It's a new week, and it's time for another Esports recap for last week! We have a few different segments to talk through this week, including the LCS, the GSL and some big news about Activision Blizzard. There's a lot to cover, so let's get into it
Microsoft Wins BIG
For anyone who hasn't followed the saga of Microsoft attempting to purchase Activision Blizzard King, there's been some massive developments in the last week, but let's bring you up to speed. Microsoft set in motion to purchase ABK a little while ago. This purchase was met with stiff opposition not only from competitors, such as Sony, but from government organizations and a segment of the gaming community.
Fast forward to a couple weeks ago, the FTC filed a lawsuit to block the acquisition from going through. When the case went to trial before a judge, the FTC brought in Sony to try and prove it's case that this merger is bad for consumers, but it was very clear that they didn't do a good job of it.
Earlier last week, the Judge came down with their decision in favor of Microsoft. The FTC immediately went to file an emergency injunction with a circuit court to stall even further, which was denied. This means that Microsoft has the greenlight to proceed with the acquisition. On top of that, this past Sunday, Phil Spencer tweeted out that Microsoft came to a signed agreement with Sony to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation after the acquisition.
How does this relate to esports? Well, the philosophy that Microsoft has to making games is vastly different than Activision. We've seen a lot of Blizzard's beloved titles fall to the wayside in the name of profits, and the hope is that with new leadership and direction, we could see the next StarCraft or Warcraft RTS titles see the light of day.
LCS Week 5 recap
Wek 5 of the LCS had a ton of great games and some serious upsets. Team Liquid take a game off Cloud9, Golden Guardians beat EG, TSM beat Team Liquid, and Dignitas fall from grace going 0-3 on the week.
At the moment, the top of the standings have clear definition, with Cloud9 finally taking first seed after it being a pretty consistent tie. GG sits in 2nd after some very strong performances over the last couple weeks, and EG fall to 3rd after some hard losses. TL sits at the same record, and assuming that both of these teams both win or lose on Wednesday, they will duke it out on Thursday for their position.
NRG and TSM should be a lock for playoffs, but the real story comes in the bottom 4. While it's incredibly unlikely that FlyQuest or Immortals can make playoffs, there is a perfect storm where one of them could. It's a slim chance but it's definitely a possibility.
This week is the last week of regulation play for the LCS, and I'm going to predict that the standings are not going to change, but here's my predictions for the final standings heading into Playoffs.
Cloud9
Golden Guardians
Team Liquid
Evil Geniuses
TSM
NRG
100 Thieves
Dignitas
Be sure to check out the last week of the LCS this week on Wednesday!
GSL Round of 8 locked in
The final thing that we'll be covering is the GSL for Starcraft 2. The round of 16 concluded last week with the final of the two foreign hopes, Astrea, taking on a pretty rough group, alongside Cure, Ryung, and Solar.
Much like the last season of GSL, this round of 8 is very heavily Terran dominated, with only 2 Zergs and 1 Protoss making it through. Both sides of the bracket are terrifying, but most notably the inclusion of TY making it into the Round of 8 is a huge deal. TY recently came back from his Military service and while he failed to qualify last season, he's making a run this season.
Here's my predictions for who is making it out of each group.
GROUP 1
Maru
Cure
Group 1 is pretty easy to call, at least the first place position with Maru. He's the greatest SC2 player of all time, so that's a pretty easy choice. The remaining three are a bit tougher. You normally would consider Dark to be the second favorite, but he had a pretty shacky showing in his Round of 16 matches. ByuN looked pretty good, but as much as it pains me to say it, he's a coin flip for his play on any given day. Cure looked great in his Round of 16 matches, even though he'd just come back from a wrist injury.
GROUP 2
herO
TY
This group is also quite hard to call. I'm a fan of all of these players, and as a Protoss player myself, I have to pick herO. He's been playing pretty well and I think he's got a decent shot of making it out. The other pick is TY. I'm a believer that he can return to greatness in SC2 and make it out. Though Solar and GuMiho have been playing quite well, I'm more of a believer in the other two.
It's going to be a great week for Esports so be sure to sound of in our Discord and let us know your predictions!
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