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Week four of the 2017 season is a time to prove things. Almost every region has a match between two elite teams, both eager to show why they are the best.
The other factor that should unite the regions this week is the broader exploration of patch 7.2. With China coming back from break and Korea going back to its full schedule, there should be a much wider variety of games where some of the more unique picks, like Ivern or Warwick, could have a chance to shine.
IMay vs. Snake Esports
When: Thursday, February 9 at 4 a.m. Eastern
How: LPL1
Why: After its long hiatus, the LPL finally returns this week with a headline match up between the top two teams in Group A. It’s been almost three weeks since we last saw the LPL in action, making it almost impossible to predict just what the Chinese meta may look like, but what better way to find out than in a match between two of the region’s best teams?
G2 Esports vs. H2K
When: Thursday, February 9 at 11 a.m. Eastern
How: EULCS1
Why: With EU’s new format, matches like this get built up over the course of weeks as we see the good teams rise to the top of their groups. This will be our first chance to see what happens when the cream of the crop from both groups go head to head. H2K also represents the toughest competition this unstoppable G2 line-up has had to face thus far.
KT Rolster vs. Samsung Galaxy
When: Saturday, February 11 at 3 a.m. Eastern
How: LCK1
Why: We know for sure that KT Rolster is good, we just don’t quite know how good yet. This will be the first time KT has to play a top three LCK team, and should give us a glimpse of what their true potential may be. For Samsung, this represents a chance to prove that sticking with their already talented roster was the correct move, and that they can still compete with the LCK’s new super teams.
Phoenix1 vs. FlyQuest
When: Saturday, February 11 at 3 p.m. Eastern
How: NALCS2
Why: Phoenix1 will go into this game fresh off a defeat at the hands of Team SoloMid that pushed them down to fourth place in the NA LCS standings. That means they are going to be hungry for a win and looking to earn their way back into the top three. There’s probably no better team to do this against than FlyQuest, a good — maybe great — team who has not yet faced an opponent of Phoenix1’s caliber.
FlyQuest vs. Cloud9
When: Sunday, February 12 at 6 p.m. Eastern
How: NALCS2
Why: Speaking of FlyQuest, this is their opportunity to, once and for all, wipe away any and all doubts about their abilities as a team. On the Cloud9 side, they’ve been about as close to perfect as anything in North America this year, and it doesn’t seem likely to stop soon. In fact, this series may be their final roadblock on the path towards being the region’s undisputed best team.