Golden Guardians vs Team Liquid

For our final match of the day, we have a fairly peculiar clash between Team Liquid and the Golden Guardians. Now, frankly speaking, just writing such a thing makes one feel strange and, perhaps a bit ludicrous. This *is* the Golden Guardians we're talking about. Coming into 2021, no one gave them much of a chance. Heck, no one gave them any chance at all, and there's a very good reason why that was the case. Simply put, they lacked power and potential to compete -- not just with the upper echelon of the LCS, but with anyone at all. And sure, it's not a particularly nice thing to say or think, but it's warranted.

Simply put, they had nothing going for them. Sure, there was Stixxay, but a single veteran (who's way past his prime) isn't enough to warrant a spot higher up the standings. With four rookies (some of which didn't even have experience of playing in Academy), it was only natural to doubt their potential and ability to compete at the highest of levels. But, in true GGS fashion, they've subverted everyone's expectations and are actually playing some incredibly solid League of Legends. And sure, there's nothing on the line to compete for (other than a sack of cash and some bragging right), but they've been doing astonishingly well nonetheless, and against some fairly solid teams, too. Of course, Counter Logic Gaming and Team SoloMid -- both of which underwent immense roster changes -- aren't exactly the toughest of opposition at this point in time, but they're not far off either. Their players have more experience, they've found more success over the years, and some of them are even former LCS champions. But that meant very little as GGS fought their hearts out despite the odds. They've upset CLG and nearly did the same against Team SoloMid yesterday. Again, we're talking about a team that should by no means be this good. There's no vast amount of experience present within their five-man line-up, and yet they're playing like anything *but* a rookie squad. Their execution was immaculate, and the same goes for their individual play. Iconic and Ablazeolive, in particular, have been destroying their opposition -- and no one's quite sure how they're getting away with it. Iconic has been impacting nearly every lane with such staggering ease, constantly roaming and setting plays up across the map. And their teamfights are also surprisingly solid, if not even great.

Of course, they fumble and fail more often than not when the mid and later stages of the game come along, but that's justifiable given their lack of experience. They have leads but don't know what to do with them -- and that's natural. If they keep playing this well, they might even become a playoff contender further down the line. Of course, this is definitely an optimistic overreaction, but it's warranted, especially given how their play wasn't a flash in the pan -- to execute so well against two vastly different opponents is by no means a coincidence. The GGS coaching staff also deserves a ton of praise for their scouting and preparation, both of which have played such an integral role coming into 2021.

Unfortunately, it's impossible to give them our benefit of the doubt against a team as talented and stacked as Team Liquid. They're better across the board, with some of the best and most capable players North America has to offer. It's not even close, really. But GGS will try regardless, and they might even make it a lot more competitive than anyone expects. In the end, however, they're all but guaranteed to succumb to TL's immense power. Still, we should be in for one heck of a game if the boys in black and gold come out the gates swinging!