Team Vitality vs Astralis

The fact that Vitality dropped to G2 Esports yesterday really didn't come as that big of a surprise. In fact, it was an expected outcome, one that came after a long string of underwhelming performances and somewhat shocking losses -- both to top-tier contenders and bottom-feeders alike.

Be that as it may, their spot in the playoffs is almost all but guaranteed. It's not official just yet, though, and there's still a timeline in which they don't make it in -- that's why this game is so darn important: it's "do or die" and if they happen to lose, their fate will be in someone else's hands. If they drop to Astralis -- and MAD take down BDS -- Vitality will automatically be slotted into seventh place.

That's... a pretty plausible scenario. It's unlikely, granted, but still very much possible. That may or may not end up hindering Vitality's play. There's so much on the line here that we cannot predict whether it'll motivate or, conversely, affect them in a negative way. They'll surely brush it off, knowing just how confident (if not cocky) they are, but make no mistake: this *is* lingering in the back of their minds. If they end up losing they'll be ridiculed and made fun of for months. Most of them have signed obscenely expensive contracts and to not be able to fulfill their "duties" would be tantamount to a debacle. They were brought on to win, and to do so emphatically and in the most impressive fashion imaginable. Thus far, however, their play has been nothing but underwhelming, and sometimes it was even *less* than that.

Will Perkz and Co. finally step up? Will they "seal the deal" and lock in their playoff spot? We think they will, but we're not 100% confident, and it's easy to understand why. Vitality don't even have a .500 record, and the sheer fact that they've dropped nine games thus far is mind-blowing. Even if they make the playoffs they'll *still* be considered a failed attempt at a superteam; there's no doubt about it.

Astralis, on the other hand, have nothing to lose *or* win -- they're the worst team in Europe and have done next to nothing so as to warrant our praise and respect. They can, from time to time, put on a show, but these instances have been so exceedingly rare that they're not even worth talking about -- least of all right now, on the cusp of the Spring Split playoffs.

We'll go with Vitality, but we're not a fan of theirs nor have we been impressed with their performance. We want to see more from such a star-studded line-up, and the fact that they'll almost certainly make playoffs isn't enough to impress us. It's now or never -- they *have* to deliver and make good on their promise of upending the status quo. Otherwise, they'll go down in history as one of the most arrogant and least successful teams in the history of Western LoL.