CLG vs 100 Thieves

What a weird game. If you had told someone at the start of the split that this was potentially going to be a competitive affair, you would've gotten laughed at and ridiculed in response. And, well, with good reason. On the one side we have Counter Logic Gaming, a team with just a single seasoned veteran and a bunch of greenhorns who are *expected* to grow into the superstars of tomorrow. On the other side, you have the defending champions -- a slew of players all of whom are equipped to tango and compete at the highest of levels.

Surely this will result in a one-sided beatdown, in a sub-thirty-minute shellacking? Well, that assumption, while definitely rational, isn't necessarily correct. CLG have stepped up, and they've done so in quite impressive fashion. Well, *relatively* impressive. They're still a bottom feeder and a few good games (be they emphatic or not) aren't going to change that. Still, they've improved just *enough* for it to matter, and for them to not get blown out of the water. That might not sound all that impressive and, well, it's not, but for *them* it's certainly an uptick worth talking about. They're 3-6 at the time of this writing which isn't all that bad. We can definitely envision a world in which they come close to a .500 record. Again, you mustn't expect too much from this young and inexperienced bunch as they're not equipped to deliver. Not yet, at least.

No team in the LCS is invulnerable. That list, unfortunately, includes both TL *and* C9 -- they're just the least volatile. If you give CLG a good enough team comp and ample wiggle room there's a world (or a timeline, rather) in which they do some damage. If Dignitas could beat 100 Thieves (three times, no less), if the Golden Guardians could beat Team Liquid, and if TSM could beat C9, then why should CLG be counted out? They're not a top-tier team, but they can still keep up and, at times, exceed expectations. It doesn't happen all that often but again: a 3-6 record warrants *some* respect. You can never be too certain as to *when* they'll "pop off" and impress, but you know it's going to happen *eventually*. Will it happen tonight? We don't think so, but stranger things *have* happened, so 100 Thieves would be wise to prepare as well as they would as if they were facing T1 or Edward Gaming. They can not afford to fool around, lest they lose their fourth game in a row.