Misfits vs Splyce

For our first match of the day, we have an incredibly exciting clash between Splyce and Misfits Gaming. This isn't exactly the most hyped up match of the week, but it's not far either. For both of these teams, this game carries a ton of significance. Perhaps "a ton" would even be an understatement.

Depending on your allegiance, this game might be exceedingly important, or rather uninteresting. On paper, it is a clash between the second-ranked Splyce, and seventh-ranked Misfits Gaming.

Splyce have, against all odds, managed to transcend their perennial underdog status, and are currently tied for second along with Origen and Team Vitality. There was always a ton of talent within their five-man roster, but you just had to be skeptical of them ever utilizing it well enough, seeing how Splyce were rarely synonymous with the very top of the region. This time around though, it seems as though they're making it work. They've been playing exceptionally well over the last couple of weeks, and currently boast a rather respectable ten wins and six losses overall record.

They're not perfect, but they're deceptively strong and capable. They're even improving in their early game, and most of that is coming from their jungler Xerxe. The Romanian stand-out (and former Rookie of the Split awardee) ranks among the top in the region when it comes to Kills + Assists at the 15 minute mark (second), along with overall Jungle Proximity (also second at 42%). He doesn't deal a whole ton of damage (ranked fifth with 14.2%), but he's their biggest catalyst. An extremely intelligent and cerebral jungler, Xerxe is exceptional and has been one of the best junglers around ever since his breakout debut.

Their game against G2 Esports last week really showed everyone a different kind of Splyce. A beast Splyce. G2 drafted a somewhat disrespectful draft, but it was Splyce that dominated G2 on an individual level. They were winning across the board, but G2 kept close in gold and objectives, as one would expect. When it came to heavy skirmishing and five-on-five team fighting, Splyce were always the stronger team. Always. They outclassed G2 in that department, and were able to fully dictate the pace of the game.

It was a clash between the fastest team in the league, versus the slowest, and in a twist no one could have foreseen, the slowest actually dictated the tempo. When all was said and done, Kobbe had a spectacular 12/1/11 KDA, but it was Humanoid, the newest addition to their roster (and least proven) that managed to shine the brightest. He was always willing to engage, to find the right target and to play the role his team needed.

And against Caps of all people. That's a tall task regardless of your confidence.

As a team, Splyce are stepping up immensely. They're actively pushing their advantages, snowballing all lanes, and have exceptional team fighting. They're a hard nut to crack for anyone, and even though they're still a bit rough around the edges, they have the tools within their arsenal to go blow-for-blow with the very best in the region.

Misfits Gaming, on the other hand, are in a tough situation. They're not out of the playoffs, but the odds are against them. And then some. They have such a small chance, in fact, that one might even say they're out of the playoffs entirely. And they know it. They're fighting for scraps and some semblance of redemption at this point, and we just don't know how motivated they really are. Maybe they want to end things on a high note and then prepare for the Summer Split. Or perhaps, they're completely demotivated and crushed, and will, as a result, roll over and lose without putting up much of a fight.

We really can't know right now. After Hussain "Moose" Moosvi took back the head coach position, they looked better. Perhaps even solid, as a mid-tier contender. But they're still painfully inconsistent and they're making a ton of egregious errors across the board. This simply isn't a strong Misfits, and they're just not playing good League of Legends right now. The problem is, we know what they're capable of, and Splyce aren't exactly synonymous with consistent play.

If Misfits come out swinging, who knows what could happen. This is an exceptionally hard match to predict. We have two highly capable teams that are looking to make waves, but even though they're only divided by a couple of wins on the standings, they're on two different spots entirely. Splyce's playoff spot is secured, but they're still fighting to get a better spot in the standings. They have Misfits and Fnatic lined up for the last week of competitive play, so they should, in theory, focus a bit more on taking Misfits down seeing how Fnatic are favored on Saturday. Misfits are an "easier" win, even though there is no such thing in the hyper competitive LEC landscape.

We're going with Splyce on this one, but not with full confidence. They are already 1-0 against Misfits in their direct head-to-head, and they should, by all means, be able to eke a win this time as well. It won't be easy -- that's for sure, but they do have a big chance to get the win regardless, barring any exceptional flashes of brilliance from the boys in black and red. Expect one heck of a fight, and seeing how it's Splyce we're talking about