Bduhmana & VampiricNarwhal’s Bot Lane Banter Presents: BOL Gold Week 7

Predictions

Top Tier Teams

Glacial Void; 6-0 (12-0) 36 points

Week seven is finally here Glacial still holds an undefeated record. According to Tremmie, “knowing that I can listen to any one of my other 4 teammates and trust that what they're saying is accurate is absolutely massive. Having that trust in each other innately allows our drafts to be more unlocked, enables better team fighting, and I think, ensures that this team will stick together for a good while.” This week will need to be a testament to that, but more to come on that.

Jolly Rogers Ghost Crew; 6-0 (12-1) 35 points

Only one point and this is the week that can give them the edge on paper that they already feel they have as a team-being the best team in the league. With the captain hat on, Nas didn’t want to reveal any strats but is quite confident that they have really strong players and threats in every role on this team and that is what makes them the best. Can they overthrow the undefeated team? Time (and hopefully someone’s Twitch) will soon tell.

OSG Tactical Freeze; 4-2 (9-5) 28 points

Taking such a dominant win against Squires last week, and learning some lore about this team from Ottertalk last week, they take the last top tier spot. And while most of the season has been mostly talks about Bear vs NoName/TDD, materium has been quietly creating a storm around him for their team (like why are teams letting him have voli week after week?)

Mid Tier Teams

CB Impulse; 3-3 (6-7) 24 points

 Accel with a penta on Jhin in game 1. Billy gets a fantastic early lead game 2. Game three SOLID ACROSS THE BOARD LEAD BY 15 min. I have been waiting for this Impulse to show up all season and they really did look good doing it. The drafts are clean, the comms look clear, and I want to see if they bring this energy into the coming weeks.

LE Prime; 3-3 (6-5) 25 points

LE Prime took the L against CB Impulse and I can’t help but wonder about their drafts as a thing to clean up as we get closer to playoffs. This is an area that could’ve really helped them in game three of the series, because the other two showed a lot more life as a team. With more synergy with champions, it could give them easier setups than what I saw last week.

CB Phreaks; 3-3 (7-7) 25 points

With all three mid tier teams only a point from one another, it really makes the next few weeks interesting for Phreaks. With both Fool’s Five teams to come and then a final boss series, this team will either get a chance to steadily climb their way into playoffs or watch themselves get knocked out by one of the team’s trying to get this playoff spot. Every game will matter moving forward, and I think this team has it in them to pull it off.

7th: Fool’s Five Mercenaries; 3-3 (6-8) 22 points

I was told by a reliable source that this team does indeed have their roster set, so playing against Jolly Rogers was a good test for them and their run for playoffs. A tough test, but it did show some signs of life in both games and I am hopeful to place them in the mid tier. That being said, they have a tough schedule ahead of them and I would say every single game counts if they want to have the points they need. If they can win against teams higher in the standings, it will definitely give them the points they need (as well as the confidence needed to face them again in the playoffs). But they got to get there first…

Lower Tier Teams

Fools Five Squires; 1-5 (4-10) 18 points

With a difficult loss against OSG, Squires finds themselves in a precarious spot in the final few weeks. The next two weeks, in particular, are going to need to be strong series wins if they want their shot at a playoff run. There are a few ways they can still make playoffs, but each loss makes that harder so I will be looking to GoogleMop and FFs Derpy to clean up what they do so they can be reliable in teamfights for qwerthe and Fugitive. The potential has been here–but there isn’t much room for error left. 

Nefarious Demons; 1-5 (3-11) 16 points

The War with themselves continues as they take a tough loss against Phreaks last week. I have seen this team in the zone a couple of times, and they do have a lot to work with when they are working as a team and listening to calls. The truth is they will need a lot more trust in one another if they want to truly make a playoff run, because really this team has been playing itself week after week–and they will need to play with each other and clean sweep moving forward instead of doing all that.

Hyperion White Rabbit; 0-6 (0-12) 12 points

With where they are in the standings and in the season, they could just choose to create upsets week after week. And I really do mean that, because their showing against Glacial looked a lot better than most people expected in game one and that is definitely repeatable against their schedule moving forward. Because while they can’t make playoffs, they could stop other teams from making their playoff runs with a win in a series (or who knows-a whole series). And who doesn’t love a dark horse with nothing to gain and absolutely nothing to lose? Could be a villain arc waiting to happen…

Week 7 Matchups

Fools Five Mercenaries v CB Impulse 0-2

Unfortunately for Mercs, this might be a sweep if Impulse shows up like the did last week. I want to think they will be riding that vibe they were clearly on as they move into week 7 and am going to confidently hold that there (and hope they prove me right….)

If Mercs want to create the upset, though, they do have some sharp tools in their shed. CurryMunch3r looks great week after week and I would love to see more thought in the drafting to put the trust in this player to carry them. 

Fools Five Squires v CB Phreaks 1-2

This series matters more to other teams if Squires were to take the win (especially to Squires if they can take it in a clean sweep), but I am just not convinced that is what will happen. Phreaks also would prefer this to be a clean sweep, as it helps cement them into playoffs but last week’s series win wasn’t much of a test for Phreaks as their loss to Glacial so I think this will be a closer matchup than either one of these teams really wants. I do think Phreaks have figured out how they want to play the map, and will win by doing just that and trusting in their gameplan.

Glacial Void v Jolly Rogers Ghost Crew 2-1

Alright this is the series we have all been waiting for–and I did mention on the podcast that I spoke with folks from both these teams about this week’s matchup. Jolly Rogers’ Nas has predicted this week to be a finals preview and the most hype match of the season, and I honestly tend to agree with him about that. I also think when you stack these teams' stats side-by-side, there is a compelling argument that Jolly Rogers walks away with a win. I am just not sold on them taking the series. While I know Jolly Rogers has some of the best players in the league, I will stand by argument that Glacial Void is the strongest team in the league because of their trust in their teamwork and each other. 

Nefarious Demons v Hyperion White Rabbit ?-?

Given what I have seen from both teams…ya. That is kind of all I am going to write for this one. It will depend on how Nefarious Demons' mentality is on game day for them since they win and lose by their own sword, but Hyperion still hasn’t seen a win in a series yet. Who will show up and who will win? I honestly have no clue.

LE Prime v OSG Tactical Freeze 1-2

With what I have been watching (from both these teams) the past couple of weeks, I can confidently say I think OSG takes this series. They looked good last week, and the weeks before and this really is more of a test for LE Prime than anyone else–who has been struggling to get (and keep) leads in their games.  If OSG shows up ready, which I think they will, then this is their series to win. That being said, I do think LE Prime has the right components to be a strong contender so I think this will be a tough matchup that is winnable if they play it more cleanly than they have been.