The Countdown Cup is upon us, and we're ready to see which two teams are going to win the final pre-playoff tournament in the League this year! Things are looking up, with not just Double Shield, but also a Partial Dive (Winston-Zarya) comp turning out to be useful on maps with high ground, so there's not going to be a stale meta this week!
Let's get into my predictions now, and remember that I'll be updating this very page with newer predictions till the end of the Countdown Cup! Let's begin!
NA QUALIFIERS
1. Vancouver Titans vs. Atlanta Reign- Reign wins 3-0. There's a noticeable skill and consistency gap between these two teams, so this matchup leans heavily towards Atlanta.
2. Houston Outlaws vs. Los Angeles Valiant- Outlaws win 3-0. This is certainly a hot take, but one I'm willing to stand by. The Valiant have proven to be competent in this meta, thanks to KSP in my opinion, who hasn't disappointed at all with his Ashe play. Except for him, I think the Valiant are quite inconsistent, and even though they have beaten the Outlaws before in this meta, I feel they're poised to lose this set. Houston needs to elevate their overall level of play, and maintain that throughout this series. I feel they need to bring in blase to play Genji, and reserve Danteh for Tracer/Sombra for maximum value, but let's see what ends up happening.
3. Washington Justice vs. Dallas Fuel- Fuel wins 3-0. I must say, the Fuel look slightly worse than the Justice in this meta, and it might be because of their recent player/coaching changes. However, I think Washington are far more inconsistent, and are more prone to making mistakes and having underwhelming performances. For that reason, I'm going with the Dallas Fuel for this matchup.
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| Tank difference? |
4. Los Angeles Gladiators vs. Toronto Defiant- Gladiators win 3-2. This was a tough one to judge, but comparing both teams' tank lines caused me to predict the Glads as the winners, since I have more trust in OGE-SPACE than numlocked-Nevix at the moment. Both the support lines are in similar places, and the DPS are well-matched, so the Orisa-Sigma comparison had to be the deciding factor for this prediction.
APAC QUARTERFINALS
1. London Spitfire vs. Chengdu Hunters- Spitfire wins 3-2. We haven't seen Chengdu play in this particular ban-less meta, so it's hard to judge how good they'll be. However, based off past performances, I'd say London is more likely to take this series provided they're as consistent as usual. If the Hunters are just as good in this meta as they were in Weeks 24 and 25, then it's a tough one for the Spitfire, but I'll still stick with this prediction.
2. Seoul Dynasty vs. Hangzhou Spark- Spark wins 3-0. I just don't have faith in the Dynasty to take this one. They were quite underwhelming last week, and have been more inconsistent than the Spark this season. Hangzhou hasn't been flashy or dominant at all in recent times, but their teamwork is pretty solid, so if they can maintain that level of coordination, this shouldn't be too difficult of a matchup for them.
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| The NYXL's Winston-Zarya comp has a lot of potential |
3. New York Excelsior vs. Guangzhou Charge- Excelsior wins 3-0. This prediction is a huge gamble since the Charge are a very strong team, but I'm still sticking to my guns. The Excelsior are more consistent than Guangzhou in my opinion, and are also quite competent in this meta. Their Partial Dive execution slightly threw off the Dragons last week, and they'll probably utilise it again this week. If they're in their right minds, they won't challenge the Charge in a Double Shield mirror, which will be an 0-3 GGEZ, but if they play around those Winston-Zarya comps and Nanoblade combos, they'll cruise through this matchup. Let's see how things turn out.
NA QUARTERFINALS
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| Zen probably won't be played, but at least it represents how vulnerable Dallas will be in this matchup |
1. Dallas Fuel vs. San Francisco Shock- Shock wins 3-0. This shouldn't come as surprise to anyone. The Shock are a very deadly team that can throw many different looks, and yeah, the Fuel are pretty much doomed.
2. Los Angeles Valiant vs. Paris Eternal- Eternal wins 3-0. As biased as I might seem against the Valiant, that is simply not the case. This time round, they're facing off against Paris, which is one of the best Partial Dive teams in the League. I have a lot of faith in their players, and believe this will be an easy victory for them.
3. Los Angeles Gladiators vs. Philadelphia Fusion- Fusion wins 3-0. Again, this should be obvious to close followers of the League. The Fusion are a highly versatile team, being as proficient at Double Shield as they are at Partial Dive, and against a fairly inconsistent opponent as the Gladiators, this should be no trouble for them.
4. Atlanta Reign vs. Florida Mayhem- Reign wins 3-0. It may seem like I'm underrating Florida here, but truly, I'm just acknowledging how skilled the Reign are at the moment. They aren't crumbling under pressure and trying to go for uncomfortable strats; they stick to their guns, playing Double Shield as much as possible, and end up being consistent and coordinated, especially with Gator's Halt setups. If they follow the same philosophy against the Mayhem, they should be able to take this series, maybe even with a sweep.
APAC SEMIFINALS
1. New York Excelsior vs. Shanghai Dragons- Dragons win 3-0. Shanghai has already beaten New York in this meta once, and even though they had a little bit of trouble doing so, they'll be better prepared this time. I don't think this will be one-sided, but do believe it can be a sweep.
2. Hangzhou Spark vs. Chengdu Hunters- Spark wins 3-2. This is a tough one. Both these teams are at a very similar level according to me. It's just going to be a matter of whether the Spark's teamwork can overcome the Hunters' individual power-plays. I believe it can, hence this prediction, but I'm not very confident in it; things could go either way.
APAC FINAL
Hangzhou Spark vs. Shanghai Dragons- Dragons win 4-0. Surprisingly, I don't even think this is a contest. Although the Spark can be considered competent enough in this meta to contest the Dragons, they've historically not been very consistent or polished this season. They're not a top team in my sights, and are poised to get demolished in this series.
NA SEMIFINALS
1. Florida Mayhem vs. San Francisco Shock- Shock wins 3-0. The Mayhem have looked quite good in this meta, and they're definitely good enough to challenge the Shock. However, I believe San Francisco's execution is much cleaner, and they are much more consistent than Florida, which is why I'm predicting a sweep today.
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| I'm going to have an eye on Carpe at all times in this series...the dude pops hard |
2. Philadelphia Fusion vs. Paris Eternal- Fusion wins 3-0. Quite similar to the previous game, the teams involved in this matchup have almost-identical peak levels. What sets the Fusion up as the winners is, once again, their superior consistency as well as dominating nature, which will be scary to go up against for a team even as competent as Paris. It's going to be an exciting rematch of the Summer Showdown finals, and I'm ready to see Fusion even the odds.
NA FINAL
Philadelphia Fusion vs. San Francisco Shock- Fusion wins 4-2. Honestly, these two teams are neck-to-neck in terms of overall season performance, and my inclination towards Philly depends solely on their mastery of the current meta. They've got specialists to play the two most dominant comps in the League: Double Shield and Partial Dive, and although the Shock are also famous for their player rotations, it's going to take much more than that to win this final. Since Philly seems scarier, cleaner, and more versatile to me in this meta, I'm touting them as the winners of the NA Countdown Cup.
Here are my full brackets, for anyone that wishes to see them.
If you guys liked these predictions, be sure to share them around and subscribe to my blog, I'd really appreciate it! Be sure to check this page after every few matches to see if I've updated my predictions, and most of all, stay safe! Have a great weekend, people!
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