100 Thieves vs Team Liquid

This is where things get a whole lot more interesting — Team Liquid vs. 100 Thieves is, without a shadow of a doubt, the most exciting and anticipated match of the day. And it's quite an important one, too!

Getting a win here is of the utmost importance for a myriad of reasons. First of all, both teams are tied with Team SoloMid in second place. Getting a win here would allow them to potentially force a tiebreaker and lock down as high a position in the standings as possible. In any case, they want to secure either the second or third place, seeing how first is no longer available. Finishing fourth, on the other hand, would mean they'd have to face Cloud9. Now sure, the boys in white and blue haven't been all that consistent lately, but they're every inch a superteam and have shown more than enough throughout the last couple of months to warrant everyone's benefit of the doubt. They're undeniably a threat and are one of the biggest front-runners to win the whole split, despite their recent lackluster performances.

Secondly, both TL and 100T want as much momentum as they can get coming into the playoffs. Getting a win over a high-profile opponent would do wonders for their (somewhat shaky) confidence. Neither team has been particularly consistent lately and both have had surprising (if inexplicable) dips in performance. Fortunately, they've been on the up and up, but there's still that sour taste in everyone's mouth -- no one's quite sure whether they'll implode yet again at the most random moment. If it could happen once (without any actual trigger), then it can surely happen again. Now, however, there's no more room for error. The Mid-Season Showdown is right around the corner and finishing in style is of the utmost importance (for a wide variety of reasons).

We're going to side with Team Liquid on this one as they've looked far better and more dominant lately, but it's not going to be an easy game, that's for sure. The four-time LCS champs have all the right tools to get the win and enter the playoffs on a high note, but 100 Thieves surely won't go down without a fight. Still, once push comes to shove, TL has shown a lot more resilience and mental fortitude which is why we're giving them our benefit of the doubt here as well.