This is a weekly article series that will go over just some thoughts, ideas, predictions...whatever I’m feeling for the week. It may be anything from current champion ratings to the pro’s state of mind.

Capten’s Pieces o' Eight

No. 1 A tie?

Well we’re in the final week of the regular season and here is where we stand (Courtesy Riot)

This leaves a few stories to follow. There is the top tier story, FOX, C9, and Clutch struggle for who will be 'the best'. There is the playoff-bound story, where TSM, TL, and CLG fight it out for a spot in playoffs. Then there is the sad story, of FLY, GGS, and OPT who are already eliminated.

Arguably the most hype story of the week will be if the convoluted series of events, for CLG to go to playoffs, will occur. Long story short, it doesn't look great for them. I'll link the full graphic HERE for you to review.

No. 2 Let's go Clutch!

Again with my dedicated Clutch Gaming thought for the week. Going into week 9, having watched plenty of LoL content over the week...I'm a little worried. NOT because I doubt Clutch at all...but because it feels like THEY do doubt themselves. The theme I'm worried about here is "Nice guys finish last". Now, I'm a nice guy, but I learned a long time ago that sometimes you need to roll with that borderline asshole cockiness to get the job done. Just ask my wife (@morganaleflaye).

It's a fine line, sure....but you have to have some confidence in what you can do. Apollo is being touted as "the nicest player in LCS", probably fighting for contention with Biofrost. He is literally saying "maybe if we did a Bo3 against them it would have turned out different"...referring to wins against TSM. Then you've got Febiven , "never be satisfied, never be stuck" the only hope I see from a confidence standpoint. If the team as a whole can think of things in this way, it will be hard to stop this team.

No. 3 You live under a rock...

...If you missed this...

But if you did...here's the link to the montage...

No.4 Future of sports and esports?

I've been saying the same thing for a while now, basically a prediction for the future of sports as a whole. Some of these things have been mentioned here and there. Such as on Travis Gafford's Show where Kelby mentioned "no one wants their kid to play that sport anymore" referring to football. It's really the truth. People are turning away from high injury potential sports.

But what if you don't have to? What if all your natural and acquired skills in football...can translate directly to the future of esports? Put Tom Brady in a full body haptic suit, VR helm, omnidirectional treadmill, suspension wires.....and then do that for the rest of the football teams....then let them go at it. In a fully realized virtual environment. One day we could have massive offensive linebackers playing Sion in real-time, ulting down mid for a virtual stadium.

That's where sports will end up. BOLD PREDICTION 2018. Better than Phreak's predictions anyway

No. 5 100T vs CG

This is the biggest game of the week for me. At the beginning of the season, I had a kneejerk reaction of wanting to dislike 100T, but they made me believe in them at the beginning. Since the second half of the split, they've started to fall off in my eyes. In the end, I decided on day 1, to be a Clutch fan, and while they have had a few slip ups here and there...maybe haven't 'proven' they are the best...I think they can be.

For this game, I think CG's win condition is to...A- don't let Meteos get ahead... B- don't let Aphromoo and Meteos work together for playmaking. So, put Lira on a carry. Put Hakuho on Morgana. Put Febiven on a late game monster. GG

Smash them Clutch...let's goooooooooooo.

No. 6 EU LCS

I don't usually chat about the EU LCS but I'm typing this up with the pre-game lobby up for the tunes. I've been following the season a bit, just haven't had the time to really get into them and follow the teams/players. That being said...there are SIX TEAMS that can still make playoffs going into this week. That's even more volatile than the NA LCS this split. I'm not sure if this is good or bad..but it sure is entertaining.

Enjoy the games.

No. 7 Outplay of the week

For me, this was one of the coolest moves of the week. (1m16s) Too bad they lost the game.

No. 8 Skin buffs

Some of my own gameplay this week got me thinking about skins. Sure they only cosmetically change your champ right? Hmm. I don't think so. It really feels like some skins give you a real advantage in the game. Some moves are just more difficult to see when using certain skins. Some skins just 'feel' better. I did some quick googling, and found I'm not the only one to think so... check this video out.

Well, those are my ramblings for the week. Shower thoughts. Momentos. Whatever. Feel free to comment below and strike up a conversation on any of the above, or anything at all.

Source: All from Giphy.com or RIot.com