OPL Split 1, Week 6: Match Predictions

Despite that, 2019’s Oceanic competition has proven volatile and at times downright confusing for many of the viewers and tippers that tune in every weekend. That’s where our host of razor-sharp analysts – Emma, Harry and Andrew – come into the mix, to help you navigate one of the most exciting OPL seasons to date.

Emma’s Feature Match of the Week: Gravitas v Mammoth

With Gravitas and Mammoth having a 2-0 weekend after a rough few weeks, it’s safe to say both teams have reignited their fight to claim those prestigious double-victory rounds. Both teams have also had a rough few weeks which makes their success even sweeter. Unfortunately, with these two teams facing off against each other one team will surely be unable to continue their perfect weekend run, and these matches should split the middle of the ladder out of their current 5-5 tie between Gravitas, Mammoth, and Order.

Mammoth have shown last weekend that they are not to be slept on. After a rough few weeks in the OPL, the squad were not looking to be in their best form coming into the previous weeks matches. After falling to both the Dire Wolves and the Chiefs in the past, the rematch was a way for the Mammoth squad to prove they could overcome and adapt to their opponents. They certainly proved they could, with a great weekend and a strong showing against their opponents. I think it’s time to put a little faith back in this squad and believe they can deliver the results required to make an impact going into the final weeks of the split. This weekend’s matches will be another test for them to prove they have adapted and will show if the consistency needed for the team to succeed further is there.

The Gravitas boys are also coming into this week’s matches with fantastic results from the previous weekend. Their past few weeks haven’t been quite as rough as Mammoth’s, however they haven’t been able to overcome the the top ranked teams in the past. Last weekend they definitely had something to prove, facing off against Avant Gaming who were heavily favoured by the fans to take out the win with a tip rate of 84 percent to a measly 16 percent favouring Gravitas. I was one of those 84 percent, and boy did Gravitas have something to prove. I think they’re slowly finding their feet, finding out what process works and what doesn’t for them.

This match up is definitely one I’ll be keeping a close eye on, with both teams having defeated two top ranked teams last weekend, and it will be interesting to see what strategies they come up with to overcome their opponents. I’m going to be pointing my tips in favour of Gravitas this weekend, as I believe their growth will overcome the Mammoth squad this time.

Emma’s Week 6 Tips:

Harry’s Feature Match of the Week: Chiefs v Avant Gaming

Well, it seems like I (and seemingly my fellow co-writers) dropped the ball last week, as we were only able to get three out of eight matches correct. This week I’ll do my best to make sure that it was only a fluke and not a trend *sweats*.

Saturday evening will see a top of the table clash between the second place Chiefs Esports Club and third place Avant Gaming. Week 5 was a mixed bag for both teams, going 0-2 and 1-1 respectively, and both teams will want to bounce back this round. A win for either of these organisations is also critical if they want to tie up second place and have any chance to dethrone the current league leaders the Bombers.

The Chiefs had a Week 5 they would like to soon forget – Friday night saw them lineup against a resurgent Mammoth team, before  Calvin “k1ng” Truong ran a train on them on Vayne in a 25-minute statement game for the star-studded lineup. Saturday wasn’t much better for the boys-now-in-black, as they faced the ladder-leading Bombers. Despite a struggle to open the game, the Chiefs were on the cusp of starting a full turn around before Ju-Seong “Mimic” Min was able to unleash possibly the greatest Kennen ultimate flank seen in Oceanic history. This week was exceptionally poor from the Chiefs by their standards, and the question now is will they be able to tighten up the mistakes and show their regular dominance that they normally have in the OPL.

Avant had a better week than their counterpart. Friday saw them get the somewhat upset win over Order, which saw the boys in blue take it in a 48-minute slog including a Baron steal from Simon “Swiffer” Papamarkos that saw him stretch out the game before Rusty and Kai’s boys went ahead and closed out the match. Saturday saw them fall to Gravitas, albeit going down with a fight which included a delayed quadra kill from Ryan “Chippys” Short at 25 minutes, before they eventually went down after 34 minutes. Despite taking a loss, Avant has continued to prove everyone wrong, sticking around the conversation at the top of the league despite initially being seen as a non-playoff team in the preseason, on the back of great team play and unpredictably and wackness in the draft.

So what do I expect when it comes to the match? I think Chiefs will be able to run amok on the Avant lineup in a short and bloody bout. Despite a poor week last week, I think they’ll be able to fix the issues and tighten it up as they have previously done when it looks like their backs are against the wall.

Harry’s Week 4 Tips:

Andrew’s Feature Match of the Week: Dire Wolves v Legacy Esports

Isn’t February just a great time of year? The shortest month seems to cram so much into it – it’s the last month of summer, Valentines Day get celebrated, and we’ve even had the NFL Superbowl and NBA Allstar weekend fall in February in 2019. It’s the time of year where the holiday casualness that January brings disappears and the usual daily grind ramps back up into gear, and there is no competition heating up more than the OPL Wooden Spoon.

It’s not impossible considering there’s still half a season to go, but if you were a betting man you’d be feeling pretty confident one of these two teams will be sharing the history books with the likes of Hellions, Exile5 and TM Gaming come splits end. Hard to believe this is happening when the Dire Wolves and Legacy, alongside the Chiefs, have consistently hit the top three marks in the OPL’s history books. However, even some of the greatest sporting juggernauts have had moments of relapse and readjustments in pursuit of further greatness.

Legacy may have made a point that perhaps they can rebuild something special as they knocked off Order last week, a result that had most tipsters stunned. While the Dire Wolves lost both their matches to Gravitas and Mammoth, there have been glimpses of the Wolfpack improving week to week. What fans can get excited about is an explosive top side for both teams, with Brandon “Biopanther” Alexander and Toby “Udysof” Horne coming up against Daniel “Papryze” Francis and Eldin “Guts” Skenderovi? should excite fans and likely lead to an early-game blood bath. Here’s hoping we get to see some carry match ups popping off in the top lane, and aren’t left with yet another Urgot vs Sion match up.

Before last week I would have seen this close to a 50/50 split, with a slight edge to Legacy to get the job done, but after their win over Order last round I’m all aboard the Legacy train for this one and I’m confident after watching Chazz’s Yasuo that he can lead the team home.

Andrew’s Week 6 Tips:

The OPL will be back next Friday afternoon, when the Bombers and the Dire Wolves clash to open the weekend at 4pm AEDT. Watch live on the new RiotGamesOCE Twitch channel, find more information and the full schedule at oce.lolesports.com.

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