Drama galore in the LCS Lock-In 2022 as finals weekend approaches.
The quarterfinals of the LCS Lock-In 2022 happened over the past weekend and it brought about plenty of drama, starting with one of last year's Summer Split finalists, 100 Thieves failing to make it past Dignitas. Meanwhile, the likes of Team Liquid, Evil Geniuses, and Cloud9 have also made it to the semifinals with both Liquid and EG taking out the same opponents from last year's Lock-In playoffs.
For the semifinals, we have Dignitas going up against Liquid who are last year's Lock-In champions. Having taken out C9 last year, Liquid knows and has what it takes to make it to the finals once again. Even with a new roster, the org looked to have hit the jackpot with some of their new signings. As for Dignitas, this is their first playoff run after making a return to the LCS in 2020. They've already done the impossible by sweeping 100T 2-0 in the quarterfinals, something that not many saw coming given how poorly Dignitas performed in the group stages. For context, 100 Thieves topped Group A while Dignitas scraped past Group B.
In the other semifinal bracket, we have EG facing off against C9 for the 13th time in their history with C9 having the slight edge over EG with the tally at 7-6. Both teams have also reshuffled their rosters during the offseason with EG making three changes while C9 also made a host of swaps. It will also be the first time Vulcan will be facing off against his former team after a two-year stint with C9. EG has not had the best of years after making a return to the LCS but a win against C9 could be what the team needs to further their chances during the Spring Split. C9 should be going for the jugular here, however, given their track record in the regional playoffs.
Grand Final Predictions
With Dignitas already knocking out one of the tournament favourites, they could very well do it again by sending home another. After not performing well in the past splits, Dignitas went all out with three roster imports, bringing in the likes of Kim "River" Dong-woo from PSG Talon, Ersin "Blue" Gören from SK Gaming, and Vincent "Biofrost" Wang formerly of TSM FTX. River has been one of Talon's best players before his relocation to the LCS whilst Blue becomes the latest player from the LEC to make the move. While Biofrost was one of TSM's top players, his return from retirement will be one to look out for.
As for Liquid, they will be looking to repeat their triumphs from last year by making it to the grand finals once more. With their latest inclusions, Liquid look to be a team on a mission to take over the LCS after two second-place finishes last season. A back-to-back victory in the LCS Lock-In will put them in a prime spot to be the region's team to beat. With the series being a best-of-five, it could go either way but the advantage will be on Liquid's side given the team's wealth of experience in the clutch.
EG versus C9 will be another highly-anticipated encounter given Vulcan's history with C9 and his current affiliation with EG. While it's nothing new to play against your former teammates, it will be interesting to see what happens in this best-of-five as C9 has two new South Korean imports in key positions alongside a new support player. It will be down to the likes of Blaber and Fudge to lead the squad against an impressive EG side.
Danny has been one of the best AD carries in the LCS since last season so EG will be looking to put him in the driver's seat for this year. With both teams having new lineups heading into the series, C9 does have the slight edge given their previous history of winning all best-of-fives against EG.
When and where to watch
The semifinals will be happening this weekend with all two matches being a best-of-five series to determine who will make it to the grand finals. The first semifinal series is between Dignitas and Team Liquid at 6.30 am GMT+8 on Saturday, January 29. The other semifinal series will feature Evil Geniuses against Cloud9 at 5.30 am GMT+8 on Sunday, January 30 with the grand finals happening on Monday, January 31 at 4.30 am GMT+8. Don't forget to catch all the action on the official LCS Twitch channel.
