Tales of the LCS, Issue #5

Settling the Score

Passing week 5 means that all teams have had a chance to play each of their competitors, leaving the question of the general power curve of both the North American and European LCS much easier to answer—or so everyone thought.

Week 5 saw giants toppled, GIANTS(Gaming) standing tall and hype trains derailed along with an entire baggage car of other surprises. Let’s open the story inventory to take stock of what went down as the Western League of Legends scene crossed the mid-level checkpoint.

Halfway through the journey…

El Clásico

Though no Spaniards remain on either roster, Fnatic and SK Gaming still had The Classic rivalry. Battle for supremacy in Europe was hard-fought, with both teams flexing their muscles and showcasing their strengths throughout the match.

To add to the drama, SK was also looking to tie Fnatic’s all time record winning streak of 9 games. Fnatic had stopped pretenders to their throne twice before, as Elements (then Alliance) and Gambit Gaming stood at a mirrored 8 game streak, only to be felled by the Fnatic squad of yore.

Diving into the game, Konstantinos “FORG1VEN” Tzortziou and Christoph “nRated” Seitz, also known as the “best bot lane by far”, exposed the weakness of Fnatic’s own bot lane as they beat down on their lane opponents, turret and all, despite Bora “YellOwStaR” Kim’s best efforts.

However, it was ultimately Kim “Reignover” Ui-jin who won Fnatic the game, with his constant pressure across the entire map on Rek’Sai netting his team favorable skirmish after skirmish, and snowballing all his lanes ahead. SK put up a fight, but in the end, Fnatic’s engage and clean up were too strong, resulting in them taking down the last remaining Western team to remain undefeated.

The neo-Fnatic squad finally vanquished their eternal rivals.

As much as Fnatic seemed to topple a giant on that day, more trouble was brewing for the top of the European table. SK would go on to lose a second time, and Fnatic’s euphoria of beating top seeded SK would be dashed by the week’s end as they also tasted defeat in their second game.

However, the fact that these two favorites lost is not as surprising as who they lost to, bringing us to our second big story out of Europe.

Underdogs Ascendant

We often talk about the big name teams, those that constantly remain at the top and churn out one success story and highlight reel after another. However, in week 5, Europe’s underdogs stole the scene.

If you told anyone before the start of the week that Gambit Gaming, Copenhagen Wolves, and GIANTS Gaming would all end week 5 with a 2-0, people probably would have looked at you funny. But that’s exactly what happened.

The Giants were desperate for a win, something that hasn’t happened for them since week 1! To think they would pull off their wins against Elements and the fan favorite Unicorns of Love sounds even more absurd. In both games, they were squarely behind at first, but managed brilliant turnarounds.

The match versus Elements looked all but lost for GIANTS until a stolen baron and quick desperation push magically ended in a near wipe for the former European champions, allowing the Spaniards to rush down the nexus. Their turn versus the Unicorns was less spectacular, but highlighted the ability of the GIANTS squad to counter engage well and find picks onto retreating enemies.

After a horrible 5-loss streak to start the season, Gambit Gaming has gone a full 180 and is now on a 5-win streak, with their latest victory against number 2 team Fnatic. For the first time in a long time, Danil “Diamond” Reshetnikov is reminding everyone why he was once considered the best jungler in Europe, if not the world. His skill on Nidalee is drawing bans all around, and rightfully so as he’s so far been able to live up to his claim of not being able to lose should he be allowed to pick her up.

The most impressive aspect of Gambit’s two wins last week is that they played with a sub in the mid lane, as Sebastian “niQ” Robak’s health required him to take a week off. Felix “Betsy” Edling, a solo queue talent with a penchant for assassins, held down the position admirably, scoring a monstrous 10/0/13 score on Ahri in their win versus MYM.

Last but not least, we come to the Copenhagen Wolves. The Wolves have often been overlooked as a bottom of the barrel team, owing to their frequenting the relegation tournament to defend their LCS spot. But much like wolves backed into a corner, they only fight harder when down, and have somehow managed to stay in the LCS until now.

They also historically have had a bit of a paradox, as they keep drafting extraordinary talents that flounder under their roof but go on to have superstar careers after they swap away from the organization. Some named on this list include TSM’s Søren “Bjergsen” Bjerg, Martin “Rekkles” Larsson of Fnatic/Elements fame and of course, SK’s FORG1VEN.

Will we hear the Copenhagen Wolves howl at the playoffs?

Now for the first time ever, the Wolves squad has clicked. They’ve seemingly mastered building around their carries, stalling and causing chaos to allow their late game team fighting prowess to win them games. Now they stand tied for 3rd place on the table, something they’ve never been able to do in previous splits. Top laner Joey “YoungBuck” Steltenpool stated that the team is saving their trademark victory howl for the playoffs. If they continue this run of form, that eventuality won’t be hard to imagine.

Cloudy with a Chance of Second

For the majority of this split, North America has been the story of Team Solo Mid’s dominance, Counter Logic Gaming’s new golden age, or even Team Liquid’s controversial communication issues with their world class pick ups. One team that managed to stay out of the spotlight is a team so used to being under it—Cloud 9.

Up until week 5, Cloud 9 looked like they lost their spark. The former two-time NA champs fumbled losses to teams that looked significantly weaker on paper, and have had to bounce back from a 0-2 start of the season. Their usual tight shot calling had slacked, owing to a mid lane slump by Hai “Hai” Lam.

Hai openly admitted to a lack of focus stemming from his constantly losing lane to his opponents, throwing his mindset off kilter for the remainder of matches should he fall too behind. Due to this, some shot calling responsibility has fallen on jungler Will “Meteos” Hartman when C9 plays from the losing end.

Despite their troubles, members of the team constantly promised they were working on their issues and would bounce back. Over the course of their past two matches, they displayed so much of what viewers loved about Cloud 9. They had cohesive team compositions with win conditions they played to perfectly. They orchestrated their Cloud 9 style of splitting the enemy team between two objectives, and most of all, they all looked to be on the same page.

An “Balls” Le looked back on form as one of North America’s premier top laners after an underwhelming split so far. Daerek “LemonNation” Hart pulled support Veigar deep out of his famous notebook of plays and plans to become the linchpin of a modified siege composition centered around Veigar’s large zoning stun in Event Horizon.

Cloud 9 have a long way to go before they can celebrate as champions again.

Cloud 9 reminded viewers why they’ve been at the top of the table for so long. Their play, when on point, is fluid and creative. They’re one of the most cohesive squads in the world, and watching their synchronized movements on the Rift is nothing short of eye opening. Now the question is, can they keep it up?

History dictates that they will, as Cloud 9 has always made it a point to buckle down for a late season resurgence. However, Season 5’s book isn’t written yet, and anything could happen for Hai and crew in the Spring Split. The team isn’t exactly on ‘cloud nine’ yet, but with enough focus, they do have the makings of a gathering storm.

Week 6 Matches to Watch

Rematches abound in the coming weeks, and while some teams look to extend their lead, others look to recoup from their losses, or even just separate themselves from the big middle of the pack that has persisted throughout the split in both regions.

That being said, here are the matches with the highest stakes this week.

 Unicorns of Love vs SK Gaming  

The two biggest hype trains in Europe were derailed in week 5, and this is the match that will decide which team gets back on their feet first. Will SK Gaming keep their coveted #1 spot, or will the Unicorns move to reclaim their top 3 status?

 Gambit Gaming vs Copenhagen Wolves 

Conversely, two teams that had no hype trains of their own, and constantly pegged for the bottom of the barrel, have come out strong. With Gambit’s large win streak on the line against the Wolves’ first legitimate stint near the top of the standings, expect both teams to bloody each other for a spot near the top.

 Counter Logic Gaming vs Team Liquid 

One team was the squad that seemed destined to beat the #1 Team Solo Mid but failed. The other team was counted out by everyone until they managed to beat TSM in week 5. Will CLG continue reign firm in second place, or is it time for Liquid to rise once more?

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