NA LCS Summer Finals Reflections

The 2017 North American LCS Summer Split is finally complete, with Team SoloMid defeating Immortals 3-1 in the finals to earn their third straight title out of ten consecutive tries.

“Dynasty” is a term not often used in the world of Esports. Teams flare up then fade out. Investment ebbs and flows with changing profit models, an updated financial prospectus, or simply disinterest in losing money. Organizations fold at alarming rates across the scene, with rosters and staff in a constant state of flux. There isn’t time to build a pedigree, or establish a tradition of excellence.

Trying to square the atmospheric realities of Esports with what TSM has accomplished in League of Legends is mind-boggling, to say the least. Their ten straight finals appearances are unprecedented and span the entire existence of NA LCS (Established 2013). TSM have survived wholesale roster changes, new competitive formats, and a changing game that only vaguely resembles the one they bested Good Game University at over four years ago.

I’ll address the excellence of TSM more below, but it bears repeating above the fold: TSM is the best Esports organization North America has ever produced, and their staggering domestic success goes against every prevailing truism in the ecosystem. Say what you will about their fans or lack of international glory; at this point, no one can deny their greatness.

In Boston, it was a weekend of the old guard triumphing over the new. Not only did TSM take advantage of Immortals’ unsteady debut at this stage, but a resurgent Counter Logic Gaming demolished trendy Team Dignitas 3-0 in the 3rd Place match. After weeks of mediocre play, CLG reminded everyone why they hovered around first place for much of Summer Split, perfectly executing their gameplan and earning a bye into the regional semifinals this weekend.

Before the North American Regionals commence Friday afternoon, let’s take a moment to salute a spectacular weekend of League in the TD Garden Arena.

Mission “Protect OmarGod” Accomplished

In the afterglow of their fantastic Boston showing, it’s easy to forget how horrible Counter Logic Gaming had looked for most of the playoffs. They barely squeaked by an overmatched Team EnVyUs before completely faltering against Immortals in the semifinals.

All questions for their success going forward were centered around their rookie jungler OmarGod, for whom the postseason seemed too big of a stage. He was routinely bullied by Lira and Xmithie, was shaky in team fights and couldn’t positively influence a lane. OmarGod couldn’t farm, couldn’t gank, and couldn’t successfully play a champion outside of Gragas. Without a strong jungler, CLG lacked the initiative to dictate fights and objective takes, a flaw that could be overcome with strong play from Darshan and Huhi only against weaker teams.

But to have any chance of beating Team Dignitas, one of the most balanced and aggressive squads in North America, CLG knew they had to shore up their glaring weakness in the jungle. If OmarGod didn’t have a good game, neither would CLG.

Fortunately, no one understood this weakness better than CLG themselves. They practiced accordingly, setting out on a mission to protect OmarGod that was evident minutes into Game 1 against Dignitas. While Shrimp started at his own Red, Omar was escorted to Shrimp’s Blue for an aggressive steal that Dignitas didn’t see coming. When Shrimp tried to invade Omar as he took his own Blue, there was Aphromoo with a timely Black Shield to protect Omar from the incoming Elise cocoon. Wherever Omar pathed, CLG were ready to assist him, ensuring an unencumbered early game despite Shrimp’s repeated efforts to the contrary. Cheeky Level 1 invades from Dignitas in Games 2 and 3 were instantly rebuffed with kills, putting Shrimp at an early disadvantage he (and Dignitas) never overcame.

With a solid early game ensured by careful protection from his teammates, Omar was able to stand tall in fights, enabling CLG to control the map and more securely take objectives. For their assistance with his early pathing, Omar returned the favor to his laners, counter-ganking the solo lanes and helping Stixxay and Aphromoo contain Altec and Adrian in the bot lane.

OmarGod finished 5-2-29 across three games, a remarkable playoff-high KDA of 17 and 67% kill participation. His Zac, a problem champion just weeks ago, went 2-0-8 in Game 2, paying off the first-pick investment and faith CLG entrusted him with. Only in Game 3 did CLG draft Omar his Gragas, correctly anticipating that Dignitas would have schemed against it. Now on his favored champion and brimming with confidence, Omar ended Game 3 2-1-10, providing the frontline beef needed for CLG to cleanly execute the 1-3-1 down the stretch. It was a standout series for the rookie, but even better team play from CLG to turn what was a weakness into strength.

CLG Learned from Immortals

Protecting OmarGod wasn’t the only thing Counter Logic Gaming practiced between the semifinals and Boston. Improved macro play, Kog’Maw priority and increased emphasis on Jungle-Support roams were all present in CLG’s sweep of Team Dignitas last Saturday, noticeable adaptations from a team that carefully studied how Immortals swept them.

I wrote last week how Immortals control the map utilizing roams from Xmithie and Olleh, two First Team All-Pros that make solo lane life hell for their opponents. Against those two, mid laners fail to ward river brush at their own peril. CLG clearly watched the VODs of their series against Immortals and thought, “Hey, we’ve got an amazing shotcalling support too. Why not snowball Omar, then have him roam with Aphromoo to get Huhi and Darshan ahead?”

What a great idea! Aphromoo was massively impactful on his roams, highlighted by a Game 3 lantern save of Omar mid into a Flash-Flay-Ignite combo that killed an overextending Shrimp, handing CLG momentum they never surrendered. Be it on Thresh, Rakan or Morgana, Aphromoo was incredible all series at sealing kills with Omar in the early game, finishing the series with 75% KP.

This heady gank combo underscored CLG’s improved macro play, a return to form more than it was a unexpected boon. This time it was CLG choking the life out of Dignitas with late 1-3-1 pushes, the end of Game 3 in particular a textbook example. While OmarGod, Stixxay and Aphromoo took an uncontested Baron, Huhi and Darshan were pushing in the side lanes, forcing Dignitas into the no-win situation of being forced to group in one lane and kill a pusher. They chose to stop Darshan’s fed Jax in the bot lane, allowing CLG to break top and mid lane inhibitors with zero resistance. In the semifinals, it was CLG who were always a step slower to Immortal’s decisive play; now the tables were turned and it was Dignitas who suffered.

Credit Coach Zikz and CLG’s slew of experienced veterans for so thoroughly adjusting during the hectic travel week between playoff series. CLG earned that third-place finish by learning from their mistakes, and now sit two best-of-fives away from attending the World Championships in China.

Dignitas Couldn’t Adapt

In contrast to Counter Logic Gaming’s clear playoff adjustments, Team Dignitas made none in a surprisingly limp performance at the TD Garden Arena. Dig’s failure re-evaluate their early game ideas once they proved catastrophic was a crucial component of their defeat.

Granted, it’s hard to institute changes on the fly, especially when coaches have no access to their players while in-game. Still, Dignitas’ strategy of bullying OmarGod’s pathing in the early game should have been abandoned once it proved fruitless and expected in Game 1. Instead, Dignitas doubled-down on the idea in Games 2 and 3, twice costing Shrimp his life before two minutes had elapsed. Game 3 was particularly painful to watch for Dig fans, as the First Blood gold enabled Darshan to buy a Long Sword at the start of laning, ensuring an early game advantage over Ssumday in a lane crucial to CLG's scaling comp.

Shrimp had a series to forget, a 3-14-8 scoreline that included a series-high in deaths. When you get behind on Elise against a tanky team, it’s pretty much curtains no matter how hard Ssumday tries to carry alone. It was as if Dignitas watched Omar struggle on film and decided to turn the screws on him harder than any team had previously. Team EnVyUs and Immortals found success in out-rotating Omar into mistakes; Dignitas refused to patiently wait for the rookie to slip up and repeatedly forced the issue to their own misfortune. Dignitas tried to manufacture an early game advantage to suit their high-tempo affinity, but never succeeded.

Once it became clear CLG were hyper-aware of Dignitas’ gameplan, the call should have been made to play steadier in the early game and have Shrimp pressure lanes instead of pressuring Omar across the map. Shrimp is the fulcrum on which Dignitas turns to win their lanes, and they desperately needed help bot this series. Why not have Shrimp focus on bot pathing, stopping Aphro’s roams by pinning him to lane?

The adaptations never came, and now Dignitas faces a full gauntlet run in order to attend Worlds. A semifinal matchup against CLG is on the cards; that is, if they can first overcome what will be a very prepared FlyQuest first. 

An Incredible Series from Finals MVP Biofrost

With all eyes glued to the positioning and damage of Bjergsen and Doublelift, it was young Biofrost who paced Team SoloMid to their championship victory over Immortals.

The deserved series MVP—who has now won a title in each domestic split he’s participated in as a professional—wowed the crowd with inspired play on Rakan. Dignitas banned out Rakan in the first phase of each of their semifinal games against TSM; clearly Immortals should have followed suit. Rakan’s game-breaking initiations with follow up crowd control (ex. Gragas cask, Orianna’s Shockwave, Gnar boulder) destroyed Immortal’s carries in fight after fight.

Consider Game 4, a contest TSM had no business winning down seven kills, 10k gold and an inhibitor 22 minutes in. In a fight to protect their naked mid inhibitor Bio and Svenskeren perfectly executed the Rakambo (Grand Entrance>The Quickness) into Gragas cask that brought a cc’d Cody Sun into the range of Doublelift and Bjergsen’s damage. With that quick kill on Immortal’s most dangerous player, TSM took a 3-0 fight and began clawing their way back into the game. A fight minutes later in defense of the top inhibitor caught Pobelter out the same way. Soon TSM were rolling, ending the game with an Ace around their own bot inhibitor that began with the same devastating Rakan opening.

Few people expected the quietest member of TSM to outplay Immortal’s First Team All-Pro Support Olleh, but that’s exactly what Biofrost did. When Olleh was too slow on the Black Shield in Game 1, there was Biofrost exploiting an opening for First Blood. When Olleh momentarily stood a step too close to Cody during an Elder Drake fight in Game 3, there was Biofrost knocking up the Tahm Kench long enough for Bjerg to sneak Orianna’s Ball under Cody for the one-shot.

Biofrost rose to the challenge demanded by the matchup, finishing 4-10-45 (4.9 KDA, 83% KP, playoff-high assist total) to Olleh’s 2-16-26 (1.8 KDA, 65% KP, series-high deaths). Without this performance from Biofrost, we might have crowned a different Summer Split champion.

TSM are the Best Team Fighters in North America

Memo to the rest of North America: Expecting to beat Team SoloMid in late game team fights is a pipe dream and a losing strategy.

Bjergsen and Doublelift are too good at the essential team fighting skill: outputting maximum damage while never stepping out of position. Hauntzer, Svenskeren and Biofrost are incredible at creating the space necessary for their superstars to work, and adept at bringing the opponent’s squishies within their range. As long and Bjergsen and Doublelift are able to stay alive and healthy during a teamfight, winning it is only a matter of time.

It wasn’t an accident that the lone game Immortals won in the finals was also the shortest. TSM tend to draft hard-scaling compositions because of their confidence team fighting in the late game, and if this series in any indication, that confidence is well-founded. 5v5s all seemed to start the same way: Some combination of Hauntzer/Sven/Biofrost initiates on a carry during a microscopic positioning error, Doublelift immediately focuses the target, and Bjergsen either bursts another target or helps with damage/zoning (sometimes both). This repeatedly clean fight execution is a major element to TSM’s success; you need only to look at the NA LCS rafters to recognize how important it is. 

But as good as TSM are at winning team fights they take, what’s almost as impressive is the discipline TSM show in not taking fights, only choosing to initiate when they see an advantage. Think back to the Elder Drake fight in Game 3 that proved so integral to TSM’s fortunes. The fight was proceeded by minutes of TSM following Immortals around the map, looking for an opening, striking only when Immortals were caught between taking an objective and an incoming fight. Notice how expertly Bjergsen placed Orianna’s Ball under Cody’s Jinx, exactly the player he needed to find, and ending the fight before it started by killing Cody quickly. Contrast that discipline with the way Team Dignitas aggressively took any early fight in their series against CLG, or for that matter, the way CLG ignored good macro and heedlessly 5v5’d Immortals in the semifinals.

Understanding what to do in big fights matters, but knowing when to take a fight at all matter more. And in North America, no one does it better than TSM.

Immortals Were Close, but Poise and Positioning Let Them Down

Despite coming up short in the finals, Immortals have little reason to hang their heads. Qualifying for Worlds is an immense accomplishment and a long time coming for an organization that, apart from this Spring, has always been amongst the NA’s best. They outperformed Team SoloMid for much of the finals, uncharacteristically losing Game 3 with a gold lead at 25 minutes (they were previously 25-2 with such a lead) and utterly collapsing in a Game 4 they would have won 95 times out of 100 tries.

The separation between Immortals and TSM on display in Boston had little to do with individual skill or teamplay. Sure, only Xmithie arguably outperformed his counterpart, but the major difference between the sides was poise and experience to handle big moments. TSM knew how to calmly reset and close out games with emphasis on the late game, where their strengths would be magnified. By contrast, Immortals folded under the pressure, giving away two winnable games that would have earned them the title.

Positioning issues also plagued Immortals throughout the series. If the idea was to draft lineups in which Cody Sun was not only the primary damage dealer but the sole damage dealer (as they did in Game 1), he needed to be protected at all costs. Likewise, Cody can’t instantly lose his team the fight by dying early due to positioning poorly. Bursting down carries at the beginning of fights is a TSM specialty, but it was made far easier than it should have been in this series. Hopefully Immortals becomes a bit more balanced, both mentally and damage-wise, as they prepare for a stacked Worlds in China. I can’t wait.

NA LCS Semifinal Reflections

The matchups for Boston are set.

With their one-sided series wins last weekend, Immortals and Team SoloMid will meet in the finals to crown a champion for 2017 NA LCS Summer Split. For TSM, it will be a record-setting tenth straight finals appearance, dating back to the league’s inception in 2013. The favorites will meet Immortals, a finals first-timer despite two impeccable splits in 2016. Both teams have qualified for Worlds, the only question remaining being who will earn the #1 NA seed. Expect an absolute show at the TD Garden this Sunday afternoon filled with pocket picks and cheese comps waiting to be released.

All eyes will be drawn to the final between Immortals and TSM, but don’t forget about the Battle for 3rd Place on Saturday. While the old money v. new money finals has regional pride and a trophy on the line, its Worlds implications are largely set. Not so for the 3rd Place series, as Counter Logic Gaming and Team Dignitas will compete to receive a bye into the regional semifinals. The loser will face FlyQuest in the first leg of the gauntlet next week.

Before we settle into what should be an exciting weekend of League of Legends, let’s reflect on the semifinals that set the stage.

Immortals’ Immaculate Macro Play Decided the Series

What separated Immortals from Counter Logic Gaming last Saturday wasn’t individual play. Sure, Olleh always seemed to be in the right place at the right time, but the same could be said of Aphromoo in Game 1. Huhi averaged 1130 (!) damage per minute to Pobelter’s 691, Stixxay’s CS per minute and DPM (9.0 and 725) were nearly identical to Cody Sun’s (9.0 and 795), but none of it mattered. OmarGod struggled in the matchup against Xmithie, but it’s hard to claim that CLG’s failure to advance rests entirely on his underperforming shoulders. So why the clean sweep by Immortals?

There’s an argument to be made that the talent levels of CLG and Immortals are relatively even, but at a macro level, the two teams are headed in different directions. Immortal’s incredible teamplay allows them to control the map in ways most North American teams can’t, creating macro advantages that decide games independently from team fights. Immortals always seem to be trading up in objectives, or making plays on one side of the map that directly influence the other side.

Consider the way CLG lost their bot inhibitor to minions in Games 1 and 2. It was a conscious choice by Immortals to play around top side in the mid game, taking advantage of CLG’s eagerness to fight and thereby drawing attention away from their slow push bot. CLG could only watch as minions broke their inhibitor turret as they fruitlessly attempted to control Baron and/or recoup their lost early game with one massive fight.

The best professional teams force their opponents into lose-lose situations. Stop the fed split pusher or contest Baron? Take a bad fight around drake or surrender a third infernal? Repeatedly force a 5v5 to keep the game close or spend valuable time pushing back lanes? There are no good answers here; the aim is to avoid the question entirely. Immortals never gave CLG that chance, out-rotating and out-farming them at every juncture to create a lead that could survive mixed team fight results.

Superior macro from Immortals won them the series, and bodes well for Worlds, a competition that rewards teams over collections of individuals.

Cody Sun Didn’t Wilt in His Playoff Debut

OmarGod and Nisqy weren’t the only playoff debutantes this postseason. Cody Sun, whose rookie split this spring was marred by a 7th place finish by Immortals, took the playoff stage for the first time Saturday. Across three games, Immortals’ ADC finished 16-6-23 (6.5 KDA, 65% KP), drafting Kog’Maw in each victory.

Immortals haven’t shown much emphasis on Kog’Maw before this series, drafting the Mouth of the Abyss only five times during Summer Split. Cody was 3-2 on the champion before Saturday’s games, playing it for the first time on stage since Week 6 vs. Cloud 9. Back then, Immortals used it as a direct counter to the same Xayah/Rakan bot lane they saw three times against CLG last weekend, preferring this long-range artillery champion as an answer to Xayah’s rising priority in North America.

Xayah and Rakan strike an imposing figure in the bot lane, two early game bullies that can initiate and trade from long distance. Immortals chose not to respond with Jhin, Cody’s most played champion this Summer. It’s a pick Immortals have so much confidence with that they once drafted a four-tank lineup to surround Cody with (against CLG, no less). But Jhin has fallen out of the meta due to Kog’Maw’s better late game scaling and relative mobility when compared to the Virtuoso. Plus, the Lethality buffs haven’t had the game-breaking impact many expected them to have (especially since Duskblade was de-powered), making Jhin an lessor late game team fighter to a 100% crit carry.

But regardless of counter pick status, Cody still had to perform on Kog’Maw. He didn’t disappoint, shaking off an uneven Game 1 with an excellent Game 2 (10-1-8, 72% KP). I liked the adaptation in Cody’s build between the first two games, favoring Wit’s End over Essence Reaver to better exploit the passive on Guinsoo’s Rageblade. Game 3 was a stomp, but all Cody needed to do was back up his playmaking veterans, riding with Olleh’s Tahm Kench directly into the backline after Flame and Pobelter smashed the front.

Cody will face a sterner test bot against Doublelift and Biofrost on Sunday, and with TSM drafting Kog’Maw three times during the second semifinal, expect it to be a very contested pick. Whose Maw will reign supreme?

What’s Next for Counter Logic Gaming?

Counter Logic Gaming had their moments against Immortals, but they were few and far between. Huhi was his usual steady-yet-unpredictable self in the mid lane, providing massive damage no matter what champion he was given (three different champions total: Viktor, Vel’Koz and Corki). His forceful hand in fights deserved a better result.

It was exciting to see Aphromoo back on Rakan again after introducing the champion to NA LCS in the early weeks of summer; he kept CLG within striking distance in Game 1 with timely Rakambo initiations. But as Immortals saw more of the strategy, the less impact Aphro had, and CLG’s chances soured with his diminished influence. Stixxay did what he could on Xayah—who he hadn’t played since Week 3 when everyone was experimenting with the Vastayan Duo—but it was interesting watching her ride up CLG’s ADC tier list when both Ashe and Caitlyn were available. I suppose if CLG’s priority was to put Aphro on Rakan, they might as well play Xayah too for the extra Battle Dance range.

But the bottom line was that CLG couldn’t match Immortal’s teamplay, and in no matchup was the discrepancy starker than OmarGod versus Xmithie. The rookie jungler was played off the map in Game 2, finishing 0-8-9 and was routinely caught out by Xmithie and Olleh during well-coordinated invades. He was unable to pressure lanes or secure objectives all series; CLG lost the drake battle 8-4 and did not take a single Baron to Immortal’s six.

But to lay the sweep solely at Omar’s door would be disingenuous, a knee-jerk reaction from fans looking for an easy scapegoat. Omar actually had an excellent start to Game 3, ganking each lane once in the first few minutes and getting kills in the solo lanes, including First Blood on Flame (credit went to Darshan). Sure, it was Omar who sat on a brush ward that tipped Immortals off to a gank mid that they eventually turned into three kills, but the pieces were there for CLG to put together. They just didn’t have enough time to integrate Omar seamlessly enough to contend for a title. CLG knew better than anyone the weaknesses of their young jungler and chose to start him anyway rather than keep Dardoch around through playoffs. Is OmarGod’s limited champion pool a problem? Absolutely, but it wasn’t news to CLG. If a carpenter builds a chair with only two legs, do you blame the chair for collapsing or the carpenter?

To beat Team Dignitas in the 3rd place match, CLG will need to step up across the board to compensate for OmarGod’s shortcomings. Xayah and Rakan didn’t look so bad as to not warrant more attention after a week of practice, but Dignitas banned Rakan against TSM in every semifinal game, so I’m not sure Aphro will be allowed a repeat performance. The best chance CLG have at securing a bye into the regional semifinals is to play around their solo lanes, especially Darshan, who had a mediocre series against Flame and now has Ssumday to deal with. CLG beat Dignitas the last time they met in Summer Split, but it will take a significant improvement from the way they played against Immortals to repeat the result.

TSM’s Preparation Showed

Team SoloMid’s plan for their semifinal with Team Dignitas was on full display as early as the Game 1 draft: Shut down Keane. They banned a total of three mid laners, including Keane’s Cassiopeia, forcing a Taliyah pick for which they had prepared a Kassadin counter. To his credit, Keane played Bjergsen even in the early game, until Bjergsen began to snowball off a triple kill during the game’s first 5v5. From there the counter was in full effect; Bjergsen finished 5-2-7 with 100% KP and split pushed his way to victory. TSM never let Keane have Cassiopeia, banning her outright or picking her themselves in every game.

It was a smart strategy for TSM, exploiting the inherent advantage between a decent mid laner and the best player in the league. Seems like a no-brainer, and it paid off. Keane finished 13-9-17 (3.3 KDA, 8.8 CSM, 645 DPM, 77% KP) to Bjergsen’s 18-8-30 (6.0 KDA, 9.1 CSM, 500 DPM, 79% KP), but the preparation TSM put into this series went beyond exploiting favorable matchups.

The bigger strategical adjustment TSM made was to force Dignitas out of their preferred high-tempo pace. Dignitas wanted to play fast, force fights, and get an early lead with which to control objectives. It’s unsurprising that Dignitas won the only game in which they secured a Baron (Game 3). Instead, TSM slowed the pace and relied on their excellent late game scaling/fighting to decide games. That Game 1’s First Blood took 19 minutes was a harbinger of things to come.

Dignitas should have seen the writing on the wall, and to their credit doubled-down on early game objective control with a Nunu pick in Game 2, but again TSM were ready. They’d seen Shrimp’s Nunu before (and for that matter, Contractz’s Nunu weeks ago in a frustratingloss) and punished it early and often. Shrimp was denied access to the TSM jungle, and his forays into the drake pit were well timed with TSM counter wards. With zero farm or lane pressure, Shrimp (like Keane) was boxed into predicable play and TSM punished it accordingly.

Game 4 was a masterstroke by TSM, who had planned for Ssumday’s Maokai as rigorously as they had everything else. Into a lane in which Ssumday routinely got out-CS’d, TSM slotted in the lumbering Cho’Gath, a borderline liability in the early game that easily gets shut down with a modicum of pressure. But TSM knew that Dignitas draw Ssumday out of lane for assistance bot in the early game, letting Hauntzer quietly farm into an unstoppable juggernaut as Feast stacked. By the time it was time for Dignitas to fight, they couldn’t find an opening against a Cho’Gath the size of a drake.

Superstars Matter

Preparedness and coordination played huge roles in TSM’s victory over Dignitas, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t compliment the exceptional play of Bjergsen and Doublelift. Two of the best laners in North America—and certainly the best in their position—these two superstars raise TSM’s ceiling with their reliability and experience.

Bjergsen is the best mid laner in the West, full stop. Yes, Jensen had the better statistical split and will likely win MVP because of it, but the best player in the league plays mid for TSM. Bjergsen drafted Kassadin once this split, a shaky closeout game against Echo Fox back in Week 4. Did that stop TSM from plotting a strategy around his ability to play the champion? No. A player you can essentially plug into lane and expect him to win no matter the matchup changes the complexion of your team and what strategies become viable. How many mid laners in the world can do that? How many mid laners could make a random Xerath draft look halfway decent? Bjergsen is a rare superstar across all sports, egoless and excellent, willing to sacrifice for the team yet dominant no matter the role.

In the bot lane, Doublelift is miles ahead of his fellow ADCs, a marksman so good that TSM dumped WildTurtle—who had just led them to a title and solid in his own right—at the first sign of a reunion. His positioning while maintaining high damage is incredible and something few other North American carries can replicate. The gulf between Doublelift and Altec, probably his closest competition at ADC in North America, was stunning. He and Biofrost stomped the bot lane, always finishing ahead in CS@15 and revealing a Kog’Maw he hadn’t played all split to great effect. Someone had been scrimmaging Immortals…

Teams, not individuals, win championships in League of Legends. Counter Logic Gaming is a great example of an unbalanced roster failing to succeed, unable to overcome its weakest link. But the assurance of having the superior player, a superstar, on your side makes the game easier. It makes you harder to plan against, to ban out, to surprise. Sometimes having more superstars than the other team makes the difference, whether it’s winning a lane you can’t afford to lose or single-handedly turning an even team fight into a victory. Superstars matter, and TSM have two.  

What’s Next for Team Dignitas?

Team Dignitas shouldn’t be too disappointed with their semifinal loss to TSM.

Sure, they could have advanced to the first TSM-less NA LCS finals in the history of the league, but ultimately Dignitas were the inferior team on the day. They got outmaneuvered in the draft, couldn’t pressure TSM into mistakes and didn’t execute their pocket Nunu strategy very well. For a team that relies on Baron control to win (an ironic 180 degree turn from their old reputation), Dignitas repeatedly made mistakes around the pit, never generating a large enough advantage to wrest vision control from TSM.

For example, in Game 1, Dignitas had a golden opportunity to secure first Baron after a kill on Bjergsen near the pit. Everyone was relatively healthy and Svenskeren was in full retreat. In games past—and against TSM in Week 7—this Bjergsen pickoff would have resulted in a decisive Baron call, successful secure and a push that would crack open TSM's base. Instead, Dignitas chased down Sven for no reward, started Baron but found themselves too low to take it, then had to abandon the objective once the rest of TSM came to contest it. By then Bjergsen had respawned and Dig had recalled, leaving TSM to take Baron and begin a snowball that never slowed.

Everything was a little off for Dignitas, but that can happen when you’re playing a team as composed as TSM. It was only when Dig tripled-down on the early game with an Elise/Thresh/Taliyah/Jarvan pick composition that they found any joy, finally creating the propulsive early game necessary for their kind of victory. For Dignitas to overcome Counter Logic Gaming in the 3rd Place match, they’ll need more of that early game explosiveness, as well as a return to form from Altec and Adrian. Oh, and Dig: If you’re going to end up picking Xayah, maybe don’t ban Rakan first phase? Thanks, and good luck.

NA LCS Summer Playoffs: Quarterfinal Reflections

The 2017 NA LCS Summer Playoff Quarterfinals are in the rear-view mirror. Team Dignitas and Counter Logic Gaming will advance to the Semifinals. Cloud 9 and Team EnVyUs won’t.

Going into the first slate of postseason games, each of the four quarterfinalists had something to prove. Fresh off a Classico defeat, Counter Logic Gaming hoped to rebound against Team EnVyUs and claim desperately needed Championship Points. They did just enough to outmaneuver a revitalized Envy, for whom simply making playoffs can be counted as a success. Despite playing with house money, Envy were valiant in defeat and looked the better side for much of the series, finally capitulating in a close Game 5.

Team Dignitas lit up the second half of NA LCS with a high-octane style that secured wins over Immortals, TSM and CLG, but it was Cloud 9—the only team to beat them twice this split—who met Dig in Quarterfinals. C9 entered playoffs on a six-match win streak and looked absolutely lethal, yet Dignitas was unfazed, repeatedly twisted the knife to eliminate C9 from the playoffs in four games.

CLG and Dignitas punched their tickets to Boston with Quarterfinal wins, but will either make the Finals? Dignitas face Team SoloMid, a team they beat twice during Summer Split by significant margins, but these are the defending champs we’re talking about. CLG will resume their rivalry with Immortals and Xmithie, having already lost the five-game season series 4-1. Is CLG a bigger underdog than Dignitas?

Storylines abound as postseason play resumes this weekend, but before we get there, let’s pause for some Quarterfinals reflections.  

Is Shrimp the MVP for Dignitas Right Now?

Quick: Who was the MVP for Team Dignitas against Cloud 9? Was it Altec and Adrian, the incredible duo that embarrassed Sneaky and Smoothie in the bot lane? Was it Ssumday, their 1st NA LCS All-Pro top laner? Or was it Keane, who held his own in the mid lane against Jensen, the presumptive MVP of Summer Split?

My answer? None of the above. While Dignitas benefited from strong performances across their lineup, Shrimp’s play in the jungle was the catalyst that propelled them to victory. Set up by a pair of double kills after losing his Flash near the start of the Game 1, Shrimp’s 4-4-14 opening statement set the tone for Dignitas. He pressured lanes, secured objectives, and kept Contractz and Jensen from snowballing mid. Pools of internet ink have been spilled praising Altec and Adrian, but don’t forget Shrimp’s ganks bot that either relieved lane pressure or closed the vice.

For more evidence, consult Game 3, aka the Nocturne Game. Instead of flexing Jarvan IV to the jungle (a champion Shrimp had already proven capable on in Game 1) or picking a more conventional/comfort jungler (Rek’Sai, Lee Sin, Nunu), Dignitas reached deep into the pocket and produced Nocturne. With Shrimp on an unfamiliar champ that has poor pathing and clear speed, plus Shrimp’s decision to try a tanky Cinderhulk build over Nocturne’s preferred Warrior/Lethality path, Dignitas fell apart within the first few minutes. Contractz casually invaded Blue, chunked Shrimp down, placed a ward and retreated, then immediately returned to Shrimp as he cleared Gromp for First Blood.

Without a solid performance from their jungler, Dignitas were at sea. They lost Rift Herald, Baron, took no drakes and only destroyed a single turret. Shrimp got back on the Nunu train for Game 4, helping draw the early game even before stalling out the game to get Altec online. He won’t get the headlines for this series, but without a competent jungler like Shrimp, the Dignitas’ aggressive teamplay just doesn’t work.

The High-Tempo Objective Control Suits Dignitas

Summer Split was a roller coaster of styles for Team Dignitas. What began as weekly Ssumday carry sessions on top lane bruisers like Fiora quickly devolved into lengthy, unproductive slogs once teams began limiting his snowball. Ssumday transitioned from carries to tanks, and games that once were decided by the mid game because exercises in late game split-pushing futility. Ssumday needed to split bot, but he also needed to be in every fight for Dig to win them.

Two weeks of trying and failing to make carry Ssumday work led to the introduction of Altec and Adrian, a dynamic bot lane that balanced Dignitas across the map, opening the high-tempo objective control style that has earned them a spot in the Semifinals. Suddenly, Dignitas were the aggressors, invading with Nunu, Jarvan or even Graves for a time, pushing for early drakes and towers, eventually setting up a climactic Baron fight that often ended the game. Their Week 7 demolition of Semifinal opponent Team SoloMid is Exhibit A: Win bot lane, get First Turret, rotate and win fights, set up Baron vision, get a pick, immediately take Baron, then end the game off the power play push.  

Dignitas have picked up wins over TSM, Immortals, CLG and now Cloud 9 using this bullying style. Its success hinges on choices made in the early game, using Shrimp to pressure an advantageous lane and snowballing from there, never relenting. To execute at this tempo requires superb teamplay, with threats at every position. Not everyone can do it; for the first half of Summer Split, Dig couldn’t either. Watching Dignitas punch above their weight in such dominant fashion is exciting to watch, raising the legitimate prospect of TSM missing the Finals for the first time in NA LCS history.

Can Cloud 9 Bounce Back?

It took only four games for Cloud 9’s triumphant end of Summer Split to completely unravel. Game 1 ended once Shrimp killed Contractz and Impact top in a fight reminiscent of Dignitas’ own feeding against Immortals back in Week 4. Cloud 9 had opportunities to turn both of their first two loses around with massive team fight victories in the late game, but couldn’t capitalize off them. Game 4 was a nightmare; when Sneaky’s outstanding play on Tristana and a 10k lead at 35 minutes with three inhibitors down isn’t enough, I’m not sure what could be. Had Dignitas not thrown the Game 3 draft with a bonkers Nocturne pick, this series would have been a sweep.

The knock against C9 all season was that in order for them to win, Jensen had to hard carry. He was virtuosic to end Summer Split, but against Dignitas Jensen was placed on Cassiopeia, a champion chosen less for his excellence on it and more to deny it from Keane. In five Summer games on the champion, Jensen earned four of his wins against non-playoff teams. His fifth game was a loss to TSM. Taliyah was on the table; was the mana nerf that significant to discount his 7-0-8 performance on her the last time C9 played Dignitas? Why not prioritize LeBlanc when it was left unbanned, or ban Cassiopeia and take Syndra within the first two picks if available?

C9 needed mid lane to go well if they wanted to stay competitive with Dignitas, but they focused bot lane—a lane they weren’t going to win—above the lane they had to have. Compounding that issue was Jensen’s poor positioning in team fights, frequently getting caught ahead of his frontline and killed at the start. Jensen died four times in Game 1; he died five times combined over the previous two weeks. To be fair, the mid meta is in flux with changes to several popular mages in 7.16, so we don’t know who exactly the pros value anymore. The tier list is being revised on stage, but it doesn’t excuse C9 from not playing around Jensen, nor his own misplays once it became clear C9 trusted him to win regardless of the matchup.

Speaking of champion pools, Cloud 9’s inability to incorporate Maokai allowed Ssumday to heavily influence all three Dignitas wins with the Twisted Treant. That the staff knew enough to deny Keane his Cassiopeia but allowed Ssumday access to one of his most played champions was a troubling oversight. Impact frequently bested Ssumday’s Maokai in CS, but a Maokai top is meant to win the game, not the lane.

Cloud 9 will now face the uncertainty of the Regional Gauntlet in order to qualify for Worlds. Their 90 Championship Points won’t be enough to earn North America’s second seed. LCS rules stipulate that, in the event of a tie, the team that earned more CP in Summer wins, meaning that the Summer Playoff Runner Up is guaranteed to supersede them. Hopefully they’ll take advantage of this unexpected time off and bounce back; nothing less is expected from a team with their talent and experience.  

Envy Glorious in Defeat

After weeks of punching bag duty at the expense of top teams, Team EnVyUs proved to all doubters that they belonged in the postseason.

This series wasn’t supposed to be close, especially when you consider how badly Counter Logic Gaming beat Envy the last time they met in Week 8. Back then, Lira couldn’t get any purchase across the map, and Seraph barely showed up. Both games were decided well before their eventual sub-31-minute endpoints, and CLG barely broke a sweat.

A different Envy showed up in the Quarterfinals. They were prepared, confident, and were the better team for the majority of their 185-minute bout with CLG. From objective control to clean execution of the 1-3-1 down the stretch, Envy played with the veteran swagger CLG were supposed to possess. During their wins in Games 2 and 3, Envy secured nine drakes to CLG’s zero, taking one Baron each time and breaking the Nexus with it.

Apollo and Hakuho had a fantastic series, outplaying Sitxxay and Aphromoo in lane in every game. Thresh or Nautilus; it didn’t matter for Hakuho, just get the man a hook. Wasn’t Aphro supposed to be the playmaker? In the jungle, Lira did what he couldn’t in previous meetings: stay aggressive and make OmarGod look like the rookie he is. As for Envy’s own rookie, Nisqy deftly switched gears from his own preferred carry mids like Corki or Cassiopeia to Galio, a supportive mid he had not played on stage during Summer Split. Even Seraph had a moment of redemption, splitting so hard on a fed Trundle in Game 3 that he single-handedly broke bot lane inhibitor while Darshan’s Maokai could only defend with love taps.

After impressive wins in Games 2 and 3, Game 4 was Envy’s for 25 minutes, up 6.3k gold, five kills and two drakes to the good. But in attempting to take their third drake, Envy mispositioned around the pit and were successfully flanked by Darshan’s Gnar, a massive loss that cost them the drake, the initiative, map control and eventually the series.

Envy would have been a spicy side at Regionals, but their 10th place finish in Spring Split eliminates them from Worlds consideration. Now comes the long off-season and time to look back with pride on their Summer growth. GG WP Envy, and see you in 2018.

CLG’s Solo Laners Were the Difference

After three games of subpar League of Legends, it became clear that CLG—down 2-1 to Envy—could no longer attempt to win through bot lane or their jungle. OmarGod was getting out-rotated, Hakuho was landing hook after hook, and Stixxay wasn’t getting the space he needed to snowball. Omar couldn’t influence a lane, and the constant pressure bot lane prevented CLG from controlling drake or releasing Aphromoo to make plays roaming.

Backs against the wall, CLG turned Game 4 over to their solo laners. Darshan was lights out in Game 4, finishing 7-0-7 and dealing twice as much damage as Seraph’s Cho’Gath. His flank on the Envy back line at the drake pit triggered the subsequent 17-2 kill run CLG went on to end the game. Huhi, who had been eating 3-4 bans a draft, outplayed Nisqy’s Galio in a matchup designed to disadvantage him, finishing 2-1-15 and securing kill after kill.

Given a chance to heal the wound caused by his abysmal Game 5 against FlyQuest in Spring Quarterfinals, Darshan didn’t shrink from the challenge, again championing Camille in a Quarterfinals Game 5. This time, his split pushing didn’t throw the game, solo killing Seraph’s Gnar twice and granting Stixxay the space to carry CLG to victory. Huhi’s Corki stood up to a surprise Kog’Maw mid counterpick by Nisqy, and CLG advanced by virtue of the experience and skill of their solo laners.

Trouble Going Forward for CLG

If CLG struggled to defeat Envy, how are they going to hang with Immortals? What lanes can they reasonably expect to win? What deficiencies can they hope to exploit? Immortals lost the top seed to TSM due to an inferior game record, but no team looked more cohesive or complete heading into the postseason.

It’s clear that Aphromoo and OmarGod will have to improve in order for CLG to contest objectives and help Sitxxay scale into the late game. From missed skillshots to unproductive rotations, Aphromoo and OmarGod had a series to forget. OmarGod will be tested by Xmithie, who not only has the experience to exploit a rookie jungler, but the inside knowledge of his former team to anticipate their tendencies. Aphromoo cannot afford a repeat of his ineffective performance against Envy when Olleh is such a monster across the map.

Due to the inexperience of their jungler, CLG is forced to first pick OmarGod’s champion so their rookie has some comfort to rely on. Not only does this limit CLG’s drafting strategy, but if Immortals ban out Gragas, and Zac continues his slow slide out of the meta, what champion will OmarGod turn to? He’s 6-1 on Gragas and 2-5 on everyone else. Omar’s inexperience and narrow champion pool is a huge issue for CLG going forward, and something they can’t quickly correct.

CLG couldn’t defeat Immortals in the regular season, and now NA LCS Coach of the Split Ssong has five games of 7.16 tape available to break down. Unless I’m very much mistaken, CLG will need to win Regionals to qualify for Worlds.