LOUD Swept FURIA in Playoffs. I Picked the Wrong Team.
LOUD opened VCT Americas Stage 2 Playoffs with a 2-0 sweep of FURIA behind a monster tkzin game, and LEVIATÁN did the same to MIBR on the same night.
I had FURIA in three. LOUD didn't let it get that far.
Where I Went Wrong
I wrote here Tuesday that I didn't trust LOUD's floor after how close 100 Thieves made it look in group play, and I picked FURIA to take advantage. Thursday's Upper Round 1 answered that fast. LOUD closed Haven 13-4 and finished it on Summit 13-9, and neither map felt like a series that needed a third. tkzin was the reason: 17 kills on Neon, a 289 ACS, and a 1.39 rating that made the rest of the bracket look slow. I'm not mad about being wrong. I'm mad about how comfortable it looked.
LEVIATÁN Didn't Need Three Either
I called LEVIATÁN to win but said it'd take three maps, mostly out of respect for zekken's run with MIBR. Didn't matter. LEVIATÁN took Abyss 13-7 and Haven 13-3, and Sato walked away with match MVP. Same story as LOUD-FURIA in miniature: I had the right winner and still undersold them.
What Thursday Actually Set Up
Both results feed straight into Friday's upper semis. LOUD gets NRG, the team I already picked to make the final off their bye round, and LEVIATÁN draws 100 Thieves, who barely survived their own group stage stumble against LOUD. FURIA and MIBR fall into the lower bracket together against G2 and EG, exactly the kind of double-elimination gauntlet I said neither team escapes. Nothing's changed my mind on that part yet. Friday will tell me if I'm two-for-two on the wins and zero-for-two on the confidence.