This article is part of our LoL Recap series.
Phoenix1 vs. Team Dignitas
Phoenix1 showed why it came into the North American League of Legends Championship Series playoffs as the No. 3 seed with a sweep of sixth-seeded Team Dignitas in the quarterfinals Saturday in Los Angeles.
Game 1 was a chaotic, back-and-forth affair, with Dignitas' early leads in lane giving way to a Phoenix1 bottom-lane dive for first turret. Dignitas retook the lead after taking a Baron kill, and it even managed to take a second the next time it spawned. Phoenix1 clawed back into the game, however, finding a pick on Dignitas mid laner Jang "Keane" Lae-young's Cassiopeia that led to an inhibitor kill. In the end, it all came down to a final teamfight at Baron, in which Phoenix1 took a 5-for-1 ace to secure the Game 1 win, largely on the back of mid laner Yoo "Ryu" Sang-ook's Syndra, who finished with a 6/1/6 KDA (kills, deaths, assists).
The second game was much more one-sided, with Phoenix1 in control from the start. Over the first 25 minutes, P1 slowly built up advantages across the map, with jungler Rami "Inori" Charagh's Graves going 4/0/2 on his team's first seven kills. Ryu was also eager to carry once again, this time on LeBlanc, and he nabbed a pick in a 1-vs-3 onto the enemy AD carry near 29 minutes to grant Phoenix1 an uncontested Baron. Using the buff, as well as its stellar 1-3-1 split-pushing, Phoenix1 was able to take Game 2 shy of 35 minutes without ever having to teamfight.
Phoenix1 continued its dominance in Game 3, though its lead was less drastic than previous games at roughly 2,000 gold at 25 minutes. Despite the weaker start, a sneaky Baron kill just shy of 27 minutes put P1 in position to complete the sweep. Dignitas made a valiant attempt to try to get back in the game through a clever flank but was thwarted by a godlike four-man Command: Shockwave from Ryu's Orianna. A few minutes and an Elder Dragon later, Phoenix1 barged into Dignitas' base and punched its ticket to the semifinals in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Team Dignitas' split is over with this defeat, while Phoenix1 moves on to play Cloud9 in Vancouver on April 15 at 3 p.m. ET. NA LCS playoffs continue Sunday with a 3 p.m. ET game between Counter Logic Gaming and FlyQuest.
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Counter Logic Gaming vs. FlyQuest
The second quarterfinal of the North American League of Legends Championship Series Spring Split playoffs showcased FlyQuest facing off against Counter Logic Gaming in Los Angeles. Despite going down 0-2 in the series, FlyQuest emerged victorious on Sunday to move on to the semifinals against Team SoloMid.
The first game of the series saw CLG mid laner Choi "Huhi" Jae-hyun lock in his famed Aurelion Sol. It paid off, as he was a dominant force throughout the game and posted a 12/1/8 KDA (kills/deaths/assists). The early game went sharply in CLG's favor with the team picking off FLY support Daerek "LemonNation" Hart's Lulu multiple times. Off the back of Aurelion Sol's global presence, CLG was able to grab Baron near the 22-minute mark and push into FLY's base to go up 1-0 in the series.
Game 2 started off very back-and-forth with neither team being able to find a noticeable early lead. The game shifted in favor of CLG after a 4-for-2 trade nearing the 20-minute mark. After that, CLG began to move around the map and siege turrets far more proactively than FLY. After breaking down FLY's structures, CLG managed to grab Baron and go up 2-0 in the series in the 40-minute bout. CLG AD carry Trevor "Stixxay" Hayes played well throughout the game, posting an 8/1/5 KDA as Ashe.
Game 3 was a far more FLY-oriented affair at the beginning with the team nabbing early kills to take a lead. Snowballing off of its early lead, FLY found many easy skirmishes and picks to allow quick Drake kills and turret sieges. After getting Baron and winning a 5-for-1 trade, FLY got on the board to make the series 1-2. FLY mid laner Hai "Hai" Du Lam played fantastically, posting a 6/2/7 KDA as Talon.
The fourth game of the series was much like the third, with FLY taking a swift early lead off of picks and farm advantages. CLG looked lost throughout the entire game, losing every fight except for one 3-for-1 trade 27 minutes in. FLY was able to even the series out after taking down Baron with a 3-for-0 trade and then another 4-for-0 trade. FLY jungler Galen "Moon" Holgate dominated the game, posting a 7/1/5 KDA as Rengar.
The deciding game started off with FLY blowing flashes before minions had even spawned. This did not detract from its momentum, however, as FLY focused on objectives and split-pushed very effectively in the early game. CLG took a lead after winning skirmishes here and there, but when it started initiating poorly later in the game, FLY was able to take the lead. Off its newfound lead, FLY took down Baron and eventually baited out Elder Dragon to complete the reverse sweep. Hai showed his Talon prowess yet again, posting a 5/3/5 KDA.
With its series victory, FlyQuest will move on to play Team SoloMid in the semifinals of the NA LCS Spring Split Playoffs in Los Angeles while Counter Logic Gaming has earned fifth/sixth place.
