Below is a gathering of details associated with the upcoming LCS Summer Finals between Team Liquid and Cloud9. Ranging from event details down to the statistics of the competing players, The Game Haus has it covered.

Event Location, Start Time and How to Watch

The LCS Summer Finals will take place at Little Caesar’s Arena in Detroit, Michigan.

The event begins Saturday, August 25 with the 3rd place match between Clutch Gaming and Counter Logic Gaming at 4:00 P.M. EST. On Sunday, August 26, Team Liquid and Cloud9 will meet in the finals, also at 4:00 P.M. EST.

Per usual, LoL Esports will be broadcasting the event live on the Riot Games Twitch channel. It will also be available on the LoL Esports YouTube channel, as well as the LoL Esports website.

Team Records and Background Information

At the end of the Summer Split, Team Liquid finished atop the LCS with a record of 14-4. This is the 2nd time in a row they’ve had that record and their 4th consecutive trip to the finals.

Cloud9 is coming into the finals with a regular season record of 12-6. Unlike TL, C9 had to win a tiebreaker with CLG to secure their 2nd place spot.

Both teams have had an up and down history in-game, as they’ve gone 2-2 in their previous four meetings. The kicker is the fact that each team secured their wins consecutively, as TL took two matches in the spring and C9 won their two this summer. In addition, Team Liquid and Cloud9 both met in last year’s Summer Finals, where C9 were swept.

Even though both of these teams have secured a place at World’s this fall, the intensity should still be at the highest level.

Individual Matchups and Analysis

The past two seasons have been all Team Liquid’s, but Cloud9 is ready to change the narrative. They fell short of the finals during the spring and now have what it takes to compete with the best. However, Team Liquid have shown no signs of cooling off, despite the ice in their veins.

Top Lane: TL Impact v. C9 Licorice

Entering the Summer Finals, Eon-yeong ‘Impact‘ Jung holds the highest regular season K/D/A among Top Laners at 4.6. However, Eric ‘Licorice‘ Ritchie has put himself in the upper echelon with a K/D/A of 8.4 in the playoffs. Compared to Impact’s current 2.6 K/D/A, this is a substantial improvement from the regular season.

Both Top Laners have traded spots on the All-LCS 1st Team this season, so this has the potential to be the most even matchup in the series. Both are extremely reliable, flashy and smart in-game, meaning it will likely translate into a battle between the Junglers.

Jungle: TL Xmithie v. C9 Svenskeren

In the Jungle will be a fight of wits. Both Jake ‘Xmithie‘ Puchero and Dennis ‘Svenskeren‘ Johnsen are easily the best Junglers in the league, but the difference between them is their play style. Svenskeren likes to control the early game and get involved with his laners, whereas Xmithie prefers the safe and calculated route. Instead of looking for an early kill in a lane, Xmithie will try to counter the opposing Jungler by taking resources. This fine line between the two Junglers will be very interesting as the series plays out.

Although their K/D/A ratios are rather similar, Svenskeren has the clear upper hand in the early game during these playoffs. His GD@10, DPM and ward score are all much higher than Xmithie’s, as he is a much better play-maker. On the flip side, Xmithie plays much better when grouped with his teammates, so the matchup may not be as decided as it seems. Svenskeren might have to strap on his MVP crown a little tighter for this series.

Mid Lane: TL Jensen v. C9 Nisqy

The Middle Lane in this series features an intense matchup between Nicolaj ‘Jensen‘ Jensen and Yasin ‘Nisqy‘ Dinçer. Jensen will be looking to solidify his legacy and prove himself against his former team, whereas Nisqy is hungry for a title. C9’s emphatic Mid Laner ultimately led the LCS in kills during the summer, so Jensen might be in for a wild ride.

In Team Liquid’s semifinals victory over Clutch Gaming, Jensen was the clear and obvious carry. His play on Akali catapulted TL into the finals, but Nisqy has gotten the best of Jensen in recent meetings. With a K/D/A of 5.8, Nisqy reigns over his peers and does so with the help of Svenskeren in the Jungle. These two have a profound synergy that even Jensen has admitted to being afraid of. That alone could be the nail in the coffin in this matchup, but Team Liquid have never been taken down without a fight.

Bot Lane: TL Doublelift v. C9 Sneaky

The two Bottom Laners in this series are likely the two best in the league. Peter ‘Doublelift‘ Peng and Zachary ‘Sneaky‘ Scuderi have both proven themselves on domestic and global stages, but they’re getting another chance to earn bragging rights in the LCS Finals.

Doublelift was one of the most stellar players in the league during the summer, as his K/D/A was 2nd only to his support. In addition, he also had the 2nd most kills in the league and a great kill participation percentage of 76%. On the other hand, Sneaky was right behind him with a K/D/A of 5.6, but was no where near his opponent’s KPAR. This has been an issue for Cloud9 and Team Liquid will likely take advantage of it, as Doublelift always makes sure to be involved. Whether it’s roaming for an easy kill or winning the 2v2, TL’s Bottom Lane has the chance of stumping any opponent.

Support: TL CoreJJ v. C9 Zeyzal

Along with their ADCs, both Supports in this matchup are some of the best in the business. Yong-in ‘CoreJJ‘ Jo is coming off of an amazing Summer Split, where he led the LCS with his K/D/A of 6.0. His opponent, Tristan ‘Zeyzal‘ Stidham, hasn’t had the same success, but has a very similar impact. Both are natural engagers that can shift the tides of any fight.

This summer, Zeyzal was right behind CoreJJ in regards to K/D/A. The main difference in their play was the fact that CoreJJ was more efficient with his time. His ability to convert on plays outside of the Bottom Lane is incomparable to any other player in the LCS. If Zeyzal can do a decent job of mimicking or countering CoreJJ’s style, Cloud9’s Bot Lane will have a much better chance of winning laning phase. Otherwise, Doublelift and CoreJJ will bring the house down.

Predictions

With the recent momentum they’ve built to close out the regular season, it’s hard to think Team Liquid will lose this series. Even though they lost to Cloud9 in both of their previous meetings, TL has one of the best coordinated fights of any team in the world. Each member of their all-star studded roster has a great feel for their teammates, even in the most dire situations.

Cloud9 will need a significant boost in the Bottom Lane to pull out a win, as Team Liquid will likely put all of their resources into Doublelift and CoreJJ. These two have the ability to take on the enemy team alone if set up properly, so C9 will have a large task in front of them.

Series Prediction: 3-2 Team Liquid

Featured Image Courtesy of the ESL Pro League.

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