CLG vs Team Liquid

For our second match of the day, we have a somewhat peculiar clash between the former four-time LCS champions Team Liquid and Counter Logic Gaming, one of the worst and least successful organizations in North America. Their pedigree means very little at this point, given how they've been a bottom-tier dweller for what feels like an eternity.

Fortunately for CLG fans (if there are any left, that is), 2021 will bring a change of scenery. For the first time in four years, Counter Logic Gaming will actually field a roster worthy of respect. Now, they still aren't expected to accomplish much in the grand scheme of things, but for CLG it's still a small step worthy of commendation. We're talking about a veteran roster with more than just a couple of strengths and virtues. Of course, all their positives pale in comparison to Team Liquid, but the point still stands.

Unfortunately, they won't be able to start with neither Finn nor Broxah. So any chance of having a good start to the season pretty much went out the window.

By the same token, Team Liquid is in a similar predicament. 2021 has started off in the worst possible way: with a bad case of deja vu. Santorin, much like Broxah, still hasn't had his visa approved which means he's going to miss out on a good chunk (if not the entirety) of the inaugural 2021 LCS Lock-In tournament. This isn't such a big deal as the Lock-In doesn't carry any significance whatsoever, but it's still a bummer for TL fans (and TL, in particular) as they won't be able to scrim and start synergizing until early February at best. Again, it's not the be-all and end-all, but it's definitely a concrete obstacle that'll slow them down, at least early on.

Still, they've found an... acceptable replacement in Armao (formerly known as Grig) who, while far from Santorin's level, is still a pretty okay jungler. He's had numerous great games with Team SoloMid in the past, and while he didn't exactly shine last year in Academy, he's still a solid bandaid kind of fix. Again, there's nothing on the line, so it's not like Team Liquid can actually lose out on anything other than hype and momentum -- something they're bound to regain once Santorin lands in Los Angeles and starts playing with the rest of the team.

Is Team Liquid at the risk of losing to CLG without Santorin? By all conceivable metrics, the answer would be a resounding "no." Still, it might make things a bit more complicated. Fortunately, Armao and Alphari have both been scrimming with the team so they should already have some synergy built-up. That alone should be more than sufficient against a team as underpowered as Counter Logic Gaming. After all, they still have Jensen, Tactical, and CoreJJ who are all among the best (if not *the* best) players in their respective roles. There's really no reason to doubt in Liquid's chances, at least not against a team like CLG. If they were up against someone like, say, Cloud9 or Team SoloMid, we'd more more inclined to doubt their potential success, but as far as challenges go, CLG is a pretty darn meek one.

That's not to say that they'll roll over and surrender. Far from it. They're well aware of their inherent underdog status and, as already mentioned above, there's nothing to lose. All ten teams should, therefore, compete without pressure, without caution being thrown out the window. They'll experiment, they'll fumble and fail, but all of these things will build towards a more cohesive and successful start to the 2021 Spring Split.

In the end, we're siding with Team Liquid on this one as it's the only logical option. They might not come out in full force, but they're more than capable of taking Counter Logic Gaming down with relative ease.