LCS Week 3 Preview: Will Cloud9 Dominate Superweek?

Will Cloud9 bounce back despite their tough week three schedule? Or will they begin their mid-regular-season slump?

LCS Week 3 promises to be exciting, with multiple entertaining games on the horizon. After a strong start to the split, Cloud9 suffered their first defeat on the season last night following a dominant performance from the winless Shopify Rebellion. FlyQuest’s horrific defeat to the defending LCS champions NRG meant no undefeated team in the league, with a three-way tie at the top of the standings at 3-1. ESTNN is here to break down the biggest storylines heading into week three of the LCS and predict which teams will come out on top.

Tough Schedule For Cloud9 Following Shopify Defeat
Although Cloud9 is undoubtedly the best team in the LCS based on the four games we have seen thus far, their shock loss to Shopify Rebellion could not have come at a worse time for the boys in blue. Cloud9 faces off against Immortals Progressive on Friday, followed by two intense matches against FlyQuest and Team Liquid. While Cloud9 is still the favorites in both of the latter matches, defeats in those could turn a few heads as they could be at best 2-3 in the past two weeks – not good enough for a side that is classed as a superteam and is expected to dominate the league from the get-go.

Luckily for Cloud9, their problems in the Shopify Game are easily fixable. Where the game turned on its head was Blaber and the C9 bottom lane tower diving the SR bottom lane just as the Voidgrubs spawned. Having already lost the first three, C9’s botched dive meant SR could pick up all six, which is an absolute gift for any side in the lead, as they can take outer turrets at will. Where Cloud9 should be praised, and I hope they continue to do this, is not being afraid to pick “meta” champions if they think this is a good pick in isolation. For years, many of the best European teams have showcased an ability to pick a unique champion if the opportunity is right. It will be interesting to see if this was just a blip or if Cloud9 has problems with the fundamental aspects of the game that could also hinder them against better opposition in Team Liquid and FlyQuest.

Is 100 Thieves Better Than 8th Place Prediction?
A team that is sitting at a respectable 2-2 in the standings so far is 100 Thieves. Perhaps this is a “too early to tell” moment. Still, it appears 100 Thieves are going to beat the eighth-place allegations, to the delight of LCS Content Creator David Szajnuk, a notable 100 Thieves fan who has taken note of every member in the LCS community placing them at the bottom of the standings. 100 Thieves has gone back-to-back 1-1 weekends to kickstart their 2024 LCS Spring Split campaign. This is extremely impressive, given they have faced the Worlds 2023 representatives in Cloud9, Team Liquid, and NRG, along with Dignitas, who is proving to be a competitive outlet in the Spring Split. This has been the ultimate test for their rookie players, with Sniper looking far more comfortable thus far in comparison to Meech, who only had his first solid game yesterday against Dignitas.

Super week is an excellent opportunity for 100T to cement themselves firmly in the middle of the pack, approaching the top four as a dark horse. 100 Thieves faces FlyQuest on day one, followed by Immortals and Shopify Rebellion. 100T is expected to lose that opening game to FLY, but if they can beat IMT and SR, they will build a multiple-game advantage over their opponents moving into the second round robin. River has been the star player for 100 Thieves so far, proving why he is one of the best players in the league. 100T’s success thus far has centered around River, even in the lost games.

LCS Week 3 Predictions
Day one:

Immortals vs Cloud9: C9 WIN
Team Liquid vs NRG: NRG WIN
Dignitas vs Shopify Rebellion: DIG WIN
FylQuest vs 100 Thieves: FLY WIN

Day two:

Team Liquid vs Dignitas: TL WIN
FlyQuest vs Cloud9: C9 WIN
Immortals vs 100 Thieves: 100T WIN
NRG vs Shopify Rebellion: NRG WIN

Day three:

FlyQuest vs Dignitas: FLY WIN
Team Liquid vs Cloud9: C9 WIN
100 Thieves vs Shopify Rebellion: SR WIN
NRG vs Immortals: NRG WIN

Stay tuned to ESTNN for the latest League of Legends news and LCS updates.

Jordan ‘Marn’ is an esports journalist from across the pond. Jordan has a passion for telling stories about the esports titles he loves such as League of Legends and Call of Duty. He has written for Esportz Network, Unikrn and United Stand. Twitter: @official_marn