NA LCS Power Rankings Week 3
75 games into the NA LCS Summer Split, and we still don’t know anything.
Immortals, Counter Logic Gaming and Team Dignitas are in a three-way tie for first, TSM doesn’t seem to be trying yet, Jensen has rolled all of Cloud 9 into a small backpack and is sprinting around Dagobah as we speak, Echo Fox throws harder than Clayton Kershaw, Team Liquid unsurprisingly regressed and Phoenix 1 might not get completely crushed at Rift Rivals. It was a long weekend.
Parity has struck NA LCS, but in a larger sense, Week 3 was about learning to play with advantage. Teams that played to their win conditions and knew how (and when) to take objectives flourished. Most did neither, and here we are, a league filled with would-be stompers that cannot close.
I’m experimenting with a shorter introduction this week to compete with international bloggers (limited intros are meta now). To the rankings!
1. Counter Logic Gaming (5-1, 11-6) (Even)
Which is the more impressive feat: Gaining an 11K gold lead or throwing it all away? The former requires superior decision-making and macro skill; the latter is born of inattention. We saw both from Counter Logic Gaming this week, and in the same game. Username checks out.
CLG were on track to cleanly sweep away FlyQuest in their first series of the weekend, convincingly winning Game 1 and sieging inhibitor turrets up double-digit gold 38 minutes into Game 2. A series of pickoffs by FlyQuest—mostly on Aphromoo, who was inexplicably drafted shield-spamming Karma after proving time and again he is the Patron Saint of Playmaking Supports—prevented CLG from successfully pushing their 1-3-1. One botched teamfight by CLG resulted in Baron for FlyQuest and eventually the win.
CLG would ultimately win the series 2-1 despite another near throw in Game 3 when Moon stole Baron, so reverse-sweep curse ended? The Phoenix 1 series was nearly an instant replay: CLG looked excellent in Game 1, got badly beaten in Game 2 and then won a close Game 3. For a team with this much talent and experience, I expect more, especially when both side lanes are among the best in the league.
Bottom line: If CLG think they can get away with throwing leads against an in-form Immortals and an Envy squad hungry for redemption, they haven’t been paying attention.
2. Team SoloMid (4-2, 9-5) (Even)
Were it not for Team SoloMid’s cupcake schedule this weekend, two clean sweeps would have leap-frogged them over a shaky CLG. Alas, TSM swept Teams Liquid and EnVyUs, so they remain second best.
But for how much longer? After three weeks, it’s clear that TSM isn’t focused on NA LCS in so much as they’re worried about winning it. It’s almost a foregone conclusion that TSM will be finalists come playoffs in Boston; they have been since the league’s inception. Their eyes are elsewhere, across the Pacific, where Galio—especially when he is played mid—is king.
TSM want to be a strong on an international level; they've got nothing else to prove domestically. But to be competitive on that level, they need to master meta drafts. A key weakness for TSM as MSI 2017 was their inability to execute shield compositions—the meta-de-jour—which limited drafting and lowered their ceiling. Now, the meta has shifted to Galio-comps, and TSM is going to try to run them. Forget that drafting strong, comfort-laden lineups results in auto-wins no matter the North American opponent. Winning is no longer the point; TSM has to win the right way.
TSM should have no problems with FlyQuest on Saturday and they know it, so expect to see Bjersen on Galio at some point during that series. Echo Fox, on the other hand, will punish TSM if they get too esoteric (assuming Akaadian starts). If TSM can secure another two series wins, and CLG stumbles, expect to see a new #1 here at the end of Week 4.
3. Immortals (5-1, 10-5) (+3)
Are Immortals for real? I kept asking myself this question last week, even as they demolished Team Liquid and won an excellent Game 3 against Cloud 9. Can this team play consistently enough to contend? Are Cody Sun and Olleh secretly the best bot lane in NA? Is Flame the best top laner? Is this team that much better with Xmithie over Dardoch? Is Pobelter an elite NA mid? Is he the only NA mid?
At some point, the evidence becomes undeniable, and the weirdness of seeing this underachieving Spring side among the best of Summer will fade away. Immortals already have quality wins over TSM and C9, they’ve got that AEG money, Xmithie and Pobelter have championship-caliber chemistry, when Flame’s on he’s a world-beater, and Cody Sun is one of the best ADCs in North America (unless you’re Phreak). Immortals/C9 felt like a playoff bout, and if it wasn’t for Jensen’s heroics, Immortals would have taken that series with far less nail-biting.
Immortals play Counter Logic Gaming to kickoff Week 4 today in the mostly narratively-hyped series of Summer Split. The mid-season Xmithie/Dardoch trade adds a pleasing bit of spice to the proceedings, but absent that, the meeting would still remain a battle for first place. It doesn’t get any easier for Immortals, with Team Dignitas waiting as a second-course, but as fans we should be relieved. Finally, answers.
4. Team Dignitas (5-1, 11-5) (Even)
If not for an unfortunate loss to Team Liquid in Week 2, Dignitas would sit alone atop the NA LCS. Deservedly so? Well...yes and no.
Yes, Dignitas are 5-1, with Ssumday arguably the MVP of the split so far. With Fiora now perma-banned against him, we saw Ssumday on tanks this week and guess what? He’s pretty good on those too, splitpushing with Shen like no one can stop him (Spoiler: They can’t). Dignitas is at their best when Ssumday can carry, but in absence of a dueling monster, Shrimp filled in nicely. Among junglers with more than 10 games played in Summer Split, Shrimp is top three in KDA, Average Kills, Average Assists, GPM, and %DMG.
No, Dignitas have had a soft schedule, and apart from a series win over TSM they’ve consistently played down to their opposition. Echo Fox—as is their want—badly threw their Week 3 series against Dignitas, one of five three-game series Dignitas has faced in Summer so far. While their bot lane has shown promise with the addition of BIG, Dig can’t count on it to win games for them, nor can they expect much from Keane, whose vanilla performances in the mid lane have gotten the job done and little else. Don’t be surprised if we see Altec and Adrian sooner rather than later if Dignitas hits a rough week or two.
As the schedule would have it, a rough set of matchups is on the docket. Dignitas play Immortals and Cloud 9 next and honestly? I don’t favor them in either series. Dig fans, make offerings at your Ssumday altars extra extravagant this weekend.
5. Cloud 9 (3-3, 8-6) (-2)
Two stat lines from Summer 2017:
Mid Laner A: 14 GP, 6.8 KDA, 78.1% KP, 9.4 CSM, +15 CSD@15, 439 GPM, +313 GD@15, 535.8 DPM
Mid Laner B: 18 GP, 5.1 KDA, 71.5% KP, 9.4 CSM, +6.5 CSD@15, 430 GPM, +46 GD@15, 537 DPM
Mid Laner A is Jensen, the beating heart of a Cloud 9 squad that has so far utterly let him down. He has played well in wins, losses, throws, stomps, you name it. Everyone wants to say Bjergsen is the best mid in NA LCS full stop, but guys? I’d encourage you to look again, because this sky-blue Dane DeHaan lookalike is absolutely tearing it up right now and we need to give him his due, if for no other reason than Mid Laner B is Faker.
Cloud 9 can out-farm and out-macro their opponents all they want. If the team fighting isn’t there, they can’t expect to beat top teams. The Immortals series last week was a romp until it wasn’t. With that lost, C9 have suffered defeats to three of the top four teams this split, with Dignitas on deck. If it were not for two truly unfathomable throws by Echo Fox last weekend, they would have lost to them too.
Cloud 9 should at minimum split the weekend since Liquid is their first match, but we’re nearly to the midpoint of the split. Getting results matters, and if you can’t beat top teams, what does that make you?
6. Echo Fox (3-3, 8-6) (+1)
Echo Fox is the best-bad team in North America by a mile. They lead the league in Average Gold Differential @15 with a whopping +1146, and regularly compound that advantage well into the mid game. Then the wheels come off.
The 10-man Rick Foxes have lost so far to Team Dignitas, Cloud 9 and CLG, and have enjoyed substantial gold leads in nearly every single game played in those series. This team simply does not know how to win with a lead, whether it’s a complete absence of mid priority or an inability to cleanly execute a 1-3-1. They take bad fights and can’t capitalize off the fights they win.
Froggen continues to impress in the mid lane, but Echo Fox has shown improvement in every role. KEITH and Gate have quietly formed a decent bot duo, Akaadian had not lost a Summer game until this week (too much time driving along PCH if you ask me), and Looper gave Ssumday a run for his money throughout the Dignitas series. But excellent players aren’t enough; you need the macro to snowball advantages gained from superior players into late game control, and Echo Fox hasn’t learned how to do that yet.
The main event this weekend is Immortals vs. Counter Logic Gaming, but I’m equally as hyped for TSM vs. Echo Fox, a real measuring test for both teams. Can TSM wrest control of the early game from Echo Fox? With Hauntzer a known Kennen expert, are we going to see Pantheon again from Looper? If you only watch two series this weekend, make sure this is one of them. Okay, maybe make room for C9 vs. Dig too, but my overall point stands!
7. Team EnVyUs (3-3, 7-8) (-2)
I wrote before Week 3 that Team EnVyUs had yet to sell me on their contender status, and after a week where they got smashed by TSM and Echo Fox without winning a game, I remain uncertain.
Finally, we saw Envy against tough opponents, and while they had their moments against TSM, there was no ignoring the gulf in class between the teams. Lira continued his Week 2 slump through Week 3, highlighted by Game 2 against Echo Fox in which he itemized MR against an AD-heavy draft. Finishing the week 7-15-17 didn’t help either.
It’s not an accident that Lira’s teammates came back to earth just as he’s slumping. More than any other team in NA LCS (except maybe Phoenix 1 MIKEYEUNG HYPE), Envy is entirely reliant on Lira’s stellar play to win games. They can beat bad teams without him (see: win vs. Team Liquid), but cannot compete at a higher level without him. Seraph's poor Week 3 showing compounded matters, forcing Lira to constantly pressure top, leaving Pirean and Apollo to fend for themselves. As good as those two have looked, Week 3 proved they still need Lira’s snowball to get ahead.
Envy play CLG and FlyQuest this weekend, and if Lira doesn’t find his form fast, we could easily see another winless week from what was NA’s hottest team.
8. FlyQuest eSports (1-5, 4-10) (Even)
Whatever magic FlyQuest conjures against CLG is absent when they play anyone else. FlyQuest had a real shot to reverse-sweep CLG again during their Week 3 meeting, but one misplayed team fight toward the end of Game 3 was their undoing.
Truthfully, FlyQuest looked better in that series than they have all split, a small consolation for their frustrated fanbase. The Civil War with Cloud 9 was unfortunately timed; C9 had just come off a loss to Immortals, were thirsty for a stomp and got it. Each game was over long before the Nexus fell; Hai was no match for Jensen, but to be fair, few players in the world are right now.
Of FlyQuests roster, only WildTurtle has impressed so far, but it hasn’t been nearly enough. Perhaps the way forward for FlyQuest is playing through bot lane, but something more needs to change if this team is to make another late-season run at the playoffs. Turtle will face his old TSM teammates this week, but as much as I’m anticipating the Doublelift/Turtle duel, its result won’t impact the likely TSM sweep. A series with slumping Envy, on the other hand, could be just the victory FlyQuest needs to begin turning things around.
9. Phoenix 1 (0-6, 4-12) (+1)
Still in search of their first series win, Phoenix 1 actually moves up one spot in these rankings thanks to the electric play of rookie MikeYeung. MICHAEL YEUNG, MICHAEL YEUNG SKDEDEDEDEDEDE
A Challenger since he was 13, MikeYeung passed on attending his own high school graduation in order to get more practice time in with his teammates and it paid off. Phoenix 1 isn’t good enough to beat CLG or Dignitas right now, but for long stretches of those Week 3 series, they played like it because MikeYeung exploded for two masterful Game 2s. Oh, and because Ryu got the first Pentakill of Summer Split—with Taliyah of all champions—but that’s beside the point. MikeYeung’s pathing and mechanics might win him Rookie of the Split even if he wasn’t the split’s only rookie, and with the further addition of Xspecial in the bot lane, P1 are on a clear upswing after hitting rock-bottom during Week 2.
The recovery could begin as early as this week. A series with Team Liquid is a likely candidate for P1’s first series win of the split, and if they can put together two games like their Game 2s from Week 3, Echo Fox had better watch their back. It’s far too soon to declare P1 alive, but their self-made coffin is splintering...
10. Team Liquid (1-5, 3-11) (-1)
Another 0-4 week and it’s back to the cellar for Steve’s squad. At least they’re paid well.