RLCS Week 3 Preview (NA+EU)
The games per day are being extended from five to six as we enter the third game day of eight of RLCS Season 9. We will begin to see two teams per region per week play twice in one day, making these next weeks extra important for teams that have doubleheaders. With that, let’s preview the action for this weekend.
North America
Flight (0-2) vs Cloud (0-2) + Flight vs G2 Esports (0-2)
Despite the era of the big three being dead, this is still a rough doubleheader for Flight. Cloud9 might very well be a do or die match, the loser of the series will find themselves rooted to the bottom of the table. A Cloud9 loss would be downright embarrassing for the famed trio of Squishy, Gimmick & Torment. The question for them is really how low will they go, and this may be the ultimate dictator of that. This will also be a true indicator of Flight’s level, with Cloud9 being the first team with a similar ranking they’ve played, it's hard to draw major conclusions from losses to Pittsburgh Knights & NRG.
G2 vs Flight will be a match that favors G2. Should Flight lose to C9 earlier in the day, G2 will almost certainly defeat them. They’re seemingly back in stellar form and have vanquished far stronger rosters. A demoralized Flight that’s lost to C9 will be easy pickings for G2. A Flight that’s beaten Cloud9 could stand to make the series competitive, but anything not a G2 series win here will be an upset for the ages.
Rogue (1-1) vs Susquehanna Soniqs (1-1)
There are a lot of similarities to draw between Rogue and the Soniqs. Kronovi & Dappur are the veterans who’s arguable best days have elapsed, yet they’re still kicking butt in RLCS. Satthew & Wonder are two guys who may never get the credit they deserve despite being integral to their rosters. And Shock & firstkiller are North America’s star rookies for 2020. Their latter duo’s battle on the pitch will be a treat to watch. With Susquehanna happy to run their offense the early MVP candidate, the pressure will be on firstkiller to shut him down like he did to Cloud9 last week. However, Soniqs are the favored team in this matchup. Sure both teams have 1-1 record, but Soniqs have earned that despite playing NRG & Spacestation Gaming. And looking beyond the star players, despite Kronovi’s clutch goals last week, the Satthew-Dappur support system seems a stronger one, meaning Soniqs look set to be 2-1 after week three.
Pittsburgh Knights (1-1) vs Ghost Gaming (1-1)
Players playing their old teams is always a tantalizing prospect, and this match is no exception. With Ghost arguably entering their all time peak with the addition of mist, and Knights seemingly floundering without the aforementioned mist, the stakes for this match are high. Should Ghost repeat their win over PK from last season’s league play, despite the one series differential, it’ll put huge distance in the ratings of each squad. As for PK, an instant rebound is basically mandatory to quell any doubts to show that AyyJayy can work on this Knights roster, otherwise their stock as a top RLCS team will continue to plummet.
NRG Esports (2-0) vs eUnited (1-1) + NRG Esports vs Spacestation Gaming (1-1)
If NRG vs eUnited is any way comparable to either team’s showing last week, expect another ugly uncompetitive beat down and another win for NRG. Unfortunately for the former Birds, eUnited hasn’t shown much to capably challenge the top team in the world, such is the gap between NRG and the rest of the field. However, a new challenger is approaching and possesses a real threat to the status quo.
With a victory over them in an Astronauts cup, and generally spectacular form vs most other teams, Spacestation Gaming hopes to shake the system and displace NRG as the top dogs. Not only highly touted by our expert power rankers, but the pros as well. Even with G2’s resurgence, many expect NRG & SSG to be the top two teams. That’s not to say it’s their throne to take, it will take a gargantuan effort to best NRG again. And the very recent form doesn’t bode well for SSG with a loss to Susquehanna Soniqs, a team NRG has already dispatched of this season. Regardless, this series is the match of the week, and potentially the season as the new generation hopes to take it to the old titans.
Click to enlargeEurope
Dignitas (2-0) vs Team Singularity (1-1) + mousesports (1-1) vs Team Singularity (1-1)
After a shocking upset over Vitality last week, Singularity has another two challenging fixtures this week. Their first opponents, Dignitas, are in fine form after wins over TSM and AS Monaco, with the semi-finalists topped only by Reciprocity in our Power Rankings. With their tough first few fixtures coming to a close on Sunday, Singularity will be hoping to claim another upset against Dignitas and their second opponents, mousesports. A loss to Reciprocity last week has opened up questions as to whether Scrub can make this roster a championship-winning one, but they’ve got a great chance to bounce back with a win here.
AS Monaco (0-2) vs Endpoint (0-2)
Another team with a tough first couple of fixtures, AS Monaco, sit on an unfortunate 0-2 record after matches against league leaders Reciprocity and a new-look mousesports side. However, they have a golden opportunity to steady the ship on Sunday with a matchup against a struggling Endpoint side who looked lost in their defeat to FC Barcelona. Both sides will be hoping to avoid an 0-3 start as they look to turn their seasons around.
Renault Vitality (1-1) vs TSM (0-2) + Renault Vitality (1-1) vs FC Barcelona (2-0)
The final team yet to secure a victory, TSM was shambolic last week in what should have been a chance at redemption against Veloce. This week they face an even tougher task against the French titans. However, every titan must fall, and last week it was Vitality’s turn as they were shocked by Singularity in a stunning game five overtime. This could very well be TSM’s chance at recovering this season, but the odds are certainly stacked against them. Vitality follows up their clash with TSM with a matchup against a surging Barcelona side. Thanks to the addition of Flakes, FCB - with a few minor hiccups in week one - have looked fantastic in their matches against Veloce and Endpoint and will be looking to cause Vitality’s second (or possibly even third) upset of the season.
Reciprocity (2-0) vs Veloce Esports (1-1)
With a win against the new mousesports roster under their belt, Reciprocity has all the momentum in its favour as they look to qualify for LAN for the fourth season in a row. They have a huge opportunity to strengthen their record against a Veloce side who squeezed past an abysmal TSM trio last weekend. Veloce will be hoping to summon their inner Singularity as they search for an upset to carry on in their winning ways.
Images via ZeeboDesigns.
