I know I already did this last week, but… we need to talk about Team Liquid again.

Last week was not an astounding resurgence, but it was definitely an improvement over their recent performance.

They went even in games and matches, and in his good games Piglet played very well in his new role.

New and rookie AD Carry Youngbin, however, did not play well enough, from both a viewer’s perspective and that of the team.

They have announced this week that they have secured a short-term contract with Doublelift, to carry them through the rest of spring split.

I can honestly say I don’t think anyone outside of those involved expected this; although Doublelift had publicly said that he missed playing professionally, the impression was that he would just try out for Team SoloMid again ahead of summer split.

It does look like that’s still the plan; Doublelift has made a public statement that he intends to return to Team SoloMid after this split.

I have to wonder if Team Liquid has anything in the works for after the season, but hopefully this will at least help them avoid relegations.

Piglet is doing fairly well in the midlane. Good midlaners are few and far between in North America, and between Piglet and Reignover, Team Liquid does not have room for any more imports even if they wanted to.

Doublelift is a better player than Youngbin on basically every metric. I don’t say that to put Youngbin down, but he’s a total rookie to the LCS, whereas Doublelift has been one of, if not the best AD Carry in the region for quite some time.

Matt is now the player to be concerned with on Team Liquid. He hasn’t been looking as good this season as he did last year, and his stats are lacklustre.

He’s not bad by any means, but he does have weaknesses, and he is now going to be working with his third AD Carry in as many weeks of play.

Personally, I hope Doublelift micromanages him a bit – mechanically, Matt can do just fine (his Thresh hooks were great over the weekend), so with such a strong lane partner I would really like to see him improve.

For the record, they have also acquired Phoenix1’s Adrian, but at the time of my writing this, it sounds like he will be a substitute player for the rests of the season.

Anyway! The standings after last week:

1. Team SoloMid: 10-2 in matches; 20-10 in games
1. Cloud9: 10-2; 21-8
3. FlyQuest: 7-5; 17-10
3. Phoenix1: 7-5; 18-12
5. CounterLogic Gaming: 6-6; 14-16
6. Echo Fox: 5-7; 12-16
6. Immortals: 5-7; 15-16
8. Team Dignitas: 4-8; 12-18
9. Team Envy: 3-9; 8-19
9. Team Liquid: 3-9; 12-20

We’re two-thirds of the way through the split. After last weekend, Cloud9 and Team SoloMid have locked in their playoff spots. This week, let’s take a look at where everyone stands, and what their outlook is for this week and the rest of the split.

I’m going to order them by an assumed relative difficulty of their next two matches, by averaging the current rank of their two opponents in week seven.

Team SoloMid
Team Rank: 1 (tied)
Average rank of opponents this weekend: 7.5
Average rank of all remaining opponents: 6

Team SoloMid are looking fantastic right now; they haven’t lost a match since week four, and have only lost a handful of games in that time. This weekend should be pretty straightforward for them, with games against Team Envy (9th place) and Immortals (6th).

I don’t think there’s much I can even say about these two games, except that both these teams really don’t want to be losing games at this point.

Team SoloMid really just needs to keep playing the game they have been, and not let either team steal and snowball advantages. These will probably be fun to watch if you’re a Team SoloMid fan, but otherwise not so much.

This week should really be prep for the more challenging teams they have left to play; FlyQuest, Phoenix1, Echo Fox (who are one of the two teams that have handed Team SoloMid a loss), and potentially Team Liquid.

Team SoloMid definitely has the capacity to win these matches, but they need to make sure they don’t get complacent.

Cloud9
Team Rank: 1 (tied)
Average rank of opponents this weekend: 7
Average rank of all remaining opponents: 6.6

Week five was worrying, but week six was back on form for Cloud 9, who along with Team SoloMid were the only two teams to not drop a single game over the weekend. This weekend they will play CounterLogic Gaming (5th) and Team Liquid (9th).

Both these teams went 1-1 last weekend, although for reasons I’ve already looked at, Team Liquid are suddenly a much more significant threat.

Still, Cloud9 have picked up where they left off in week four, and if they can stay on form they will take both matches this weekend.

They have some of the best players in the league in each role, and have the macro game to take early game leads and turn them into match and game wins.

Looking to the rest of the split, Cloud9 have already had a match against their two closest rivals.

Mostly their games are against middling-to-bottom tier teams, with the exception of third-placed Phoenix1.

This is probably going to be their major challenge in the regular split; Phoenix1 and Team SoloMid are the only two teams to take games off Cloud9 this split.

Team Dignitas
Team Rank: 8
Average rank of opponents this weekend: 5.5
Average rank of all remaining opponents: 6

Dignitas are looking better as they spend more time together; while they did lose both of their matches last week, they were against two of the top teams.

This week, their games against CounterLogic Gaming (5th) and Echo Fox (6th) should be much closer.

Team Dignitas has lost against both of these teams in the past, but that was back in week two and three before Cop became the team’s coach.

This is still going to be a challenging week, but they really have improved since those last games, and as such have a much better shot this week.

They’re only one match behind Echo Fox and two behind CounterLogic Gaming, so you can bet they’re working on closing those gaps.

They have a wide spread of games for the rest of the split, ranging from Cloud9 through Team Envy.

With the changes to Team Liquid, they will need to work hard to keep themselves from slipping down to ninth spot and facing relegation, they either need Team Liquid to continue to play badly, or they might need to step up and push themselves past Echo Fox.

Echo Fox
Team Rank: 6 (tied)
Average rank of opponents this weekend: 5.5
Average rank of all remaining opponents: 4.8

Echo Fox finally broke their feast/famine streak in a loss to Cloud9, but a win against Team Liquid this week.

Next weekend should be a bit easier for them, not playing a top-tier team; Phoenix1 (3rd) is still ahead in the standings, but definitely not on Cloud9’s level, while Team Dignitas (8th) are on a bit of a losing streak despite their improvements.

Echo Fox have won against higher placed teams, including FlyQuest and Team SoloMid. They lost their first game against Phoenix1, but that was way back on the first day of the split, so I look forward to seeing how the two teams fare against one another.

Dignitas has a great week five but a challenging week six; they lost both their matches, but they were against much higher teams. Echo Fox can’t be complacent in this match, and will need to play it like they have in their good weeks previously.

In the later half of the season, things will get more challenging. Aside from a match against Team Envy, they only have games against higher-ranked opponents.

If they want to beat out Immortals for the sixth-place playoff spot, they will need to show that they deserve it in these remaining series.

Team Envy
Team Rank: 9 (tied)
Average rank of opponents this weekend: 5
Average rank of all remaining opponents: 5

Team Envy picked up their third win of the split against Immortals last Monday, and while some of it was poor play on the part of Immortals, Team Envy were able to take neutral objectives and turrets throughout their games.

This week though, they play against the much more skilled Team SoloMid (1st) and the refreshed Team Liquid (9th).

With all the changes to Team Liquid, this has the potential to be an even tougher week for Team Envy than the numbers would show. While Team Envy have shown good some improvement, they would need to pull off some really strong shotcalling and solid macro play to win these matches, and Team SoloMid really don’t look like they will lose any time soon.

I’d like to see either an innovative strategy from Team Envy, or some really tight rotations to give them the best chance at taking a win.

As a team who is also yet to re-play opponents like Cloud9 and CounterLogic Gaming, they have a rough road to the end of the season.

It’s looking likely that this team will end up in the relegation tournament, but they can use these matches to improve on their gameplay and at least be ready to fight the challenger teams later in the year.

Team Liquid
Team Rank: 9 (tied)
Average rank of opponents this weekend: 5
Average rank of all remaining opponents: 4.2

Although I’m not exactly a Team Liquid fan, I’m really invested in the changes to their squad (in case you couldn’t tell). Team Liquid have two very different games this weekend, one against Cloud9 (1st) and then later against Team Envy (9th).

The Cloud9 game will be first, and while I definitely don’t expect to see Team Liquid win the match, I am hoping to see them take a game.

The early game bot matchup between Doublelift and Sneaky should be a pleasure to watch, although Piglet versus Jensen doesn’t seem very fair.

The match against Team Envy, who they are tied with coming into the weekend, is very important for the squad.

I expect Team Liquid not just to win (as they did last time), but to do so convincingly, and to show just how far they can go with the right players.

Moving into the rest of the split, Team Liquid should be looking to pick up every single match they can to get out of the relegations spot.

The match against Team Dignitas will be vital, since that’s who they will want to push down the ladder.

It’s not an easy road though; as well as the match against Cloud9, they will need to re-play Team SoloMid, Phoenix1 and FlyQuest.

CounterLogic Gaming
Team Rank: 5
Average rank of opponents this weekend: 4.5
Average rank of all remaining opponents: 5.5

CounterLogic Gaming haven’t been doing too badly the last couple of weeks. They’re three for four in matches, and the one they dropped was to first-placed Team SoloMid.

This weekend, CounterLogic Gaming’s opponents are quite different in cloud9 (1st) and Team Dignitas (8th).

We’ve already looked at where Cloud9 will pose a challenge, but if CounterLogic Gaming can play smart, win trades and win lanes they will have a much better chance of taking the match.

For Team Dignitas, CounterLogic Gaming should just make sure to push early for a lead, while not giving too much up in return.

Dignitas have generally won when they are allowed to take their time and build up a slow lead, so if that’s prevented, things will be much easier for CounterLogic Gaming

In the rest of the split, the outlook gets a little easier, with only a match against FlyQuest left in the top half of the rankings. They will need to watch out for Echo Fox though, who did take the last match, and will want to hold on to the head-to-head lead.

FlyQuest
Team Rank: 3 (tied)
Average rank of opponents this weekend: 4.5
Average rank of all remaining opponents: 5

FlyQuest have been looking pretty shaky the last couple of weeks, losing three in four matches. This weekend will pose more challenges, with a game against their fellow third place Phoenix1 as well as Immortals (6th).

FlyQuest came out on top in both of the earlier matches against these teams. Teams have started to work out where weaknesses lie though, FlyQuest’s macro game is fantastic, but the individual players just aren’t as good as many of their counterparts.

In both games, especially against Phoenix1, they need to watch their individual play and not let their opponent get significantly ahead during laning phase.

It only gets marginally easier through the remainder of the split. They’ve already played two of the bottom three teams, but the only playoff team they won’t face again is Cloud9.

The team is definitely able to perform, but they need to be working on their individual play between games if they want to prove that they’re really a top four team.

Phoenix1
Team Rank: 3 (tied)
Average rank of opponents this weekend: 4.5
Average rank of all remaining opponents: 4.3

Phoenix1 have risen from the ashes of relegations last split to clearly be one of the top teams in the league. This week, their games against FlyQuest (3rd) and Echo Fox (6th) are going to be incredibly important for them to solidify that spot.

FlyQuest are tied with Phoenix1 for third place. FlyQuest currently have the head-to-head advantage, and an ever so slightly higher win rate.

A 2-0 win for Phoenix1 would bring the teams to one match apiece, and drastically close that gap. If Phoenix1 lose the series, FlyQuest would wholly own the head-to-head, and Phoenix1 would have a much, much harder time of holding third place.

This is a really important game from Phoenix1’s perspective, moreso than it is for FlyQuest.

The game against Echo Fox isn’t quite as make-or-break in the standings, but as a team only two matches behind Phoenix1, that is looking to lock in a play-off spot, Echo Fox could cause a bit of an upset if they are allowed to win.

The last two weeks of the split will be even tougher – Phoenix1 has not yet had their rematch against either of the number one teams. It is going to be an uphill battle for this team to stay in their current position, but I’m certain they won’t go without a fight.

Immortals
Team Rank: 6 (tied)
Average rank of opponents this weekend: 2
Average rank of all remaining opponents: 3.5

Immortals have been looking decent but not fantastic this split, and they have gone downhill a bit in the last week with losses to both Team Liquid and Team Envy.

This week will be an even bigger challenge, with games against Team SoloMid (1st) and FlyQuest (3rd).

Immortals have a serious uphill battle to take either of these games, which puts their sixth place spot in jeopardy.

If everyone can play smart, and Dardoch can avoid tilting (and actually remembers to purchase items), this is a team that does have the capacity to win against FlyQuest. The question is whether or not they will pull it off.

Taking down Team SoloMid would take something else entirely, and I’m not entirely sure that Immortals can do it. They probably need to go into it with the goal of taking as much away from their opponent as possible, and try to take a game.

It only gets a little easier going forwards. Immortals have already had (and lost) their second games against Team Envy and Team Liquid, with mostly higher ranked teams to go.

They have a much harder time closing the split than the other sixth placed team, Echo Fox, so they need to start this weekend on the right foot with at least some game wins.

There are likely to be a fair few mismatched games this weekend, but there are a couple that should be interesting because of their importance.

Team Liquid versus Team Envy at 9am AEDT on Monday will be really interesting to see, and Phoenix1 versus FlyQuest at 1pm Saturday is going to be an important game as we reach the end of the split.

What’re other people watching this weekend?