The Summer Split of the 2018 North American League of Legends Championship Series shapes up as one of the most hotly contested in recent memory, with a myriad of talented rosters looking to claim the throne.
Team Liquid hope to defend
Team Liquid are looking to defend their title after an up and down performance at the Mid-Season Invitational. Star player Doublelift is put into an odd position, given the state of the current meta has seen a reduction in power to the traditional AD Carry position within the Bottom lane.
The game is currently in a state of innovation and chaos, with teams across the globe looking to figure out what the best team compositions are. The question for all top teams, including Liquid, is who has the most flexibility and ingenuity entering the season?
One bright spot for Liquid is the years of experience on the roster, with hopes that this will allow them to adjust no matter the current obscurity within the game.
While Doublelift is the star power, arguably the most important player for Liquid will be Jungler Xmithie as he looks to facilitate a solid early game for the rest of the team.
Big changes at Cloud9
In one of the most surprising moves in recent memory, Cloud9 have decided to bench their three best players in Jensen, Sneaky and Smoothie, with Goldenglue, Keith and Zeyzal coming in for at least their first game against Clutch Gaming. This came completely out of left field, with questions now swirling around the possible motivation for this move.
The organisation have focused more on the positives as to why the previous Academy players deserve this opportunity, more so than specifically saying there are issues with the original starting trio.
This is a major shake-up, with the aforementioned three being some of the most consistent and best players in their positions. It is currently unknown how long this will be the starting line-up, but Cloud9’s overall level is a complete mystery heading into Week 1.
TSM mix things up
Team SoloMid also recently made an announcement, stating that Grig would be splitting time with MikeYeung in the Jungle. The issue for TSM for years now has been the revolving door at their starting Jungler position, with the outfit continually acquiring top Junglers from other teams only to see them completely subdued and play poorly once they put on a TSM jersey.
However, even if the Jungle position is a weak spot, the rest of the team is filled to the brim with star players who are more than capable of claiming the title.
The question for TSM, as it is for every other team in the league, is can Zven and mithy adapt to the madness that is the Bottom lane currently, or will they look to stick to their old ways by playing the likes of Ezreal, Lucian or Kai’sa whenever possible?
Echo Fox one to watch
The most intriguing team in the league remains Echo Fox who, after starting off incredibly well during the start of the Spring Split, fell off to close out the season. Teams began to figure out just how valuable selecting Kalista was for Echo Fox, with the team struggling to have Bottom lane impact without that champion.
The Top side of the map remained consistent and dominant, with both Huni and Dardoch being two of the best players in their position, not only in North America but the West as a whole.
Echo Fox are also a side filled with incredibly emotional players, allowing them to just as easily win five matches in a row as lose five straight.
If Echo Fox can have just a serviceable Bottom lane effort, the rest of the team should be able to carry them to a solid placing.
Conclusion
The 10 teams start the action over the weekend and it will be instructive to see how the teams react in Week 1. Team Liquid get the split underway against 100 Thieves with a fascinating TSM vs. Counter Logic Gaming battle to follow. Liquid, TSM and Cloud9 will all expect to qualify for the playoffs and each will be hoping for a quick start.
