RESULTS: NA LCS Starts Week 6 with Style

With so much on the line, it’s understandable that some teams are feeling a little desperate as Playoffs approach. Let’s break down which teams held their nerve, and which teams fell in the face of fear.

100 Thieves – Cloud9

Our first match of the day between 100 Thieves and Cloud9 showcased exactly why map control is so important. 100 Thieves were able to get off to a great start, securing multiple early kills and objectives, while Cloud9 tried to stay relevant through individual skills and good farming techniques. With good map coverage, and excellent control over the neutral objectives like the Dragon pit, 100 Thieves really stepped up their game as they look for better standings as Playoffs get closer. Cloud9 tried to fight back, but with 100 Thieves the team making all the moves, Cloud9 fell too far behind too quickly and were unable to defend once the siege began. Special mention goes to Zaqueri “aphromoo” Black, support for 100 Thieves, for making the Death Sentence skill shot of Thresh look like a point-and-click ability, rather than a skill-shot.

CLG – Clutch Gaming

The second game of the day featured Counter Logic Gaming trying something a little new as they took on Clutch Gaming. Vel’Koz made his NA LCS debut in the hands of CLG mid laner Choi “Huhi” Jae-hyun as CLG looked to surprise Clutch, perhaps enough to throw them of their game. Unfortunately for CLG, Clutch Gaming proved unfazed by the new champion choice, steamrolling their way through much of the game. Though CLG would put up a fight towards the end, Clutch proved too strong to handle as they walked away with the victory. For more on this game, check out our breakdown of the surprise pick and how it went here.

TSM – Echo Fox

Our third match of the day was a must-win for TSM, with too much reputation at stake to handle yet another loss. Echo Fox proved strong right out of the gate, with top laner Heo “Huni” Seung-hoon landing first blood against his opposing top laner, Kevin “Hauntzer” Yarnell. Despite this early advantage, TSM would be the team making the pro-active plays, as they secured turrets and Dragons, with a key fight in the top lane going heavily in their favour. Echo Fox seemed lost in this game, with only Huni able to blunt the damage that TSM was doing, and in the end, TSM proved too strong for the current #1 team as they pushed through Echo Fox for the win. For more on this game, check out our coverage here.

Golden Guardians – OpTic Gaming

OpTic were trying something new again this week, only rather than a new champion, they brought on a new player, in Academy top laner Niship “Dhokla” Doshi, in their battle against the Golden Guardians. The match started relatively straightforward, with OpTic managing to claim two kills early, before the teams settled into an objective trade. While both teams would apply pressure, it wasn’t until a team fight around Baron that allowed OpTic to start to build an advantage as they used the extra power to take several turrets in rapid succession. Another minor stalemate occurred, until again OpTic was able to secure another Baron and begin to siege the Golden Guardians base. Once they broke through, it was only a matter of time until the Guardians fell to the hands of OpTic, and they marked down another victory for “The Green Wall”. For more on this match, check out our coverage here.

Team Liquid – Flyquest

Our final match of the day featured Team Liquid looking to prove that they are a top team in the NA LCS, while Flyquest was simply looking to put as many wins on the board before Playoffs begin. The game started out very evenly, despite Flyquest top laner Lee “Flame” Ho-jong scoring first blood neither team was able to build much of an advantage. In the end, the advantage came not from a good play, but rather from a bad one, as Flyquest jungler Andy “AnDa” Hoang tried to stop Team Liquid from claiming the Eye of the Herald and ended up paying with his life. From here, Liquid was able to build an advantage as they took down multiple objectives, culminating in a Baron buff that allowed them to begin to siege the base of Flyquest. Once the base was cracked, Liquid would take down Flyquest, including an unofficial penta kill by Liquid mid laner Eugene “Pobelter” Park, which would end the game.

With the games now finished for the day, it’s time to look forward to the next time these teams will all be facing off against one another, which you can do at the Official Schedule page, found here.