NA LCS Preview: Week 9

This article was originally published on GameSpot's sister site onGamers.com, which was dedicated to esports coverage.

With the extended break after Super Week over, the NA LCS should answer many pressing questions regarding the current standings. The first and second place teams, Team SoloMid and Cloud 9 sit with comfortable records (17-3, 16-4, respectively). Where the rest of the standings go is unknown.

Rank	Team	Wins/Losses
1.	Team SoloMid	17-3
2.	Cloud 9	16-4
3.	Counter Logic Gaming	12-8
4.	Team Dignitas	9-11
5.	Team Curse	8-12
6.	Team Coast	7-13
7.	Evil Geniuses	6-14
8.	XDG Gaming	5-15

The standings as of Week 8

The clutter that is the third-to-sixth place teams should be clearer after Week 9 ends. Super Week only confirmed two things: Team SoloMid and Cloud 9 win a lot (both teams, 4-0 records) and the middle-of-the pack teams alternate hot and cold weeks (3-1 week for Team Curse). What team will step up and finally gain enough consistency and ground to leave the others behind?

Teams to watch:

Team Curse

Curse's great 3-1 Super Week could be the start of a positive momentum run. They're in the middle of the standings at 8-12 and another strong week could propel them into fourth place. Their match up against Team Dignitas would be the best sign that Team Curse is ready to move past the inconsistencies. Team Curse, currently, have the advantage in the matchup (2-0) and may continue the dominance with Team Dignitas' latest form.

The new support player, Michael "Bunny Fufu" Kurylo proved to be a great move for the team. While his K/D/R may not match the play, Team Curse worked well with Kurylo and carry player, David "Cop" Roberson is reaping the immediate benefits.

Team Dignitas

Team Dignitas, is on another low point after a 1-3 record during Super Week. The inconsistency continued to plague a once-promising start for Team Dignitas. Their lone win during Super Week was against another struggling team, Team Coast, but there were signs of life in the match up against Cloud 9. With two weeks to prepare, Team Dignitas needs another winning streak to remain relevant. Unfortunately, the wins would need to come against Team Curse and Team SoloMid.

Players to watch:

David 'Cop' Roberson

Roberson played great during Super Week with new support, Kurylo. He was a combined 24/5/35 K/D/R in his four games (3-1 record) as Caitlyn, Lucian, and Draven. Another week with the new lineup should only help the AD carry of Team Curse and he should be on the radar as one of the emerging talents in the NA LCS.

Alberto 'Crumbzz' Rengifo

For Team Dignitas, their play needs to improve quickly. It starts from rotations from Rengifo. He is the stabilizing force for both Cruz "Cruzerthebruzer" Ogden and William "Scarra" Li's lanes. The importance in his jungle play dictates the early game aggression and momentum for his team. Without it, Team Dignitas may just end with an early game "gg."

Danny 'Shiphtur' Le

Le needs to be the foundation for Team Coast. His play in middle in the NA LCS could be categorize as inconsistent, to say the least. A superstar in the making, Le needs to earn the reputation by actually playing well in every game. If he doesn't, Team Coast may just coast to the bottom of the standings once again.

Top match of the week:

Day 2, Sunday March 23

Team Coast v. Counter Logic Gaming

The biggest disappointment of Super Week, Team Coast's 0-4 came at the worst time possible. This was the team with all the positive momentum and the shot to break out of the "pretender" status. Now, they're up against the third-place, Counter Logic Gaming (CLG) and need to step up again. CLG is fine. There's some security with their current record (12-8) and play. Good rotations and overall team fight chemistry made Counter Logic Gaming an automatic threat in the NA LCS.

For Team Coast, the burden falls on Danny "Shiphtur" Le and his ability to snowball the middle lane. It's a big responsibility, but Le's been doing this all season. Will there be another Team Coast resurgence? If so, it needs to start against Counter Logic Gaming.

Week 9 should answer plenty of questions: Who are the contenders in the NA LCS? Which teams will emerge from the middle-of-the pack as threats? There will be plenty of measuring stick matches and great play throughout the week in what's looking like an explosive finish.

Photo credits: lolesports.com