With the end of Week 8 for LCS Academy, the Dignitas and Evil Geniuses Academy rosters have qualified for the playoffs, each with a 10-6 record. While Cloud9 has already claimed first seed and CLG has been eliminated, the other six teams remaining are fighting for final last three slots. Those will be decided next Thursday and Friday in Week 9 of the regular season.

Dignitas and Evil Geniuses Academy had much different paths to the playoffs. Dignitas came out hot at the beginning of the season, going 7-0 before finally losing their first match against Golden Guardians Academy in Week 4. Since then, the team has gone 3-5, and even went 0-2 this week, but still locked in playoffs due to their strong early season. The team recently had a roster swap, with Matthew "Akaadian" Higginbotham and Jonathan "Grig" Armao switching places, and they'll need to regain some synergy if they want to turn it around and perform well in the playoffs.

In contrast, Evil Geniuses was 3-5 after Week 4, and have since gone 7-1 to match Dignitas Academy's record. The team also had a few roster changes, losing their first two games with Dennis "Svenskeren" Johnsen and Colin "Kumo" Zhao subbing in for the team. They were much stronger with Andy "AnDa" Hoang and Aidan "5fire" Reckamp coming on board, and have since also finally gotten their original starting mid laner, Ahmad "Giyuu" Charif, who had a delayed visa. 

The two teams join Cloud9 who has gone 10-0 the last five weeks. Playoffs will begin April 2nd, in a single round robin style, with the first and second seed receiving a bye. DIGA and EGA are currently tied for second with an even head-to-head record, and will play a tiebreaker if the teams match their Week 9 results. Check in here for more updates on LCS and Academy playoffs as we grow nearer and more teams get slotted in.