NA LCS Week 6: Overview

Week 6 of the NA LCS is the official start of the second half of the Spring Split. We go into this second half with a team that is undefeated, Immortals, which is ahead by 4 wins to the second place Counter Logic Gaming. We also have a team with only one win, Renegades, that can’t seem to catch a break. It seems that anything could still happen with the middle of the pack for the North American League of Legends scene, but I think the best and worst have already been picked. However, we can’t be sure, so that’s why we watch every week right?

Day 1

Game 1:

[NRG eSports] vs Team Dignitas:

Bans: Corki, Gangplank, Malphite, Kog’Maw, Elise, Fiora

NRG:
Impact: Poppy
Moon: Nidalee
GBM: Karma
Altec: Ezreal
Konkwon: Alistar

DIG:
BillyBoss: Trundle
Kirei: Kindred
Shiphtur: Lulu
Apollo: Kalista
KiwiKid: Bard

Look Karma in the middle lane! A clutch pick seems to do NRG well this round as they win after roughly 27 minutes. Even against a team that the commentators said “will be hard to kill” thanks to Kalista, Lulu, Bard and Kindred. Literally nothing of importance happens until the 15 minute mark when first blood and dragon drop pretty quickly to Dignitas. This doesn’t deter NRG eSports though and they turn it around at 20 minutes when they re-engage on DIG. They kill Kirei and BillyBoss and grab a quick uncontested Baron after that. With said buff, they kill three of their enemies and push to win the game.

Game 2:

Renegades vs [Immortals]

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

REN:
RF Legendary: Malphite
Crumbz: Gragas
AlexIch: Orianna
Freeze: Caitlyn
Hakuho: Braum

IMT:
Huni: Ekko
Reignover: Rumble
Pobelter: Lux
Wildturtle: Lucian
Adrian: Soraka

If anyone saw this match on paper they would have simply wrote off Renegades. First seed versus the last seed in any tournament ends up that way. It was a surprise though. REN held their ground very well at the start of the game, almost pushing IMT into a corner. First blood did go over to REN. Ahead in kills (7-1) by 15:00, REN seems to be able to break the IMT winning streak. Somehow though, REN is still behind in gold. Due to IMT’s crazy farming skills, they stay ahead and get Baron at 24:40. This leads to IMT pushing hard with their better late game composition. With a 6,000 gold lead and another poor initiation by REN, IMT ends the game at 32:05.

 

 

Game 3:

Team Solo Mid vs [Cloud9]

Bans: Nidalee, Lulu, Orianna, Fiora, Malphite, Lissandra

TSM:
Hauntzer: Poppy
Svenskeren: Gragas
Bjergsen: LeBlanc
Doublelift: Kog’Maw
Yellowstar: Braum

C9:
Balls: Gangplank
Rush: Lee Sin
Jensen: Twisted Fate
Sneaky: Kalista
Hai: Soraka

This was a very important match for Cloud9 to win. If they didn’t, they wouldn’t be able to compete for the second seed spot in the season as TSM is right behind them. It was a close game that lasted nearly 47 minutes. Both duo lanes were crazy aggressive, but the first kill does go to Doublelift when they kill Hai while only in the game for four minutes. C9 counter with 2 kills. It goes back and forth all game long. TSM is ahead for most of the game, dominating map presence and keeping C9 in their base. C9 does end up acing TSM and 2-man baron. After another ace in the middle lane, C9 get an inhibitor. Ten minutes later, TSM is knocking on C9’s door again, only for Hauntzer to get caught out, dies, and gets the rest of his team killed. C9 rushes to TSM’s base and ends it at 46:48.

Game 4:

[Counter Logic Gaming] vs Team Impulse

Bans: Graves, Kalista, Nautilus, Fiora, Kog’Maw, Lulu

CLG:
Darshan: Poppy
Xmithie: Nidalee
Huhi: LeBlanc
Stixxay: Corki
Aphromoo: Braum

TIP:
Feng: Gangplank
Procxin: Nocturne
Pirean: Lissandra
Mash: Lucian
Gate: Alistar

With C9 winning their game, CLG had to win theirs as well. Luckily for them they get it. TIP pick up Nocturne, which would have been a good idea if it wasn’t for the crazy farming abilities of Xmithie on Nidalee. The first big fight doesn’t happen until 9:20 when everyone by now is level six. CLG kill 4 with no losses. Huhi comes back and just smashes Mash in the river. That was pretty much where it ended. Six minutes later, CLG gets another 4-1 team fight and are now up 7,000 gold. A significant amount at 15 minutes. Not even 20 minutes in and CLG has two inhibitors and a 10,000 gold lead. The Game ends at 25:25 after a textbook win of taking every building down in TIP’s base.

 

 

Game 5:

Team Liquid vs [Echo Fox]

Bans: LeBlanc, Kog’Maw, Kayle, Kalista, Gangplank, Nidalee

TL:
Lourlo: Poppy
Dardoch: Gragas
Fenix: Syndra
Piglet: Ezreal
Matt: Alistar

FOX:
kfo: Nautilus
Hard: Elise
Froggen: Corki
Keith: Lucian
Big: Braum

Last week Echo Fox got two wins after getting kfo and Froggen back. They plan on keeping that up. I liked Liquid’s team composition a lot better, but I was rooting for the underdogs. Froggen gets first blood after Hard helps him kill Fenix, but sadly the turret decided Froggen needed to drop after diving too far. Like a typical game of Froggen’s, the game goes for 57:50 with multiple people over 500 creep score. Echo Fox win it though, after they ace TL when they dove too hard to take middle inhibitor. At this time, respawn timers are near 75-90 seconds and FOX pushed right down the middle lane to end it.

Day 2

After the awesome matches of Day 1, Day 2 was seeming less dramatic schedule wise. Not so many long games, but they surprised us with action packed matches.

Game 6:

Renegades vs [Counter Logic Gaming]

Bans: Fiora, Kalista, LeBlanc, Kog’Maw, Nidalee, Lulu

REN:
RF Legendary: Gangplank
Crumbz: Rek’Sai
AlexIch: Karma
Freeze: Lucian
Hakuho: Braum

CLG:
Darshan: Pantheon
Xmithie: Gragas
Huhi: Corki
Stixxay: Ezreal
Aphromoo: Bard

You would think that with the power picks of Gangplank, Lucian, and Braum that REN could win this game against CLG. We got to see a Pantheon in the top lane and it was pretty epic… in multiple ways. Ten minutes into the game and the only things down are 4 turrets and Dragon that CLG killed. The first fight happened around 11:20 when REN grouped up to kill Darshan, Huhu and Aphromoo for the price of Alex Ich. Sadly, this is the only really good play REN does all game long. CLG aces REN at 18:50 near the middle turrets and CLG get baron around the 22 minute mark. Darshan ults onto most of REN at 29:00 and dies for his cause, but CLG does ace REN right after and end the game at 30:01.

 

 

Game 7:

[Team Dignitas] vs Team Solo Mid

Bans: Fiora, Elise, Kalista, Nidalee, Gangplank, Kog’Maw

DIG:
BillyBoss: Malphite
Kirei: Kindred
Shiphtur: Corki
Apollo: Lucian
KiwiKid: Alistar

TSM:
Hauntzer: Quinn
Svenskeren: Gragas
Bjergsen: Lulu
Doublelift: Caitlyn
Yellowstar: Braum

For the first time this split, TSM loses twice in the same week. Ironically, it’s was against a triple ADC composition that they helped foster into the meta. Dignitas does give first blood to Doublelift when Kirei tries to pressure a tower dive, but the Gromp buff kills him and Quinn. The game lasts for almost 37 minutes when DIG insta-deleted Doublelift and get Baron for the second time.

Game 8:

NRG eSports vs [Cloud9]

Bans: Gangplank, Fiora, Malphite, Kog’Maw, Kalista, Nidalee

NRG:
Impact: Nautilus
Moon: Graves
GBM: Karma
Altec: Ezreal
Konkwon: Alistar

C9:
Balls: Lulu
Rush: Lee Sin
Jensen: Twisted Fate
Sneaky: Lucian
Hai: Morgana

Another interesting game. Alistar wasn’t banned against Hai, but instead first picked by NRG. This doesn’t stop him as he picks up the second best engager support with Morgana. It starts off pretty even until Jensen kills Moon after Rush finds him on the wrong side of the map at 6:20. C9 gets 3 turrets and 5,000 gold ahead by 17:00. A quick dragon and four more kills for C9 seemed to have put the nails in the coffin for NRG. C9 does slip a bit, letting NRG get a few kills and a baron, but they turn the heat back on and get Baron themselves at 33:10. C9 aces NRG at 37:45 and pushes to end the game at 38:10.

Game 9:

Team Impulse vs [Echo Fox]

Bans: Malphite, Graves, Kalista, Kog’Maw, Fiora, Nidalee

TIP:
Feng: Poppy
Procxin: Elise
Pirean: Lulu
Mash: Corki
Gate: Braum

FOX:
kfo: Kayle
Hard: Gragas
Froggen: Gangplank
Keith: Lucian
Big: Alistar

Well… Froggen’s team went for late game again. First blood goes to TIP at 1:05 when kfo decided to walk back to where he was attacked and gets killed for it. FOX gets ahead early and keeps it up with their late game setup. Two inhibitors drop at 29:55 as FOX loses Baron buff. FOX comes back and wins the game two minutes later after a great team fight that TIP initiates after their last inhibitor turret drops.

 

 

Game 10:

Team Liquid vs [Immortals]

Bans: Fiora, Nidalee, Gangplank, Kog’Maw, Soraka, Lulu

TL:
Lourlo: Poppy
Dardoch: Udyr
Fenix: Zilean
Piglet: Caitlyn
Matt: Alistar

IMT:
Huni: Quinn
Reignover: Gragas
Pobelter: Twisted Fate
Wildturtle: Kalista
Adrian: Janna

You know, after a few longer games yesterday, it was nice to end the day/week with a pre-30 minute game. Seeing a Udyr made the commentators happy. TL picked oddly and gave priorities to Zilean over Janna, who they specifically banned against Adrian so he would have to pick Janna… or another champion. Sadly it’s a landslide and IMT had 6,000 gold over TL at 12 minutes. The game goes even further in IMT’s favor until Hunni gets a pentakill right before the game ends at 27:10.

Standings:

1. Immortals 12W-0L
2. Counter Logic Gaming 8W-4:
2. Cloud 9 8W-4L
4. Team Solo Mid 7W-5L
5. NRG eSports 6W-6L
6. Liquid 5W-7L
6. Echo Fox 5W-7L
8. Team Impulse 4W-8L
8. Team Dignitas 4W-8L
10. Renegades 1W-11L

Overview

Immortals continue to go undefeated again. Counter Logic Gaming and Cloud 9 still fight for the second spot while everyone else is clawing for those middle tier spots. Renegades I think are too far gone to even be considered for 9th, so I have a feeling they will drop out of the LCS at the end of the split. We saw some nice picks do well this week with Karma, Kog’Maw, and Gragas making a resurgence; but also bad ones like Udyr and Nocturne.

What I would like to see? I would like to see Renegades win a game… and Echo Fox break into the top five. I would also like to see a more diverse Champion pool since it spread a little bit this weekend. Also no more Zz’Rot Portals please. It’s really boring watching the portals try to push against each other.