What a week to have caught up on my VOD's, eh? Two week hiatus between matches. I took the time to badger two of my friends into belatedly starting a Fantasy LCS league with me. Only one week left, really, so we just drafted a position player each and agreed that best KDAs would win it. Xian won the initial roll, so he got Meteos, and Lin and I just picked the rest of Cloud 9, haha.
Counter Logic Gaming vs Team Coast
[CLG bans: Twitch, Zed, Shen][CST bans: Tristana, Elise, Twisted Fate]
CLG: Zac, Nocturne, Ahri, Vayne, Thresh
CST: Rumble, Nasus, Zigs, Ezreal, Zyra
Maybe picking bigfatlp as my jungler was a silly move. He didn't die, but he didn't land any kills either. Oh well, positive points is positive points. I picked him and Doublelift because CLG needs some decisive victories during superweek to stay in it, and I believe they're going to come out with long games, high scores, and big wins, or die trying. Doublelift did good for me in this game, and unfortunately for Lin, shiphtur's Zig's just wasn't effective.
Team Dignitas vs Curse
[Dig bans: Ahri, Jarvan, Twitch][Crs bans: Shen, Kassadin, Fiddlesticks]
Dig: Zac, Elise, Zed, Ezreal, Sona
Crs: Kennen, Nasus, Karthus, Varus, Thresh
Both Lin and I avoided both these teams, so Xian is the only one with anything at stake here. The game was a super long slog fest that came down to a sudden death finish.
Velocity Esports vs Team SoloMid
[VES bans: Jayce, Zed, Kassadin][TSM bans: Elise, Varus, Lee Sin]
VES: Zac, Jarvan, Anivia, Urgot, Zyra
TSM: Shen, Nocturne, Karthus, Twitch, Sona
No mercy-kill for VES, they have to play the remainder of their games for balance. Nobody gambled on any of the VES players in the fantasy league, because in this last week, they have no real reason to try and win. As much as they may play for pride and come out with unusual champs and unexpected strats, they also probably shouldn't give away their secrets for the upcoming relegation matches.
Vulcun vs Cloud 9
[Vul bans: Kassadin, Twitch, Zac][C9 bans: Caitlyn, Ahri, Shen]
Vul: Kennen, Lee Sin, Zed, Tristana, Zyra
C9: Elise, Jarvan, Jayce, Vayne, Sona
Concerned that C9 would phone it in with nothing to play for, our fears were not allayed by a surprising level 1 face-check and subsequent fast loss by C9. A weakness, or just playing with a bit of 'meh'? Concerning for the fantasy points, at any rate.
Team SoloMid vs Team Coast
[TSM bans: Elise, Zed, Blitzcrank][CST bans: Karthus, Twisted Fate, Shen]
TSM: Rumble, Jarvan, Ahri, Twitch, Sona
CST: Riven, Nasus, Diana, Caitlyn, Zyra
CST banned all kinds of global ults and Zionspartan got Riven, but nope. TSM is on that late-season roll that happens when you're TSM.
Team Dignitas vs Vulcun
[Dig bans: Ahri, Evelynn, Shen][Vul bans: Kassadin, Ezreal, Zed]
Dig: Elise, Lee Sin, Gragas, Graves, Fiddlesticks
Vul: Zac, Jarvan, Karthus, Tristana, Sona
Might just be me, but this game seemed to have more intricacies than usual. First blood comes from a duel between Zac and Elise, which Zac is winning until Elise lands a cocoon, and then activates his passive. But before she can kill the bloblets, Karthus channels ult to kill her first. Karthus has to be careful where he channels, though, because Gragas will blind throw his ult to disrupt him. As for the others, they're all jump-in champs; the question is, when to jump in?
Counter Logic Gaming vs Cloud 9
[CLG bans: Rumble, Nasus, Twitch][C9 bans: Nocturne, Jarvan, Ahri]
CLG: Zac, Cho'Gath, Karthus, Tristana, Thresh
C9: Shen, Elise, Zed, Ashe, Zyra
I like to ban those three also, CLG, but letting C9 have the Ashe/Zyra? Early game goes so well for CLG, Doublelift gets some nice plays in. I feel like I would enjoy being ADC a lot more if there was love like CLG loves Doublelift. So much protection! But, when lane phase is over, C9's 5v5 team fight is always just superior.
Velocity Esports vs Curse
[VES bans: *did not ban first, Kennen, Thresh][Crs bans: Lee Sin, Rumble, Shen]
VES: Elise, Zac, Lissandra, Varus, Zyra
Crs: Zed, Nasus, Orianna, Twitch, Sona
As if things weren't bad enough for VES, they also got punished by the peeps on high for unpausing a game early and lost a ban, and THEN lost first blood on an unfortunate face check. It does not get better from there.
Vulcun vs Team Coast
[Vul bans: Riven, Twitch, Jarvan][Cst bans: Shen, Sona, Tristana]
Vul: Zac, Evelynn, Zed, Caitlyn, Zyra
Cst: Kha'Zix, Elise, Ahria, Ezreal, Lulu
Not many more Z-champs could have been picked by Vul. Ziggs? Zilean? Coast began a comeback, but then I guess they realized they didn't have a tank, so it stopped cold at Vul's front steps.
Friday, August 23, 2013
LCS EU Gamescom 2013
Watching the live coverage of Gamescom 2013, and I realized that most of my excitement was to see the international wildcard tournament and see what cool metas they've come up with in their various countries, then see them go head to head. Vastly disappointed to see that they all watch the readily-available streams of all the other regions, and all the picks, ban, and lanes are exactly the same as they are here. Guess the days of server isolation and differing metas is long gone?
Monday, August 5, 2013
LCS NA Summer W8
Wow, I've practically caught up. I actually watched most of these live, and let me tell you, the live comment stream was truly a sea of horrors. Week 8, ahead. By the by, do you think Riot knows that nearly every single one of the interview vods are busted on YouTube? Is it just me? Well, as long as it's not busted in the middle of a team fight in-game, I won't be upset.
Team Dignitas vs Cloud 9
[Dig bans: Rumble, Nasus, Ashe][C9 bans: Sona, Master Yi, Ryze]
Dig: Elise, Nasus, Kassadin, Graves
C9: Shen, Zac, Zed, Twitch, Zyra
C9 in a bloodbath. But you knew, right? Even Jatt and Phreak couldn't be unbiased, with phrases like "oh, that didn't turn out too bad for dignitas, considering!" and "how about that, dig got the kill!"
Team Coast vs Counter Logic Gaming
[CST bans: Tristana, Jayce, Twisted Fate][CLG bans: Riven, Gragas, Zed]
CST: Shen, Elise, Ahri, Twitch, Nami
CLG: Jarvan, Zac, Orianna, Ezreal, Thresh
Really zz. It's 6-2 in kills at nearly 40 minutes in, those 6 kills for CST coming mainly from their huge CC getting chained on a single target over and over. CLG never seems to get their act together after that to engage a team fight, even though there were several opportunities, and even several times where they should have engaged to defend an objective! What is going on.
Vulcun vs Velocity Esports
[Vul bans: Lee Sin, Ahri, Thresh][VES bans: Ryze, Twisted Fate, Elise]
Vul: Shen, Evelynn, Zed, Vayne, Sona
VES: Kennen, Jarvan, Orianna, Varus, Leona
Vulcun roll, no upset this time. Did something happen to Anivia? Why doesn't ecco play the bird anymore? Not that I think it would dig them out of this, but if the outcome is already determined...
Team SoloMid vs Curse
[TSM bans: Thresh, Elise, Orianna][Crs ban: Kassadin, Jayce, Twisted Fate]
TSM: Rumble, Jarvan, Karthus, Graves, Sona
Crs: Shen, Zac, Ryze, Ashe, Zyra
Long game, kind of a strange grind. TSM in the end.
Counter Logic Gaming vs Vulcun
[CLG bans: Ashe, Evelynn, Twisted Fate][Vul bans: Tristana, Elise, Shen]
CLG: Vladimir, Zac, Orianna, Vayne, Thresh
Vul: Jayce, Jarvan, Ahri, Twitch, Sona
Vul wins due to one or two late game fights that just go bad for CLG. Which is generally the way they've been losing lately, making them cohorts in the teamfighting doldrums with VES. C9 is the opposite of that spectrum: all about amazing team mechanics. Also, I think Zac has probably got to go. He is super interesting, and his passive is great. But the elastic launch maneuver puts him WAY too far in front - bigfatlp would just die surrounded by five enemies before his own team could even put a speck of damage on anyone.
Team Coast vs Velocity Esports
[CST bans: Kennen, Twisted Fate, Jayce][VES bans: Zed, Elise, Riven]
CST: Shen, Evelyn, Karthus, Vayne, Thresh
VES: Rumble, Jarvan, Ahri, Varus, Zyra
VES wins in a statement game. That statement being: we're not dead yet. The Evelynn, just like the Zac, just isn't all that useful of a champ, sometimes. Most times. VES, on the other hand, had a crazy amount of damage in a straight line, so at the end of the game, when CST runs up to try and contest baron, VES can ruin their day easily. Think about it: Jarvan EQ, Zyra snare, Ahri charm+ball, Varus arrow Rumble ult. All straight piercing lines!
Curse vs Cloud 9
[Crs bans: Zed, Rumble, Zyra][C9 bans: Orianna, Shen, Elise]
Crs: Zac, Jarvan, Karthus, Tristana, Nami
C9: Kennen, Nasus, Kassadin, Ashe, Thresh
C9 zz-roll. But you knew, right? They don't even have anything left to play for, and their teamfight is just superior. You can tell in that last fight, when Crs didn't protect Cop and Nyjacky the way C9 clusters around Hai and Balls.
Team SoloMid vs Team Dignitas
[TSM bans: Lee Sin, Elise, Aatrox][Dig bans: Karthus, Shen, Rumble]
TSM: Jayce, Nasus, Kassadin, Graves, Thresh
Dig: Zac, Jarvan, Diana, Ezreal, Sona
Interesting ending, even imaqtpie was shaking his head at how he managed to survive the last fight. While we were all still shocked, he pushed down the base for the sudden win.
Vulcun vs Curse
[Vul bans: Twitch, Jarvan, Tryndamere][Crs bans: Shen, Zac, Elise]
Vul: Malphite, Evelynn, Ahri, Tristana
Crs: Rumble, Nasus, Jayce, Ashe, Zyra
Vul zz-roll. I'm telling you, maybe they ought to try and close games out faster than that. Not just for my sake, watching their incredible slow snowball, but one bad engagement could have spelled another dramatic comeback against them.
Cloud 9 vs Velocity Esports
[C9 bans: Jarvan, Kennen, Shen][VES bans: Zed, Kassadin, Zac]
C9: Elise, Nasus, Jayce, Ashe, Zyra
VES: Rumble, Lee Sin, Twisted Fate, Varus, Nami
C9 in their usual 35 minutes. But you knew, right? What a terrible time for VES to go up against the nearly-undefeated C9.
Counter Logic Gaming vs Team SoloMid
[CLG bans: Rumble, Zed, Shen][TSM bans: Twisted Fate, Elise, (did not ban third)]
CLG: Malphite, Nocturne, Ahri, Ezreal, Thresh
TSM: Jayce, Zac, Kassadin, Graves, Sona
Another decisive win for CLG against TSM. 4-0, at least they can consistently beat somebody. And I reiterating above point about Zac.
Team Coast vs Team Dignitas
[CST bans: Ezreal, Kassadin, Zed][Dig bans: Riven, Ahri, Elise]
CST: Aatrox, Fiddlesitcks, Twisted Fate, Vayne, Thresh
Dig: Zac, Jarvan, Gragas, Graves, Sona
It may be worth it to you to check out the pick/ban phase, where Phreak insists that ZionSpartan told him that he'd pick Teemo. He really believed him, too, poor Phreak. At least their real picks are somewhat off the (heavily) beaten path: jungle fid, aatrox. Not that they win with those champs. This also could be a good game to watch because it feels like two teams that are still trying to adapt and understand the new meta of objective-first gameplay. You can see the good: each team grouping up as four early and pushing down one or even two towers without trying for kills. And you can see the bad: teams overpushing, and the opposing team taking advantage of setting up ambushes where they'll know their enemies will be.
Standings
C9 21-2
Vul 15-8
CLG 11-12
Dig 11-12
TSM 11-12
Crs 9-14
CST 9-14
VES 5-18
Team Dignitas vs Cloud 9
[Dig bans: Rumble, Nasus, Ashe][C9 bans: Sona, Master Yi, Ryze]
Dig: Elise, Nasus, Kassadin, Graves
C9: Shen, Zac, Zed, Twitch, Zyra
C9 in a bloodbath. But you knew, right? Even Jatt and Phreak couldn't be unbiased, with phrases like "oh, that didn't turn out too bad for dignitas, considering!" and "how about that, dig got the kill!"
Team Coast vs Counter Logic Gaming
[CST bans: Tristana, Jayce, Twisted Fate][CLG bans: Riven, Gragas, Zed]
CST: Shen, Elise, Ahri, Twitch, Nami
CLG: Jarvan, Zac, Orianna, Ezreal, Thresh
Really zz. It's 6-2 in kills at nearly 40 minutes in, those 6 kills for CST coming mainly from their huge CC getting chained on a single target over and over. CLG never seems to get their act together after that to engage a team fight, even though there were several opportunities, and even several times where they should have engaged to defend an objective! What is going on.
Vulcun vs Velocity Esports
[Vul bans: Lee Sin, Ahri, Thresh][VES bans: Ryze, Twisted Fate, Elise]
Vul: Shen, Evelynn, Zed, Vayne, Sona
VES: Kennen, Jarvan, Orianna, Varus, Leona
Vulcun roll, no upset this time. Did something happen to Anivia? Why doesn't ecco play the bird anymore? Not that I think it would dig them out of this, but if the outcome is already determined...
Team SoloMid vs Curse
[TSM bans: Thresh, Elise, Orianna][Crs ban: Kassadin, Jayce, Twisted Fate]
TSM: Rumble, Jarvan, Karthus, Graves, Sona
Crs: Shen, Zac, Ryze, Ashe, Zyra
Long game, kind of a strange grind. TSM in the end.
Counter Logic Gaming vs Vulcun
[CLG bans: Ashe, Evelynn, Twisted Fate][Vul bans: Tristana, Elise, Shen]
CLG: Vladimir, Zac, Orianna, Vayne, Thresh
Vul: Jayce, Jarvan, Ahri, Twitch, Sona
Vul wins due to one or two late game fights that just go bad for CLG. Which is generally the way they've been losing lately, making them cohorts in the teamfighting doldrums with VES. C9 is the opposite of that spectrum: all about amazing team mechanics. Also, I think Zac has probably got to go. He is super interesting, and his passive is great. But the elastic launch maneuver puts him WAY too far in front - bigfatlp would just die surrounded by five enemies before his own team could even put a speck of damage on anyone.
Team Coast vs Velocity Esports
[CST bans: Kennen, Twisted Fate, Jayce][VES bans: Zed, Elise, Riven]
CST: Shen, Evelyn, Karthus, Vayne, Thresh
VES: Rumble, Jarvan, Ahri, Varus, Zyra
VES wins in a statement game. That statement being: we're not dead yet. The Evelynn, just like the Zac, just isn't all that useful of a champ, sometimes. Most times. VES, on the other hand, had a crazy amount of damage in a straight line, so at the end of the game, when CST runs up to try and contest baron, VES can ruin their day easily. Think about it: Jarvan EQ, Zyra snare, Ahri charm+ball, Varus arrow Rumble ult. All straight piercing lines!
Curse vs Cloud 9
[Crs bans: Zed, Rumble, Zyra][C9 bans: Orianna, Shen, Elise]
Crs: Zac, Jarvan, Karthus, Tristana, Nami
C9: Kennen, Nasus, Kassadin, Ashe, Thresh
C9 zz-roll. But you knew, right? They don't even have anything left to play for, and their teamfight is just superior. You can tell in that last fight, when Crs didn't protect Cop and Nyjacky the way C9 clusters around Hai and Balls.
Team SoloMid vs Team Dignitas
[TSM bans: Lee Sin, Elise, Aatrox][Dig bans: Karthus, Shen, Rumble]
TSM: Jayce, Nasus, Kassadin, Graves, Thresh
Dig: Zac, Jarvan, Diana, Ezreal, Sona
Interesting ending, even imaqtpie was shaking his head at how he managed to survive the last fight. While we were all still shocked, he pushed down the base for the sudden win.
Vulcun vs Curse
[Vul bans: Twitch, Jarvan, Tryndamere][Crs bans: Shen, Zac, Elise]
Vul: Malphite, Evelynn, Ahri, Tristana
Crs: Rumble, Nasus, Jayce, Ashe, Zyra
Vul zz-roll. I'm telling you, maybe they ought to try and close games out faster than that. Not just for my sake, watching their incredible slow snowball, but one bad engagement could have spelled another dramatic comeback against them.
Cloud 9 vs Velocity Esports
[C9 bans: Jarvan, Kennen, Shen][VES bans: Zed, Kassadin, Zac]
C9: Elise, Nasus, Jayce, Ashe, Zyra
VES: Rumble, Lee Sin, Twisted Fate, Varus, Nami
C9 in their usual 35 minutes. But you knew, right? What a terrible time for VES to go up against the nearly-undefeated C9.
Counter Logic Gaming vs Team SoloMid
[CLG bans: Rumble, Zed, Shen][TSM bans: Twisted Fate, Elise, (did not ban third)]
CLG: Malphite, Nocturne, Ahri, Ezreal, Thresh
TSM: Jayce, Zac, Kassadin, Graves, Sona
Another decisive win for CLG against TSM. 4-0, at least they can consistently beat somebody. And I reiterating above point about Zac.
Team Coast vs Team Dignitas
[CST bans: Ezreal, Kassadin, Zed][Dig bans: Riven, Ahri, Elise]
CST: Aatrox, Fiddlesitcks, Twisted Fate, Vayne, Thresh
Dig: Zac, Jarvan, Gragas, Graves, Sona
It may be worth it to you to check out the pick/ban phase, where Phreak insists that ZionSpartan told him that he'd pick Teemo. He really believed him, too, poor Phreak. At least their real picks are somewhat off the (heavily) beaten path: jungle fid, aatrox. Not that they win with those champs. This also could be a good game to watch because it feels like two teams that are still trying to adapt and understand the new meta of objective-first gameplay. You can see the good: each team grouping up as four early and pushing down one or even two towers without trying for kills. And you can see the bad: teams overpushing, and the opposing team taking advantage of setting up ambushes where they'll know their enemies will be.
Standings
C9 21-2
Vul 15-8
CLG 11-12
Dig 11-12
TSM 11-12
Crs 9-14
CST 9-14
VES 5-18
Thursday, August 1, 2013
LCS NA Summer W7
Have I mentioned it before? I stopped summarizing the EU matches to save time, but they've been infinitely more interesting. New comps, new champs, new metas. Diamond even ran Karma in the jungle! It beats watching the same champs do the same old dull snowball. Maybe I'll try to go back to reporting on those also, someday. Anyhow, back to NA Week 7, despite my ever-so-slight disappointment.
Velocity Esports vs Cloud 9
[VES bans: Zed, Jayce, Elise][C9 bans: Lee Sin, Shen, Kayle]
VES: Renekton, Jarvan, Twisted Fate, Varus, Zyra
C9: Rumble, Zac, Kennen, Ashe, Thresh
C9 in under 30 min. You knew that, though, right?
Team Dignitas vs Team SoloMid
[Dig bans: Thresh, Karthus, Shen][TSM bans: Lee Sin, Master Yi, Elise]
Dig: Aatrox, Nocturne, Kassadin, Graves, Sona
TSM: Jayce, Nasus, Twisted Fate, Caitlyn, Lulu
TSM zz-roll. At least they're back in form. I wonder why Reggie doesn't play Lissandra?
Team Coast vs Vulcun
[CST bans: Sona, Ryze, Jayce][Vul bans: Riven, Tryndamere, Zed]
CST: Elise, Lee Sin, Ahri, Ezreal, Thresh
Vul: Shen, Nunu, Twisted Fate, Ashe, Zyra
Vul zz-roll. See? The new NA meta is 'extremely boring snowball'.
Counter Logic Gaming vs Curse
[CLG bans: Jayce, Nunu, Thresh][Crs bans: Karhtus, Twisted Fate, Elise]
CLG: Shen, Nocturne, Gragas, Vayne, Lulu
Crs: Zac, Jarvan, Orianna, Twitch, Nami
Yuck, this was such a brutal roll, it made CLG look like a bunch of noobs.
Team SoloMid vs Vulcun
[TSM bans: Sona, Shen, Twisted Fate][Vul bans: Jayce, Karthus, Caitlyn]
TSM: Rumble, Elise, Zed, Twitch, Lulu
Vul: Zac, Nasus, Ahri, Ashe, Thresh
Pretty valiant come-back attempt by Vul, but nope, TSM zz-roll.
Cloud 9 vs Team Coast
[C9 bans: Riven, Nami, Shen][CST bans: Rumble, Jayce, Twisted Fate]
C9: Elise, nasus, Kennen, Vayne, Thresh
CST: Renekton, Zac, Zed, Ezreal, Sona
C9 roll. You knew, though, right?
Counter Logic Gaming vs Team Dignitas
[CLG bans: Lee Sin, Sona, Zed][Dig bans: Shen, Twisted Fate, Elise]
CLG: Zac, Jarvan, Orianna, Vayne, Thresh
Dig: Kha'Zix, Nunu, Master Yi, Ezreal, Lulu
Interesting game - Doublelift got ahead early and bought a guardian angel. This basically squashed any hope of a comeback by negating a lot of the 'reset comp' strategy that Yi and Kha'Zix would go for.
Curse vs Velocity Esports
[Crs bans: Karthus, Twisted Fate, Shen][VES bans: Elise, Jayce, Tryndamere]
Crs: Zac, Jarvan, Orianna, Twitch, Nami
VES: Rumble, Lee Sin, Ahri, Varus, Thresh
Crs zz-roll.
Team SoloMid vs Cloud 9
[TSM bans: Rumble, Twisted Fate, Jayce][C9 bans: Caitlyn, Shen, Karthus]
TSM: Renekton, Elise, Orianna, Twitch, Thresh
C9: Ryze, Zac, Zed, Ashe, Zyra
A little more exciting, but again, the outcome was almost pre-determined, right?
Curse vs Team Dignitas
[Crs bans: Sona, Zed, Ryze][Dig bans: Jarvan, Zac, Elise]
Crs: Shen, Xin Zhao, Orianna, Twitch, Thresh
Dig: Aatrox, Lee Sin, Kassadin, Ezreal, Fiddlesticks
Dig zz-roll
Velocity Esports vs Team Coast
[VES bans: Zed, Riven, Jayce][CST bans: Twisted Fate, Shen, Rumble]
VES: Renekton, Elise, Orianna, Twitch, Nami
CST: Gragas, Jarvan, Ahri, Vayne, Thresh
CST roll. Poor VES, who will soon be mathematically eliminated from the playoffs and have difficult time mustering will to compete for nothing.
Vulcun vs Counter Logic Gaming
[Vul bans: Tristana, Vayne, Zac][CLG bans: Ashe, Twisted Fate, Lee Sin]
Vul: Shen, Nunu, Orianna, Twitch, Zyra
CLG: Malphite, Elise, Ahri, Ezreal, Thresh
This one is probably the best one to watch, even though I'm not sure you can take away tips and tricks for mounting a comeback from WAY back. This is at least the second time we've seen Vul lose a game from way out in front, and there IS a certain sense of ... milling about from their team during end game moments instead of sealing certain victory. But that's not to entirely take away from a very valiant (and unlikely) come-from-behind win by CLG, it was pretty cool.
Standings
C9 18-2
Vul 12-8
CLG 10-10
TSM 10-10
Crs 9-11
Dig 9-11
CST 8-12
VES 4-16
Velocity Esports vs Cloud 9
[VES bans: Zed, Jayce, Elise][C9 bans: Lee Sin, Shen, Kayle]
VES: Renekton, Jarvan, Twisted Fate, Varus, Zyra
C9: Rumble, Zac, Kennen, Ashe, Thresh
C9 in under 30 min. You knew that, though, right?
Team Dignitas vs Team SoloMid
[Dig bans: Thresh, Karthus, Shen][TSM bans: Lee Sin, Master Yi, Elise]
Dig: Aatrox, Nocturne, Kassadin, Graves, Sona
TSM: Jayce, Nasus, Twisted Fate, Caitlyn, Lulu
TSM zz-roll. At least they're back in form. I wonder why Reggie doesn't play Lissandra?
Team Coast vs Vulcun
[CST bans: Sona, Ryze, Jayce][Vul bans: Riven, Tryndamere, Zed]
CST: Elise, Lee Sin, Ahri, Ezreal, Thresh
Vul: Shen, Nunu, Twisted Fate, Ashe, Zyra
Vul zz-roll. See? The new NA meta is 'extremely boring snowball'.
Counter Logic Gaming vs Curse
[CLG bans: Jayce, Nunu, Thresh][Crs bans: Karhtus, Twisted Fate, Elise]
CLG: Shen, Nocturne, Gragas, Vayne, Lulu
Crs: Zac, Jarvan, Orianna, Twitch, Nami
Yuck, this was such a brutal roll, it made CLG look like a bunch of noobs.
Team SoloMid vs Vulcun
[TSM bans: Sona, Shen, Twisted Fate][Vul bans: Jayce, Karthus, Caitlyn]
TSM: Rumble, Elise, Zed, Twitch, Lulu
Vul: Zac, Nasus, Ahri, Ashe, Thresh
Pretty valiant come-back attempt by Vul, but nope, TSM zz-roll.
Cloud 9 vs Team Coast
[C9 bans: Riven, Nami, Shen][CST bans: Rumble, Jayce, Twisted Fate]
C9: Elise, nasus, Kennen, Vayne, Thresh
CST: Renekton, Zac, Zed, Ezreal, Sona
C9 roll. You knew, though, right?
Counter Logic Gaming vs Team Dignitas
[CLG bans: Lee Sin, Sona, Zed][Dig bans: Shen, Twisted Fate, Elise]
CLG: Zac, Jarvan, Orianna, Vayne, Thresh
Dig: Kha'Zix, Nunu, Master Yi, Ezreal, Lulu
Interesting game - Doublelift got ahead early and bought a guardian angel. This basically squashed any hope of a comeback by negating a lot of the 'reset comp' strategy that Yi and Kha'Zix would go for.
Curse vs Velocity Esports
[Crs bans: Karthus, Twisted Fate, Shen][VES bans: Elise, Jayce, Tryndamere]
Crs: Zac, Jarvan, Orianna, Twitch, Nami
VES: Rumble, Lee Sin, Ahri, Varus, Thresh
Crs zz-roll.
Team SoloMid vs Cloud 9
[TSM bans: Rumble, Twisted Fate, Jayce][C9 bans: Caitlyn, Shen, Karthus]
TSM: Renekton, Elise, Orianna, Twitch, Thresh
C9: Ryze, Zac, Zed, Ashe, Zyra
A little more exciting, but again, the outcome was almost pre-determined, right?
Curse vs Team Dignitas
[Crs bans: Sona, Zed, Ryze][Dig bans: Jarvan, Zac, Elise]
Crs: Shen, Xin Zhao, Orianna, Twitch, Thresh
Dig: Aatrox, Lee Sin, Kassadin, Ezreal, Fiddlesticks
Dig zz-roll
Velocity Esports vs Team Coast
[VES bans: Zed, Riven, Jayce][CST bans: Twisted Fate, Shen, Rumble]
VES: Renekton, Elise, Orianna, Twitch, Nami
CST: Gragas, Jarvan, Ahri, Vayne, Thresh
CST roll. Poor VES, who will soon be mathematically eliminated from the playoffs and have difficult time mustering will to compete for nothing.
Vulcun vs Counter Logic Gaming
[Vul bans: Tristana, Vayne, Zac][CLG bans: Ashe, Twisted Fate, Lee Sin]
Vul: Shen, Nunu, Orianna, Twitch, Zyra
CLG: Malphite, Elise, Ahri, Ezreal, Thresh
This one is probably the best one to watch, even though I'm not sure you can take away tips and tricks for mounting a comeback from WAY back. This is at least the second time we've seen Vul lose a game from way out in front, and there IS a certain sense of ... milling about from their team during end game moments instead of sealing certain victory. But that's not to entirely take away from a very valiant (and unlikely) come-from-behind win by CLG, it was pretty cool.
Standings
C9 18-2
Vul 12-8
CLG 10-10
TSM 10-10
Crs 9-11
Dig 9-11
CST 8-12
VES 4-16
LCS NA Summer W6
Sweet, Riot incorporates the left-hand list of topics the commentators are about to talk about. Looks like someone besides me is a fan of SportsCenter! And that's no disrespect, I love that thing, and the text bar at the bottom (even though someone is taking it as an opportunity for added puns), the extra statistics helpfully dropping down from under people's names, the upgraded lighting all over the fancy caster desk. All of it is awesome, keep that up, Riot. Little bit less successful is the on-site interview, but you'll get there in time. Future additions may include a real girl, that'd be cool (I volunteer); even if you have to just include a girl in Teemo cosplay holding up a round card, why not. Week 6, ahoy.
Cloud 9 vs Team SoloMid
[C9 bans: Shen, Caitlyn, Kartus][TSM bans: Jayce, Twisted Fate, Elise]
C9: Rumble, Nasus, Zed, Ashe, Zyra
TSM: Yorick, Zac, Ryze, Vayne, Thresh
Ouch. Brutality by C9.
Curse vs Team Coast
[Crs bans: Riven, Thresh, (did not ban third)][CST bans: Nunu, Shen, Twisted Fate]
Crs: Elise, Jarvan, Jayce, Twitch, Fiddlesticks
CST: Renekton, Gragas, Lux, Corki, Zyra
More unusual picks, which would be fun and interesting, if Crs did not just slowly roll CST down.
Vulcun vs Team Dignitas
[Vul bans: Zed, Kennen, Lissandra][Dig bans: Elise, Evelynn, Twisted Fate]
Vul: Zac, Nunu, Ezreal, Kog'Maw, Sona
Dig: Rumble, Lee Sin, Ryze, Caitlyn, Fiddlesticks
It's a copycat league - Dig copied the Fid support, and Vul copied the double AD (From Korea, maybe). But it's an ugly roll in Vul's favor, not really worth watching.
Counter Logic Gaming vs Velocity Esports
[CLG bans: Kayle, Evelynn, Rumble][VES bans: Elise, Jayce, Twisted Fate]
CLG: Irelia, Nunu, Ezreal, Tristana, Sona
VES: Shen, Lee Sin, Orianna, Varus, Thresh
Ouch, another smashing, even though CLG was solidly ahead. I feel like I've said that before about CLG, and that makes me even sadder.
Team Coast vs Team SoloMid
[CST bans: Karthus, Zed, Renekton][TSM bans: Twisted Fate, Jayce, Blitzcrank]
CST: Shen, Jarvan, Ahri, Twitch, Nami
TSM: Rumble, Elise, Ryze, Vayne, Thresh
TSM zzz-roll. I'm telling you, the EU games are more exciting.
Cloud 9 vs Curse
[C9 bans: Shen, Jayce, Nunu][Crs bans: Rumble, Twisted Fate, Elise]
C9: Jayce, Nasus, Zed, Ashe, Zyra
Crs: Tryndamere, Xin Zhao, Ahri, Caitlyn, Thresh
C9 in a roll-face. Did you think otherwise?
Team Dignitas vs Counter Logic Gaming
[Dig bans: Vladimir, Jayce, Shen][CLG bans: Graves, Nunu, Zed]
Dig: Elise, Lee Sin, Kassadin, Varus, Sona
CLG: Vayne, Nocturne, Twisted Fate, Twitch, Thresh
Lot of kills in this one, something of an exciting game, but it felt frustrating that CLG wasn't making the right moves as a team to pull out the win. When viewed from the omni-vision perspective, sometimes you take for granted how obvious the next move is, and watching CLG lose because of bad moves late game is a tedious feeling.
Velocity Esports vs Vulcun
[VES bans: Elise, Ryze, Sona][Vul bans: Rumble, Nunu, Evelynn]
VES: Shen, Lee Sin, Twisted Fate, Vayne, Zyra
Vul: Yorick, Zac, Ezreal, Kog'Maw, Thresh
Vulcun already won a game with double-AD comp, you can't really expect it to work twice in a row? Secondly, it's time to retire that Yorick. Thirdly, as the commentators mention, the community never predicts Vul to win any of their games, except their games against VES. Ironic. Finally, if you never believed me about maplestreet before, watch the 'signoff' video at the end, where maplestreet and NK are interviewed. They're sitting right next to eachother, and I don't know how Kobe isn't laughing out loud at trying to talk to the tiny, tiny maplestreet around the gigantic NK. They also had some silliness about maplestreet and Oddone going to minigolf? They just seem like they never had that close of a sibling relationship, and now that Riot is trying to force one on them, they're all very awkward. Let 'em alone, Riot. It's a cute story, but I'm sure you can find another one.
Standings
C9 15-2
Vul 11-6
CLG 8-9
Dig 8-9
TSM 8-9
Crs 7-10
CST 7-10
VES 4-13
Cloud 9 vs Team SoloMid
[C9 bans: Shen, Caitlyn, Kartus][TSM bans: Jayce, Twisted Fate, Elise]
C9: Rumble, Nasus, Zed, Ashe, Zyra
TSM: Yorick, Zac, Ryze, Vayne, Thresh
Ouch. Brutality by C9.
Curse vs Team Coast
[Crs bans: Riven, Thresh, (did not ban third)][CST bans: Nunu, Shen, Twisted Fate]
Crs: Elise, Jarvan, Jayce, Twitch, Fiddlesticks
CST: Renekton, Gragas, Lux, Corki, Zyra
More unusual picks, which would be fun and interesting, if Crs did not just slowly roll CST down.
Vulcun vs Team Dignitas
[Vul bans: Zed, Kennen, Lissandra][Dig bans: Elise, Evelynn, Twisted Fate]
Vul: Zac, Nunu, Ezreal, Kog'Maw, Sona
Dig: Rumble, Lee Sin, Ryze, Caitlyn, Fiddlesticks
It's a copycat league - Dig copied the Fid support, and Vul copied the double AD (From Korea, maybe). But it's an ugly roll in Vul's favor, not really worth watching.
Counter Logic Gaming vs Velocity Esports
[CLG bans: Kayle, Evelynn, Rumble][VES bans: Elise, Jayce, Twisted Fate]
CLG: Irelia, Nunu, Ezreal, Tristana, Sona
VES: Shen, Lee Sin, Orianna, Varus, Thresh
Ouch, another smashing, even though CLG was solidly ahead. I feel like I've said that before about CLG, and that makes me even sadder.
Team Coast vs Team SoloMid
[CST bans: Karthus, Zed, Renekton][TSM bans: Twisted Fate, Jayce, Blitzcrank]
CST: Shen, Jarvan, Ahri, Twitch, Nami
TSM: Rumble, Elise, Ryze, Vayne, Thresh
TSM zzz-roll. I'm telling you, the EU games are more exciting.
Cloud 9 vs Curse
[C9 bans: Shen, Jayce, Nunu][Crs bans: Rumble, Twisted Fate, Elise]
C9: Jayce, Nasus, Zed, Ashe, Zyra
Crs: Tryndamere, Xin Zhao, Ahri, Caitlyn, Thresh
C9 in a roll-face. Did you think otherwise?
Team Dignitas vs Counter Logic Gaming
[Dig bans: Vladimir, Jayce, Shen][CLG bans: Graves, Nunu, Zed]
Dig: Elise, Lee Sin, Kassadin, Varus, Sona
CLG: Vayne, Nocturne, Twisted Fate, Twitch, Thresh
Lot of kills in this one, something of an exciting game, but it felt frustrating that CLG wasn't making the right moves as a team to pull out the win. When viewed from the omni-vision perspective, sometimes you take for granted how obvious the next move is, and watching CLG lose because of bad moves late game is a tedious feeling.
Velocity Esports vs Vulcun
[VES bans: Elise, Ryze, Sona][Vul bans: Rumble, Nunu, Evelynn]
VES: Shen, Lee Sin, Twisted Fate, Vayne, Zyra
Vul: Yorick, Zac, Ezreal, Kog'Maw, Thresh
Vulcun already won a game with double-AD comp, you can't really expect it to work twice in a row? Secondly, it's time to retire that Yorick. Thirdly, as the commentators mention, the community never predicts Vul to win any of their games, except their games against VES. Ironic. Finally, if you never believed me about maplestreet before, watch the 'signoff' video at the end, where maplestreet and NK are interviewed. They're sitting right next to eachother, and I don't know how Kobe isn't laughing out loud at trying to talk to the tiny, tiny maplestreet around the gigantic NK. They also had some silliness about maplestreet and Oddone going to minigolf? They just seem like they never had that close of a sibling relationship, and now that Riot is trying to force one on them, they're all very awkward. Let 'em alone, Riot. It's a cute story, but I'm sure you can find another one.
Standings
C9 15-2
Vul 11-6
CLG 8-9
Dig 8-9
TSM 8-9
Crs 7-10
CST 7-10
VES 4-13
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