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NA LCS spring playoffs: Semifinals and the top four

The World Championships have reached the business end.
Roar Guru
13th April, 2017
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The two series this weekend were everything so many of us expected, but completely the wrong way around. Team Dignitas and CounterLogic Gaming are both now finished their split, and will each receive ten championship points, while Phoenix1 and FlyQuest will progress to the semifinals.

I hate using the word “stomp,” so I will call Phoneix1’s 3-0 victory over Team Dignitas a thorough takedown. It’s not that they were swift games – all three hovered around the forty minute mark – but each was convincing, with ten of eleven of Team Dignitas’ turrets falling in game one, and all of them going in games two and three.

Phoenix1, by comparison, didn’t lose more than three towers in any game. Their methodical takedown of their opponent must be a scary thing to see for their future opponents. This was supposed to be the closer match, between two teams who have been improving noticeably through the back half of the split, but instead Phoenix1 flexed their muscles, even with Inori starting over Meteos.

That’s exactly how CounterLogic Gaming versus FlyQuest was supposed to look. An ailing team against two-time split champion should have left CounterLogic Gaming looking and feeling strong (and in fairness it nearly did). Too many of us underestimated the Hai effect though, especially on Darshan in the fifth game, in bringing out a stunning and debatably deserved reverse sweep.

We saw plenty of exciting League of Legends over the weekend, although the series were exciting for different reasons. All the teams in the semifinals will also be visiting Vancouver to play in either the third place match or the grand final. The two games over the easter long weekend will tell us which teams will be in which match.

Cloud9 vs Phoenix1: 5am AEST Sunday
This is a very recent rematch; these two teams played each other in the last week of the regular split, where Cloud9 won 2-0. Way back in week 5, however, Phoenix1 won in the same way, which illustrates just how even this matchup is.

Both teams have substitution options available to them should they need it, with Meteos able to jump in for Inori on Phoenix1, and Impact able to swap with Ray on Cloud9. With the substitutes’ very different playstyles, each team will have an extra challenge in their preparation.

These two teams have got a lot to prove. Cloud9, with both the recent match victory and the quarterfinals bye, have somewhat higher expectations on their shoulders. That’s not to mention their legacy; they have some four years of fans behind them. There is pressure on this team to perform, and to once again go to the finals in Vancouver.

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Phoenix1, while not exactly a “new” team at this point, is far from the institution of their opponent. After a less-than-stellar performance in their first split, former Royal Never Give Up coach Fly has been able to turn around an organisation with players who were “used to losing.”

Phoenix1 have everything to prove, and reaching the finals in their second split would bring them into an exclusive group of finalists, along with Cloud9, Team SoloMid, CounterLogic Gaming and Good Game University (later Team Coast, who were bought by NRG eSports).

It’s very hard to make a call here. On the one had, I think the time off for Cloud9, knowing they would likely face Phoenix1 will have been beneficial for the team; both of Cloud9’s split wins have come after a first round bye. On the other hand, however, I totally acknowledge my bias in favour of the team, and Phoenix1 have an awful lot going for them in both the team and the coaching staff.

I’m going to stick with my gut for this weekend and call the series 3-1 for Cloud9. I do still think it will be a close series – Cloud9’s early game is on the weak side, so I fully expect Phoenix1 to take leads in the early-to-mid game more than once. That’s happened to Cloud9 frequently through the split though, and they know how to come back from a deficit to take a game and a series.

Team SoloMid vs FlyQuest: 5am Monday
In their previous meetings in weeks five and eight, Team SoloMid has won this matchup 2-1. In general, regular season wins are somewhat less relevant to the offseason than they might appear, but in this case I do think that these prior result sare indicative of what we will see this weekend.

Between them, these teams boast some of the most recognisable names in League of Legends; Bjergsen is consistently a top (if not THE top) performing player in the region, and Hai’s shotcalling is legendary. These individuals aren’t surrounded by unknowns, either – look past the superstar Mid Laners and both teams have remarkable talent across their rosters.

The Team SoloMid roster goes beyond recognisable lanes, though. The top half of the map is entirely top tier talent, and although WildTurtle and Biofrost aren’t necessarily considered ‘great’, they are still able to play their lane with the quality required of the top placed team in North America. Although they have lost plenty of individual games, they have shown many times that they are able to rebound and win series, which is ultimately what matters.

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By comparison, FlyQuest’s strength is in the shotcalling and teamwork. Although Hai is known as the primary voice, Moon mentioned in a recent interview that the whole team has been speaking up more. Personally I have to wonder how recent this is – last couple of weeks recent that brought them into the semifinals? Or last few months recent where they dropped from tied first place to almost missing out on playoffs?

I was incredibly excited and surprised when FlyQuest won the series against CounterLogic Gaming, but Team SoloMid are on a completely different level. I should have had more faith last week when I had the chance, because I can’t in bring myself to think they will win this. They have the potential to take one or maybe two games, but even that is unlikely.

What I expect is a hammering in games one and two, then in game three, slightly less of a hammering but still ending in a loss. Team SoloMid will not be caught out by relentless overagressive plays. Team SoloMid may struggle to play against a pocket pick, but I cannot see them letting themselves be beaten by confusion alone. Here is a fair chance that they will drop one game – they often do – but that should be the worst of it.

Tickets to the Mid Season Invitational are riding on the outcomes of this and next weeks games. There are also a stack of championship points up for grabs. Whether or not these series go to five games, I’m confident we will be seeing a lot of great gameplay. Who do you think we will see in the finals? Is that different to who you want to see in the finals.

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