NA LCS Summer Split 2018 Week 5: Preview & Schedule

Jul 21, 2018

With the start of the second half of the NA LCS Summer Split, one thing is certain: nothing is certain in the league! Unlike previous splits, there is no powerhouses to be beaten and no team dominating the season.

Instead, an incredible number of 8 teams, with the exception of a struggling OpTic Gaming and a Cloud9 whose roster changes definitely backfired, are separated by a simple game in the standings. A single game between first place and a “place” out of playoffs. Impossible to get more exciting than that, right?

Saturday storylines

And around such intense fight lies the most interesting storylines for this sunny summer weekend in Los Angeles. Opening up the week, a duel of contrasts between Echo Fox and 100 Thieves. Although probably one of the most attractive teams in the league (mainly due to the shenanigans Huni usually delivers) Echo Fox can’t find stability. Last week’s pair of games showed perfectly the team's lack of consistency, as they got destroyed CLG just to convincingly beat TSM the day after.

Meanwhile, 100 Thieves still are adapting to their new Jungler AnDa. The big defeat to the Golden Guardians on Sunday raised a bunch of question marks, with the most important being whether it was the right choice trading Meteos away to FlyQuest.

Sunday classics

Moving on, Sunday reserves a classic between old companions. Team Liquid vs. CLG: Doublelift against the team who helped shape the legend he is. After very distinct performances during the Spring Split, both teams are now sitting at 5-3, with CLG even considered by some as the favorites coming to the match following their flawless week 4 and strong showings against Echo Fox and Cloud9.

Finally, we have a much hyped duel in form of Clutch Gaming v TSM. Another match with both teams tied in the standings, TSM will arrive hungry for vengeance against a Clutch who have been the Giants’ nemesis since they entered the league. They denied TSM an 11^th consecutive appearance at the NA LCS finals before managing to beat them earlier this split in a 45-minute thriller where Febiven completely shut-down Bjergsen to carry his team to the victory.

The must-watch matches

Don’t want to miss any of the action? You can watch all 10 matches from week 4 of the 2018 NA LCS Summer Split on Riot Games’ official Twitch and YouTube channels. However, in case you don’t have time for every single moment, don’t worry as well! I have highlighted below the three most important matches of the week – the ones you should not miss at any cost!