When the summer split of the League of Legends Championship Series started, it was clear that Dignitas was on a roll. On the back of a fairly major roster change, they started out strong and held a top-three spot through the seventh week of competition. However, a handful of losses at the close of the season saw them drop down the rankings fast, and Dignitas ended in sixth place, just two losses from being relegated and having no chance at playoffs.
Team SoloMid had almost an opposite trajectory. Despite a strong showing in the spring, they had a weak start to the season, hanging around the middle of the pack for a majority of the summer. But with just a few weeks left, they pushed hard and secured some crucial wins to up their rating. It wasn’t enough to dethrone Cloud9 or LMQ, but it gave them some much-needed momentum to push for another finals appearance.
Now, both of these teams will face off to see who can advance closer to the World Championships. They’ve both had a few weeks of practice to reset and brace for battle. Who can pull off a win and reach the semis? Here’s what the stats tell us:
From the stats alone, Team SoloMid have a slight lead. Both jungler Maurice “Amazing” Stückenschneider and marksman Jason “WildTurtle” Tran are ahead of their counterparts, with higher kill rates and more ban attention too. Søren “Bjergsen” Bjerg, the mid laner, had a breakout season in the spring, winning the MVP nod many times. But despite a weaker performance this season, with Tran and Stückenschneider on his sides, he should have no issue putting in a few good games.
Dignitas, however, aren’t without options. Mid laner Danny “Shiphtur” Le and top laner Darshan “ZionSpartan” Upadhyaya were acquired just as the summer season was revving up. New to the team, they quickly made an impact and were a major part of Dignitas’ early success in the split. Le, in particular, threw down an incredible amount of kills and surprisingly few deaths. They both have slight leads ahead of their TSM rivals. If Dignitas want to have a chance against Team SoloMid, they’ll need to rely on the steady hands of Le and Upadhyaya.
Screengrab via Riot Games/YouTube
