100 Thieves
2020-04-08 20:02:00
Team SoloMid

100 Thieves vs Team SoloMid

2020-04-08 19:54:26Posted by Petar

Next up, we have a playoff clash between 100 Thieves and Team SoloMid. First of all, a fairly simple fact needs to be said: predicting the outcome of this Best of 5, much like the one before it, is downright impossible. We have a lot of information to guide us, and to give us a better understanding of what could happen, but frankly, given the trajectories of these two teams and their inherent inconsistencies, all of that concrete info goes out the window.

Both 100 Thieves and Team SoloMid have a ton of potential. They're stacked with experience, mechanical prowess, and more than enough seasoned veterans to lead the charge. They're also disgustingly out of sync at times and you never really know how well they'll play -- it all depends on the day and how well they prepare for that given moment. And it's not a matter of time either, as they'll int in the draft when you'd least expect it. They're both coin flip kind of teams, albeit in entirely different ways.

Team SoloMid alternate a monstrously dominant week with an abysmally bad one immediately afterwards. That's why they constantly went 0-2 and 2-0. No one really knows why that's the case, and it's sometimes painful to watch. When they're good, they're insanely dominant and commanding regardless of the opponent. They make the best plays, pull off insane clutch engages, and their team fighting is a masterclass in itself. When they're bad, however, they look like a bunch of scrubs. They draft badly, they play even worse, and the term "cohesion" becomes science fiction.

Still, there's a ton of potential, even though it's often unattainable. In many ways, they're always fighting against themselves and their weaker instincts. Sometimes they overcome their inherent problems and give us some of the best North American League of Legends. When that doesn't happen, they're pretty much a negligible challenge, one that, despite their best efforts, continues to disappoint. "Hot and cold" would perhaps be the best phrase if one had to describe them.

The fact that they finished the regular portion of the split in fifth place is also a pretty big surprise. To even think for a second that they're -- by looking at the standings -- just slightly better than the Golden Guardians and yet obviously worse than Evil Geniuses, FlyQuest, and 100 Thieves is laughable, and it just goes to show just inconsistent and volatile they've been throughout the season. They barely made it in, as insane as that might sound.

Their stats, though, are absolutely fantastic. They have the third best early game and a commendable 539 gold difference at fifteen minutes (second best in the region). They lead in first blood, and are fairly solid in everything else. So they obviously have all the right tools to get the win and look good in the process, it's all just a matter of whether they'll get rolling and start off on the right foot. That's always a pretty big "if", and predicting whether they'll impose their will or fail is basically impossible, even with the sample size that's at our disposal.

Their second biggest weakness, however, is their over-reliance on comfort picks and certain strategies. If you give them Sett, Syndra, Xayah and Rakan, you're probably going to lose. That's the go-to TSM draft, and they're an absolute titan whenever they get their hands on such a strong, well-rounded team comp. When that isn't the case, however, they're much more vulnerable. 100 Thieves' coach Zikz definitely knows his way around the pick and ban phase, although he's not exempt from a couple of egregious blunders either. If he prepares his team strategically, they might stand a chance. If he doesn't maneuver the draft phase well enough, they're bound to be overwhelmed.

Finally, let's talk about 100 Thieves. Right now, no one's quite sure how good they really are. On the one hand, they looked darn good near the end of the season. They also beat Team SoloMid just a couple of weeks ago, although that was in a Best of 1, so it's not exactly applicable in this situation. Still, after watching them get destroyed by Cloud9 mere days ago, it's impossible to give them any benefit of the doubt. That was perhaps one of the most one-sided shellackings you'll ever see. It was like a fight between a top-tier professional team and a bunch of Gold ranked players who weren't even on Discord.

Cloud9 destroyed them in every possible way, across the board. It wasn't even competitive. And now sure, everyone expected that to happen, but to see another professional team get manhandled in such dominant fashion has to affect their confidence and everyone's perception of just how strong (or weak) they really are. Is Team SoloMid as good as Cloud9? Do they have the same tools and do they pose a similar threat? Not even close, but they had the luxury of watching 100 Thieves lose and that alone should give them a strategic edge from game one. They're also an experienced roster that knows how play as a five-man unit. They've seen it all, they've dominated across multiple entirely different metas, and they know their way around a Best of 5 as well.

There's nothing 100 Thieves has in store that's going to take them by surprise, that's a fact. Team SoloMid is favored for a reason, but that doesn't mean they'll make all the right moves and get the win. That's a problem, because you know who's the favorite and yet you can't bet with confidence, fully knowing that both outcomes are perfectly plausible.

In any case, we're going with the former LCS champions on this one. They have more experience, and more talent within their roster. That doesn't mean they'll emerge victorious, but at least the odds are on their side. If they prepared well and if they play (and draft) to their strengths, they shouldn't have too big of a problem in taking 100 Thieves down. Either way, it's going to be an insanely close Best of 5.

GamePickBookmakerOddsStakeResult
Team SoloMid Betway 1.45 3 Win

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