NA LCS Week 8 Preview

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

The second Super Week will be a pivotal week for every team in the NA LCS. With each team playing four matches, anyone has the chance make massive jumps in the standings - up or down. With only four weeks left in the regular season, a lackluster Super Week could be the catalyst prompting a nosedive or a resurgence in the rankings.

Team Solo Mid (13-3)

Opponents this week: Coast,Counter Logic Gaming,Evil Geniuses,XDG

Team Solo Mid’s mid-lane star, Søren "Bjergsen" Bjerg, will be stuck in Europe for another week. Bjerg returned to his homeland last week to sort out visa issues, with former TSM mid-laner Andy “Reginald” Dhin filling his place. Last week, Team Solo Mid was able to fend of Dignitas, but Bjergsen’s absence was felt versus Cloud 9. It’s unclear if Reginald will be filling the mid-lane spot for a second week. Whoever it is, they will have big shoes to fill this Super Week.

Cloud 9 (12-4)

Opponents this week: Evil Geniuses, Curse, Dignitas, CLG

It wasn’t a surprise that Cloud 9 would hit more road bumps this season than the last. The real surprises were the teams able to take games off them. Dignitas and XDG have both been able to shut down Cloud 9 in decisive victories. But, the sky isn’t falling - Cloud 9 continues to exemplify strong team coordination as well as individual talent in An “Balls” Le and Will “Meteos” Hartman. In theory, Cloud 9 should have a somewhat easy Super Week, as all of their opponents are stuck in the middle of the pack with, the exception of CLG.

Counter Logic Gaming (10-6)

Opponents this week: Dignitas,Team Solo Mid,Coast,Cloud 9

Since CLG have had their full starting roster in North America, they’ve won five of their past six matches.The addition of Dexter has not only filled CLG’s long empty world class jungler spot, it has also allowed previously underrated talent to shine. Link has gone on a rampage, picking up Most Valuable Player two weeks in a row. Aphroomoo and Doublelift have also shown improvement each week, as they are able to dominate 2v2 lanes even with unfavorable champion picks. But the biggest improvement to CLG this split is their shot-calling and rotations, which was the team's Achilles’ heel previously.

Dignitas (8-8)

Opponents this week: Counter Logic Gaming,Coast,Cloud 9, Curse

At the start of the split, it looked as if Dignitas had finally broken their curse of just sliding by, with an impressive 3-0 in Week 2. But their performance so far hasn’t been anything extraordinary. The real problem for Dignitas seems to be that they are at their peak - none of their players are worth of the top three individually. They are incredibly streaky, and fail to consistently execute a strategy. Dignitas could struggle to keep their heads above water after this week.

Team Coast (7-9)

Opponents this week: Team Solo Mid, Dignitas,XDG,CLG

Coast is riding the wave out of last place, winning five of their past six games. Coast doesn’t conform to the standard meta in terms of champion picks. Rather, they still hold onto popular picks from last season, like Ahri and Jax. But Coast is making it work. Shiphtur is the focal point of the team, slowly moving towards being considered among the best mid-player in North America. His Nidalee play has racked up a 47.00 KDA in five games. In addition, he’s played eight unique champions so far this season. In the top lane, ZionSpartan has picked up 10 unique champions, the most of any North American top laner. Coast could realistically secure themselves a place in the top four if they have a strong Super Week.

Evil Geniuses (5-11)

Opponents this week: Cloud 9,XDG,Team Solo Mid,Curse

It’s been a rough road for the Evil Geniuses, and it’s not going to get easier anytime soon. Since the start of the split, EG hasn’t looked like they’re all on the same page. In general, each player isn’t up to snuff with teams in the top four. Unless EG pulls a 180 this week, they’re probably looking at relegations in their future.

Curse (5-11)

Opponents this week: XDG,Cloud 9,Dignitas, Evil Geniuses

Curse’s re-tooled roster looked like it would be a strong contender coming into the start of the split. But none of their new players have given Curse the return on investment they were hoping for. Voyboy’s transition into the mid lane has been disappointing, and the hopes of Quas’ unique picks to catch seasoned top-laners off guard hasn’t panned out. Curse has had another roster change, adding Michael 'Bunny Fufuu' Kurylo at support, replacing Saintvicious.

XDG (4-11)

Opponents this week:Curse,Evil Geniuses,Coast, Team Solo Mid

Changing Zuna and Xmithie back to their original roles may have been just enough to save themselves from an automatic seed into relegations. In their first match with their Season 3 roster (with the exception of former Curse Academy player, Sheep, at support), they were able to take down second place Cloud 9. Xmithie slipped right back into the jungle like he had never even left. In the bot lane, Sheep erased LAN jitters and plays against the C9 bot lane, taking a kill in a straight up 2v2. They may be able to escape the dreaded bottom two, but their record moving forward will have to be pristine.

Image Credit: Riot Games