Bduhmana & VampiricNarwhal’s Bot Lane Banter Presents: BOL Gold Week 2

Power Rankings

Top Tier Teams

Jolly Rogers Ghost Crew

With one week under way, we got a snapshot of what looks like the strongest, top tier team in the league at the moment and Jolly Rogers is in my top two. I am not sure why TDD was able to keep Amumu both games, but maybe Fearless will create more challenges for this jungler than the coaches did last week lol My players to watch are HardstuckBrotha and Dolo, because they know how to dominate their lane, as well as translate that into securing their victory. That is going to be important for any team facing them to recognize and respect in drafting and in gameplay.

CB Phreaks

I never hate to say I told you so to Narwhal, but I had my sights on this CB team being the winner of the duel and that game didn’t disappoint. From drafting to in-game execution, this team looks solid and I am excited to see how they continue to do in the next couple of weeks. For me, this is my top team for other teams to be on the lookout for when facing them, because individual matchups matter just as much as the teamplay. I did notice a few roster shuffles so I am also curious about how that plays into who their player to watch this week will be for me, because I don’t think they need a change. 

Glacial Void

Well we said we couldn’t give them much until we got to see them, and play they sure did. Their team comp with Hecarim was one to be feared and I really enjoy the way Tremington owns the rift while ahead. Solid performance from everyone on this roster and I am excited to see what they do next.

Fools Five Squires

We didn’t have much to say about the Fools Five Squires before last week, but I think their 2-0 against the Mercenaries left some impact on how strong this team actually is. Qwerthe5 took over the rift with the Viego game 1 that might leave him never getting that pick again this split lol And while they did play against a team that just finalized the roster the day of gameday, they still showed up strong enough to sit comfortably in this tier for now.

OSG Tactical Freeze

Whether we knew any of the players prior to this season, we certainly know them now after they beat ND 2-0 (with the second game pretty decisively). M8tricks really got a chance to shine on the Aurora pick and I find it hard pressed that he gets another chance to play it against OSG, but we shall see what the coming of Fearless and how that shakes up drafting. Regardless of dominant draft picks, this team communicates well and understands their roles and how to execute it cleanly in game.

Lower Tier Teams

CB Impulse

Because there is only one week, and all series went 2-0 (or 0-2), the tiers mean less–but CB Impulse is technically in the lower tiers for now so let’s talk about it. While I wasn’t a fan of their drafting in either game, game two of last week did show they had some strengths that they can use as a growth point to start moving their way back up. Riku’s Azir looked strong and if they can shore up some of the drafting, they can set up Puffin to be a stronger place to help them with some of the looks that missed their mark in week 1.

Fools Five Mercenaries

While I am glad to see they had a full roster by start time, I do wish they had more time to play together before having to go up against qwerthe5. Similarly to the other rival series, I wasn’t a fan of the drafting for this team and I am hoping they get more time before week 2 to find their team identity and practice it, because they do have some players who can make waves if given the proper resources and support, so my player to watch is Moon, because it’ll be on him to create or facilitate those opportunities in game. 

Hyperion White Rabbit

This team walked away from a tough series week 1 and also made the decision to shuffle some players and try some new strats for the next week. My players to watch is gonna be Viyella and Shiny mew, because they are gonna need to build that jungle mid bond that is needed to push this team towards the expectations I know these players put on themselves. The hype boi in me thinks they can do it, so I will be looking at Viyella to be a clear voice for them as the jungler.

LE Prime

Last week’s series shored up some weaknesses that look like the team went into this past week in order to find the team’s vision and are moving parts in order to see what they can create for this next week. While I am not in the tea to have insight on what that looks like, I have been observing the changes and my player to watch is gonna be 1Hand as he changes positions and will be working more with Complex as the starting jungler. If these changes help create that clarity, then we will see it in this week’s drafts and outcomes. 

Nefarious Demons

While many of the content writers had high expectations for this team, I think their own deranking of themselves (yes I am talking about it) kinda showcased some of where this team needs to look within in order to get cohesion and clean up their execution. There is a lot on this roster that can create strong win cons, so now it is just about them effectively communicating that and working together to make it happen. Otherwise, that can and did get punished when losing sight of that. My player to watch is Declo as he steps into the role of Assistant coach, because we all know what happens when you put Declo coaching on a team with Minae–the whole vibe shifts and I am a vibe person and is riding that hype into week two. 

Week 1 Matchups

Jolly Rogers Ghost Crew vs Fools Five Squires: 2-1

I am hoping this is a streamed match, because I want to see these junglers face off. And with Fearless starting this week, it will be interesting to see whether those bans affect the Qwerthe5 diff or not. I still expect HardStuckBrotha and Dolo to be a force in this series, though, and are my reason for why they win this series.

Glacial Void vs Fools Five Mercenaries: 2-0 

With how strong Glacial Void looked in their first series, I expect them to use their already pretty strong champ pools into forcing bans that will secure them a strong draft advantage. And they showed that they can individually outplay their opponents while in game. If Fools Five wants to create the upset, they will need to put time in together to build the cohesion needed to take on this team. 

CB Phreaks vs OSG Tactical Freeze: -

This should be an interesting match, OSG was better than expected last week and could definitely go for another upset against the Phreaks, that said Phreaks should easily be a favorite coming off their 2-0 against their sister team. If OSG wants to keep up their upset trend, they can just do what they did last week and use the M8tricks diff. 

Nefarious Demons vs LE Prime: -

Everything is on fire, the end is nigh. Which team? Find out soon.

CB Impulse vs Hyperion White Rabbit: 2-0

Puff Daddy shall win this week, inshallah.

I am laughing so hard while I write this because Narwhal thought Dean lost and can’t figure out that this the team that lost and would be the upset. So me writing for Hyperion, it is also me explaining to Narwhal that they didn’t win and there wasn’t a Puffin diff… last week. For Hyperio(d) (please make this your nickname) to beat Impulse, their shiny-mew Viyella swap is how they will do it. If this works, then it opens up potential a lot.