France’s LDLC OL is the second team to secure a spot in the EU Masters semifinals after a confident 2-0 win against UK’s BT Excel.
How they got here:
The two teams met in the second quarterfinal series, shortly after AGO ROGUE’s stunning upset against mousesports. The LFL representatives were together with the Polish squad in group B, defeating them in a tiebreaker to secure the top spot. UK League of Legends Championship second seed BT Excel bounced back from a three-game losing streak four consecutive wins eventually forcing - and winning - a tiebreaker to take group A’s second place.
Game 1: TynX Things
The first game started fast, with both teams landing some punches but LDLC jungler Kristian "TynX" Østergaard Hansen gave his team a lead with aggressive play and three early kills. A first tower and a key pick in the top lane saw. BT Excel equalized the game as the early game came to an end, but this parity was short-lived.
As the mid-game started, TynX’ Trundle turned both jungles into his personal kingdom and his teammates did not fall behind - mid laner Vincent "Vetheo" Berrié, who was often criticized in the group stage, showed off his Zoe sniping skills, getting several key kills on BT Excel AD Carry Matthew "Deadly" Smith. The UKLC representatives had no response to this and eventually, LDLC took an infernal soul and a Baron, and ended the game after just over 26 minutes of play.
Game 2: Vetheo makes a statement
LDLC would once more have a great early game but this time it was the solo laners who had put on their carry pants. By the 10-minute mark, Vetheo’s Leblanc and top laner Brian "Bando" Ferrando’s Gangplank already had five kills between them. The French mid laner put on a clinic, roaming and taking kills around the map. His team’s lead kept growing and when they took Baron almost immediately after it spawned, it was all their opponents could do to keep their inhibitors standing. Around the 26-minute mark, the deaths of their mid support put BT Excel on the ropes. LDLC pushed into the enemy base and took down all inhibitors, secured two more kills just as the respawns came and pressed on to take the enemy Nexus.
It was a dominant performance by the LFL squad, who looked like the best incarnation of the team yet. They will face groups rival AGO ROGUE in the first semifinals. Will the “Foxes” have the last laugh?
The EU Masters continues tomorrow with two more series: Movistar Riders vs Fnatic Rising and GamersOrigin vs K1CK Neosurf.
If you want to know more about the EU Masters and the two group stages that brought us here, check out our coverage of the event so far: