LCS Spring 2023: Evil Geniuses Hope to Improve Their Standings From Third in the Last Split

• Cloud9 face off against their opponents from the last finals, 100 Thieves

• Evil Geniuses will hope to improve their standings from third in the last split

• Team Liquid are in the form of their lives and we have high expectations of them

100 Thieves vs. Cloud9 Pick

Cloud9

100 Thieves vs. Cloud9 Prediction

Cloud9 look set to repeat history, having beaten 100 Thieves 3-0 in the finals of the LCS summer split. 

100 Thieves - Last Season's Runners-Up Looking Strong

Despite placing second in the last summer and spring splits of the LCS, 100 Thieves are facing the one team that beat them 3-0 the last time they faced off, in Cloud9. Statistically speaking, 100 Thieves have been the better team on paper, but recent shakeups to their roster mean that they might be a bit of a mystery in 2023. 

In the previous split, 100 Thieves had a remarkable win rate of 60%, dealing 1896 damage per minute and racking up 10.8 kills per game. The team won 80% of their games when ahead at 15 minutes. 

Cloud9 - Reigning Champions Return as Favorites

Cloud9 begin the 2022 season as favorites, owing to their brilliant performance in the last season, the LCS, where they won the finals with a 3-0 sweep against their opponents in the group stage - 100 Thieves. Before the summer split, Cloud9 also placed fourth in the previous spring season of the LCS. 

Over the last split, Cloud9 have been impressively consistent, with an overall win rate of 57%.  They dealt 1940 damage per minute, getting 13 kills per game with a kill/death ratio of 1.6.  Remarkably, Cloud9 won 86% of their games when ahead at 15 minutes, making them our favorites in their matchup against 100 Thieves. 

Golden Guardians vs. Evil Geniuses Pick

Evil Geniuses

Golden Guardians vs. Evil Geniuses Prediction

Evil Geniuses have been in tremendous form over the last season and look poised to dominate in 2023.

Golden Guardians - A Mid-Table Team With an Opportunity to Shock the World

Golden Guardians have been a consistent mid-table team all the way back to the year of their formation in 2018. In 2022, the team placed 7th-8th in the summer split and 5th-6th in the spring split of the LCS. Unfortunately for them, they’re going up against absolute titans in Evil Geniuses, who have been in tremendous form. 

In the concluded summer split, Golden Guardians only won 36% of their games, despite dealing 1865 damage per minute and getting 14.2 kills per game. Their kill/death ratio was 1.1, and they obtained 1735 gold per minute.

Evil Geniuses - In The Form of Their Lives

Evil Geniuses had the season of their lives in 2022. They placed 3rd in the LCS summer split, 1st in the spring split and 3rd-4th in the highly coveted Mid-Seasonal Invitational. While they did crash out of the group stages of the World Championships recently, we don’t think that it will have any significant impact on their performances in 2023. 

With a win rate of 60% in 2022, Evil Geniuses inflicted 1910 damage per minute and got a huge 14.6 kills per game, with a kill/death ratio of 2.1 While these numbers are impressive on their own, they managed to achieve them while playing against the best teams in the world. They also won 81% of games when they were ahead at 15 minutes and obtained 1849 gold per minute in the last split of the LCS.

FlyQuest vs. Team Liquid Pick

Team Liquid

FlyQuest vs. Team Liquid Prediction

Flyquest - It’s All Uphill in This Game

In another matchup of mid-table vs top-table teams, FlyQuest are set to face off against the Juggernauts in Team Liquid. FlyQuest had a reasonably good 2022, with a 7th place finish in the summer split, and a 6th place finish in the spring split. However, this is levels below what Team Liquid have achieved in the last couple of years. 

In the last split, FlyQuest had a win rate of 43%, dealing just 1607 damage per minute and getting 10.7 kills per game for a kill/death ratio of 1.1. Despite their results, the team played conservative tactics that resulted in first blood in only 43% of their games, which might not hold up against a team like Liquid. 

Team Liquid - Seasoned Veterans Will Be Favorites

Another top-table team, Team Liquid have recent history on their side, going back to the 2021 season. In 2022, they placed 4th in the summer split and 3rd in the spring split. The previous year, they finished both legs of the LCS in 2nd place.

Team Liquid had an almost unbelievable win rate of 68% in 2022, completely wiping the floor with the competition. They dealt 1986 damage per game and drew first blood 72.7% of the time, getting 14 kills per game with a mind-boggling kill/death ratio of 2. It will take a miracle for FlyQuest to usurp Team Liquid in the early stages of LCS Spring 2023.

Counter Logic Gaming vs. Dignitas Pick

Dignitas

Counter Logic Gaming vs. Dignitas Prediction

Dignitas look like the favorite in this battle of teams who underperformed last time around. 

Counter Logic Gaming - Bringing a Stable Roster

Like many of the teams mentioned above, Counter Logic Gaming had a decent run during 2022, with their best results coming in the summer split at the 5th-6th position. Despite being mid-table it’s commendable how Counter Logic Gaming has been at the forefront of LoL competition since 2010. 

In the last split, Counter Logic Gaming had a win rate of 55%, winning 18 of the 33 games they played. The aggressive team drew first blood 60% of the time and dealt a very impressive 2226 damage per game to gather 12.7 kills per game with a kill/death ratio of 1.7.

Dignitas - Unleashing a New Roster

Despite exiting the competitive LoL circuit in 2017, Dignitas made a return in 2020 by acquiring Clutch Gaming. Since their return, they’ve seen a string of mid-table results, with their best performance taking place in the spring split of 2022, where they placed 7th. 

In the last split, Dignitas had a less-than-spectacular win rate of 17%, only winning three out of 18 games played. They drew first blood only 39% of the time and scored a measly 8.3 kills per game, with an overall kill/death ratio of 0.8. When we look at their statistics over the entire season, things look slightly better as their kill/death ratio rises to 1.1. With the new additions to their team, we expect stronger performances from them in the upcoming season. 

TSM vs. Immortals Pick

TSM

TSM vs. Immortals Prediction

An even matchup that slightly favors TSM.

TSM - Former Champions Struggling for Consistency

The last time TSM tasted gold at the LCS was in 2020. Since then, they seem to be steadily declining in terms of results. They finished the last season in 5th-6th.

In the last summer split, they won 39% of their games while dealing 2091 damage per minute and racking up 10.6 kills per game. They had a kill/death ratio of 1.9, which is fairly decent for a team that may not be on the same level as those in the upper reaches of the LCS. Their new roster should help them achieve better results in the next season. 

Immortals - Lots to Prove

Immortals enter the 2023 season after finishing nearly last in the last spring split of the LCS in 9th place. Several notable players like Tactical, Mabrey, Xmithie, Dayos, and Draxyr have joined them during the off-season.

In the last summer split, Immortals only won 22% of their games and maintained a kill/death ratio of 0.7. We hope that their new roster helps them improve results in the upcoming season.

How To Watch LCS Spring 2023

• Teams: 100 Thieves vs Cloud9, Golden Guardians vs Evil Geniuses, FlyQuest vs. Team Liquid, Counter Logic Gaming vs Dignitas Prediction

• Location: North America

• Time: Thursday, 26 January at 3 PM ET onwards

• How to Watch: LCS Twitch channel