Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to the Bickle Breakdown, where we’ll be looking back at how Week Two went for our IBS teams, as well as looking forward to what we expect coming into Week Three. As a fair warning, I’ll likely be looking to do positional power rankings soon! Before we begin, let’s take a look back at Week Two and see how the games went:
(Have any suggestions/ideas/topics you’d like to see me cover? Feel free to DM me!)
Piltover
SNC Sunset Ravens 2 - 1 Revolution Anarchy
GSG Iota 2 - 1 Wooper Academy
Revolution X 2 - 1 ICONIC
BYE: Hyperion Galaxy
Zaun
TE Aeon 2 - 1 Feed The Dream
TD Syndicate 2 - 0 Glacial Academy
Eden’s Blazing Stars 0 - 2 SG Antimatter
BYE: GSG Psi
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Note - I tried to avoid giving it to multiple players on the same team
TOP: Terriermon (HM - ZaxeGaming/RainingWolves)
JUNGLE: Itami (HM - SuperSquare/SNC Big)
MID: Lemon Sap (HM - Puffin/GG Jak)
ADC: Amazing Spice (HM - Crokpot/Ghost Machine)
SUPPORT: QG Manarager (HM - ScorpioDarkwood/Reximus)
PILTOVER
Rank 1: Revolution X (-)
Roster Changes - None
Another week, another 2-1, another Rank 1 for Revolution X. In their series against Iconic, Rev were extremely close to pulling off a 2-0, with game being back and forth, but even a Pentakill from Amazing Spice wasn't enough, as they dropped game one. However, Rev X came back with a vengeance in the next two games, with Spice putting up 21 kills on Samira in game 2, and Fritz hitting 10 on Yone for game 3. This coming week in our streamed game will be their first major test, as they face Wooper Academy in the streamed match of the week.
Rank 2: GSG Iota (-)
Roster Changes - None
In GSG's first full series of the split, they went head to head with one of the breakout teams from week one - Wooper Academy. In the start, it seemed that despite 1Hand's best efforts on Miss Fortune, AznSoulSlayer may be too much for the squad to handle. However, after a rough game one, the veteran squad was able to bounce back, partly thanks to Terriermon playing one nasty Gangplank in the top lane, and with some help from OMG's Rumble. The top side of the map was able to put enough pressure on Wooper Academy, and that led to their eventual 2-1 win to keep themselves undefeated. This week, GSG will be enjoying their bye and watching how the rest of Piltover plays out.
Rank 3: Wooper Academy (-)
Roster Changes - None
Wooper Academy had their first real challenge this week, as they took on one of the heavy hitters of Piltover in GSG Iota. In what proved to be one of the more exciting and close series, Wooper Academy were able to come out to an early lead, taking game one off the back of their star ADC AznSoulSlayer having a great performance on Sivir. However, in the end experience got the better of Wooper Academy, with the long standing GSG roster coming back to secure the series, handing Wooper their first loss of the season. For Wooper, Azn will always be a dangerous carry threat, but someone else needs to step up when the enemy uses most of their resources to keep him down. Look for someone to step up as they take on Revolution X in our streamed match this week.
Rank 4: SNC Sunset Ravens (↑1)
Roster Changes - None
SNC Sunset Ravens had a solid week, and finished off the Revolution portion of their schedule with another 2-1, except this time they came out victorious against Rev Anarchy. After getting smacked a bit in game one, SNC made a change in bans, and that pivot, along with solid performances from SNC Big and SNC Grim, opened a path to victory for the Ravens, moving them to an even 1-1 in the standings. This week, they take on a Hyperion squad fresh off their bye, but SNC hopes to continue their positive winning ways.
Rank 5: Revolution Anarchy (↓1)
Roster Changes - None
After their first week bye, Revolution Anarchy came into their series against SNC Sunset Ravens wanting to show why they should be just as talked about as their Revolution brothers in Rev X. At first, they did that, taking a dominant game one win thanks to excellent performances from Heretic, Leper, and Valor , all being on some of their most comfortable champs. However, come game two and three, they weren't able to recapture this magic, and thus fell to the Sunset Ravens. From game one, we see exactly what Anarchy is capable of, the question is how consistently they can reach that level. If they can constantly reach it, they'll be a force to be reckoned with. If not, look for them to possibly be on the outside looking in. We'll see which form comes to life when they take on Iconic.
Rank 6: Iconic(↑1)
Roster Changes - Add Sammy2Slap (Support)
In week two, Iconic fared better than they did in week one, as they took an extremely hard fought and back and forth game one against Rev X, but sadly for them, Iconic weren't able to replicate this level of success in games 2 or 3. Minaemi and NubTheScrub proved pivotal in being able to win game one, so for them to be able to build off this success and hopefully find a series win in the future, they'll need strong carry performances out of them. With the addition of Sammy2Slap to the roster, they're hoping the new blood to the team will be the spark they need, as they face off against Revolution Anarchy this coming week.
Rank 7: Hyperion Galaxy (↓1)
Roster Changes - None
Hyperion is coming off a bye this past week, and with Iconic’s performance vs Rev X, they have nowhere to go but to the bottom of Piltover unfortunately. All we can hope is that they used their bye week to regroup, reorganize, and settle any existing internet issues. They’ll be taking on a surging SNC Sunset Ravens, so it should be a good litmus test for the squad as they finally show off their full roster with (hopefully) no DC’s.
ZAUN
Rank 1: TD Syndicate (-)
Roster Changes - None
We got to see the full 5-man roster of TD this week, and to no one's surprise, they looked just as dominant this week as they did last week. Crokpot and LemonSap continue to prove that TD is more than the SuperSquare show, and Zaxe made a solid debut top in double tank matches. This is the team to beat in Zaun, and the question on every squad's mind is how to topple the titans. They'll look to continue their dominant form of not dropping a game, let alone a series, against Eden's Blazing Stars.
Rank 2: Tenebrous Esports Aeon (↑2)
Roster Changes - None
Next up is, to me, the surprise of Zaun, in Tenebrous Esports Aeon who now sit 2-0 with hard fought wins over veteran squads like GSG and FTD. It seems like they perform as a team, as in when they win, it's because they're all performing well, but when they lose, such as in the 2nd game vs FTD, they're all having a rough showing. However, as a newer squad, they will continue to improve as time goes on. TristanaFTW seems to have taken on the top lane tank role, letting Junk Sleep and ArcanzE take the carry reigns, and so far it's proven successful. They'll be heading into a match with Glacial Academy this week, as they try to continue their winning ways.
Rank 3: Subatomic Gaming Antimatter (↑4)
Roster Changes - Add Itami (Jungle), Add Jak (Mid), Add QG Manarager (Sub)
Subatomic Gaming Antimatter came into their first series of BOL with an updated roster including Itami and Jak at Jungle/Mid respectively, and they have made sure their arrival is instantly felt, with Itami running over the map as Kayn and Olaf, putting up a combined 21/2/17 over the two games, while Jak stuck to what he knows best in game one with the controlled Orianna play, before becoming the support to itami game 2 with Karma. If this team can continue to click and grow with the new roster they've put together, SG Antimatter will be a force to fear.
Rank 4: Feed the Dream (↓1)
Roster Changes - None
Feed the Dream comes out of this week with a gut-wrenching loss to TE Aeon in 2-1 fashion. What makes it so rough is how close they were to taking the series. The one game they won, game 2, was an absolute domination that one would expect when looking at the names on FTD's side, with 4 of the 5 players having over a 20 KDA. However, in games one and three, the tale was different, and in an absolute slugfest, with both games going over 40 minutes, FTD just wasn't able to pull out the wins, dropping the series despite fantastic performances from Puffin and Ghost Machine. This bye week may come at the perfect time for FTD, as they take some time to regroup and plan a path forward from a difficult start to the season.
Rank 5: Eden’s Blazing Stars (↓3)
Roster Changes - None
Eden's Blazing Stars came into this week off a win week one, and were hoping to keep that momentum rolling. Unfortunately, they rolled straight into the meat grinder that was Subatomic Gaming Antimatter. Rakan Stan tried his best to keep the hope alive, having solid performances on the Sylas and Viktor despite the games not going Eden's way. The best thing Eden can do now is take a step back and regroup. Bad games happen, it's just a matter of making sure it doesn't snowball. Unfortunately for them, they may be heading straight towards an even bigger meat grinder, and its name is TD Syndicate.
Rank 6: GSG Psi (↓1)
Roster Changes - Add Kingler (Top), Add Death For Kill (Support), Pac to ADC
GSG Psi had a bye this past week, and they used it to the best of their abilities, making some roster changes to hopefully bounce back from a hard loss week one. With Pac swapping down to ADC, the GSG squad have brought in strong players in Kingler and Death to help out the group. Now that they've had a bye week to incorporate the new pieces, I expect GSG to come out swinging post-break, and they'll need to start strong as they face SG Antimatter.
Rank 7: Glacial Academy (↓1)
Roster Changes - None
Another week, another different roster for Glacial Academy, as they once again bring in an e-sub while they try to get their starting roster stabilized. This iteration did not go their way, as they felt what it was like to face a top tier opponent, with TD Syndicate having control in every lane. On a positive note, it seems like FillTV and JennyPenny are continuing to grow as a duo, and may be a focal point of the Glacial squad moving forward. They’ll need to step up, hopefully with a full roster, against the surprise of Zaun, TE Aeon.
Week 3 Piltover Predictions
Hyperion Galaxy vs SNC Sunset Ravens: Hyperion Galaxy 2-1
One team coming off a bye and looking for their first win, the other coming off their streak of Revolution series and their first win, Hyperion and SNC looks to be a close back and forth match with both teams having potential edges. I'll be looking in the Jungle between Khaizuo and SNC Big to see who can open up the map for their team. In the end though, I'd expect Hyperion to come off their bye week swinging.
Revolution Anarchy vs Iconic: Revolution Anarchy 2-1
Two teams looking to bounce off hard 2-1 losses this past week, Iconic and Rev Anarchy face off in a battle to show what they're capable of. We've seen them take games, now it's time to show they can take a series. While Anarchy's focus tends to be Valor, I expect a fun match between two vets in Leper and Minaemi, which could have a larger impact on the series. In the end, I feel the depth of Anarchy is too much for Iconic.
Wooper Academy vs Revolution X: Revolution X 2-1
Our streamed match this week, as well as my personal match of the week, two of the top teams of Piltover face off. This looks to be a clash of opposing styles, with Rev X's stronger top trio taking on the carry-centric bot lane of Wooper. Expect a hard fought bloody series. In the end, I give the edge to Rev X, partially from veterancy, and from an expectation that Spice steps up against AznSoul.
Week 3 Zaun Predictions
Eden’s Blazing Star vs TD Syndicate: TD Syndicate 2-0
The powerhouse of TD Syndicate looks to continue their march to first place, and standing in their way this week is the scrappy Eden's Blazing Stars, who are looking to show they're more than the team SG Antimatter ran over last week. Rakan STAN and TWayne are going to have their hands full, as they take on one of the best IBS mid/jungle duos in Lemon Sap and SuperSquare. Sadly for Eden, I don't think this is their week to bounce back.
SG Antimatter vs GSG Psi: SG Antimatter 2-1
The two teams who have already handled their bye and made roster changes during it, SG Antimatter and GSG Psi face off in a battle for momentum and to prove their roster swaps were the right call. Pac's role swap will have a chance to shine here, taking on DuhQWEEN in a lane that could swing the series. In the end though, I think the itami/Jak duo will be enough to have SG edge out GSG in a close 2-1.
Glacial Academy vs TE Aeon: TE Aeon 2-0
TE Aeon looks to continue their story as the surprise of Zaun, taking on a team that hopes to field a full roster this week in Glacial Academy. With TE having already taken hard fought wins over GSG and FTD, look for them to add Glacial to their list as they continue their climb.
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