Storylines - RLCS X EU - Edition #7

I told you that 8-Ball was reliable, but I did not expect Renault Vitality to fall in the group stage of The Grid Week 6. The Vodafone Giants going out without a series win was another big surprise last Thursday, and this meant that of the top three only Oxygen remained. They capitalised on their rivals’ setbacks to claim the top spot overall in The Grid and to secure their place in the Winter split edition of The Grid.

Here are the big numbers for this week - any team which finishes the week with more than 694 points are guaranteed a place in the Winter split; however, the Giants need only reach the quarter-finals to secure their spot. Top Blokes and Team BDS can also secure their spots by winning any of the remaining weeks. The lowest number of points a team can have while still keeping their Grid spot is 290, which Chalked can still reach, but they need a lot of help from other teams if they want to stay afloat.

• Read More - How Top Blokes Flipped The Script In RLCS X

Team BDS

Placement (in The Grid Week 6): First

Prediction (for Week 7): Second

The Swiss organisation has finally broken their Grid curse, and they placed tied fifth for four consecutive weeks before breaking through and claiming their first Grid win over Top Blokes. Winning a third top tier event in a row seems unlikely though, no team has managed it since the Gale Force roster won RLCS Season 5 Europe, the RLCS Season 5 finals, and NARLI 2 in the summer of 2018.

The teams that could feasibly knock BDS off the top spot are few and far between though: the Vodafone Giants are experiencing a considerable drop in form, Top Blokes have been hopelessly inconsistent but occasionally show flashes of brilliance, Oxygen Esports have won none of the three finals they reached. Therefore, If BDS are going to fall, it’s most likely going to be an early upset, which Endpoint, Team Liquid, and FC Barcelona seem capable of if all their players get up on the right side of the bed.

FC Barcelona

Placement: Tied third

Prediction: Tied fifth

It might be too early to call it, but Barcelona seems like the most improved team over the course of the Fall split. They’ve turned first round eliminations in Weeks 1 and 2 into a passable run to the major and the Winter split of The Grid - they currently sit 50 points above eleventh placed Team Singularity, which in The Grid terms is a comfortable margin.

Singularity, Solary and Guild Esports are now the main contenders for that final Winter split Grid spot. Twenty points divide the three with only three short weeks to go, and all of them have scored something in the region of 100 points over the last two weeks.

• Read More - The Double-Edged Samurai Sword

Team Liquid

Placement: Tied fifth

Prediction: Tied fifth

On the flip side, Team Liquid has been especially disappointing. Currently, they sit eighteenth in the Regional standings, three places shy of a Major spot which they are a country mile from getting through The Grid, despite a strong offseason and being the second-placed team in last month’s edition of The Field. They’re definitely a contender for least improved since Week 1, but it’s not too late for Triple Trouble to make a statement in that contest - they won the first instalment of The Grid, but have failed to get close to repeating that performance since Week 3.

Monkeys

Placement: Tied fifth

Prediction: Tied thirteenth

I feel a little guilty for betraying Libertas this way, but Monkeys is the only Dutch team that seems capable of upsetting their way to the next split of The Grid by placing in the top ten. They’ve been on the rise since Week 4 and reached the playoffs for the first time last week, meanwhile, Libertas won their first series in three weeks last week, and Dignitas haven’t won a series since Week 1. At least they aren’t Chalked, who sit on the minimum score of 60 points after six weeks.

The rosters looking to replace the bottom six teams from The Grid have been making names for themselves in The Field and the Elemental Series: TrainHard eSport, the organisation that acquired VENC Gaming, placed second in the latter last week, while Kash’s brand new Nameseekers roster sits second in the September edition of The Field. Barrage Esports reached the playoffs of the Elemental Series but fell to TrainHard in the quarterfinals, and Magnifico has been silent since Regional 2.

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If you’re looking for an exciting stream with pivotal matches this week, your main contenders for The Grid Wildcard spot are still Oxygen Esports, Renault Vitality, and the Vodafone Giants. But if you’re interested in the relegation battle instead, everyone from Solary down to Libertas is still seriously capable of falling out of or climbing into that top ten.

Don’t forget that by the time I write to you again, there will have been two editions of The Grid, one this Friday, and one next Tuesday. In the meantime, stay tuned for more news, interviews and features here at GGRecon.

 

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