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Can FPX Win the LPL Summer Playoffs

The Playoffs Stage of LPL Summer 2021 is almost over. Just 3 teams are left in the race and... Radu M. | 26. August 2021

The Playoffs Stage of LPL Summer 2021 is almost over. Just 3 teams are left in the race and one of them will win a ticket for Worlds 2021. The final 3 matches are scheduled to take place on August 27th, August 29th and September 2nd. In this article, I’ll take a brief look at the competitors and their chances.

The Teams

The 3 teams that are still fighting for the title of LPL Summer Champion are FunPlus Phoenix, Team WE, and EDward Gaming.

FunPlus Phoenix

FPX started the Playoffs of LPL Summer as the winner of its Group Stage. Because of that, the team only had to win one match to reach the Upper Bracket Final. And they won it with ease (3 – 0 against LNG Esports). More generally, FPX is the finalist of LPL Spring and the winner of Worlds 2019. So this competitor should not be underestimated. They may not be in great shape at all times, but they certainly have a high ceiling and the potential to beat anyone, not just from China but from the world.

One of the reasons why FPX is the favorite to win the Playoffs is that it already won its direct match against the other two competitors, during the Group Stage of LPL Summer. If Team WE and EDG couldn’t win a Bo3 against FPX, it’s hard to believe that they can win a Bo5.

Team WE

Team WE ended the Group Stage of this Split in 7th place, with a relatively modest record: 10 W – 6 L. However, as soon as the Playoffs began, they started playing much better and won 4 consecutive matches to reach the Upper Bracket Final. Their opponents were OMG, Bilibili Gaming, Rare Atom, and EDG. In particular, these last two teams finished the Group Stage in 3rd and 2nd place. So the victories matter quite a lot.

However, despite these achievements, FPX is still the favorite. In the Group Stage match, the result was a decisive 2 – 0 victory in favor of FPX. Statistics clearly indicate that Team WE will lose this match and also the Lower Bracket Final. The two competitors that are left in the race are simply much stronger and now that WE has revealed its hand, it will be difficult for them to surprise them with a completely new set of strategies.

Whenever great teams have ample time to study an opponent and prepare for it, they figure out what they need to do and then devise a winning formula.

EDward Gaming

EDG finished the Group Stage of LPL Summer 2021 in 2nd place with 12 wins and 4 losses or a win rate of 75%. That’s very impressive considering the overall strength of the Chinese region.

EDG is probably preparing for Team WE right now, in anticipation of their Upper Bracket defeat. This team seems to understand EDG’s logic and won its last 2 matches against them. Arguably, Scout’s squad is much stronger in LPL than Jiumeng’s. But the playstyle of WE seems to be extremely effective against its opponent.

If EDG finds a way to beat WE, we will have a hyped Grand Final. Otherwise, I think the die has already been cast. Of course, FPX needs to win first against WE and then WE needs to win against EDG. The fate of LPL Summer will be decided in the next 7 days.

 

Photo credit: Riot Games