Following numerous upsets on the last day of the LCS Spring split, the organizers held a tiebreak tournament on Monday. With three teams tied at both 2nd and 6th, two rounds had to be played for each tie. In the second place tiebreaker, the Evil Geniuses secured the number 2 spot after beating 100 Thieves in a close game. In the 6th place tiebreaker, the Golden Guardians beat all the odds and guaranteed themselves a playoff spot. They managed to overcome Team Dignitas in another close game, proving their doubters wrong.
Evil Geniuses beat expectations in LCS return
The Evil Geniuses isn’t a new organization in the LCS, but some younger viewers might not know them. They were one of the original NA LCS teams but had to rebrand in 2014 due to a new Riot policy. Rebranding to Winterfox, the team didn’t do well and was ultimately relegated by the end of the split. However, in the 2020 preseason, it was announced that the Evil Geniuses organization would return to the LCS. Acquiring Echo Fox’s spot, many new and old fans were excited to see this legendary organization’s return.
While most preseason power rankings weren’t kind to EG, they defied all expectations. Finishing above powerhouses like Team SoloMid and Team Liquid made them a serious playoff threat. And securing that second-place spot was just icing on the cake for this reborn team.
Golden Guardians secure a playoff spot
If Evil Geniuses weren’t seen as contenders for top spots, then Golden Guardians weren’t seen as an LCS playoff team at all. Their pasts seasons, plus a lack of big-name players, made people doubt if they could even come close to being a playoff team. Most power rankings placed them at the bottom of the standings, especially criticizing the acquisition of Greyson Gregory “Goldenglue” Gilmer as their starting mid laner. Furthermore, bringing in Can “Closer” Çelik seemed like an odd move, to say the least.
However, both players proved their haters wrong. Their play throughout the split was solid, and the rest of the team played great around them. However, we have to give some credit to ADC Ian Victor “FBI” Huang. Continuing his excellent performances from last season, FBI was arguably GGS’ best-performing player. All of this proved enough to secure the organization’s second LCS playoff appearance in history.
We wish both Evil Geniuses and Golden Guardians the best of luck in the playoffs. Do you think either of these teams could make a deep run in the playoffs? Let us know in the comments below!
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