This article is part of our LoL Recap series.
Dignitas vs. FlyQuest
After a hot start to the season, FlyQuest has lost its second straight series after a surprising 2-0 defeat at the hands of Team Dignitas on Friday in Los Angeles, on Week 5, Day 1 of the North American League of Legends Championship Series.
Dignitas set the tone early in Game 1 with two kills in the bottom lane just under five minutes into the game. FlyQuest bounced back with a gank from jungler Galen "Moon" Holgate's Rengar to give top laner An "Balls" Le's Vladimir his first kill and the first tower at the 11-minute mark. Trying to further its lead, FlyQuest initiated a messy teamfight in the mid lane 19 minutes in that ended as a 4-for-3 in its favor. Not content to let FlyQuest build on this advantage, Dignitas took a 5-for-3 teamfight just two minutes later that put the underdogs in the driver's seat. Another 2-for-0 teamfight win at the 26-minute mark gave Dignitas the Baron buff that it used to knock down six towers and two inhibitors in a massive push for the 30-minute win.
Dignitas picked right back up where it left off in Game 1 with two kills onto Balls' Rumble by the time five minutes had passed. FlyQuest bounced back by downing the first tower in the bottom lane at the eight-minute mark. For the next 17 minutes, FlyQuest looked poised to force a Game 3 by winning teamfight after teamfight with authority, amassing a gold lead of almost 4,000 before everything came crashing down. Dignitas jungler Lee "Chaser" Sang-hyun's Kha'Zix made a game-changing play to Flash into the Baron pit and steal the Baron near the 25-minute mark, flipping the game on its head. FlyQuest tried to get back into the game through forcing teamfights, but were easily struck down each time. Back-to-back aces at the 31- and 33-minute marks netted Dignitas a second Baron that it used to pushed for the 34-minute win to end the 2-0 sweep in stunning fashion.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
CLG vs. Immortals
Two teams looking to keep their playoff hopes alive squared off on Saturday as Counter Logic Gaming took on Immortals during Week 5, Day 2 of the North American League of Legends Championship Series in Los Angeles. In a hard-fought battle, CLG took a 2-1 series win.
Counter Logic Gaming quickly took control of Game 1 after a great teleport from top laner Darshan "Darshan" Upadhyaya's Nautilus secured three kills and first tower gold in the bottom lane for CLG. Consistently winning midgame teamfights, CLG used its signature team-based macro as they swept through IMT's defenses. Darshan in particular was big for CLG, feeding kills to his carries with his abundance of crowd control en route to a 2/1/10 KDA (kills/deaths/assists) with 71 percent kill participation. Blazing through Game 1, Counter Logic Gaming took an early 24-minute Baron and a 4-for-0 teamfight in Immortals' base to win Game 1 in 26 minutes.
CLG seemed poised to take Game 2 from the onset as mid laner Choi "Huhi" Jae-hyun's Zed picked up first blood at six minutes and secured four kills by the 15-minute mark. IMT responded by taking a 4-for-1 fight in the mid lane around 17 minutes, beginning a back-and-forth struggle for control. CLG looked to close the game with a 4-for-0 teamfight win and an Elder Dragon kill at 40 minutes, but IMT held its opponents off. In a tense late game, AD Carry Cody "Cody Sun" Sun's Sivir and top laner Lee "Flame" Ho-jong's Rumble carried Immortals through teamfights, dealing 35,800 and 35,400 damage to enemy champions as IMT shined, turning a CLG initiation into a 3-for-0 IMT teamfight win at 48 minutes to finish the 50-minute Game 2 win.
Game 3 continued to deliver back-and-forth action as Darshan's Fiora picked up first blood in a 1-for-1 trade near the three-minute mark. Capitalizing on the first blood, CLG started to grind out a lead with a 4-for-2 teamfight win on the back of a triple kill from Darshan at 18 minutes, outpacing Immortals. After a big 4-for-1 teamfight win for CLG secured a Baron kill at 27 minutes, Counter Logic Gaming was in complete control and unkillable thanks to support Zaqueri "aphromoo" Black's Soraka, who pumped out a ridiculous 29,800 damage healed en route to a 1/0/13 KDA for 78 percent kill participation. Counter Logic Gaming looked unstoppable as it took down Immortals' base and finished the game in 34 minutes, locking down the 2-1 series win.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Team Liquid vs. Dignitas
With both teams desperate to climb into potential playoff contention, Team Dignitas edged out Team Liquid 2-1 on Saturday during Week 5, Day 2 of the North American League of Legends Championship Series in Los Angeles.
Game 1 was a highlight reel for Liquid AD carry Chae "Piglet" Gwang-jin. He and support Matthew "Matt" Elento made up arguably the most punishing early-game bottom lane in Caitlyn/Zyra, and they made it count, grabbing first blood in the 2-vs-2 just five minutes in and securing the first tower shortly after. Liquid couldn't grow its lead much in the mid game, but when late game hit, Piglet's Caitlyn was untouchable with two life-steal items. Piglet grabbed a quadra kill in the final teamfight to end Game 1 with a 7/1/10 KDA (kills, deaths, assists).
Dignitas' start in Game 2 was night and day from Game 1, with Jang "Keane" Lae-young's Jayce turning around a Team Liquid gank to grab a clean double kill before the five-minute mark. Meanwhile, it was now Dignitas' bottom lane that was grabbing kills in the 2-vs-2, thanks to the roots from Alex "Xpecial" Chu's Zyra. With a poke composition aided by triple Ocean Drake buffs, Dignitas had no trouble pushing its lead through relentless sieging. After opening up the base, Dignitas took a final teamfight at 35 minutes to claim the Nexus.
The blood started flowing even earlier in Game 3, when Dignitas' attempt to donate red buff to AD carry Benjamin "LOD" deMunck on Jhin was interrupted by Team Liquid's bottom lane. The end result was first blood for Piglet's Caitlyn, but a double kill on Keane's Cassiopeia, who also ended up with the red buff. After several minutes of minor skirmishes, Dignitas finally took a fight 4-for-1 in the mid game, granting them the Baron buff. With this lead, they were able to win the remainder of the game's teamfights, and take the Nexus in 32 minutes after taking a second Baron.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Echo Fox vs. EnVyUs
Week 5, Day 2 of the North American League of Legends Championship Series saw the last-place Team EnVyUs take down Echo Fox 2-0 in Los Angeles on Saturday.
The start of Game 1 was a familiar sight to Echo Fox fans as Matt "Akaadian" Higginbotham's Lee Sin grabbed first blood in the bot lane less than five minutes in. Akaadian secured three more kills early on, en route to a 4/1/0 KDA (kills, deaths, assists), but Echo Fox couldn't capitalize. EnVyUs kept even in gold early on and then dominated skirmishes and teamfights in the midgame. A 3-for-0 fight at 25 minutes gave Envy a Baron kill, while a 4-for-1 teamfight when Baron respawned led to the 34-minute Game 1 win.
Game 2 had a slower early game, with first blood coming at the 10-minute mark as Nam "LirA" Tae-yoo's Lee Sin pulled off a counter gank in the top lane. Envy slowly but surely grew its gold lead over Echo Fox over the next 20 minutes, as the Foxes couldn't find anything to get themselves back into the game. Coming alive around 32 minutes, NV found a pick onto Jang "Looper" Hyeong-seok's Maokai, allowing the team to take an easy Baron kill as well as three more members of Echo Fox. Now miles ahead in every metric, Envy went on to take Elder Drake and a 3-for-1 teamfight, eventually completing the sweep in just over 40 minutes.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
TSM vs. Cloud9
In a highly anticipated matchup, Team SoloMid took on Cloud9 during Week 5, Day 2 of the North American League of Legends Championship Series. Ruining C9's undefeated streak, TSM took a 2-1 series win to close out Saturday's action in Los Angeles.
Cloud9 had a strong start to Game 1 as support Andy "Smoothie" Ta's Thresh picked up first blood in the bottom lane at four minutes, but TSM quickly took control with a pick in the bottom of the map. Top laner Kevin "Hauntzer" Yarnell was huge for TSM on Maokai, engaging several fights including a 3-for-0 fight at 14 minutes to put TSM ahead in gold. TSM's Soren "Bjergsen" Bjerg's Orianna hit a massive three-man Command: Shockwave to secure a teamfight win and Baron kill around 24 minutes. Snowballing out of control, Bjergsen picked up a pentakill en route to his flawless 8/0/2 KDA (kills/deaths/assists), aiding in taking down Cloud9's base and securing Game 1 in 32 minutes.
Team SoloMid picked up where it had left off in Game 1 as jungler Dennis "Svenskeren" Johnsen's Kha'Zix earned first blood early on. In a chaotic early-mid game, TSM came out ahead in gold thanks to winning cross-map skirmishes while taking towers on the back of Bjergsen's fed Jayce. TSM overstepped its lead, however, getting pinched inside of C9's base and subsequently getting aced near the 28-minute mark. Securing their first Baron kill shortly afterward, C9 took control of the game through top laner Jung "Impact" Eon-yeong's Nautilus, sweeping through late-game teamfights to take Game 2 in just over 40 minutes.
Cloud9 jumped ahead early in the crucial Game 3, but Hauntzer responded on Shen by picking up a solokill at the nine-minute mark. After a back-and-forth early game, Team SoloMid carved out a lead with a 5-for-1 ace at 22 minutes on the back of Bjergsen's Zed, but a Baron steal from Cloud9's Juan "Contractz" Arturo Garcia Kha'Zix threatened to blow the game open in C9's favor. Retaking control, Bjergsen and Hauntzer combined to take a 3-for-1 fight in the bottom lane, shutting Cloud9's momentum down. Hauntzer was an unkillable beast in the late game, initiating along with Bjergsen to earn a 4/1/10 KDA for 70 percent kill participation, while Bjergsen carved C9 to shreds, dealing a game-high 30,900 damage to enemy champions. Picking up a charged Elder Dragon buff and a Baron kill, TSM had all the tools it needed to push through C9's defenses and take Game 3 in just over 39 minutes.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
TSM vs. FlyQuest
Team SoloMid continued their hunt for first place in the North American League of Legends Championship Series Spring Split, earning a 2-1 victory over FlyQuest during Week 5 Day 3 in Los Angeles, CA.
FlyQuest jungler Galen "Moon" Holgate opened up Game 1 with a surprise Shaco play, the first of its kind in North America. Moon managed to gain an advantage through farm over TSM's jungler Dennis "Svenskeren" Johnsen's Lee Sin, but wasn't able to match his gank success. On the flip side, Svenskeren's ganks netted him four early kills while Moon died during his attempts. FlyQuest struggled to kite out fights throughout the mid and late game as TSM top laner Kevin "Hauntzer" Yarnell's Nautilus was too tanky and had too many tools for closing gaps. After securing a Baron kill around the 29-minute mark TSM pushed to take Game 1.
In Game 2, TSM took an early gold lead, knocking down turrets in the side lanes while FlyQuest focused on controlling middle lane and dragon pit. Despite being behind in gold, FlyQuest managed to win teamfights in the mid game to break open TSM's base. FlyQuest's mid laner Hai "Hai" Lam, on Orianna, scored a pentakill which allowed enough time to expose TSM's Nexus around the 29 minute mark. However TSM stopped FlyQuest's attempts to push the Nexus with flanks from top laner Hauntzer's Renekton and jungler Svenskeren's Rengar. Using their newfound momentum, TSM tried to get a split push going after a few teamfight wins, but FlyQuest's top laner An "Balls" Le's Nautilus stalled long enough for the rest of his teammates to rush down middle lane and end Game 2.
Game 3 didn't have nearly as much drama as TSM dominated nearly every teamfight, finishing the final game with 17 kills to FlyQuest's seven. TSM's early skirmish victories built a 5,000 gold lead by the 25-minute mark, allowing from them to begin slowly applying pressure on all lanes. FlyQuest held on as long as possible but eventually fell after desperately trying to stop TSM from getting its second Baron kill of Game 3. TSM traded one death for three kills in the final fight then parlayed the advantage into a series-clinching Nexus push.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Immortals vs. Echo Fox
Immortals took a decisive 2-0 series win over Echo Fox on Sunday to kick off Week 5, Day 3 of the North American League of Legends Championship Series in Los Angeles.
Immortals had a strong start in Game 1 as jungler Joshua "Dardoch" Hartnett's Rengar picked up two kills before the five-minute mark. In a slow-paced mid game, Echo Fox attempted to come back with a series of kills, but IMT's smothering objective control kept them on top, securing three Ocean Drakes and a Mountain Drake. Dardoch used his ability to find picks to keep Immortals afloat in a stagnant late game, picking up a 7/4/2 KDA (kills/deaths/assists) as Immortals methodically took map control. After an Immortals' Baron kill around 34 minutes, Immortals took a fully stacked Elder Dragon buff at 37 minutes, sweeping through Echo Fox in a 4-for-0 team fight to take Game 1 in 39 minutes.
Dardoch again made early plays to put Immortals ahead in Game 2, this time picking up two assists on Elise before the six-minute mark. Dardoch fully outclassed Echo Fox's rookie jungler Matthew "Akaadian" Higginbotham's Rek'Sai, who struggled in the face of Dardoch's aggressive pathing. After a four-man dive from IMT gave them a double kill and first tower gold in the bottom lane, the game was sufficiently out of reach for Echo Fox as IMT showed restraint and patience with a nearly 3,400-gold lead at 20 minutes. Securing a Baron buff around 21 minutes, Immortals snowballed their gold lead to nearly 8,000 at the 25-minute mark, finally running away with a 27-minute win as Immortals looked strong in a 2-0 series sweep.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
CLG vs. Team Liquid
Counter Logic Gaming took on Team Liquid to end Week 5, Day 3 of the North American League of Legends Championship Series, taking a 2-1 series victory on Sunday in Los Angeles.
Team Liquid started the series with a strong performance, starting with aggressive level-one play by jungler Kim "Reignover" Ui-jin on Graves, shutting down CLG jungler Jake "Xmithie" Puchero's Kha'Zix in the early game. As skirmishes broke out, Reignover and AD Carry Chae "Piglet" Gwang-jin on Jhin decimated CLG's carries, snowballing Team Liquid to a large early lead. In complete control throughout the mid game, Liquid had no problem pushing into CLG's base and winning back-to-back fights that allowed them to take a convincing Game 1 victory.
Bouncing back from a poor start to the series, Counter Logic Gaming got aggressive in the early game with a level-one invade. Xmithie looked stronger on Lee Sin in Game 2, linking up with Choi "Huhi" Jae-hyunto to apply a huge amount of early pressure across the map. Over-aggressive back-to-back plays by Team Liquid gave Huhi's Orianna three quick kills to start his team's snowball. With an early lead, CLG looked unstoppable, picking up early kills across multiple members. While CLG made some positioning mistakes that nearly allowed Liquid to come back into the game, an early Baron for CLG gave them the fuel they needed to take a final team fight at 28 minutes to close out the game to tie the series 1-1.
In a crucial Game 3, Counter Logic Gaming used their momentum to close out the series in convincing fashion. After some early game skirmishes, the teams traded kills as CLG eventually took control of the map, largely due to poor allocation of kills on TL's part. Trevor "Stixxay" Hayes's Jhin and Huhi's Ekko were able to shut down any hope of a Team Liquid victory with strong team fighting around objectives, further snowballing TL's lead. After a 17-minute skirmish in which Stixxay picked up a delayed triple kill, TL were in desperation mode. An optimistic engage by Piglet's Varus gave CLG four kills and a Baron, which proved to be the final nail in the coffin as CLG closed out the game with ease, securing their 2-1 series victory.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Phoenix1 vs. Cloud9
Phoenix1 handed Cloud9 its second series loss of the North American League of Legends Championship Series on Sunday with a 2-0 sweep in the final matchup of Week 5, Day 3 in Los Angeles.
Phoenix1 had a good start to Game 1, smashing early team fights and snowballing small-gold leads in all lanes. Cloud9's top laner Jung "Impact" Eon-yeong struggled early on Gragas as he made a couple of mistakes that cost him his life. Phoenix1 steadily pushed their advantages, taking down their first Nexus turret 36 minutes in, but overstayed and got punished, allowing Cloud9 to take Elder Dragon and dictate the next fight over Baron. Cloud9 won that team fight 3-for-0, taking Baron and seeming poised to take the game, but Phoenix1 had one last gasp in them. Taking a late-game team fight, Phoenix1 opted into a base race that they won with aplomb, taking Game 1 in just more than 43 minutes.
Cloud9 subbed in top laner Ji Won "Ray" Jeon for Impact for Game 2, putting him on Fiora and giving him plenty of help early from jungler Juan "Contractz" Garcia's Rengar to take early control of top lane. Contractz made his presence felt across the map as he participated in all of C9's first seven kills, but William "Meteos" Hartman, the Cloud9 turned Phoenix1 jungler, was just as active on Olaf and kept almost equal in kill participation. Phoenix1 took control of Game 2 with late-game team fights initiated by top laner Derek "Zig" Shao's Kled engaging with the ability Chaaaaaaaarge!!! Cloud9's team composition lacked enough disengage to stop Phoenix1 when they forced fights, giving Phoenix1 control of the map. Once Phoenix1 secured a Baron buff 25 minutes in, they were able to cruise through Cloud9's base to finish the series sweep with a commanding 27-minute win.
