Week 9 of the EU LCS is all about playoff seeding. Misfits, Schalke and G2 sit tied for the second spot with 11-5 records and Vitality are right behind them at 10-6. Of those those four teams, Vitality have by far the most difficult remaining two games. They’ll face Misfits on Friday night and then G2 on Saturday.
If Vitality can win both matches, they’ll be guaranteed to finish at least tied for third with Misfits and G2. If they lose both games, they’ll likely stay put at fifth place in the standings. That means they’re playing with nothing to lose and everything to gain.
Vitality could still earn a first-round bye if they win their final two games
Vitality are riding a major hot streak right now. They’re winners of five of their last six, including a statement win against Fnatic. The second hottest team in the EU LCS, they’ll be looking to finish strong heading into playoffs.
It isn’t just about records, though. Vitality have beaten Schalke and Fnatic this season, but not Misfits or G2. If they can win these last two games, they’ll be going into playoffs having beaten every team they’ve faced this season. That’s a major confidence booster regardless of records.
Both Misfits and G2 crushed Vitality earlier this season. The big difference this time around is Kikis. Since taking over for Gilius in the jungle, he’s been an unstoppable force for Vitality. He’s beaten some of the top junglers in the EU, including Broxah. Now he’ll have to go through Maxlore and Jankos, who went a combined 9/2/20 in their matches against Vitality earlier in the split.
For Misfits, it’s all about breaking their losing streak and getting back on the right track before playoffs. It’ll be tough for them to secure a first-round bye and they just need to focus on not falling apart further. Luckily, even if they lose to Vitality on Friday, they’ll have a chance against Roccat on Saturday.
For G2, their final game against Vitality signifies their last step to righting the ship. After starting the season on a major hot streak, they went cold in the middle of the season. In the last couple weeks they’ve gotten back on the right track and have won three of their last four games.
Still, their only recent statement win was against Misfits last week. A win against Vitality would remind everyone that they’re still a team that needs to be taken seriously.