The last few years have not been too kind to CLG and their fans, who’ve had to cope with the downfall of one of the most successful teams in the early years of the professional LoL esports scene.
Since winning the LCS 2016 Spring and making the grand finals of that year’s Mid-Season Invitational, Counter Logic’s quality has decayed to the point where they are now one of the league’s bottom feeders. Things took a promising turn when they finished third in the LCS 2019 Summer regular season and claimed a bronze medal in the playoffs, but 2020 has been an unmitigated disaster.
After losing mid laner Tristan “PowerOfEvil” Schrage to FlyQuest and swapping out support Vincent “Biofrost” Wang for Andy “Smoothie” Ta during the offseason, CLG went on to finish the LCS 2020 Spring in 10th place with a 3-15 record, which marked the worst split in the organisation’s 10-year history.
Things did not turn out much better for Counter Logic in the LCS 2020 Summer. While Smoothie and his crew looked held a 4-2 record early in the piece, it all went down the drain as CLG produced a 1-11 run to end the regular season in ninth place.
Despite their disastrous season, Counter Logic Gaming had a chance to make the playoffs due to the change to an eight-team LCS postseason format. However, they lost the tiebreaker match against Dignitas on Monday, which proved to be the last straw for the team’s management.
While the decision to fire SSONG and Weldon leaves them jobless amid the pandemic, which makes it hard to search for employment abroad, it is difficult to argue against CLG’s decision given how poorly the team has performed this year.
Since Counter Logic Gaming are now eliminated from the race for the LCS playoffs for the second split in a row, they now have plenty of time to consider their options and look at what needs improving ahead of the 2021 season.
Although CLG’s results this split were average at best, there were some positives to take from it. Mid laner Eugene “Pobelter” Park looked decent even though his numbers don’t necessarily show that, while ADC Trevor “Stixxay” Hayes deserves a lot of praise for his standout performances in the first half of the split.
What the next LCS season holds in store for Counter Logic Gaming is anyone’s guess, but we will likely see the North American esports organisation make some major roster and coaching changes in a bid to recapture their former glory.
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SATURDAY TIPS TIPS: JUNE 16 NA LCS TIPS
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Betting Predictions for Sunday June 17
Team SoloMid vs FlyQuest
Match 1 �C 12pm PST / 3pm EST
The most famous NA team, Team SoloMid, will be sparring against the newly reorganized FlyQuest in our first match of the day. Trying to finish off the second day as strongly as possible, it is very likely that FQ will pull off some shenanigans to gain the lead early.
On paper, TSM��s botlane is a direct upgrade to FLY��s botlane. That being said, this meta has destroyed the foundation of the ADC/Support roles and puts Zven and Wildturtle at a lower priority than most other lanes. The combination of Keane, Flame and Santorin still have yet to solidify their playmaking when compared to the time Bjergsen, Hauntzer and MikeYeung have received. Unfortunately for the players in green, the advantage still goes to TSM for the simple sheer strength of the midlane and botlane synergy between the two.
Betting prediction: Team SoloMid to win, paying $1.25 at GG Bet.
Team Liquid vs Golden Guardians
Match 2 �C 1pm PST / 4pm EST
The Golden State basketball team may have won in a landslide during the NBA Finals, but the opposite story may hold true in this match versus the 1st place finisher during Spring. Team Liquid are probably not considering this to be a terribly difficult match, but should they fall into complacency, the GG��s will absolutely attempt to usurp them.
Roster wise, the GGs removed Hai for Mickey. Although this brings some needed stability in the laning phase for midlane, it is unclear whether or not Mickey can communicate effectively enough to take over Hai��s shotcalling. And against TL whose playstyle is flexible and headstrong enough to do what they effectively want, the lack of coherent shotcalling puts the GGs in a heavy disadvantage. A roster change was definitely needed but it stands to reason that the GGs will have to put much more into practice, scrimming and team cohesion before challenging for the top spots.
Betting prediction: Team Liquid to win, paying $1.20 at GG Bet.
CounterLogic Gaming vs 100 Thieves
Match 3 �C 2pm PST / 5pm EST
The ever faithful fans of CLG will be cheering their boys on against the second place team of last split, 100 Thieves. Aphromoo will take the stage against his former team of three years, a team that he helped to build a lasting legacy and reputation for.
The question becomes whether or not CLG gains momentum at the beginning of the split. With Reignover��s lack of jungle pressure compared to his former self on Immortals or Fnatic, the pressure heavily lies on Huhi and Stixxay to win the early game. Even Darshan has been struggling employing his aggressive laning, split pushing style he is known for. 100T on the other hand have a silver lining in this ADC-less meta in Aphromoo, who can and will exert pressure across the map from his bottom lane territory. Lane by lane matchups in top, mid and ADC are favored to 100T but not by much. As mentioned before, this will be a jungle pressure battle and Meteos is the clear favorite to win.
Betting prediction: 100 Thieves to win, paying $1.66 at GG Bet.
Clutch Gaming vs Echo Fox
Match 4 �C 3pm PST / 6pm EST
Perhaps one of the more interesting matches of the day, Clutch Gaming and Echo Fox will begin their skirmish as the fourth match of the day and each hope to end the day with a victory. When it comes down to skill matchups, these two teams may be the most similar but for different reasons.
As always, Huni and Dardoch will aim to steal the show by going full throttle right out of the gate. Unfortunately for CG, Solo has been the weakest link on the team as of the latter half of last split. This effectively creates a power sink for FOX on the upper half of the map, which can also arguably be seen as the more powerful half of the map. Febiven matching up against Fenix is not the worst matchup, while Altec/Adrian versus Apollo/Hakuho should actually tilt a bit in favor of CG. But as reality sets in, when deciding to further a top laner versus and ADC on patch 8.11, the former is a safer option for victory.
Betting prediction: Echo Fox to win, paying $1.57 at GG Bet.
Cloud9 vs Optic Gaming
Match 5 �C 4pm PST / 7pm EST
Closing out the first week of the NA LCS will be a match between C9 and OPT. This match will most likely be OPT��s largest chance to show the world their mettle as their matchup with C9 is not horrible by any means.
Dhokla versus Licorice is a battle of the rookies, but is in Licorice��s favor due to Licorice being able to display his stellar abilities last split. Akaadian and Svenskeren will be at each others�� throats in the jungle as their playstyles are quite similar, utilizing mainly CC heavy junglers with the occasional Kha��zix throw in. The sparks will fly in midlane with PowerOfEvil, arguably one of the best EU midlaners, facing off against Jensen who is known to hold lane quite soundly. All in all, this match will be decided by jungle pressure and Dhoklas ability to hold Licorice in the top lane. Don��t be surprised however if a third win condition pops up in the form of Mordekaiser midgame powerspike or a protect the Darius composition though.
Betting prediction: Cloud9 to win, paying $1.57 at GG Bet.
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In terms of roster changes, some teams decided to swap one player on their roster while others went more drastic changes. A summary can be seen below:
FlyQuest
Jungle: Anda -> Santorin
Support: Stunt -> Konkwon
Golden Guardians
Mid: Hai -> Mickey
Optic Gaming
Top: zig -> Dhokla
Support: LemonNation -> Big
The bottom three teams from last split were the only teams to make changes to their main roster, whereas all the other seven teams seem to be sticking to their former roster in the spring.
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Betting Predictions for Saturday June 16
100 Thieves vs Team Liquid
Match 1 �C 2pm PST / 5pm EST
Starting off the day with the two largest titans of the Spring Split, Riot Games is not playing any games. 100 Thieves will seek revenge on the team that had stolen first place from the thieves themselves, Team Liquid. Team Liquid, after making a comeback during MSI but falling short, still seem to be the most interesting team when it comes to inconsistencies despite their past glory.
The largest deciding factor about this match will be the patch this game is being played on, which would be patch 8.11. This patch has effectively gutted critical chance attack damage carries (ADC) and is toying around with the Rageblade ADCs to the point where ADCs have very, very late power spikes in a short game environment. Although this hurts Cody Sun plenty, this will hurt Doublelift even more as the main MVP ADC in NA. The question becomes if the ADC does not perform well, which team can pick up the slack. Although top lane and mid lane may be evenly matched, Meteos came flying out of the gate last season with surprising aggressive moves to push his laners ahead. And despite Olleh��s consistent performance, he will be matched against the MVP of Spring Split, Aphromoo.
Betting prediction: 100 Thieves to win, paying $2.25 at GG Bet.
Team SoloMid vs CounterLogic Gaming
Match 2 �C 3pm PST / 6pm EST
Two of the most famous names in the NA LCS are to play after the aforementioned match of 100T vs TL. Neither team has made significant roster changes as of yet and despite any doubt from the fans, both have managed to secure safe-ish standings last season.
It was apparent that CLG had struggled finding their rhythm starting off last split, with every lane on CLG forfeiting pressure or just simply dying from a majority of ganks. TSM had a similar problem, mainly with incorporating Zven and Mithy into their team composition as well as MikeYeung hitting his stride. Taking both points into account, CLG has still failed to meet its fans�� expectations by finishing 7th place and missing playoffs while TSM had actually secured themselves 3rd place going into playoffs. Across the board, TSM looks stronger if it is an average day for both teams. Even on weak days, TSM still has the heralded Bjergsen and the Zven/Mithy combination for consistent gameplay.
Betting prediction: Team SoloMid to win, paying $1.50 at GG Bet.
Clutch Gaming vs Cloud9
Match 3 �C 4pm PST / 7pm EST
Going down the list of power teams, the newly formed Clutch Gaming takes on the titan of Cloud9 in the third match of the day. Cloud9 had first place contested for the longest time before succumbing to their poor habits of being lax during the latter half of the season. Clutch Gaming however sparked massive interest after their 3-1 victory over TSM, cementing them as a team to be taken seriously.
Again, with both teams not making roster changes, the power rankings will look curiously similar to last season. With the current patch, Apollo and Sneaky from both teams will probably find it difficult to snowball. In the midlane, Febiven had a great showing last season but Jensen also had an immaculate KDA and KP%. Solo and Licorice in the toplane are both double edged swords, so it stems from the ability for one top laner to get ahead to decide the game in a more absolute fashion. Svenskeren is the epitome of standard, by the book jungling while LirA has been known to be more eccentric. Under the same idea of 100T vs TL, this game might very well be decided as which team will be able to cover for an ADC��s weakness.
Betting prediction: Cloud9 to win, paying $1.57 at GG Bet.
FlyQuest vs Echo Fox
Match 4 �C 5pm PST / 8pm EST
At first, the power ranking of this match seems obvious �C 2nd place Echo Fox vs 8th place FlyQuest in the regular season. With the roster changes, FLY may fare a bit better than last season, although it is still a herculean task to bring down the FOXs.
FLY has swapped two of their members, Anda and Stunt, for Santorin and KonKwon. When it comes to experience, the substitutions make sense as both the newcomers possess years in the competitive scene. In full respect for the players�� skill, the newcomers may not necessarily be an upgrade in terms of mechanics but FLY is aiming for the veteran experience to solidify their playstyle. In the meanwhile, FOX is staying with their star studded roster that, on the back of Dardoch and Huni, aim to spiral the game out of control as soon as possible. Still possessing a stellar roster than earned them third place in the playoffs, FOX is still looking strong with FLY being the severe underdogs.
Betting prediction: Echo Fox to win, paying $1.33 at GG Bet.
Golden Guardians vs Optic Gaming
Match 5 �C 6pm PST / 9pm EST
Although being branded initially as the bottom of the barrel, these two teams did pull off surprising upsets in the regular season last split. Both possessing a slightly different roster, correctly assessing each team��s power is not as simple as it sounds.
With Hai��s replacement in Mickey, GGs aim to replace their expert shotcaller with an experienced player that relies on mechanical outplays and overall better laning and teamfighting plays. OPT on the other hand has replaced their top laner zig, who has had poor matchups last season, with Dhokla, a player relatively new to the professional scene. OPT has also replaced LemonNation with Big, a change similar to GG��s in terms of age versus experience and mechanics. This patch will once again play a large part in deciding the stronger team, as the focus will be on the top-jungle-mid combination. PowerOfEvil may secure OPT the midlane, but the combination of GG Lourlo and Contractz have a clear advantage over Dhokla and Akaadian due to the time they have had to synergize. In addition, the Korean import Mickey may not necessarily lose to POE in the midlane, creating quite a threatening composition in favor of GG,
Betting prediction: Golden Guardians to win, paying $1.83 at GG Bet.
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