LCS Playoffs

I honestly haven't been this hyped for LCS playoffs since, well, ever. With the exception of the obviously-Fnatic favored game against UOL, every single match this weekend has the potential to go to 5 games. And I am hyped. As. Fuck. So many questions will be answered this weekend. Will CLG choke? Will TSM actually play well and not let Quas and Piglet get fed off of their significantly weaker lane counterparts? Is H2k capable of taking down the retirement home of the EU LCS? All this and more will be answered...

... I'm not making the John Cena joke.

Here are my predictions:

Origen vs H2k
I want to believe in H2k so badly - they're my favorite EU team because rooting for Fnatic gets boring after a while. They have everything that they could need to take down Origen, but I don't know which H2k will show up. The one that was dominating the first half of summer split, or the one that lost to Copenhagen Wolves. The mother fucking Copenhagen Wolves. How did that even happen. In the top lane, I think that Odoamne and sOAZ are pretty well matched up against each other - both can either play tanky, supporty, boring champions or can play carry champs a-la-Rumble. xPeke vs Ryu should be fun to watch, supposing xPeke doesn't go full "Korean-midlaners-are-so-ez-dude" mode. Hjarnan + kaSing match up with Niels + Mithy pretty well too, this lane is one that would most likely go even. The biggest disparity is probably in the jungle, where everyone thinks that Loulex is trash tier and Amazing will dump all over him. According to Reddit, Loulex is "trash" and the "reason why H2k has been tilting lately." Both teams have the potential to take this series, but I say that H2k takes it 3-2 and Mithy gets banned for flaming shortly afterwards.

CLG vs TiP
I gave all my faith to CLG, so they better perform this playoffs. Heck, I even bought the icon because. well, I have all my faith in CLG that they will finally prevail and win a playoff series. However, if there is one team that I can see beating them, it would be probably either TL or TSM, but TiP would be a close second. Impact is the one top laner that gives Zion actual trouble in lane (honestly, Impact and Zion are probably the best and second best tops in the region), and Rush is the kind of jungler that would completely fuck Xmithie up. Mid and bottom are both CLG-favored - I am of the opinion that Pobelter is actually a pretty good mid, and almost certainly an improvement over the "fresh-out-of-Challenger-mid-then-support-then-mid-again-Azir-one-trick-pony" Gate. In a similar vein, the Rush Hour bot lane is most likely going to be a larger factor than the measuring stick of mediocrity that is the TiP bot lane. In my opinion, this series will hinge on whether Pobelter and Doublelift can acquire large enough advantages to be able to carry Xmithie to victory. I say CLG takes it, 3-2, and Riot fines Rush for being "BM" for saying "NA jungler all trash."

Fnatic vs UOL
if uol takes this series i will donate my firstborn child to powerofevil. ez 3-0 for fnatic, h0r0 goes on the analyst desk for the grand finals because his english improved during his tenure on uol

TL vs TSM
Oh yes, the good-old "Bjergsen and four wardbots" against TL, the one team in NA that I can safely say have three actual threats on their team, along with a strong jungler and a passable support. I honestly think that TL has an advantage in almost every lane, as well as the jungle. I say "almost" because Fenix can at best go even with Bjergsen, and at worst will most likely get absolutely dumpstered, cry about it and then go back to Korea to reflect on his life decisions. But outside of mid, all other positions have a significant advantage. I'm not saying Dyrus is irrelevant, but honestly, Quas at his best > Dyrus normally. However, if the "I-just-solokilled-Ackerman-on-Mundo" Dyrus shows up instead of the "I-can-play-Sion-and-Maokai-pretty-well" Dyrus, TSM have a fighting chance in the top lane. Bot lane is a completely different story. Piglet, the former ADC of SKT, S3 worlds champions, will almost certainly completely fuck WildTurtle up to the point that Keith "Yuri "Le Toucan" Jew" McBrief will have to sub for him during Games 3 & 4. As well, IWDominate is one of the two NA junglers who knows what "early game pressure" is, and the other jungler is not Santorin (it's Rush, lol). In fact, Santorin is known for his impeccable cosplay as Evelynn, because he's pretty much invisible during the early game. I say TL takes this 3-1 over TSM, and WildTurtle gets benched again in favor of a tropical bird.

tl;dr santorin's like: "oh don't you dare look back, just keep your wards on me, i say i'm going bot, bjerg says "shut up and gank for me," guess midlane is my destiny, shut up and gank for me"