The Regional Qualifier or the Gauntlet will begin on August 29 to determine which team will qualify for the worlds. The teams participating in the Regional Qualifier for North America are Gravity, Cloud 9, Team Impulse, and Team Liquid. However, Dignitas will not be able to play for a chance at worlds due to having the least points. Each of these teams has their own strengths and weaknesses that may impact their chances of securing a worlds spot. Gravity and Team Impulse appear to be weaker, while Cloud 9 has some hope, and Team Liquid is considered the clear favorite.
Overview
I will start by discussing the team I believe will be eliminated first in the Regional Qualifier, which is Gravity. In my opinion, Gravity is being overrated. While they have a unique bruiser mid style and mechanically skilled players, it will not be enough. Gravity has shown poor lane swaps, consistently falling behind in taking towers compared to their opponents. Questionable decision making and prioritizing buffs over towers have also been issues for them. Their limited champion pools in playoffs and lack of adaptation to different champions when necessary raise concerns. Additionally, Gravity will be up against Cloud 9, a team with a strong shot caller in Hai. With these problems, it is unlikely that Gravity will surpass C9 in the qualifier.
Next, we have Cloud 9, a team that has the potential to perform well in the Regional Qualifier. Cloud 9 did not participate in playoffs but is qualified for the qualifier based on their previous split performance. The team’s experience, especially from international competitions, and the shot calling skills of Hai give them an edge over other teams. Although Incarnation is relatively new to best of series, the rest of the team can support him. Cloud 9 has had ample time to practice, which could lead to some surprises in their gameplay.
Team Impulse faced multiple problems in the playoffs. Impact has been limited to tank roles, and Apollo is often forced into the carry role. TIP frequently relies on compositions where Apollo plays hyper carries, which hasn’t been successful for them. Moreover, Gate’s reliance on Lulu and lack of warding leads to one carry compositions for TIP. Their positioning issues, such as clustering for crowd control damage and engaging fights before teammates are in position, suggest communication failures. However, TIP’s ability to find early leads is one of their strengths. Nevertheless, in a best of 5 series, it is challenging to see how they would win against a more experienced team like Cloud 9, although they may still have an advantage over Gravity.
Lastly, there is Team Liquid, the team expected to win in the qualifier. TL’s players have strong mechanical skills and diverse champion pools. However, their biggest struggle is inconsistency in their games and series. TL tends to push their leads aggressively but sometimes overextend and give back gold to the enemy. This inconsistency also affects their shot calling, as they may force fights prematurely or get caught out. Positioning issues also arise, with Piglet occasionally getting caught and TL paying the price. TL’s emotional nature further adds to the unpredictable nature of the team. It is challenging to determine whether TL will show up as a good or bad team in the qualifier.
Predictions
I doubt Gravity has had enough time to fix their problems, so it is unlikely that they will win against Cloud 9. The shot calling of Hai will give C9 an advantage, especially considering GV’s poor lane swaps.
In the matchup between C9 and Team Impulse, it could go either way, but I believe C9 will come out on top. TIP’s struggles with pushing their leads and communication issues make it likely that C9 will win this series as well, similar to the Gravity matchup.
Finally, in a matchup between C9 and Team Liquid, I predict that Team Liquid will win. C9 has historically performed well against TL in best of series. However, TL’s version that is willing to make plays, position well, and capitalize on advantages needs to show up in the qualifier for them to win. If TL does not perform at their best, C9 could win the series with better communication and rotations. If TIP faces TL, TIP is unlikely to win, as they have struggled in best of 5 matches against TL.
Related keywords: Regional Qualifier, Gauntlet, Gravity, Cloud 9, Team Impulse, Team Liquid, Worlds, North America, playoffs, shot caller, best of series, communication issues.