahead full steam, although they did hit a couple of roadblocks along the way last week. While they did win both of their games against 100 Thieves and OpTic Gaming, they didn’t exactly look good in the process. Clutching out a close game against OpTic Gaming is one thing but being on the brink of defeat at the hands of 100 Thieves is absolutely unacceptable for a team that’s looking to challenge both Team Liquid and Cloud9 at the top.

They’re still an exceptional team in the making and a worthy contender, but they need more time before they can sync up and start making waves. Right now, they’re highly capable albeit fairly inconsistent, especially in the early game. Fortunately, their playoff spot is all but locked down, so they should have more than enough time to get into fighting shape come playoffs. They’re a versatile team that should be far more dangerous in a Best of 5 format, mainly due to their versatility and flexibility in the draft.

They have the Golden Guardians and Counter Logic Gaming lined up for week eight, and while neither of those two games are a given, they should be able to emerge victorious.

Fourth — FlyQuest (7W-7L)

While things looked dire for a moment, FlyQuest have managed to break their four-game losing streak with two stellar wins against the likes of Clutch Gaming and Echo Fox. Perhaps most importantly, they are once again focusing on what brought them immense success early on in the split — team fighting team comps, and late game insurance for Jason “WildTurtle” Tran.

They’re giving Omran “Viper” Shoura more agency in the draft, and seeing how the meta currently favors his champion pool, he’s able to have a much bigger impact on the game. Once they reach the mid and later stages of the game, they’re functioning like a well-oiled machine. Watching them team fight (either when ahead or at a deficit) is a thing of beauty, and their two recent wins separated them from the rest of the pack. They’re not exactly going to make a challenge for the LCS title, but they’re going to be a tough nut to crack in the playoffs regardless of whom they’re up against.

When it’s all said and done, there’s no reason Flyquest should be unable to secure a spot in the playoffs. It may not be easy, especially considering their tough schedule going forward, but the odds are stacked in their favor.

Two-Way Tie for Fifth — Golden Guardians, OpTic Gaming (6W-8L)

Predicting the actual power level of these two teams is a pretty thankless endeavour. At moments they’re fantastic, but those moments rarely last for long. They’re synergetic and mechanically strong enough in order to hover in the middle of the standings, but how high they’ll eventually climb remains to be seen.

The Golden Guardians often have a good plan in place, but they fail miserably when it comes to executing it. It’s not just that they’re rough around the edges either — they just don’t seem to be good at certain elements of play as a five-man unit. They’re scattered, and they’re making individual blunders left and right. When they’re on point, they’re a solid contender and a shoo-in for the playoffs. When they fail to get on the same page (as they too often do), they’re extremely fragile. A bad call or a sloppy engage and they’ve lost control of the game. Kim “Olleh” Joo-sung is perhaps the biggest offender. He’s making egregious errors almost every single game. Olleh fails to engage as well as he should, gets picked out of position almost nonstop, and he’s prone to kill securing at the worst possible times. Olleh having more kills than his AD carry and the biggest number of deaths is a frequent sight.

Perhaps too frequent.

As for OpTic Gaming, they are about equal when it comes to overall strength and potential. Their three-man core consisting of William “Meteos” Hartman, Lee “Crown” Min-ho and Noh “Arrow” Dong-hyeon certainly gives them a lot of firepower, and their solid mid and late game decision making is also deceptively potent.

Both teams have a big chance at securing a playoff spot, although they don’t have the potential to upset the status quo. Not yet, at least.

Two-Way Tie for Seventh — Counter Logic Gaming, Clutch Gaming (5W-9L)

Next up, we have an underwhelming two-way tie between Clutch Gaming and Counter Logic Gaming. There’s not a lot that you can say about these two teams other than the fact that they’re synonymous with extremely inconsistent, fairly volatile play.

They’re good, perhaps even great at times, but these ethereal moments don’t seem to last for long. Clutch, however, has at last found their stride with triple-threat team comps. When they draft according to their strengths, they’re quite a dangerous adversary. That means putting all three of their primary carries on playmaking champions, with Nam “LirA” Tae-yoo and Philippe “Vulcan” Laflamme taking up engage and protection duties.

It is somewhat of a one-dimensional way to play the game, but they’ve managed to make it work every single time so far. Getting Chae “Piglet” Gwang-jin on bruisers or mages rather than traditional AD carries seems to work exceptionally well, and when Heo “Huni” Seung-hoon doesn’t tilt off the face of the planet we can still see glimpses of the incredible player he once was.

Counter Logic Gaming, on the other hand, decided to swap out two-fifths of their starting roster in favor of their two Academy players. Why they elected to do such a thing so late into the split is beyond any comprehension.

They could, in theory, get a win or two over the next two weeks, but it won’t be enough to get them into the playoffs. It seems like 2019 will be yet another underwhelming year for the former LCS champions.

Two-Way Tie for Ninth — Echo Fox, 100 Thieves (4W-10L)

Ending the regular season at the bottom of the standings isn’t the end of the world, nor is it too embarrassing. What is embarrassing, however, is the mediocre and at times abysmal level of play that these two teams displayed throughout the Spring Split. There’s no synergy to be found (even after months of play), and how this tie eventually resolves interests absolutely no one.

Fortunately, the upcoming Summer Split will allow both teams to start over and perhaps even get some redemption.