LCS Championship 2024: Playoffs Round 1 Matchups and Preview

The first round of the upcoming LCS Championship is right around the corner!

With the World Championship on the line, the top 6 teams from the LCS Summer Season will battle it out in a double elimination bracket to see which three teams will represent the region at the biggest League of Legends event of the year.

After a triumphant finish which marked the team as the first in LCS history to complete an undefeated season, Team Liquid is accompanied by Cloud9 onto Round 2 of the playoffs, both teams having received first-round byes for their 1st and 2nd place finishes in the Summer Season, respectively.

The schedule for the first round of the LCS Championship is as follows:

• Dignitas vs 100 Thieves [Saturday August 17th, 1 pm PT / 4 pm ET]
• Flyquest vs NRG [Sunday August 18th, 1 pm PT / 4 pm ET]

LCS Championship Predictions

Dignitas vs 100 Thieves

100 Thieves has had an incredible surge in form ever since Frank "Tomo" Lam came into the team on Week 6 of the season to replace the struggling Brandon "Meech" Choi.

After starting the season with a 3-8 record in games with Meech as their AD carry, the introduction of Tomo revitalized the team in a manner which saw the team close out the season with a 7-9 record, having gone 4-1 in games while playing with Tomo.

It is worth nothing, however, that this 4-1 closing spree from 100 Thieves came at the mercy of the two bottom teams in the league, Shopify Rebellion and Immortals. This 100 Thieves roster with Tomo in the bot lane is yet to be tested against stronger opposition.

Queue Dignitas, a team that fully revamped its roster coming into the Summer Season with several former stars joining the squad.

While Dignitas' record for the season ended up being fairly similar to that of 100 Thieves, the team managed to take a game from both the 1st and 2nd place teams in the LCS. Losing both their series against TL and C9 in 2-1 fashion, the team was able to make those series competitive, which should allow the roster to feel confident about their capabilities despite their struggling record.

Veterans Jesper "Zven" Svenningsen and Nicolaj "Jensen" Jensen have been particularly stand-out performers for the team during the Summer Season.

Also worthy of note is the fact that Dignitas made quick work of 100 Thieves during their Week 2 match-up this Summer Season, walking away with a 2-0 victory.

Ultimately, while 100 Thieves' resurgence has been a sight to behold, the squad's lack of experience against top competition, coupled with this Dignitas roster's vast playoff experience, should prove too tall a mountain to climb for the thieves.

Prediction: Dignitas 3-1 100 Thieves

Flyquest vs NRG

If FLY Bwipo's recent comments on the importance of attending the World Championship are an indicator of the team's hunger to perform, then NRG should be in trouble.

Flyquest has looked like the clear third best team in the LCS all season long, even competing with Cloud9 for that 2nd place finish to the very last week of the season.

While the team has certainly showed weaknesses against TL and C9, FLY is sure to have learned from their only two losses of the split, and are not likely to make the same mistakes against an NRG that team that looks like little more than the withered shadow of former greatness.

NRG will, no doubts, look to show up for the match with their claws sharpened and their teeth filed, as this is a roster composed of players who are accustomed to winning, even qualifying for the 2023 World Championship as the LCS' first seed. And yet, given the teams incessant struggles to replicate said form, an upset against FLY will be no small feat.

Prediction: Flyquest 3-0 NRG

With our LCS Championship predictions set, only time will tell if everything is indeed as it seems! Tune in to all the action to find out which three teams will represent North America at the 2024 League of Legends World Championship.

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Image source: Stefan Wisnoski/Riot Games

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