This weekend, the 2nd split after franchising in the NA LCS will begin. And with franchising, all 10 teams return looking to improve on last split. Optic Gaming, FlyQuest, and Golden Guardians are the only teams that made changes during the off-season. This makes sense as the 6 playoffs teams were all separated by only 1 game and Counter Logic Gaming, the 7th seed, were on a nice run towards the end of the season. If the 1st split taught us anything, it is that the regular season doesn't mean too much as the eventual champions, Team Liquid, finished the regular season as a 4th seed. 100 Thieves, Echo Fox, and Clutch Gaming look to build on their Top 4 finishes, while Team Solo Mid, Cloud 9 and Counter Logic Gaming look to remind everyone about the old guard and make a run for Worlds. No one team was dominant last split as parody spread across the league; some say this was a direct result of franchising and the movement of players but this 2nd split will really show whether organizations can set themselves apart with their player and team development. Team Liquid were clearly the strongest team in North America at the end of last split, but MSI showed weaknesses in the team that other teams could exploit.
Summer Split Pre-Season Rankings
#1 Echo Fox
#2 100 Thieves
#3 Team Liquid
#4 Cloud9
#5 Counter Logic Gaming
#6 Team Solo Mid
#7 Clutch Gaming
#8 FlyQuest
#9 Optic Gaming
#10 Golden Guardians
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