LCS Spring 2020 Playoff Preview

The 2020 LCS Spring Split has come to an end and we are about to kick off the Playoffs! Six teams came out on top of the 10 team league and secured their playoff spots. If you’re new to the LCS make sure to check out our LCS Tournament page here () and if you want to know more about the playoff qualified teams make sure to check out our week 9 review!  There have been some changes to the playoff format and prize pool as we mentioned earlier this year, so it is highly recommended you reference our Tournament page!

Qualified Teams and Seed

1. Cloud9
2. Evil Geniuses
3. 100 Thieves
4. FlyQuest
5. Team SoloMid
6. Golden Guardians

Prize Pool

1st: MSI Play-In Qualification (MSI Postponed currently)

Playoff Format

• Will be played online for the first time ever.
• Top six teams from Spring Season participate
• Top 4 teams play in the winners' bracket
• 5th and 6th play in the losers' bracket
• Double elimination bracket
• 1st seed picks between 3rd and 4th seed in Round 1
• Matches are best of five

Expectations for the Tournament

Favorites

Cloud9 - Cloud9 wrecked the whole split ending 17-1 and only dropping one game to TSM along the way. They had some closer matches at the end of the split as everyone looking to upset or fight for a playoff position turned it up a notch and C9 themselves had some unconventional drafts. The entirety of C9 made the First All-Pro Team for the Spring split and did so with 28-100 points more than the Second All-Pro Team counterparts. C9 is the best team in NA right now, and as such, they should win 3-0 or 3-1 their way to winning the finals.

Evil Geniuses - EG did really well in the second Round Robinn Kumo picked up his level of play and the rest of the team found out how to coordinate with each other. Statistically, they are the next in line to the Spring Split throne but all it takes is a loss in the Semifinals and there are a few teams who certainly could provide that.

Runners up

Team SoloMid - TSM failed to clinch a top 4 finish, but not by much. Over the course of the split they really came together and looked better than 5th place. Many people may bet in favor of FlyQuest when it comes down to it but ultimately I think TSM can’t be ignored and could definitely make finals if EG slips up.

FlyQuest - There is a lot of speculation around the true power of the squad after falling from 2nd place to 4th. Solo is definitely a hot prospect for them to have picked up and if he and Viper are splitting time in the Top lane during Playoffs, they could be an insane squad by the end of playoffs. 

Dark Horses

100 Thieves - The squad snuck into the 3rd seed position and Cloud9 called their bluff, selecting them for the first round of the winners bracket. I think that this squad has some real potential but they are still a ways off from solidifying themselves as a top team. We could see them go far in such a short tournament, but realistically I don’t see them finishing top 3.

Golden Guardians - GG did really well to defy all odds and make it to the playoffs following tiebreakers, but with all due respect to the team, they shouldn’t expect to make it far at all. I see a world where their opponents don’t take them seriously enough and slip up in a game 5, but I couldn’t tell you who of the 1st-5th place teams would allow that to happen. 

Conclusion

The games begin April 4th at 1pm MST with FlyQuest vs Evil Geniuses! Make sure to check back at the end of the tournament if you happen to miss out, but make sure to show up as this is one of the most competitive playoffs NA has ever actually had!