With the final week of the regular season approaching, we take a look at the teams as they gear up for playoffs.

(Image Credit: artubr)

1. Cloud 9

Although they went 1-1 for the week, Cloud 9 still remains a stable force at the top of the table in what has been a volatile Spring Split for North America. Giving up six towers to Optic followed by a loss to TSM certainly doesn’t help their case for being here in the rankings, but when looking at the Split as a whole, Cloud 9 has definitely been the most consistent team at the top. Look for them to rebound next week in their matches against Team Liquid and FlyQuest.

2. TSM

This one is kind of tricky. TSM could be ranked as low as sixth or as high as first depending on who you ask. Following a 2-0 weekend with convincing wins over TL and North American powerhouse Cloud 9, it looks like TSM is finally getting back to form. MikeYeung seems to finally be finding his groove, posting zero deaths over both games, and Bjergsen is finally playing carry champions again, which only bodes well for TSM. TSM is 4-1 in their last five games, beating the top two teams in the league in the process. With one more week to refine their play before playoffs begin, it looks like TSM has a real shot to return to finals for the 11th straight split.

3. Echo Fox

This team looked so strong at the beginning of the split, and while I genuinely want them to defy the critics, it looks like Echo Fox may finally be cracking under the pressure. Echo Fox had its first 0-2 week of the split, losing to Clutch Gaming and CLG. Huni has not looked good in the top lane, posting KDA’s of 0/2/2 and 0/5/4 against Clutch and CLG, respectively. Next week will be a big test for Echo Fox, as they look to retain their first round bye heading into playoffs. But will they rise to the occasion, or tilt under the pressure? Only time will tell. And with the question having to be asked, Echo Fox land in 3rd.

4. 100 Thieves

If you had asked at the beginning of the Spring Split if 100 Thieves would be in contention for a first round bye heading into the final week of the regular season, you would have likely gotten many resounding no’s. But following a 2-0 week, including a nearly perfect game against Optic, it looks like 100 Thieves is coming together just in time for playoffs. Cody Sun looks to be in top form, recording only one death to his 15 kills in his past three games. Similar to TSM, 100 Thieves is 4-1 in their previous five games. Look for them to play spoiler next weekend, as they try to unseat one of the top two teams to obtain a first round bye.

5. Clutch Gaming

I wish I could have ranked this team higher, but they have proven to have an inability to beat teams at the top of the standings. Although they are ranked fourth in NA, nine of their ten wins have come against teams that are ranked 5th or lower in the standings currently. The only win they have this split against a top five team is their absolute routing of Echo Fox this past weekend. And while it was a good win, beating a sliding Echo Fox is unfortunately not enough to get me to rank them in the top four. I am curious to see how this team does in playoffs when they get the chance to square off against top of the table teams in the best-of-five setting, where things might shake up, but for now, this team rests at 5th.

6. CLG

We are headed into the final week of the Split, and the miracle run still continues for CLG. After starting 3-9, CLG have had back to back 2-0 weeks and are looking to squeak by into the playoffs. While their postseason fate remains in the hands of TL and TSM, if there is one thing we have learned from this run it is that you can never count CLG out. Look for them to give TSM a run for their money this weekend in what could be one of the most pivotal matches of the Split.

7. Team Liquid

It saddens me that I am ranking Team Liquid as low as seven. I had such high hopes for this team at the beginning of the Split, but quite frankly they have looked like a mess lately. TL only took one tower against TSM last week, and Doublelift only has four kills over his last two games. While they did find a win over Clutch Gaming on Sunday, TL has gone 2-3 in its last five games and look like they are having a bit of an identity crisis. Some games they are able to win handily, but in others they look like a team at the bottom of the barrel. Hopefully Team Liquid will figure it out in time for playoffs, because if they can perform like they were at the beginning of the Split, this team has the potential to make a deep postseason run as top dog.

8. FlyQuest

This is where the playoff contenders end, and the bottom tier teams begin.

FlyQuest has gone just 1-4 in their past five games, with their only win coming against the 4-12 Golden Guardians. While they have been able to give a few teams a run for their money, including taking CLG to 51 minutes on Saturday, FlyQuest just haven’t been able to compete this Split. Next week they play Echo Fox and C9, so it’s possible they could play the role of spoiler in kicking one of those teams out of a first round bye. Hopefully they can refocus over the extended break from missing playoffs and come back improved and ready to go for Summer Split.

9. Golden Guardians

This team has been lackluster most of the Split. The Golden State Warriors affiliate has some promising young talent, but that’s about all they have going for them. The Golden Guardians went 0-2 over the weekend, dropping games to 100 Thieves and their bottom-of-the-league counterpart, FlyQuest. While the Golden Guardians cannot make the playoffs themselves, they can help CLG in doing so, with a chance to complicate TSM’s playoff hopes in their match on Saturday.

10. Optic Gaming

There’s not much to talk about here. Optic may be good at Call of Duty, but they still have a long way to go to establish that same level of dominance in League. They have the opportunity to end CLG’s run in their game against them this Saturday, but I don’t expect them to do so.

Do you think CLG will make the playoffs? Or will the current field of six remain? Let us know in the comments below!

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