FLY vs. CLG is by no means a premier clash of titans; at its core, it is nothing but a lopsided mismatch, and everyone’s predictions will surely reflect it as well. Still, there’s definitely a reason to tune in. The meta’s quite flexible and these two teams, while certainly flawed and limited in terms of strength and long-term potential, can still pack a punch if left unattended!
Their three consecutive losses back in week four were quite hard to stomach. Simply put: they imploded beyond measure. Nothing they tried seemed to work, and their individual play took a dive as well. And for a brief moment in time it seemed as though their surge came to a most abrupt end.
Fortunately, they were able to correct course and bounce back in the grandest of fashions. And for that they deserve a ton of praise. It’s not an easy thing to pull off, especially for a team so inexperienced.
FlyQuest, to their credit, made it look easy. And that, in short, is very interesting, as it can be interpreted as an indication of their long-term potential. Or, to put it differently: they’re not just a surging bottom-dweller but maybe, just maybe, a team worthy of everyone’s respect and an actual playoff contender.
A Most Impressive Rebound
At their best, they can definitely tango with the who’s who of the LCS, and even though they still have a lot of work to do (and many glaring issues to fix), their good moments have been fairly consistent and surprisingly frequent as well.
Brandon Joel “Josedeodo” Villegas, in particular, deserves a ton of praise for his play. He was quite mediocre back when he first joined the LCS, but is now finally starting to spread his wings and perform as well as he did back at the 2020 World Championship.
He’s fourth in KDA (4.5), first in Kill Participation (a whopping 79%), first in First Blood rate (55%), and has some very respectable damage numbers as well. He is, by all means, one of the best performing junglers in the LCS, and that’s really saying something given whom he has for opposition.
The fact that he caught our attention in a region stacked with exceptional junglers — Lucas Tao Kilmer “Santorin” Larsen, Can “Closer” Çelik, Robert “Blaber” Huang, Kim “River” Dong-woo, Kacper “Inspired” Słoma, and Andrei “Xerxe” Dragomir, just to name a few — bodes extremely well for his future.
That’s also one of the main reasons as to why FlyQuest have risen through the ranks so quickly: every member of the team is playing some truly respectable League of Legends. Even Colin “Kumo” Zhao — arguably the weakest link of them all — had a bunch of stellar games, including his most recent showing on Tryndamere. He is by no means a top lane giant, but he’s playing his part and is not getting exploited all that often.
At the time of this writing, they’re in sole possession of first place which, frankly, is quite impressive. Their 6W-4L record isn’t necessarily mind-blowing, but it’s still better than what 100 Thieves and Evil Geniuses have, so credit where credit is due.
FlyQuest have earned our benefit of the doubt, and while we don’t think they’ll accomplish much once everything is said and done, they’re still a capable contender and a team that should not be underestimated.
CLG, on the other hand, are.. well… pretty darn mediocre, but you already knew as much.
The 2022 #LCS Spring Split standings after week five:
(1) #TLWIN | 9-2
(-) #C9WIN | 9-2
(3) #FLYWIN | 7-4
(4) #100WIN | 6-5
(5) #EGWIN | 5-6
(-) #GGWIN | 5-6
(-) #DIGWIN | 5-6
(8) #IMTWIN | 4-7
(9) #CLGWIN | 3-8
(10) #TSMWIN | 2-9Which teams do you think will make Playoffs?
— LCS (@LCSOfficial) March 8, 2022
Still a Bottom-Dweller
This ragtag bunch has played eleven games thus far, as we’re still not quite sure what to make of them. Are they good? At times, yes, but their standout moments are not only few in number but they also happen arbitrarily — they cannot be predicted whatsoever.
And that, in short, is quite a problem. We can never really know whether they’ll come out the gates swinging or implode trying. The latter has thus far been a lot more frequent, but they should never be counted out by default as they can, by all means, put on a show.
Still, they’re just one win below Immortals and a meager two wins below the Golden Guardians, Evil Geniuses, and Dignitas QNTMPAY, so by no means are they looking at an insurmountable gap.
They could still “catch up,” but we definitely wouldn’t bet our money on it to happen. This is CLG we’re talking about — an organization that has been synonymous with mediocrity for years and that’s not going to change any time soon.
FlyQuest are better in every way, shape, and form, but it might end up being a lot more competitive than the odds would suggest. They’re not the epitome of consistency either so one cannot give them the full benefit of the doubt — not yet, at least. Be that as it may, if they play their game and don’t make too many mistakes early on, they’ll surely be able to emerge victorious.
