Golden Guardians vs Evil Geniuses

Next up, we have a clash between Evil Geniuses and the Golden Guardians. In all fairness, "clash" might not be the most apt way of describing it as it implies that a fight of sorts will take place -- supposedly between two teams that are similar in strength and potential. Unfortunately, no such thing will take place once both of these teams step foot on the Summoner's Rift to compete.

Simply put, Evil Geniuses are better in every possible way. They have the better players, the higher skill ceiling, they have more experience, and even more cohesion than their adversaries. They might not be all that consistent, but it's not the Golden Guardians have the tools to capitalize and punish. They're good, but they're nowhere near as dangerous or capable as Evil Geniuses. This, in many ways, is a fight between a top-tier contender -- who happens to struggle every so often -- and a bottom-tier dweller. That doesn't mean entertainment will be absent, however. Both teams love to skirmish and will surely start swinging for the fences from the moment they spawn on the Rift, albeit for entirely different reasons. GGS know that, in order to win, they have to start as aggressively as humanly possible. Evil Geniuses, on the other hand, will start swinging and throwing wild haymakers not because that's imperative, but because that's just the way they are -- that's their M.O. and it won't change any time soon (if ever). They're not the "by the book" kind of team, nor will they ever take things slow -- for better or worse.

Instead, they're all about getting in your face and causing as much damage in as short a time frame as possible. That's a double-edged sword, but it seems to work more often than not, so it's hard to blame them for being so hesitant to change. Against teams of similar strength (and especially those that are weaker), it's a wonderful method and is pretty much bulletproof. They have the mechanical prowess and the individual talent to pull it off, after all. But against the best teams the LCS has to offer, however, it's just not enough -- and they know it. Cloud9, Team SoloMid, Team Liquid, and 100 Thieves all know how to weather the storm. They know what they need to do and how to best counter EG's bravado-fuelled playstyle. In Best of 1s it's still fair game, but once Best of 5s come around, EG will have no other choice but to adapt and grow in order to prevail. The biggest problem, however, is that they cannot force growth whenever they feel like it. It's supposed to be a layered, controlled process — it's not something that can just happen at a click of a button. That's why EG failed back in 2020, and that's probably why they'll fail in 2021 as well. They're great to watch, and they're mighty entertaining, but their one-dimensional nature -- fun though it is -- just can't cut it at the highest levels of play.

Fortunately for EG, they won't have to sweat much against a team like the Golden Guardians. It's not like GGS will roll over and surrender, but they're weaker across the board and don't have nearly as many weapons to work with. Evil Geniuses just need to give Impact a bit of agency in the draft, get Jiizuke on a comfort pick, and they'll take care of the rest. That's the well-known and patented EG formula. It might seem basic (because it is), but it's definitely working, especially against insufficiently talented opposition.

We're going with Evil Geniuses on this one as it's the only option that makes sense. Still, if GGS decide to throw caution out the window and fight them using the exact same means, then we might be in for quite the spectacle.