Disclaimer: This was made on the day of the regional finals and I don’t mean to bring hate upon your favorite team if I don’t have them going far. Also, if you don’t want to read all of this then don’t. Please don’t leave hate comments because I am just speculating.
To begin, let’s just say that the regions who placed higher at lock/in will have their teams be placed in a favorable group for the group stage, and no two teams from the same region will go in the same group. Because EMEA won lock/in, let’s say that their 3seed, FUT will get a good group. I presume that both groups will consist of the two higher seeded teams that didn’t qualify straight to playoffs, for example DRX and NRG, and two of the lowest seeded teams, for example EG and NAVI. This would place FUT, Attacking Soul Esports, EG, and T1 in group A. That would mean group B would consist of NRG, DRX, NAVI, and EDward gaming.
In group A, the matchups would be FUT/T1 and Attacking soul Esports/EG because pacific placed worse than Americas at lock/in. I would take FUT and EG to win their matches. I then think that FUT would beat EG to go directly to playoffs. I have FUT wining because I think that they have the best team synergy in this group. I think that T1 will beat ASE to move on to play EG. Although I think that China is an underrated region, I still think that they aren’t strong enough to hold their own internationally. In the T1/EG match, I think that T1 will defeat EG to go to playoffs. This is because I think without demon1, EG will not have enough synergy to beat a more connected group in T1.
In group B, the matches based on lock/in placement would be NRG/EDward gaming and DRX/NAVI. I have NRG defeating EDG as well as NAVI defeating DRX. This may come as a shock to some but I believe this because without Foxy9, I think that DRX isn’t talented enough to beat such a strong core of players that is NAVI. I also think that DRX will be lacking confidence after allowing a reverse sweep in the grand finals while NAVI is very good at learning from past mistakes which they would have been doing after their early playoff exit. NRG will then beat NAVI to go directly to playoffs. This is because NRG is a very good team at capitalizing on opponent’s weakness, which DRX would have exposed the weaknesses of NAVI. In the elimination match, I have DRX defeating EDG. Like I said earlier, China is just not ready for the international stage. In the decider match between DRX and NAVI, I have NAVI shocking DRX to go to playoffs. This is because I believe that DRX is one of the worst teams in rematches.
This would leave the playoffs bracket to look something like this based on lock/in placements:
TL/T1
PRX/FUT
FNC/NRG
Loud/NAVI
I will cover the whole upper bracket first.
TL/T1: this match will be an easy one. I think that T1 is not a strong enough team to go toe to toe with TL, the team that just took down FNC who is considered to be one of the strongest teams of all time.
PRX/ FUT: this prediction needs no explanation. PRX is without a doubt one of the strongest teams in this tournament. They will quickly dispatch FUT.
FNC/NRG: this is set up to be a very close match. Although NRG is a great team at adjusting and learning from mistakes, FNC is just a better team at beginning tournaments. FNC wins this match
Loud/NAVI:this prediction also needs no explanation. Loud is such a good team at purely controlling maps and pioneering new comps which I can guarantee that they have a new comp cooking. Loud easily takes this match.
TL/PRX: this prediction is also a very simple one. Although TL did take down FNC in dominate fashion, PRX is just too strong to be defeated here. PRX wins.
FNC/Loud: this match will be an easy one to predict even though both teams are true regional powerhouses. Loud is just one of if not the greatest team in rematch games. Loud takes the match.
PRX/Loud: this match will require little explanation. PRX will continue their absolute domination over powerhouse teams. PRX books their tickets to the grand finals.
The lower bracket will then look like this:
T1/FUT
NRG/NAVI
TL/?
FNC/?
?/?
Loud/?
T1/FUT: this prediction is simple. FUT is a very cohesive team with a highly explosive duelist player in qw1. FUT takes this match
NRG/NAVI: let’s be brief. NAVI can rarely win a rematch if they lost the first time. NRG wins.
TL/FUT: TL is just too strong for a FUT team that is inconsistent. TL wins.
FNC/NRG: NRG will have heated up by this point in the tournament. They are also masters at wining rematches after losing the first time. NRG shocks FNC.
TL/NRG: once NRG has heated up, they will only be stopped by a fellow titan. TL is not that team. NRG wins.
Loud/NRG: el Classico again. If history repeats itself, the series evens up with an NRG win.
This leaves the grand finals as:
PRX/NRG
This may be one of the greatest grand finals ever. I believe that PRX will not ban NRG’s best maps because the two teams share many strong maps. With NRG losing some of there best maps to PRX and with the other good maps for the team banned, PRX will be the first pacific team to win an international event.
If you feel like I am wrong in any place, please leave your opinion in a reply
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