North American Gauntlet Reflections: Cloud9 Back?

For the third straight year, Cloud9 advanced to the League of Legends World Championships via the North American Regional Gauntlet, defeating Counter Logic Gaming 3-1 to secure a Pool 1 seed into the Play-In Stage. C9’s long road to international glory will start with a double round robin in Group B, facing CBLoL’s Team oNe eSports and OPL’s LG Dire Wolves in Wuhan, China.

Cloud9’s qualification for Worlds was built largely on their success in Spring Split, where they finished one fight short of defeating Team SoloMid for the crown. An inconsistent Summer Split capped by a middling showing against Team Dignitas in the Summer Playoffs all but solidified C9’s spot as the final boss of the NA Gauntlet. It was the third straight time Cloud9 secured a berth at Worlds via the Gauntlet, making them the only team in North America to have ever won it.

Despite the now inevitable-seeming result, this year’s Gauntlet had its share of surprises. FlyQuest eSports shocked Dignitas 3-0 in the first leg before coming up short to CLG in the semifinals. With their recent playoff success and strong bot lane performance against FlyQuest, most predicted a CLG win over C9 in the final, but once again conventional logic (appropriately) failed.

With Worlds a fortnight away, let’s pause and reflect on the twisting 2017 Gauntlet and the AD Carries that dictated results, for better and worse.

Quarterfinals: FlyQuest eSports def. Team Dignitas 3-0

FlyQuest’s Execution was Amazing, Both in Draft and Gameplay

Before the Gauntlet began last Friday, FlyQuest hadn’t played on stage since their clutch sweep of Phoenix 1 over a month ago. This layoff was a blessing in disguise for one of the most cerebral teams in North America, allowing them to heavily prepare for their opening opponent once Counter Logic Gaming guaranteed their spot by beating Team EnVyUs.

That prep time paid off against Team Dignitas, evident from the first draft onwards. Drafting is the game before the game; a solid composition can secure wins before champions take the Rift, while mistakes can reverberate and bury teams from the start. FlyQuest did the little things right in the draft, hiding laning assignments until late to nullify the Red Side counterpick advantage. Game 1 was an excellent example, first picking Galio and Jarvan IV, then leaving the second phase for their mid and top lane picks to keep Dignitas guessing. By Game 3, when Dignitas deduced that Galio was the key to FlyQuest’s draft, it was too late.  

Drafting unique yet appropriate compositions has been FlyQuest’s calling card all year, but their poor record belies another League truism: Drafting a great composition means nothing if you can’t execute/play to your win conditions. For months, FlyQuest had failed this second test, underperforming in the mid game and accruing losses with every macro mistake. But practice a set strategy long enough and it can become bulletproof, and that’s exactly what happened against Dignitas.  

FlyQuest were astonishing in the early game, demolishing Dignitas’ bot lane with inspired play from WildTurtle and LemonNation, whose Rakan in particular shone during two one-sided wins. Turtle has rarely looked better, turning in his best series of the year with a 19-1-17 (36 KDA, 86% KP, 9.3 CSM) scoreline that deserves all the praise it implies. He routinely racked up double-digit CS leads over Altec in the bot lane, and was a menace in teamfights, outputting a series-high 682 DPM (+333 over Altec). His solo kill of Altec in Game 2 while being flanked by four Dignitas members (including a teleport from Ssumday) before dying himself was breathtaking.

FlyQuest’s bot lane dominance was part outplay, part a function of their overall strategy. They’d clearly done their homework on Dignitas, understanding that without a reliable bot lane, Ssumday couldn’t split push and Dignitas couldn’t win. Games 2 and 3 saw FlyQuest completely abandon Balls in the top lane in favor of pressuring bot, leaving him vulnerable to repeated dives by Ssumday and Shrimp. With Turtle and Lemon ahead, FlyQuest could win team fights in the mid game, control objectives, and split push with whatever formation they desired. Their decisiveness in taking fights and attempting Baron (completely denying that objective from Dig all series) was outstanding, better embodying the high-tempo style that favored by Dignitas these last few weeks.

The regional quarterfinals played to no one’s expectations but FlyQuest’s, and for their teamplay, strategy and preparation, nothing short of advancement was deserved.

Dignitas Didn’t Look Interested and Bot Lane Faltered

As well-earned as FlyQuest’s sweep was, some attention must be paid to the disintegration and seeming disinterest of Team Dignitas. We may never know what happened behind the scenes, but their staggering drop off in play must have come from somewhere.

Since their semifinal loss to Team SoloMid in the Summer Playoffs, Dignitas has looked a shadow of the team that stormed their way back into relevance late in Summer Split, or even the dominant force that expelled Gauntlet-winning Cloud9 from playoffs just weeks ago. After beating C9 3-1, Dignitas ended 2017 1-9 and on a seven-game losing streak.

Their problems stemmed from the unlikeliest of places: Bot lane, which had been their greatest strength. A crucial component of Dignitas’ rebirth was the acquisition and play of Altec and Adrian, who at times looked like the best bot duo in North America. They helped defeat the likes of TSM, Immortals, CLG and eventually C9 by significant margins, creating space for Ssumday to pressure the map without having to appear in every skirmish. Dignitas could rely on their bot duo to win lane, then use the advantages gained with First Turret and First Blood to begin controlling the map. Altec reliably out-farmed his counterpart, able to dictate team fights with his damage. Win enough of those team fights and Ssumday can push a sideline, allowing his team to control vision around Baron, opening an early take and victory on the ensuing power play.

This blueprint relied on Altec and Adrian to get ahead in the bot lane, which down the stretch they couldn’t accomplish. Altec was a no-show for six straight games, getting badly outplayed by Sitxxay in Boston and by WildTurtle in the Gauntlet. Against FlyQuest, Altec finished 2-11-5 (0.6 KDA, 33% KP, 8.2 CSM, 349 DPM), outputting about half of Turtle’s damage and becoming a non-factor in fights. His 11 deaths were tied with Shrimp for a series high.

Losing the bot lane was bad enough, but Shrimp’s slump continued as well, though on more of a macro than form level. Dignitas should have realized that repeatedly sending Shrimp top to dive Balls with no response from FlyQuest was a trap, pulling Shrimp’s attention away from a bot lane in dire need of jungle presence. Whatever slim advantage Ssumday and Shrimp generated top by killing Balls was instantly canceled by a pick on Altec or losing First Turret bot. Shrimp was reactive in fights, unable to protect his backline in three Gragas games where I can’t remember him landing a meaningful cask.

Apart from their lackluster play, Dignitas seemed worn out and disinterested as the series grew worse. Part of that was likely fatigue; unlike FlyQuest, Dignitas had been playing weekly since Summer Split ended, including a cross-country trip to Boston one week before the Gauntlet. The body language of the players, especially in their muted reactions after losing Game 3, suggested an eagerness to end the year. Ssumday increasingly seemed frustrated on the Rift, attempting a carry Jayce when that strategy hadn’t worked since June. His late recall towards the end of Game 3 as FlyQuest destroyed his mid inhibitor was telling.

With their outside investment and endemic presence, Dignitas will most likely return in some form to the NA LCS next year. They’ll have a long winter to find Ssumday consistent help, and rue what could have been.

Semifinals: Counter Logic Gaming def. FlyQuest eSports 3-1

Counter Logic Gaming Broke FlyQuest With One Ban

Counter Logic Gaming avoided what could have been a fatal quarterfinal matchup with FlyQuest by virtue of their 3rd Place finish in Boston. Instead of being caught unprepared by FlyQuest’s tactics and picks, CLG had three games of tape going into their semifinal meeting, and it made all the difference.

CLG could have easily sprung the top lane trap FlyQuest had caught Ssumday with. Like Dignitas, CLG play around their top laner’s split push, relying on Darshan to keep opponents spread out and make teleport plays. Despite knowing what was coming, CLG still lost Game 1 with a mad draft that included Dr. Mundo top and Fiora mid to counter Kennen and Galio. You could see the idea from CLG: Let’s make sure FlyQuest are even good enough to win with their preferred strategy before we ban it out. Still, sacrificing a game to do it was a risk they didn’t need to take. CLG picked a team full of direct lane counters, but forgot to account for synergistic team fighting. Facing a Rakambo into J4’s Cataclysm into Galio’s Heroic Entrance into Kennen’s Slicing Maelstrom (all while WildTurtle’s Spray and Pray is active), CLG lacked the tools to match FlyQuest and were soundly trumped every time a 5v5 broke out.

CLG never let Hai draft Galio again. Forced on to squishier AP mids (Kennen, Corki and Orianna), Hai was exposed to Huhi’s explosiveness, at one point facing the wrath of his trademark Aurelion Sol. Once FlyQuest lost their swiss army knife of frontline beef, mid lane stability and long-range combo engage, CLG made quick work of the series. Aphromoo stayed on Thresh the entire series to counter LemonNation’s Rakan with excellent hooks, highlighted in Game 4 where he caught WildTurtle and Lemon on Caitlyn traps to casually wipe the bot lane early.

Huhi was a monster (20-5-29, 9.8 KDA, 79% KP, 9.4 CSM, 611 DPM) with a series high 20 kills, many of them recorded at the expense of Hai. Pay no attention to the trolls who claim his Game 2 pause cost FlyQuest much-needed momentum. That game had been decided well beforehand.

In the jungle, OmarGod found a second home on Sejuani as teams routinely ban out his favored Gragas. Sejuani is a worthy alternative, with her fast jungle clears and great initiation a perfect fit for a rookie jungler who needs the game simplified at this level. Omar broke from his usual pathing to help bot more in the early game once it became clear that FlyQuest was focused there, matching Moon almost roam for roam. Not to say he completely abandoned Darshan top, but after some early pressure (usually a First Blood), Omar didn’t make the same mistake as Shrimp, letting Darshan outplay Balls alone and divert his own focus elsewhere.

Requiem for FlyQuest, A Respectable Run

One of the more comical moments of the entire Summer Split postseason came immediately after Counter Logic Gaming eliminated FlyQuest in Game 4. Instead of staying in their seats to receive the customary handshake by the victors, LemonNation and Moon quickly went over to CLG and started the handshakes themselves. FlyQuest then as a team walked the stage edge for congratulations from the crowd (again traditionally done only by the winners) before a bemused CLG got there.

It was indicative of how well FlyQuest had played, and how satisfied they seemed with their performance, that no one minded this breach of etiquette. FlyQuest deserve all the plaudits for erasing Team Dignitas and staying competitive with CLG, adding much needed excitement to an otherwise chalk Gauntlet. It helps that FlyQuest’s core is made up of established veterans; even though they no longer wear the Cloud9 colors, few fans of the league have forgotten the magic they once conjured. How thrilling it was to witness some of that magic again.

Game 1 was another superb example of executing a prepared strategy. Both solo laners overcame direct counters to dictate team fights and quickly end the game after securing Baron, correctly realizing they were slowly being out-scaled. FlyQuest looked sharp to begin Game 2 with a heavy punish of Aurelion Sol’s weak early game, but as CLG started to control the map, Hai’s lack of teleport on Kennen helped limit any cross-map release of pressure. Games 3 and 4 were the Darshan show, a matchup Balls wasn’t supposed to win anyway. WildTurtle and Lemon got bodied bot, and that was enough for their strategy to break down.

Looking forward for FlyQuest, they proved capable of recapturing the form that secured 4th Place in Spring. With most teams beginning Spring 2018 on similar footing due to the massive incoming changes to Runes and Masteries, there’s room for a highly intelligent group of well-loved veterans to succeed. 

Finals: Cloud9 def. Counter Logic Gaming 3-1

Cloud9 Proves They’re More Than a One-Man Team

Jensen was my MVP of Summer Split, and before all you TSM heads get after me in defense of Bjergsen, it wasn’t because I thought Jensen was the best player in the league. I credited him for having a better individual split, complete with an unmatched KDA and consistent CS leads no matter the opponent. Looking at the vote totals, I’m not alone.

Because of the supernova-like heat given off by Jensen in the mid lane, it’s easy to overlook the other moving parts of Cloud9. You’d be forgiven in thinking C9 a one-man team. You’d also be wrong.

In beating Counter Logic Gaming 3-1 and qualifying for Worlds, Cloud9 proved more than a delivery machine for Jensen’s brilliance. Yes, they do tend to play around their talented Danish mid (especially Contractz, who seems to know no jungle path that excludes a visit mid), but for most of this series Jensen was an afterthought. His 7-0-5 100% KP Game 1 was the high watermark; from then on, Huhi outplayed him.

For the reasons C9 outlasted CLG in a series that could have gone either way, widen your gaze beyond mid lane. Look top, where Impact was incredible on Shen and Galio in a lane CLG prioritize winning above all others. Remember the way he lived through repeated dives by Darshan and Omar on Shen, or how he created space on Galio for the rest of C9 to rush down Baron. Cloud 9’s macro play revolved around Impact, who hadn’t played this well all Summer.

Look to Sneaky, whose performance on Xayah in the Game 4 will go down as one of his best ever. There was no reason CLG should have lost Game 4 once they picked off Jensen late before a 5v4 team fight began in the mid lane, but Sneaky somehow turned it around while retreating to his own inner turret. In the climactic final fight, Sneaky killed Stixxay with a flash forward that would have booked C9’s plane tickets to Worlds by itself...had Jack not already bought them prior to the series.

Look to Smoothie, who drafted Janna for the first time all year and was instrumental in using her cyclone and Monsoon to push a diving frontline (Shen/Maokai/Alistar) away from his carries to turn around fights. Look to Contractz, whose risky choice to build assassin Rek’Sai compensated for Jensen’s lost damage when he was focused down early. His solo queue-inspired Censer/Athene's Nidalee build in Game 1 is something we can expect to see more of with her healing recently buffed in 7.18. It was Contractz's first on-stage Nidalee game ever.

It wasn’t the prettiest series from C9; they’ll have plenty to work on during their Korean bootcamp over the next few days. But on Sunday it was enough to advance, and, more importantly, it felt like the start of something. At the international level, teams need to have balance, to be more than just a one trick lane destabilized by the most basic countermeasures. I anticipate they’ll emerge from the Play-In Stage regardless of any significant improvement, but any further progress will need to come from someone besides Jensen. If this Gauntlet final is any indication, Cloud9 are spoiled for choice.

Counter Logic Gaming Couldn’t Get Their Split Push Online

Counter Logic Gaming will break their promise to fans, missing out on Worlds as the forth-best team in a three-bid region. Their failure to qualify is a blow considering the talent and form they’ve displayed this season, but it’s hard to argue their exclusion wasn’t self-made.

Much in the same way Summday couldn't split push effectively for Dignitas if his bot lane was losing, so did CLG fail execute their own top-centric strategy. The warning signs were there starting with Game 4 against FlyQuest, where Stixxay’s horrid positioning on Caitlyn was papered over by his dominant 2v2 victory in lane. There was no hiding from Sneaky and Smoothie, who punished Stixxay’s Caitlyn in Game 1 and never stopped, forcing Aphromoo to draft a more protective support in Alistar. It didn’t help. Neither did Stixxay’s retreat to the elusive Xayah and Tristana, as he repeatedly died across the series with both summoners at the start of fights. Sneaky’s brilliance in Game 4 was mostly C9's doing, but Stixxay’s poor showing certainly helped.

Still, Darshan didn’t do his struggling team any favors in Games 1 and 2. He routinely itemized for solo split push advantage, forsaking supportive items or armor in favor of dueling choices like Frozen Mallet. CLG looked their best when he drafted tanks like Maokai or Shen rather than Gnar or Jax, sharing frontline duties with an overmatched Omar instead of forcing the rookie to stand tall alone.

All that said, CLG nearly adjusted well enough to force a Game 5, with Game 4 theirs for the taking after 40 minutes had elapsed. An otherworldly effort from Sneaky plus a handful of macro and micro mistakes cost CLG a deserved rubber match. It wasn't to be this year, with their poor Spring and late jungle switch in Summer too deep of a self-inflicted wound. A long offseason awaits.