LoL LCS 2021 Championship Kicks Off on Saturday, August 7

League of Legends Championship Series (LCS) 2021 will culminate with the 2021 LCS Championship. It will feature the top eight North American LoL teams, who will compete for the title and a ticket leading to the LoL World Championship on August 7 -29 at Prudential Center.

Eight Teams Enter The Arena

Formerly known as LCS Summer Playoffs, the 2021 LCS Championship will bring together the top eight teams from the North American LoL esports league, who will duke it out for the prestigious trophy and one of three tickets leading into the 2021 LoL World Championship.

Unlike in previous years, where the season’s final event featured only the top teams from the summer split, this year is different. Ahead of the season, LCS announced an overhaul of the format, changing how the teams can qualify for the playoffs.

Instead of counting only the teams’ performances from the summer season, this year combined the record from both splits. The change was made to remove the idea of the spring split not mattering, resulting in a more competitive season, where every game mattered for the LCS Championship seeding.

The tight race for a spot in the 2021 LCS Championship ended on Sunday, August 1, unveiling eight finalists. Teams who qualified for the 2021 LCS Championship include TSM, 100 Thieves, Cloud9, Team Liquid, Evil Geniuses, Dignitas, Immortals, and Golden Guardians.

Not One, But Five Strong Candidates For The Title

The esports bookmakers have yet to release betting odds for LCS Championship. However, it’s not hard to figure out who are the main candidates to lift the trophy.

TSM enter the 2021 LCS Championship as the top-seeded team, having ended the regular season with a 30-15 record. Joining them as the second-seeded team are 100 Thieves, who managed a 29-16 record on the season.

Ending the season in third were Evil Geniuses (28-17), followed by Cloud9 (28-17) and Team Liquid (27-18). Interestingly, TSM, 100 Thieves, and EG were all equally as successful during the LCS 2021 Summer.

All three teams managed an 18-9 record. However, due to EG’s and 100T’s weaker showings in the spring split, they finished the season behind TSM.

Team Liquid and Cloud9 managed fourth-best records, each winning 15 out of 27 games played (15-12). Although they managed much worse records than the top three sides, Cloud9 and Team Liquid are the reigning LCS finalists.

All five are regarded as some of the best North American teams, with analysts suggesting they all have a solid chance of hoisting the trophy.

2021 marks 100 Thieves’ best season in the organization’s history, while EG finally found stability and enabled their star-studded roster. TSM always deserve respect as the seven-time champions and the most successful team in the LCS’s history.

Team Liquid haven’t had much success in the earlier days but have won four of the last seven LCS splits. What’s more, Liquid haven’t finished outside of the top-three in only one of the last seven splits.
And then there are the reigning LCS champions, Cloud9, who have won two of the last three splits. Despite iffy showings throughout the season, Luka “Perkz” Perkovic and co. are always a threat to go back-to-back.

Outsiders Looking to Cause Upsets

Joining the five LCS heavyweights are Dignitas, Immortals, and Golden Guardians. Although all three worked hard to secure a spot in the final eight, neither is expected to achieve much.

Golden Guardians ended the season in eighth, securing a playoffs ticket by the skin of their teeth. Although Golden Guardians showed immense growth on the season, they have proven time and time again that they don’t have what it takes to compete with LCS top dogs.

Immortals are a better version of Golden Guardians; they’re a good team but not great. Although Immortals had some flashes of greatness this term, they consistently underdelivered against the top teams.

Dignitas are an X-factor team for the playoffs. They finished the season in sixth, and while they weren’t nearly as successful as the top-five teams, Dignitas are a team that can cause some chaos.

No one believed Dignitas would even make it into the playoffs, yet they proved everyone wrong. And who are we to say that they can’t push even further and make everyone who doubted them eat their words?

The 2021 LCS Championship kicks off on Saturday, July 7, with a clash between Evil Geniuses and Dignitas. Next up is a fixture between Cloud9 and Team Liquid, who will cross swords on Sunday, August 8.