Pirate Galaxy » that if it can win a third straight title.T

It isnt a hyperbolic statement when I say the playoff matches coming up this weekend make up the greatest semifinals in the history of the North American League Championship Series, and maybe LCS as a whole. The three former champions of the league are in the top four, and the lone non-winner, Immortals, has been the rookie sensation of 2016, winning the regular-season crown last split and only dropping two matches to Team SoloMid in second place this split.On Saturday, Cloud9 vs. Immortals. The old gods versus the new. The battle of an organization attempting to establish itself as the elite of North America against a club in Immortals that resembles C9 in its early days, when it ran roughshod over the league. It will either be the fifth time C9 graces the finals stage, or the first time the finals is decked out in the green and black colors of Immortals.Sunday, its the El Clásico. The grandaddy of all rivalries in North American esports. The back-to-back defending, reigning and undisputed champion of the NA LCS, Counter Logic Gaming will put its belt on the line against the team it prevailed against twice in a row in the finals to win the league. Team SoloMid comes into the series as the frontrunner in the playoffs as the first-place seed with an organization best record of 17-1. Unless the two end up playing each other at Worlds, this will be the final meeting of the year between the rivals, with the winner of the semifinal automatically qualifying for the world championships.Four teams looking to rewrite their legacies. Two explosive days of action. Only one place they want to end up: the Air Canada Centre in Toronto on Aug. 28 for the NA LCS championship finals.What does a win this weekend mean for each team?Cloud9It means Cloud9 is great once again. C9 has been in a transition period for the past year while former captain Hai Hai Lam has tried to gracefully maneuver into the management side of esports, and this split could finally be the end of the rebuild. The team is working well in its new democratic-style of shotcalling with all five players having a hand in making crucial in-game decisions. The return of William Meteos Hartman has been seamless along with the addition of starting top laner Jung Impact Eon-yeong. A finals appearance, which would be C9s first since spring of last year when it lost to TSM, would be a signal of the Hai era officially closing in favor of Cloud9s next chapter.ImmortalsIt legitimizes all the good things Immortals has done this year. Immortals won the regular season in dominating fashion last split, yet failed to make the finals following a 3-0 drumming by TSM in the semifinals. As the only team in the final four to not have a league championship, making the finals would prove that Immortals arent just a regular-season team that cant win the big one in the playoffs. Cloud9 is a tough opponent, but like last season, Immortals come into the series as favorites in a new meta it hasnt officially played in before. Another loss in the semifinals would make us wonder if the team cant adapt in playoffs, and if Immortals have become the new Team Liquid that cant find its way to the finals.Counter Logic GamingIf CLG can complete the three-peat, it would be the greatest feat in the history of the North American LCS. TSM won the first NA LCS championship, but then the emergence of C9 halted its progress. C9 would take the next two titles versus TSM in the finals before TSM roared back to beat C9 in the next two finals. When TSM went for its very own three-peat in New York City last year at Madison Square Garden, CLG were able to sweep them and win its first title. Now, CLG, working on its own three-peat, is on the verge of putting together championship runs in New York City, Las Vegas and Toronto if it can get through the next two matches as victors. It hasnt been the best regular season for CLG; however, no one will remember that if it can win a third straight title.Team SoloMidEverything. The team with the most to lose this weekend is TSM. A win against CLG and the past year of futility against its rivals is wiped away. Worlds is guaranteed, the constant losses to CLG in the playoffs are a thing of the past, TSM is once again the crown jewel of North America as Counter Logic returns to being the understudy. A loss, on the other hand, and it would be a third straight playoff loss to CLG, and if Immortals beat Cloud9, it would mean TSM would have to win a do-or-die match in the gauntlet to make the World Championships.Victory equals glory, validation and cleansing.Defeat represents despair and anguish, and confirms CLG is the superior team when it matters the most. Cheap Jerseys From China .com) - The game was all punts and field goals before Kodi Whitfields catch. Wholesale NFL Jerseys China . A forerunning sled crashed into the worker Thursday at the Sanki Sliding Center. The unidentified worker broke both legs and was airlifted to a nearby hospital. http://www.chinajerseyscheap.com/ . Once again Jordan Cieciwa (@FitCityJordan) and I (@LynchOnSports) go head to head in our picks. Last weekend at UFC Fight Night 32 my #TeamLynch got the best of #TeamJC by a score of 9-6. Let us know which side youre on for UFC 167 use the hashtag #TeamLynch or #TeamJC on Twitter. Cheap Jerseys China . Burris threw two TD passes, including a key 15-yard fourth-quarter strike to Bakari Grant that effectively countered a Toronto comeback bid and led Hamilton to a 33-19 victory. Wholesale Authentic Jerseys . -- Team after team passed on Andre Ellington in the draft. When youre at the top, youre everyones target.After taking the title at Frankfurt and Manila, OG has set a strong case for being one of the best teams in Dota 2. The two-time Major-winning squad is bootcamping for a run at the Aegis, and as team coach Sébastien 7ckngMad Debs puts it, all eyes are on OG.Winning two Majors definitely builds up some confidence, but it also makes you a target. Everyone looks at you through a lens, said 7ckngMad. [The International] will be way rougher than the two Majors before.Even with the higher level of competition, toppling the mean green will not be easy. Many have tried and failed; Team Liquid, Wings Gaming, Newbee, Vici.Gaming Reborn, almost every top team has been shown the exit by OG. Even those who take out OG have trouble replicating the victory, as the team adapts and returns stronger than ever.This is a team that has stood the test of time, endured drought seasons and reaped the rewards. For many members of OG, this is not their first time competing for Dota 2s most coveted prize pool, but this is the first time theyve come in as the favorites. Johan n0tail Sundstein has seen several TIs, through the viewpoint of several teams, but this time is different.I would prefer not to be the favorites going into a tournament, but this is the first time that I can say that I have a chance to win a TI, said n0tail. That is more motivation than Ive ever had before.The many-faced teamIts difficult to pinpoint the most effective cog in the OG machine. Other teams rely on single players, explosive playmakers who set the tempo and lead the team. Yet OG doesnt seem to rely on the same factors. Each time one player falters, gets focused in lane or harassed out of any farm, others instantly pick up the slack.Amer Miracle- Barqawi tends to be most obvious choice for teams to focus their aggression on. A 9000 MMR mid laner, Miracle- has shown proficiency across a breadth of heroes, from meta picks like Tinker to pocket strats in Medusa or Axe. Teams often focus on the shut down Miracle- approach, yet this tactic doesnt seem to faze him in the slightest.If Im focused [on], my team sometimes tries to make space for me to catch up, said Miracle-. Its not good for opponents to focus me because my team will just have a free game.This is where players like n0tail step in, as he has found new rhythm in his carry role on OG. On Terrorblade alone, n0tail averages 661 gold-per-minute, and he boasts impressive stats across a wide range of carries, from Juggernaut to Naga Siren and Drow Ranger.If it isnt the danger of Miracle- getting out of control, its n0tail, or offlaner David Moon Tan, or even a support like Andreas Cr1t- Nielsen getting too much space to make plays happen across the map. Captain and drafter Tal Fly Aizik notes the flexibility of his team to move from comfort picks to necessary counters.When you draft for your team, its important to keep in mind what heroes you are comfortable with, said Fly. But as a top team, you should be able to integrate heroes youve rarely practiced as well, if the situation calls for it.Band of brothersIts all in the camaraderiie of OG, an inherent trust these five players have built up with each other.dddddddddddd The Dota scene has rarely been known for its stability, and past years have often been plagued with roster swaps and players constantly moving on to new pastures. This OG squad has stuck it out though, from a surprise Frankfurt win through a dry winter spell, and back on through to Manila.Now, with The International and over $18 million in prize money ahead, is when the loyalty pays dividends.If you believe in your team, the players you have, and you have trust in one another, its good to stick together because that means well have experienced the lows, said Fly. If you are able to rise from that youll be that much stronger. Teams that are only together for half a year might not have gone through the lows yet and those obstacles might happen during the most important tournament of the year. They might not be able to bounce back from that.Moon expressed similar sentiments about players and teams that often struggle to stay in one place for long.As for other teams, there are some players out there who just cant make it, not because of their skill, but because they cannot work well with certain people, said Moon. That is what I think is a core issue in other teams.This is not a problem for OG, though, as this talented group of players hasnt just found a common standing in skill, but in personality. At tournaments like The Summit, its easy to see how this group gets along, and how its managed to turn that into success.Seattle calling7ckngMad told us the atmosphere of their TI bootcamp is slightly different, yet similar to the teams preparations for the Manila Major.I think that if it is different, its on a personal level for each and every one of us, more than as a team, said 7ckngMad. Its always fun, according to the team coach, but the team has been picking up steam.Every day that passes, the hype is increasing, 7ckngMad says. You can tell that were getting there.Theres still obstacles on the road, though. A recent appearance at The Summit 5 saw OG miss the grand finals of a tournament for the first time since Epicenter in May. Both times, it was at the hands of a Chinese squad: in May, Newbee, and at The Summit, Wings Gaming. When asked which teams the mean green is keeping an eye on, Fly was clear on who the teams greatest competitors would be.Right now, Liquid, Newbee and Wings seem like the top competition for us, said Fly. 7ckngMad echoed an obvious wariness of the top teams, but both captain and coach had a second list of blind spots they were watching.Personally, Im interested in keeping an eye on the question marks, such as Secret and EG, mainly, said 7ckngMad.Its no question teams have their eyes set on OG. There is no doubt OG is a team that can take the title for the first time, as a team built solely on the talent and cohesion of five players.At the end of the day, it doesnt matter, said 7ckngMad. The only team we truly have to keep an eye on is ourselves. ' ' '