Team Dignitas vs Team Liquid

The 2022 LCS Lock-In Playoffs will not start off as expected; who in their right mind could've predicted that Dignitas would reach Top 4 -- at the expense of the 100 Thieves, no less? It was a twist that caught us all off guard. So how in the world did Dignitas upset the defending LCS champions? Well, it's actually rather simple: they played better League of Legends on the day, they were better prepared, and had executed their strategies almost flawlessly.

To do all of these things against a team of 100T's caliber speaks volumes about their potential and overall resilience. Every single player on Dignitas delivered, but River and Neo, in particular, stood out the most. They played like their lives depended on it, like it was a matter of life and death, each in his own right. The fact that River made 100 Thieves look like a bunch of scrubs despite only landing in North America mere days prior to competing is simply astounding.

Dignitas had no business being as good as they were. And yet it wasn't a fluke -- they were simply better than their opponents, who just so happened to have been the reigning LCS champions. To play in such a way, to compete with such zest and fervor, against a team everyone deemed superior is feat worthy of the highest praise. And, well, they made it look easy, too. Not at all like they were fighting one of the best teams in the West and the only organization in North America that *hadn't* made any changes to its starting line-up. Dignitas, on the other hand, made *three* and they still somehow looked more cohesive and were more in sync when compared to their more revered adversaries. How in the world that was even possible is anyone's guess -- it's not like 100 Thieves imploded or anything; they were simply beaten and outperformed.

Team Liquid, on the other hand, have been pretty darn incredible thus far. The only problem is that they've had to field multiple different line-ups, not all of which were exceptional. Until CoreJJ can get his green card, TL will have start with either him *or* Hans Sama; the only way for them to play at the same time is if TL were to sub out Bwipo and play with their Academy top laner which, in fact, they've already done a couple of weeks ago.

So how is this most likely to pan out? Well, our minds and every ounce of rationality in our beings are screaming Team Liquid. It's the only logical choice, after all. Still, we're afraid that Dignitas will somehow dig even deeper and pull out a series of unexpected picks and strats and, in doing so, take Team Liquid by surprise. The former LCS champions have had more than enough time to devise a strategy and counter whatever Dignitas might want to do in game, but the same goes the other way around. The only question is: were Dignitas able to utilize and harness the last few days to the same effect? We know for a fact that they don't have as much depth as their more revered peers, but the same held true for their Best of 3 against 100 Thieves and well know how that turned out.

The gap between these two might not be as large as we initially believed. Neither team has a whole lot of synergy to work with and there's also a brand new patch which will only further complicate things. Team Liquid also have the better players and the higher skill ceiling, but that doesn't mean much if they don't find a way to neutralize River's awe-inspiring early game pressure and Neo's late game dominance. These two are Dignitas' biggest win conditions, but FakeGod, Blue, and Biofrost are also mighty capable and are not to be trifled with. Heck, two of those three are former champions so it's not like they don't know their way around the Summoner's Rift.

In the end, we cannot help but side with Team Liquid on this one. They have more tools to work with and should, by all means, be able to emerge victorious. Still, it's not going to come easy nor do we expect them to dominate Dignitas in any way, shape, or form.