Week 7: NA LCS Overview

Last weekend was the seventh week of the NA LCS Spring Split. It was a wild and crazy ride that kept people on their toes all the way until the 10th game on Sunday. No 60 minute games of back and forth this week, just action-packed entertainment that had no real winner until the end. We had two major upsets, and the standings were split even further.

NA LCS Day 1

Game 1:

Team Impulse vs [Team Liquid]

Bans: Poppy, Graves, Gragas, Braum, Lulu, Kalista

TIP:
Feng: Malphite
Procxin: Nidalee
Pirean: Twisted Fate
Mash: Lucian
Gate: Bard

TL:
Lourlo: Nautilus
Dardoch: Lee Sin
Fenix: Corki
Piglet: Kog’Maw
Matt: Janna

Kog’Maw in the first game of the day! This game goes well for Liquid and their double ADC composition as first blood drops to Lourlo when Procxin tower dives a Nautilus at 4:30 and dies. Only 30 seconds later, Piglet and Matt kill Gate and Mash after Dardoch shows up. Dardoch showed us what real Lee Sin players can do. Plenty of ward hopping and flash kicking action that keeps TL ahead. The game ends at 27:02 with a score of 18-4 and 13k ahead ahead when TL finishes the nexus.

 

 

Game 2:

Echo Fox vs [Team Solo Mid]

Bans: Kog’Maw, Kayle, Twisted Fate, Nidalee, Fiora, Lulu

FOX:
kfo: Malphite
Hard: Gragas
Froggen: Corki
Keith: Lucian
Big: Braum

TSM:
Hauntzer: Nautilus
Svenskeren: Elise
Bjergsen: Orianna
Doublelift: Kalista
Yellowstar: Alistar

Games with early lane swaps mean early turrets, which can mean boring games. FOX gets first blood when Hauntzer is too far up and tries to get away only to flash into a Braum/Lucian combo. However, TSM plays amazingly well after that. Only 23 minutes in and TSM is ahead by gold, turrets, kills and dragons. TSM get Baron at 28:30 and push for two inhibitors. With a score of 11-2, TSM wins at 30:27 after a one-sided team fight.

Game 3:

Immortals vs [Counter Logic Gaming]

Bans: Kalista, Nidalee, Lulu, Kog”maw, Corki, Twisted Fate

IMT:
Huni: Quinn
Reignover: Gragas
Pobelter: Lux
WildTurtle: Lucian
Adrian: Soraka

CLG:
Darshan: Fiora
Xmithie: Udyr
Huhi: LeBlanc
Stixxay: Ezreal
Aphromoo: Bard

Even though CLG picked up Udyr and Fiora early, IMT still drafted a pretty squishy team and hoped that Adrian on Soraka would be able to keep them up. Darshan and Xmithie camp Huni pretty hard resulting in a split push Udyr and Fiora that just can’t be stopped by anyone on IMT’s side. Huhi on LeBlanc assassinates anyone before Adrian can even touch them with a heal and Aphromoo is in top condition. Not saying that IMT just crumpled and keeled over, but CLG did very well at pushing their advantages. The game ends at 42:20 when Xmithie steals Baron buff while Darshan teleports in and backdoors the nexus.

 

 

Game 4:

[NRG Esports] vs Renegades

Bans: Lulu, Nidalee, Corki, Gangplank, Gragas, Kindred

NRG:
Impact: Poppy
Moon: Elise
GBM: Zilean
LOD: Kog’Maw
Konkwon: Janna

REN:
Seraph: Fiora
Crumbz: Rek’Sai
AlexIch: Viktor
Freeze: Kalista
Hakuho: Braum

NRG has probably the best protect Kog’Maw composition I’ve ever seen. With how REN has been playing lately, I didn’t expect them to reach LOD even with Rek’Sai and Fiora. NRG also needed to win this game to keep their playoff spot. REN does get first blood in a jungle invade at two minutes and take red buff, and then Konkwon gets into the jungle and dies as well giving REN two early kills. NRG still pushes hard and get the turret trades at almost the exact same time. At around eight minutes, suddenly there is a 5v4 in the bottom lane and NRG get their first kill on Freeze. NRG win an early base race that gets them two turrets and an inhibitor for one tier two turret. At 24:13 NRG have three dragons and get a second inhibitor, which prompts them to go for Baron. Hakuho and Freeze die when they turn on them, and then NRG kill Baron at 27:58. The game ends at 29:50 with a Baron empowered push.

Game 5:

[Cloud 9] vs Team Dignitas

Bans: Lulu, Gangplank, Kalista, Nidalee, Corki, Kog’Maw

C9:
Balls: Pantheon
Rush: Gragas
Jensen: LeBlanc
Sneaky: Lucian
Hai: Morgana

DIG:
BillyBoss: Fiora
Kirei: Elise
Shiphtur: Ahri
Apollo: Ezreal
KiwiKid: Alistar

Comfort versus Meta picks is the name of this game. Sadly the meta game wins. C9 also had to win this one to keep their playoff spot. DIG starts off well with a late invade that messes up Rush/Balls and delays them, but first blood goes to Sneaky when he kills Kirei on the invade. Not even a minute later, Kirei dies again in the top lane to Balls and Rush. There were a lot of crazy fights, but C9 came out on top in all of them. At 16 minutes, C9 is up two dragons, three turrets, 7,000 gold and the score is 9-0. Sneaky finally dies eight minutes later, but an ace by C9 gives Jensen four kills and Balls the other. It’s now 21-4 in favor of C9 and the game ends at 28:40. A great game for C9 fans in the fantasy league.

 

 

Day 2

With Day 1 over, IMT was going to make sure they didn’t go 0-2 after their first loss of the split. Being as this is the third week from the end for the split, REN needs to get some wins to get caught up to the rest of the pack or they go back into relegation.

Game 6:

[Team Impulse] vs NRG Esports

Bans: Poppy, Corki, Gangplank, Fiora, Braum, Lulu

TIP:
Feng: Nautilus
Procxin: Nidalee
Pirean: Viktor
Mash: Kalista
Gate: Bard

NRG:
Impact: Tahm Kench
Moon: Gragas
GBM: Orianna
LOD: Kog’Maw
Konkwon: Janna

Interesting team composition coming from NRG, but I expected TIP’s poke/pick champions to get the better of them. Both teams start the game off with a jungle invade, but NRG get a better start. After that, typical lane swaps and turret trades. NRG get first dragon at 6:50 but TIP secures first blood by killing Impact afterwards. NRG attempts Baron, but Gate has a great Tempered Fate and stops them. However, they go for it again and TIP grab three kills and Baron for themselves. A crazy long team fight happens near 35:25 and TIP kill Moon and LOD for the price of Gate. TIP pick of the 5th dragon and then Baron at 38:10. Killing all but Konkwon for the price of Procxin and Gate, TIP ends the game at 39:10.

Game 7:

Cloud9 vs [Counter Logic Gaming]:

Bans: Kalista, Nidalee, Fiora, Twisted Fate, Gragas, Kog’Maw

C9:
Balls: Lulu
Rush: Lee Sin
Jensen: LeBlanc
Sneaky: Lucian
Hai: Alistar

CLG:
Darshan: Jax
Xmithie: Udyr
Huhi: Corki
Stixxay: Ezreal
Aphromoo: Bard

CLG picked up Udyr again but surprisingly also grab Jax. If it wasn’t for Bard, I would say it looks like a Season 1 team composition. This is the match for second place in current standings and both teams picked for that. Balls almost dies before two minutes, but narrowly gets away. He gets ganked again knowing that his flash is down, but doesn’t die and forces Darshan and Xmithie’s flashes. In a game of near kills, Balls finally dies at 5:30 to Darshan and Xmithie. Aphromoo steals blue at 7:00 with a well timed skill and CLG get two towers down before C9 can get one. As is typical fashion of C9 and CLG games, it’s a real bloody, back-and-forth game from both teams. Lots of kills going both ways. The game goes for 41:10 after huhi kills two people, Sneaky gets a triple but finds out he’s the only one left standing, and CLG grabs the Nexus with a final score of 23-22.

 

 

Game 8:

[Team Liquid] vs Team Solo Mid:

Bans: Braum, Nidalee, Fiora, Kog’Maw, Kalista, Corki

TL:
Lourlo: Nautilus
Dardoch: Lee Sin
Fenix: Lulu
Piglet: Lucian
Matt: Janna

TSM:
Hauntzer: Gangplank
Svenskeren: Elise
Bjergsen: Orianna
Doublelift: Ezreal
Yellowstar: Alistar

I really wanted TSM to win this one. Mainly because I want to see an Orianna’s Shockwave inside of Gangplank’s Cannon Barrage, but TL has a “Let Piglet do it all” attitude and he definitely can. Right from the start, Piglet shows Doublelift and Yellowstar what he can do and keeps them at the tower by three minutes without any summoners. Dardoch shows up and they kill Doublelift under the tower for first blood. Piglet then gets the tower, and he kills Yellowstar and Doublelift when Fenix and Lourlo show up. Only 14 minutes in and TL is up six kills and 4,000 gold. TL finally drop a kill at 19:40 when Piglet gets caught, but TSM then overstays and lose 3 people for Matt. At this point, it’s looking bad for TSM. Nautilus solo kills Gangplank and TL wipe TSM to grab the Baron and end the game at 29:25.

 

 

Game 9:

[Renegades] vs Team Dignitas:

Bans: Corki, Kalista, Elise, Gangplank, Kindred, Lulu

REN:
Seraph: Graves
Crumbz: Nidalee
AlexIch: Lissandra
Freeze: Lucian
Hakuho: Nautilus

DIG:
BillyBoss: Poppy
Kirei: Gragas
Shiphtur: Viktor
Apollo: Kog’Maw
KiwiKid: Braum

I like DIG’s team, but I’m always hoping REN can win a game. It’s a game full of mistakes though. The first one happens before the first turret drops when KiwiKid and BillyBoss die to tower shots and Apollo gets the solo gold for it. Then Crumbz and Hakuho die to Rift Herald quickly afterward. Hakuho gives first blood to Apollo. The game goes back and forth for a while until DIG kill Baron at 29:40, but Seraph teleports in after getting a turret and kills two of them. DIG was doing really well being up six kills, but REN get a nice pick on Apollo and BillyBoss to get their own Baron at 37:50. At 43:10, REN kill 3 people and destroy middle inhibitor along with both nexus turrets. Three of REN die after staying too long, but Seraph teleports in and backdoors for the win at 45:15.

Game 10:

[Immortals] vs Echo Fox:

Bans: Corki, Nidalee, Kayle, Kog’Maw, Lulu, Kalista

IMT:
Huni: Pantheon
Reignover: Gragas
Pobelter: Syndra
WildTurtle: Ezreal
Adrian: Soraka

FOX:
kfo: Fiora
Hard: Elise
Froggen: Twisted Fate
Keith: Lucian
Big: Alistar

The first big mistake of this game came during champ select when FOX picked both solo lanes before IMT did, even when FOX could have waited to counter. First blood goes to Pobelter on Big when they collapse onto him in his own jungle. FOX does get ahead, but it was the end of that after they fell into a choke point and get aced. Baron drops at 22:10 and even furthers IMT’s lead. Froggen and kfo do get bottom inhibitor while IMT gets Baron, but IMT destroys two inhibitors on the counter push. Finally, IMT picked off Froggen and then pushed in to ace FOX and ends the game at 25:37.

 

 

Standings:

1. Immortals 12W-1L
2. Counter Logic Gaming 10W-4L
3. Cloud9 9W-5L
4. Team Solo Mid 8W-6L
5. NRG Esports 7W-7L
5. Liquid 7W-7L
7. Team Impulse 5W-9L
7. Echo Fox 5W-9L
9. Team Dignitas 4W-10L
10. Renegades 2W-12L

Overview:

It was for sure an interesting week. Renegades got their second win of the season and Immortals lost their first. We see Counter Logic Gaming in second place and Cloud9 in third, but looking at the schedule, I think Cloud9 can easily pull back into second. I also see Echo Fox getting at least one more win next week, while Team Impulse has a hard match up and will probably lose both games giving Echo Fox 6th place.

For this week, I was happy to see great Lee Sin plays and Udyr show up. Trick2g must be proud that someone used Udyr to break the gates. It was nice to see Renegades win a game, and I hope they can keep up with that momentum next week. Team Dignitas seemed to be out of it this week, losing both their games, but they haven’t been around forever for no reason, and I think we will see some interesting games from them next week.