North American LCS, Week 3. It seems that they've finally caught up with reason and the teams are wearing only one headset per head.
Vulcun Command vs Counter Logic Gaming (1:11:00)
---VC bans: Twisted Fate, Thresh, Kayle---CLG bans: Xin Zhao, Jarvan, Rumble---
VC: Singed, Hecarim, Nidalee, Kog'Maw, Alistar
CLG: Nassus, Lee Sin, Syndra, Vayne, Sona
Wow, it's a game that will make HotShotGG want to get back to some Nidalee. MandatoryCloud in mid just starts being a monster with the spears later in game. Tune in and watch each spear eat 50-70% of a CLG player's health!
Curse vs Good Game University (2:23:00)
---Crs bans: Rumble, Lulu, Nidalee---GGU bans: Xin Zhao, Elise, Kayle---
Crs: Akali, Jarvan, Twisted Fate, Twitch, Taric
GGU: Fizz, Leona, Jayce, Graves, Zyra
Leona jungle? Well, tune in, if that's something you want to run. Curse continues it's dominance.
Dignitas vs Counter Logic Gaming (3:24:00)
---d bans: Nidalee, Syndra, Kayle---CLG bans: Xin Zhao, Gragas, Diana---
d: Singed, Vi, Kayle, Draven, Zyra
CLG: Galio, Dr. Mundo, Ahri, Kog'Maw, Alistar
I'm excited by the unconventional picks (Galio!) and there were a lot of fights early and late, but CLG just seemed unprepared, or at least unprepared for Kayle's Intervention. Scarra proves he is still awesome, wish he'd go back to playing Katarina. I agree with commentators that Scarra was somehow pushing the limits of the range of Kayle's ult - how was he hitting people so far away? Expect a range or cooldown nerf, very soon. BTW, in the after-game interview, Scarra implies that there is a huge gap in CLG's gameplay, but he was coy about saying what it was in a broadcasted interview. But he did say it was huge.
Complexity vs Vulcun Command (4:27:00)
---coL bans: Hecarim, Singed, Jarvan---VC bans: Zed, Kayle, Thresh---
coL: Jayce, Xin Zhao, Lux, Kog'Maw, Soraka
VC: Elise, Lee Sin, Nidalee, Ezreal, Alistar
Aw, coL, giving Soraka a bad name by not taking heal first and getting gibbed by Alistar/Ezreal. At 30 minutes, it was 0-10 in kills and 0-6 in towers. This kind of jump in performance from week to week would get them tested for PEDs in another sport.
Team MRN vs Good Game University
---MRN bans: Nidalee, Twitch, Fizz---GGU bans: Taric, Kayle, Xin Zhao---
MRN: Renekton, Vi, Twisted Fate, Tristana, Alistar
GGU: Shen, Jarvan, Lux, Ezreal, Lulu
Was it MRN's plan to just stall out the game for forever and gain gold advantage via creeps and TF passive? If so, why did GGU play into their hands? First blood happened at nearly 26 minutes, and it was straight to lose from there for GGU.
Counter Logic Gaming vs Complexity
---CLG bans: Zed, Singed, Kayle---coL bans: Nidalee, Twisted Fate, Syndra---
CLG: Malphite, Xin Zhao, Jayce, Urgot, Taric
coL: Shen, Jarvan, Cassiopeia, Twitch, Thresh
It was actually close, and coL wins several team fights, but CLG manages to eke it out in the end. I guess I'm never that excited by Twitch games. You can hear Spray and Pray, but you can't see it very well, and Twitch gets away via fading to invisibility, which is very passive to watch.
Team MRN vs Vulcun Command
---MRN bans: Singed, Nidalee, Kayle---VC bans: Twisted Fate, Jarvan, Xin Zhao---
MRN: Renekton, Vi, Syndra, Urgot, Taric
VC: Elise, Hecarim, Lux, Ezreal, Alistar
More aggression and fights go down in this one, and MRN even wins some and looks to be ahead for a while, but somehow VC turns around one or two of those fights and then steamrolls straight to victory. The commentators love the Elise play, but I can't support this positivity towards the spider lady.
Good Game University vs Complexity
---GGU bans: Zed, Jayce, Twisted Fate---coL bans: Nidalee, Jayce, Kayle---
GGU: Cho'Gath, Xin Zhao, Lee Sin, Twitch, Leona
coL: Shen, Vi, Malphite, Ezreal, Taric
Even the commentators were confused during picks and bans, so if what's written directly above makes you scratch your head, you're certainly not alone. I'm not sure if this is part of the plan, but ZionSpartan on Lee Sin spends the first ten minutes of the game playing like his head's on fire and only the blood of his enemies will put it out. He's supposed to be mid, but he spends most of his time running around the enemy jungle, looking for victims. But coL eventually manages to turn his aggression around and win some team fights. They also realize that it was all about reaching the Twitch, and they proceed to do so. From there they carefully roll their way to their first victory. Hooray, Complexity, you will not be winless this season!
Standings:
Crs 6-0
Dig 5-2
TSM 4-2
CLG 2-3
VC 3-5
GGU 1-6
MRN 1-3
coL 1-2
