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We are in the home stretch now. As the 2017 Spring Split enters its seventh week, most of the top leagues have their eyes turned towards playoffs. That means this is likely the week that teams are going to start experimenting less and ironing out their issues to make sure they are at peak performance going into the most important games of the split.
With the best teams fighting for the top seed and everyone else scrambling to secure their spot before the season ends. With that in mind, most of the best match ups this week have some strong playoff implications:
Edward Gaming (5-2) vs Invictus Gaming (4-3)
When: Friday, March 10 at 7 a.m. Eastern
How: LPL1
Why: These two are the second place teams from each group in the LPL, though neither is secure in their place by much. With teams on either side biting at their heels, this will provide both teams with a chance to get a lead on the competition.
FlyQuest (7-5) vs Phoenix1 (7-5)
When: Friday, March 10 at 6 p.m. Eastern
How: NALCS1
Why: This series is likely to be a preview of playoff matches to come. While neither of these teams are quite at the top of the NA LCS they have both proven strong contenders in the region. Tied at 7-5 and with similar play styles, this series should be close and could mean the difference between a round two match against Team SoloMid or Cloud9 in the playoffs.
Misfits (7-1) vs H2K (6-2)
When: Saturday, March 11 at 1 p.m. Eastern
How: EULCS1
Why: In what is starting to feel like an ongoing campaign through the season, Misfits are once again given the opportunity to fight their way to the title of second best team in Europe as they face off against H2K. For H2K this is a chance to level their record for Misfits and prove their strength late in the season. The winner of this series is likely going to secure the second seed in the EU LCS going into playoffs.
Samsung Galaxy (7-3) vs Longzhu Gaming (6-4)
When: Sunday, March 12 at 7 a.m. Eastern
How: LCK1
Why: Samsung Galaxy have enjoyed a quietly dominant split so far. Overshadowed by the super teams of their region, and somewhat written off thanks to their strange early loss to Afreeca Freecs — not much different from the strange one off losses the other top teams in the league have suffered — they have gone almost completely under the radar. Meanwhile, Longzhu are trying to stay one step ahead of MVP in order to avoid a series against SK Telecom T1 in the playoffs.
Counter Logic Gaming (6-6) vs Cloud9 (10-2)
When: Sunday, March 12 at 3 p.m. Eastern
How: NALCS1
Why: The truth about this series is that we probably already know how it will go. CLG are, increasingly, a good team in the NALCS, however they aren’t likely to beat Cloud9. The real question here is just how good Cloud9 have become and whether or not they can continue the improvements we saw in week five. It is worth nothing though that if CLG do manage a win in this series it would essentially guarantee their playoffs slot, while placing them in competition with FlyQuest and Phoenix1 for third and fourth seed.