Evil Geniuses vs Golden Guardians

The first-ever 2021 LCS Lock-In tournament has developed in quite a nifty way, at least when it comes to betting. For tonight, we have two fairly interesting Best of 3s, although the outcome of both is pretty much a foregone conclusion. Then again, that's exactly what we're looking for — exciting, skirmish-heavy clashes that are almost guaranteed to resolve in an expected manner!

First up, we have Evil Geniuses vs. Golden Guardians. Coming into 2021, no one thought this would be as promising and highly anticipated a match as it currently is, and with good reason. Simply put, neither line-up looked all that impressive on paper, albeit for entirely different reasons. Evil Geniuses had a very solid roster, but it was still as flawed as it was in 2020. Talented, sure, but inherently incapable of attaining greatness. The Golden Guardians, on the other hand, didn't have anything worthy of praise or commendation -- two collegiate players, one from Academy, a seasoned veteran on the decline, and a promising import from the LLA. Hardly mind-blowing.

But for one reason or another, both line-ups performed far better than anyone thought was possible. Evil Geniuses, for one, looked like an absolute titan of competitive League — cohesive, in sync, always on the offensive, and talented beyond measure. The Guardians, on the other hand, went blow for blow with numerous top-tier teams and, perhaps most importantly, line-ups with proven talent and seasoned veterans alike. Heck, we're cutting them short here — they blew our minds. They're not playing like a rookie team or a roster with two players straight from the collegiate scene. Instead, they're bafflingly confident and have done more than enough to warrant our benefit of the doubt. Of course, they made numerous mistakes in the late game, but such a thing was expected seeing how they're lacking when it comes to experience and mental fortitude — both virtues that are built over time. But for what they are and for how little they've been playing as a five-man unit, it's impossible not to sing their praises.

Still, they're up against a team that is simply better across the board. This doesn't mean they won't be able to rub shoulders for a little bit, but once the going gets rough, they're almost guaranteed to crack under pressure. That's what happens to rookies almost by default, and we've seen it occur on so occasions in the past. Evil Geniuses might not be the perfect team (heck, they're not even close), but they're certainly better than GGS, even on a bad day.

All of that said, GGS will not go down without a fight which means we should be in for one heck of a ride!