Tectonic v Chiefs Esports Club

The first matchup of the Headspace week is between newcomers Tectonic and old hands the Chiefs. Tectonic are still hunting for their first win of the split with only one point to their name after taking a game off Avant Gaming in Week 4, while the Chiefs have looked in impressive form with 4 games on the trot with the loss to the Dire Wolves in Week One the only blemish on their record. Three of the four games were 2-0s, Legacy Esports providing the only true challenge. Week 3 was the first game between Chiefs and Tectonic, and it went to script as the 4-time OPL champs cleanly swept the Kiwi team.

That first taster highlighted some weaknesses from both teams, but if the Chiefs are going to have a second slice of the pie they’re going to need to continue to shore up their early game and continue to maintain pressure in those first minutes. Tectonic took advantage of clean rotations and pathing from Swathe in the jungle to take First Blood onto ry0ma in their first game against the Chiefs. However, the Chiefs have already done this quite well, picking up 5 out of the 6 first bloods since that game, and they just need to maintain what they’re doing. The Chiefs should also be looking to teamfight, utilising Destiny on a playmaking support such as Rakan and Alistar, or putting Swip3rR on Gnar is a step in the right direction. If ry0ma gets a roaming mid such as Ryze or Taliyah and Raes can get a hold of Kalista or another ADC of that ilk, Chiefs should be easily able to wipe out any team comp that Tectonic can put together.

However, for Tectonic to have a chance, Swathe is going to have to outplay the weakest link of the Chiefs lineup in their jungler, Babip. If Tectonic’s jungler can invade Babip’s jungle and force him out, the door is wide open for ganks, especially if Swathe plays Sejuani or Zac. Shok in the midlane could throw ry0ma off if he pulls something unconventional out like his Urgot, and coupling that with jungle pressure could provide the window that Tectonic need to shake off their woes. This has the potential to not be as clear cut as it looks, but any sane man would pick the Chiefs to take this one out, and I’m going to pick them to do it very cleanly.

My Pick: Chiefs Esports Club 2 – 0 Tectonic

SIN Gaming v ORDER

This series will be the most one-sided of the week, with 11 points separating the second-placed ORDER and the struggling sixth-placed SIN Gaming. ORDER already defeated Juves’ rookie squad in Week 3 in a clean 2-0, and it’s going to take some colossal misplays for SIN to not go down 0-4 against the Melbourne side. ORDER have also only lost one series, against the defending champions the Dire Wolves which did go to a third game. They’ve looked very impressive, with all of their victories being 2-0 sweeps. SIN, however, have only picked up one series, against the also-struggling Bombers side to lift themselves above the two last placed teams in the Bombers as well as Tectonic.

This is also a grudge match, as ORDER’s botlane in FBI and Rogue left SIN at the end of 2017 to join the newly formed team, so I’m sure the both of them as well as Juves will be out for blood. ORDER should be looking to exert pressure in the midlane, with Swiffer expected to outplay Bdoink. If Spookz gets onto Kha’Zix or Rengar, the game could be over very quickly with frequent ganks to his lanes. Tally and Swiffer can easily capitalise on a lead, so expect a very fast-paced early game if those ganks do go through. ORDER do also have the capability to teamfight very well, so their draft could also be taken in that direction. Because of the difference in calibre of the two teams, ORDER could make anything stick, so we’ll have to wait and see before we can know what magic trick they’ve pulled out of the hat.

On the other hand, SIN have their work cut out if they’re even going to take a game off ORDER, let alone take the series, but if it’s going to happen, it’s going to be on the topside of the map. On a good day, Praedyth can go toe to toe with any OPL toplaner, and Tally will be no exception. If Juves can outmanoeuvre Spookz in the jungle and make a few visits to the toplane to lend a helping hand, a one-four split push composition could be an ideal way to cause an upset. Praedyth charging down top with Fiora, Camille or even Jax and forcing a member of ORDER to peel off an answer his threat should be how SIN approach their win conditions. However, the likelihood that the stars align for this new squad is low, and ORDER should take the series with little trouble.

My Pick: ORDER 2 – 0 SIN Gaming

OPL Super Week 2 kicks off today from 5PM AEDT – check out the games here on Twitch.