BOLE Storm Watch Semi Finals Part 1

Hello everyone and welcome to The Storm Watch your weekly BOLE content. As always, I am Storm or CTRL ULT ELITE your author and colour caster. Today I am posting my matchup prediction for the XSV Gluttony Vs. Original SYN matchup as they rescheduled to play today and I wanted to get my thoughts out before both teams hit the rift. Tomorrow you can read all about my predictions on the Mint Crashouts Vs. Conduit Sun series that I will be casting along with Crewman44.

BOLE Emerald Semifinals Preview: XSV Gluttony vs. Original SYN

Prediction: 3-1 XSV Gluttony

The semifinal stage of Blue Otter League Emerald brings us an absolute banger of a matchup as two juggernauts XSV Gluttony and Original SYN clash for a spot in the Finals. While both teams have taken very different paths to get here, there’s no doubt that the fireworks will be flying in this series. Original SYN showed they can cook. But XSV Gluttony isn't here for recipes, they're here to devour. And once they sit down at the table, nobody else gets a bite.

XSV Gluttony – Dominance Defined

There’s no other way to put it—XSV Gluttony demolished TTM Aegeon in the quarterfinals. The series wasn't just a 3-0 sweep—it was a complete shutdown. XSV killed 33 towers across the three games, allowing TTM to take only 6 in return. From the very first game, the series felt over. TTM simply had no answers, and casting the series turned into an exercise in copium consumption just to imagine a way they could win a game. Every member of XSV finished the series with solid KDA stats MelloDevils with a 2.9 KDA was the “low point”. From top to bot, XSV were firing on all cylinders.

Original SYN – Surviving the Civil War

On the other side of the bracket, Original SYN had to earn their spot the hard way. After falling 0-2 to the Soot Sprites, they dug deep and pulled off a clutch reverse sweep, winning the next three games in dominant fashion. Interestingly, the series was anything but close—every game ended with a 10k+ gold lead, making it less of a back-and-forth and more of a see-saw of who could snowball better.

maTsTaT from the Soot Sprites deserves credit despite the loss, putting up massive damage numbers in their wins and maintaining the lowest deaths across the entire series. But the stars for ORG were clearly Butrzz and Zedd, who stepped up in the final three games to hard-carry the team through. (Also, shoutout to Butrzz for buying zero control wards across nearly three hours of gameplay and still winning I see old habits die hard.)

Why XSV Has the Edge

This matchup is much harder to predict than it looks on paper. While XSV has looked untouchable in the postseason, they arguably haven't been tested by a truly elite squad just yet. Their road to the semifinals included beating teams they had already proven themselves superior to in the regular season. Tonight, they go up against a red-hot ORG team that has shown it can take punches and throw them back harder.

Still, I give the edge to XSV—and here’s why:

Mid Lane Duel: xBKP vs. Zedd

This is the lane to watch. Zedd has been ORG’s rock all season, offering incredible consistency and playing the lowest-death style of any mid in the league. But xBKP is probably the best laning mid in BOLE Emerald, generating leads almost every game and applying constant pressure. If Zedd takes a backseat, it could tip the jungle dynamic entirely in XSV’s favor.

Jungle: Discrepancy vs. Altricad

Both junglers have shown strong flexibility, ranging from tanks like Amumu to carries like Lillia or even off-meta picks like Nafiri but Discrepancy just seems to have more tools in the bag. While Altricad has had some standout performances, there have been draft decisions (looking at you, jungle Nautilus) that make you raise an eyebrow. I give the slight edge here to Discrepancy.

Top Lane: MelloDevils vs. Turpz

This is where ORG could claw back some ground. Turpz is a legitimate All-Pro candidate, never having a bad game and always holding lane even in losing matchups. MelloDevils, while intelligent and mechanically sound, has had more variance, struggling on picks like Olaf and Jayce in recent games. If Turpz can exploit that inconsistency, it could open a major win condition.

Bot Lane: Butrzz & McFeeds vs. Matty & Avi

This is the hardest lane to call. Both Butrzz and Matty have had standout seasons, and both are capable of carrying almost any game. If we’re looking purely at damage per minute (DPM) the lifeblood of an ADC Matty has the edge, leading in both player and objective DPM. But with two players that are playing this well its a minor point. The player I expect to be the X-factor in this lane is Avi. Where McFeeds plays flashier, high-KDA engage supports, Avi is the responsible one focused on vision, peel, and strategic setups. That could be the difference in high-stakes teamfights, especially when both teams tend to run 5v5 comps.

Team Stats Snapshot

• Average Game Time: Both teams exceed 33 minutes, showing they favor mid-to-late game scaling.

• Towers per Game: XSV leads significantly here, reflecting their ability to close games cleanly.

• Deaths per Game: ORG dies less overall, highlighting their cleaner skirmishes and positioning.

It’s clear that both teams like to play at a measured pace, farm well, and prioritize scaling. This won't be a chaotic brawl; it’ll be a chess match of vision, rotations, and calculated engages.

Final Thoughts

This series has the potential to be the closest matchup XSV has faced all season. While I ultimately think their superior vision control, consistency across all five roles, and stronger early-game tower pressure will carry them to the Finals, Original SYN is not to be taken lightly. If Zedd and Butrzz come in swinging, and if Turpz can continue his quiet dominance in top lane, ORG could absolutely force a Game 5. But unless McFeeds and Altricad bring their A-game in both draft and execution, XSV's structure and laning advantages should be enough to close the series out 3-1. Original SYN has made it this far on grit, talent, and tenacity but tonight, they’re not facing another opponent. They’re the main course. And Gluttony? Gluttony always comes hungry.