The North American League Championship Series Will Get a New Champion This Split

As the dust settled from the TSM – Clutch Gaming Quarterfinal, a lot of people were focused heavily on the fact that until now, TSM had never not competed in an NA LCS Finals match. They might not have won every single match, but the fact remained that until now, they had competed in every single match. With such a dominant stretch, it’s pretty easy to only focus on TSM and their situation, but something else has become a guarantee in the NA LCS right now. While yes, we are looking at a Finals series without TSM, we are also looking at the opportunity to crown a brand new NA LCS Champion.

With a single team holding down one of only two spots in every single NA LCS Final since the inception of the NA LCS, it’s pretty easy to forget that only two other teams have ever won the NA LCS Finals. The very first NA LCS Finals took place between TSM and Good Game University, a team that would eventually go on to become Team Coast. TSM won this series, sparking the run of dominance that continued until earlier this week. The very next Split, Summer 2013, saw the Finals showdown between TSM and Cloud9, a series that ultimately saw Cloud9 claim victory and start their own legacy as one of the dominant teams of the NA LCS. The following year saw a rematch in the Spring, with Cloud9 successfully defending their title from TSM, before another rematch in the Summer, when TSM finally defeated Cloud9 and reclaimed their title.

2015 was a big year for the NA LCS, in the Spring Finals TSM again defeated Cloud9 to hold onto their title, before losing it in the Summer Finals to Counter Logic Gaming. This was the first time a team other than TSM or Cloud9 had won the finals, and CLG would go on to successfully defend their title from TSM the next year, in the 2016 Spring Finals. In the 2016 Summer Finals, it quickly fell back into the routine, as TSM held off Cloud9 to retake their title. 2017 proved a stellar year for TSM, as they defeated Cloud9 in the Spring Finals and took down Immortals in the Summer Finals. Immortals was the first team since 2013 to contest the Finals against TSM that wasn’t either Cloud9 or CLG, making this series particularly interesting for fans tired of the status quo.

What this ultimately boils down to is the fact that despite the fact that there has been 10 Finals series, there have only been 5 teams to play in a Finals series. Good Game University became Team Coast, who were relegated from the league and eventually disbanded as a team, Immortals were not selected to be a part of the new franchised model of the NA LCS, CLG failed to make playoffs this split, and both Cloud9 and TSM were knocked out during their quarterfinals matches.

With the semi-finals still to be played, there are four teams remaining to fight for the NA LCS Championship. 100 Thieves, Clutch Gaming, Echo Fox, and Team Liquid are all that remain to claim NA LCS glory. Of these four teams, only Team Liquid has ever participated in an NA LCS playoff series before, and the last time they were present in the post season was 2016. Echo Fox will play against Team Liquid, and 100 Thieves will play against Clutch Gaming, but no matter which of these teams advance to the Grand Final, the end result will be the same – We’re looking at a brand new team waiting to be crowned the Champions of the NA LCS.

For a breakdown of how Clutch Gaming shocked everyone by taking down TSM, check out the recaps here, and for more information on the NA LCS semi-finals, check out the Official Schedule page, here.