Team Liquid vs. Team SoloMid Pick - LCS Lock-In Betting Predictions

A list of predictions for week two of the 2021 LCS Lock-In tournament simply wouldn’t be complete without the most anticipated clash of them all: Team Liquid vs. Team SoloMid! This is about as exciting as it gets, and that’s mostly because of the many overarching narratives surrounding both teams (and a bit of mutual history between them).

Needless to say, if you’re into exquisite narratives and top-tier play, this game will be an absolute must watch.

But, frankly speaking, most people will probably tune in solely to see Team Liquid compete — they don’t care much for whom they’re up against. Watching the four-time LCS champions is quite a privilege (especially when they’re playing this well), whereas TSM, talented though they are, don’t have much to offer at this point in time.

Team Liquid vs. Team SoloMid Predictions

Coming into 2021, one could easily discern between two types of competitive League fans: those of devout nature who believed in Team SoloMid’s chances, and those who laughed at the sheer thought of them actually leaving a mark. It felt like there was really no in between, for one reason or another. Then again, such a thing was expected — this age-old perennial giant always invoked polarizing opinions, and its current line-up is about as divisive as it gets.

On Paper:

TSM has one of the most peculiar line-ups in North America, and we don’t mean that in a wholly positive way. Instead, it’s a lot more layered and complex. It’s obvious that Team SoloMid had slightly different plans in mind, but things just didn’t pan out, so they were left with Heo “Huni” Seung-hoon and Lawrence “Lost” Sze Yuy Hui. Now, the latter isn’t half bad — one could argue that he deserves a full-time shot as an LCS starter. The former, however, is as egregious a signing as possible. We all know Huni and, by the same token, we know what he’s capable of. We’ve seen his immense highs and dreadful lows — the second of which became far more frequent as time went on. He’s a legend in every sense of the word, but right now, as things stand, he’s more like the seasoned boxer who stuck around for far too long. Huni can still sometimes deliver those highlight reel plays, but they’re few in number, and even when they do happen they lack the pizzazz for which he was so renowned for during his glory days. His volatility was on full display last week, and it wasn’t an easy sight to stomach. Bad positioning, abysmal TP plays (or attempts at making plays, rather), horrible teamfighting, dreadful laning, etc. As expected, he was by far the biggest weakness on TSM, and if he doesn’t step up (and soon, too), it’ll be nigh impossible for the boys and black and white to reach the very top of the region.

Of course, their mistakes are still somewhat excusable — this is a brand-new line-up, after all, with no prior synergy. But they should’ve still played better on an individual level. Evil Geniuses, for instance, don’t have a lot of synergy either and yet they stomped and annihilated their opposition with staggering ease precisely because they’re talented players with ample mechanical prowess.

When synergy is lacking, you resort to plan B: sheer talent.

TSM has that in spades but — in true TSM fashion — something is standing the way. And sure, this was just the start of the season, a meager sample size, but an important one nonetheless. We’re no longer talking about TSM hoisting the LCS trophy. That, by all accounts, seems like quite a remote possibility. Instead, we’re trying to figure out where they stand amongst other LCS teams. Are they a playoff contender? Almost certainly, but they’ll face an uphill battle going forward with certain other teams performing far better than anyone expected. Frankly speaking, if TSM struggled so much and nearly lost to the Golden Guardians — the team everyone had ranked tenth — then it’s hard to feel any semblance of hype for the defending LCS champions, no matter how much talent they might have within their ranks.

A Return to Form

Team SoloMid are far from a bottom-tier dweller, despite their lackluster play. Right now, if we were a bit generous, we’d call them a struggling mid-tier contender with a relatively high skill ceiling. That’s a mouthful, but at least it’s an apt description.

Unfortunately, they’re scheduled to face Team Liquid — one of the best and most dominant teams in North America right now.

They’re far from perfect, but boy did they deliver last week, even in their loss to 100 Thieves. Their play is screaming “potential” which, to be fair, was expected. It’d be strange if it were otherwise. And, the fact that their best days are yet to come makes this whole thing all the more exciting.

Please Note:

With Lucas “Santorin” Tao Kilmer Larsen coming in, however, Liquid might not be as good as they were last week. After all, their synergy will surely take a hit. Still, even at their worst, they should still be head and shoulders above Team SoloMid. They should be well-prepared for anything the boys in black and white could bring to the table and will no doubt deliver in all the right ways. Team Liquid might not be the most versatile or flexible team around, but they’re the best at what they do: subdued, calculated play, ample mechanical talent, clean macro, and spotless execution. There’s nothing to criticize them for (not yet, at least), and if things pan out as expected, they should have no trouble taking TSM down.

Betting on Team Liquid right now is the only logical choice, although things might end up being a bit more competitive than people expect — TSM won’t go down without a fight, after all.