Clutch Gamers vs Mammoth

This is an interesting one, but mostly because any time Clutch Gaming steps foot on stage there's a chance of absolute chaos breaking out. And that's pretty much a positive thing, especially in today's crazy, somewhat unhinged meta.

That said, they've been relatively hot and cold over their last two showings in the Play-In Stage. Ill-advised engages, shoddy shot-calling along with questionable drafts meant they had to fight harder than most expected to get their one win. Now, they're not exactly in the easiest of groups, but still -- many thought they were a sure lock for the Group Stage. Now, despite their shaky start they're still favored to get out, but they're going to have to fight a bit harder than expected in order to make that dream into a reality.

To drop your first Play-In Stage game (against the Unicorns of Love, as well), isn't exactly the picture-perfect start. Not in the slightest. But they persevered and were able to bounce back in style. They already faced against Mammoth mere days ago and were able to emerge victorious with relative ease. They were by no means perfect, as evidenced by their abysmal Baron call. To lose the most prized and sought-after objective on the map in such embarrassing fashion definitely hurts your stock value.

Be as it may, they got the job done which is the only thing that matters. They have a strange read of the meta right now, but they're improving with each passing game. They know this is a must-win and they're surely preparing accordingly. The fact that they already won once should do wonders for their confidence. They're looking to continue building hype and momentum, and they know that this is a relatively easy win -- given that they play as well as they should.

Now, Mammoth's line-up is no slouch. They can definitely overperform and turn a couple of heads, but Clutch have the right players, a boatload of experience along with more than enough mechanical prowess to not only go blow for blow but heavily outclass the Australian roster. They've already displayed their stellar mental fortitude back on home soil, and they did more than enough to deserve our benefit of the doubt.

In the end, we're siding with North America's third seed. It's the only logical choice, but they're probably not going to flat-out dominate and blow anyone's mind. Instead, they'll play "by the book" and try to close things out without any shenanigans. Well, as much as that's possible when Clutch is involved.