Team SoloMid vs FlyQuest

For our third match of the day we have a truly fascinating clash between Team SoloMid and FlyQuest. This, in essence, is a fight between two Top 3 team, so there's more than enough reason to tune in as fireworks are basically guaranteed.

They're fairly similar at the moment record-wise (TSM being 4W-3L and FLY sitting at 3W-3L), so they're also fighting for a spot at the top of the standings. Over the last three and a half weeks, both teams have shown us great things on the Summoners Rift, although they're far from perfect. Team SoloMid are entering this clash after dropping a game to Cloud9 yesterday and, quite frankly, there's no shame in that. To lose against the undefeated C9 is, after all, an expected outcome. They fought fairly well, especially early on when they were able to capitalize on a couple of Cloud9 blunders. Unfortunately, after a hectic mid game, Team SoloMid lost control and were never able to get back in the driver's seat.

But again, dropping a game against the best team in the region is perfectly acceptable. They weren't outclassed in any way, and they've shown more than enough promise in their previous four wins so their stock didn't take much of a hit. As things stand, they're the second best team in the region and have shown incredible mechanical prowess, team cohesion, and a spectacular grasp on the meta and its many nuanced layers. Heck, even Cloud9 have said they consider Team SoloMid their only true opponent at the moment. With Liquid and Dignitas imploding, there's no one else to actually challenge for the LCS throne right now.

FlyQuest, on the other hand, are hard to read at the moment. At their best, they're a solid, well-rounded contender that has many diverse weapons to work with. They're in sync, they're always on the offensive and have more than enough tools to challenge for a spot at the top. At their worst, however, they're sloppy, out of sync, they overstep and are overeager to make things happen which ultimately leads them to their demise. They're still synergizing so egregious mistakes are a natural thing, but having too many playmakers and too much aggression and bravado under one roof rarely pans out that well.

Still, even with their faults, there's a lot to like, they just need to maintain a steady level of play and they're bound to, at the very least, reach the playoffs once the regular portion of the split concludes. No one's still quite sure what to think of their long term potential, but they're a strong challenger, that's for sure. If they can tame their biggest assets and channel a bit of that aggression in the right way, they could definitely compete at the highest of levels.

In the end, however, we simply have to give the nod to Team SoloMid. They've done more over the last couple of weeks, they've displayed a far better understanding of the meta, they've dominated when they were ahead but were also resilient when fighting from a deficit, they're all playing out their minds on an individual levels and their ability to navigate complex, five on five team fights in a split of a second is uncanny. They're equipped with all the right tools to get the win against FlyQuest tonight.

That said, they're not the hardest to read and if FlyQuest prepared the right way they could definitely challenge the perennial North American titans across the board. In any case, expect a very competitive, back and forth clash between two talented line-ups.