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The 2018 Summer Split playoffs for the NA LCS are in full swing and the semifinals are almost here and while all four teams have already secured their trips to Oakland, the chance to play for a spot at the World Championships is still on the line.
The first match up of the weekend is between perennial rivals Cloud9 and TSM. Both teams have underwhelming so far in 2018, but seem to be on the rise again just as it really starts to matter. It’s hard to know exactly how this series might play out, with both teams improving by leaps and bounds each week. Even looking to the regular season doesn’t yield any clear answers as each team won one of the match ups during the Summer Split. With so much uncertainty and a potential Worlds spot on the line, this should be one of the best matches of the entire NA LCS playoffs.
As for the second match, it’s a repeat of last split’s finals as 100 Thieves take on Team Liquid. While there’s certainly room for surprises when any two teams as talented as these face off, it’s hard to see this one ending in anything but a Team Liquid victory. During the regular season, TL won both games decisively and at last split’s finals, the results were no different. But with a slightly different roster than last time, 100 Thieves could have a few tricks in store for the Spring Split champions.
As always all of the playoff matches can be seen on Riot’s Twitch and YouTube channels, as well as on lolesports.com.
Schedule
Saturday, Sept. 1
- Cloud9 vs TSM, 5 p.m. ET
Sunday, Sept. 2
- Team Liquid vs 100 Thieves, 3 p.m. ET