Write it down, guys: Walrein's predictions for the 2015 LCS Spring Split.
NA
1. Cloud 9 - Sneaky has been steadily improving for a while now, and if Hai is back to pre-injury form this team can easily win out on shotcalling and meta strategy alone.
2. TSM - A lot hinges on how well Santorin will be able to acclimate and play, but his pre-existing synergy with Bjergsen will be a boon, and Lustboy and Wildturtle should drastically improve after a full offseason of experience together.
3. Gravity Gaming - A team that as a whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Keane has the ability to singlehandedly take over games, and Bunny Fufu has consistently (lol) made Cop a better and more aggressive player.
4. Team Liquid - Yeah, I know. I almost put them at #3, but the early portion of the season will likely be rough as they sort out communication with Piglet and Fenix. I also think Fenix is a significant downgrade when compared to Voyboy.
5. Team Impulse - Could finish higher if Impact regains his previous form and if Rush transitions well from solo queue - having XiaoWeiXiao mid should help with that. Bot lane is a wild card - could exceed expectations, could completely flop.
6. CLG - Is ZionSpartan a better top laner than Seraph? Yes. Is Xmithie a better jungler than Dexter? That question will be the one that defines CLG's season. Unfortunately, Link is still Link.
7. Winterfox - Pobelter finally showed flashes of his legendary Potential at the end of last split, and Altec is a top 3 ADC in NA. Would rank higher if not for questions regarding Avalon's skill and continuity at the support role.
8. Coast - 8th might be optimistic - I'm pretty high on Impaler, and Mash and Sheep looked good to me during the expansion tournament. Cris is an obvious weakness that will probably be exploited.
9. Dignitas - Sorry RODAN, but CoreJJ and Kiwi are probably the worst bot lane in NA, Scarra's out as coach, and Shiphtur has no reason to break out of his overly passive playstyle with Crumbzz still calling the shots. I predict an implosion.
10. Team 8 - I wanna rank them higher. I really do. The problem is that none of their players have LCS experience outside of Maplestreet, and the LAN jitters could set them too far behind early in the season.
EU
1. Elements - Adding the best ADC in Europe to an already first-place roster? Yes please. My only reservation is that Tabzz was one of the lone aggressive players on Alliance, and if they play too passively they may end up falling behind.
2. Roccat - This is my bold prediction of the split. Woolite looked really good to me on an abysmal Copenhagen Wolves team last split, Overpow's champion pool meshes well with the top lane meta, and Nukeduck is an exciting prospect to say the least.
3. SK Gaming - A lot hinges on Fox and Forg1ven readjusting to the LCS. Could leapfrog Roccat if they come out swinging, but Svenskeren's inconsistency worries me a bit.
4. Unicorns of Love - Looked great at San Jose, and the combination of off-meta surprises and sheer mechanical skill (PowerOfEvil arguably outplayed Bjergsen more often than not) could counterbalance inexperience
5. Meet Your Makers - This team will live or die by Kori and Mimer. MrRallez will always be an upper-level ADC, but the former 2's consistency issues pretty much destroyed this team in the summer playoffs.
6. Gambit - P1noy replacing Genja should invigorate a formerly stagnant bot lane, NiQ steadily improved all split, and Cabochard looked good in limited action. Look for them to carry over momentum from the end of last split.
7. Fnatic - Could finish higher if the new roster gels, but YellowStar and Febiven are the only real sure things on the team. Early in the year will almost certainly be shaky.
8. H2K - Ryu replacing Febiven is a bit of a lateral move IMO, so this is essentially the same team that has dominated the EU challenger scene for the better part of a year now.
9. Copenhagen Wolves - Soren must expand his champion pool, Airwaks must reign in some of his aggression, and Youngbuck must improve his consistency, but this team does have some potential, especially with Freeze. Unfortunately, Unlimited is still garbage.
10. GIANTS - I'm not gonna lie, I don't actually know a lot about GIANTS. I'm going to assume that xPepii is actually xPeke in disguise so this team might do well. If anyone has some more insight on these guys, lemme know.
This is obviously nowhere near a professional analysis - I follow the NA scene more closely than the EU scene, especially with regards to the Challenger series - but I figured this would be a decent basic overview of what COULD happen.