The LCS is nearing the Grand Finals and last weekend, we saw TSM defeat their old rivals Cloud9 to secure a Worlds spot. Meanwhile, FlyQuest secured their second LCS finals in a row and a seed in the group stage with a clutch 3-2 win against Team Liquid.
With the LCS playoffs about to enter their decisive stage, last weekend featured NA’s top four teams this season.
TSM’s Redemption
After a spicy beginning of the split and a poor start, Team Solomid rallied and finished the regular season as one of the stronger teams in NA - only to lose their first series against Golden Guardians. However, they went through the lower bracket and won their rematch with GG to reach the top 4. Cloud 9, meanwhile, came off a dominant spring split and was leading the LCS for the first half of the split in the summer, before slumping in the end of the split and falling to FlyQuest. The two teams clashed in the Saturday series with a top 3 spot, a chance for the Grand Finals match, and a Worlds seed on the line.
TSM started the series strong and carried the first game, but Cloud9 quickly struck back in the second. This was followed by a 36-minute showdown in Game 3, where Cloud9 had some good moments but TSM, led as usual by mid-laner Søren "Bjergsen" Bjerg, powered through the game after securing the ocean soul and a Baron. This seemed to break C9’s resistance, as they lost Game 4 in under 28 minutes. The team, historically NA’s best international performer, will now miss Worlds for the first time since entering the LCS in 2013.
Another one Bites the Dust Against FlyQuest
After a five-game series against Evil Geniuses and defeating Cloud9, spring finalist FlyQuest faced off against the other NA powerhouse of the last few years, Team Liquid. Despite losing their star AD Carry Yiliang "Peter" "Doublelift" Peng, TL showed a lot of growth in the summer, eventually ending in first place during the regular season.
The series was a hotly contested one and went to five games. FlyQuest took the first blood in a 46-minute slugfest, but Team Liquid equalized. The teams alternated to find wins, but in the decisive fifth game, FlyQuest got an early lead and smashed through the mid-game, using the infernal soul and the baron buff to break TL’s inhibitors and end the game, ensuring the team’s first international performance would start from the Worlds’ group stage.
The LCS playoffs continue this weekend with the lower bracket match between TSM and Team Liquid, with the winner facing off against FlyQuest in the finals.
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