Cloud9's undefeated regular season record has established them as the top seed entering playoffs, yet LYON and Team Liquid sit just one series behind with comparable series wins and strong recent form. The double-elimination bracket featuring best-of-five series creates high variance, allowing any of the three organizations to capitalize on momentum shifts, draft advantages, or individual player performances in knockout stages. Historical playoff success by these rosters, combined with minimal separation in head-to-head results and overall depth, sustains the tight trader consensus around their respective implied probabilities. Lower-seeded squads like Sentinels and FlyQuest trail significantly due to inconsistent records.