LCS NA W5 pt1

Week 5 in the NA is happening at MLG in Dallas, which, I have to say, is a pro-looking set-up.  Each team is on stage in boxes like Starcraft booths.  The game screens are clean and up to 1080p resolution.  Also, the most picked and banned for each team is listed during picks and bans phase, which I was going to do once I had more data, but this is extremely convenient.

• TSM most picked: Taric (54.6%), Miss Fortune (54.6%), Orianna (45.5%), Maokai (36.4%), Jarvan (36.4%)
• TSM most banned: Kayle (54.6%), Elise (36.4%), Twisted Fate (27.3%)
• TSM most banned against: LeBlanc (54.6%), Singed (36.4%), Kayle (36.4%)
• GGU most picked: Lulu (41.7%), Elise (33.3%), Akali (25%), Lux (25%), Twitch (25%)
• GGU most banned: Kayle (41.7%), Xin Zhao (41.7%), Nidalee (33.3%)
• GGU most banned against: Nidalee (58.3%), Twitch (50%), Kayle (33.3%)
• coL most picked: Jarvan (44.4%), Shen (44.4%), Taric (44.4%), Twitch (33.3%), Kog'Maw (33.3%)
• coL most picked: Jarvan (44.4%), Shen (44.4%), Taric (44.4%), Twitch (33.3%), Kog'Maw (33.3%)
• coL most banned: Nidalee (55.6%), Kayle (44.4%), Singed (44.4%)
• coL most banned against: Zed (66.7%), Kayle (44.4%), Vi (33.3%)
• dig most picked: Diana (50%), Alistar (50%), Xin Zhao (41.7%), Singed (41.6%), Draven (33.3%)
• dig most banned: Twisted Fate (58.3%), Nidalee (33.3%), Elise (25%)
• dig most banned against: Kayle (66.7%), Gragas (33.3%), Draven (33.3%)
• Crs most picked: Jarvan (45.5%), Taric (45.5%), Xin Zhao (36.4%), Miss Fortune (36.4%), Ryze (27.3%)
• Crs most banned: Shen (72.7%), Rumble (27.3%), Kayle (27.3%)
• Crs most banned against: Xin Zhao (54.6%), Kayle (45.5%), Miss Fortune (36.7%)
• CLG most picked: Vayne (45.5%), Lee Xin (36.4%), Cho'Gath (36.4%), Taric (27.3%), Malphite (27.3%)
• CLG most banned: Xin Zhao (45.5%), Rumble (27.3%), Zed (18.2%)
• CLG most banned against: Nidalee (63.6%), Shen (54.6%), Twisted Fate (36.4%)
• VC most picked: Alistar (53.9%), Elise (30.8%), Ezreal (30.8%), Kog'Maw (30.8%), Xin Zhao (30.8%)
• VC most banned: Kayle (61.5%), Twisted Fate (46.2%), Xin Zhao (23.1%)
• VC most banned against: Elise (46.2%), Nidalee (38.5%), Rumble (30.1%)
• MRN most picked: Tristana (55.6%), Jarvan (44.4%), Renekton (44.4%), Vi (44.4%), Akali (33.3%)
• MRN most banned: Kayle (55.6%), Singed (33.3%), Shen (22.2%)
• MRN most banned against: Renekton (56.6%), Jarvan (44.4%), Twisted Fate (33.3%)

Team SoloMid vs Good Game University
---TSM bans: Elise, Akali (did not ban third)---GGU bans: Miss Fortune, Kayle, Jarvan---
TSM: Rumble, Xin Zhao, Twisted Fate, Kog'Maw, Thresh
GGU: Singed, Zed, Diana, Vayne, Lulu
Pretty dominated by TSM.  They didn't even ban a third champ, that's how unworried they were?

Complexity vs Team Dignitas
---coL bans: Diana, Alistar, Thresh---d bans: Jayce, Caitlyn, Jarvan---
coL: Elise, Cho'Gath, Kha'Zix, Varus, Sona
d: Renekton, Xin Zhao, Kayle, Draven, Lulu
dignitas trades mid and bot lanes, to be extra-harrassful in mid, and so Patoy's Lulu can roam from lane to lane.  She didn't much, though.  And somehow, somehow, complexity claws and scratches its way to a big upset.  Seriously, Phreak and Rivington were discussing the online voting poll earlier (Rivington also introduced Phreak as "the one, the only, Phreak, who's face just does tons of damage") and the folks out in the world were 96% to 4% in favor of dignitas.  This one is probably worth watching.

Curse vs Counter Logic Gaming
---Crs bans: Xerath, Vayne, Twisted Fate---CLG bans: Kog'Maw, Xin Zhao, Renekton---
Crs: Elise, Jarvan, Ryze, Miss Fortune, Sona
CLG: Rumble, Shen, Gragas, Caitlyn, Lulu
What's going on with you, CLG?  Now Link is playing top, HotshotGG's in the jungle, and bigfatlp is back and in mid?  Too much turnover, CLG, you can't play like this.  Crs is basically made up of people you've kicked out, and they're delightfully out for vengeance.

Vulcun Command vs Team MRN
---VC bans: Akali, Renekton, Irelia---MRN bans: Thresh, Elise, Kayle---
VC: Rumble, Renekton, Nidalee, Tristana, Sona
MRN: Shen, Jarvan, Ryze, Caitlyn, Nami
New player on Team MRN, they don't seem to have their act together during this game.

Curse vs Team Solomid
---Crs bans: Xerath, Thresh, Singed---TSM bans: Akali, Elise, Twisted Fate---
Crs: Katarina, Jarvan, Kayle, Kog'Maw, Janna
TSM: Rumble, Xin Zhao, Orianna, Miss Fortune, Sona
You know how sometimes some team just gets so far ahead it makes the other team look bad?  No matter how good the other team is, there's nothing they can do to salvage the situation, or even a little bit of dignity from the loss.  That was this game.

Team Dignitas vs Good Game University
---d bans: Twisted Fate, Caitlyn, Lulu---GGU bans: Diana, Gragas, Singed---
d: Elise, Vi, Kayle, Varus, Sona
GGU: Jayce, Trundle, Kog'Maw, Ezreal, Janna
Epic poke comp from GGU, with the AP Kog'Maw mid.  But poke comps don't seem to be terribly successful at tower defense.

Complexity vs Vulcun Command
---coL bans: Nidalee, Twisted Fate, Lux---VC bans: Zed, Kayle, Elise---
coL: Rumble, Amumu, Kha'Zix, Caitlyn, Thresh
VC: Shen, Nassus, Diana, Varus, Sona
One of the rarest games out there.  Dead even in kills and gold for nearly an hour.  Every fight after 40 minutes is like sudden death - an ace means game over.  They eventually base race, and that's the ultimate in sudden death.

Team MRN vs Counter Logic Gaming
---MRN bans: Thresh, Rumble, Kayle---CLG bans: Syndra, Jarvan, Renekton---
MRN: Irelia, Shen, Diana, Tristana, Alistar
CLG: Elise, Maokai, Ryze, Vayne, Lulu
Another close game, despite new player on MRN in mid.

LCS EU W4 pt2

Week 4 super week, day 2.

Fnatic vs Copenhagen Wolves
---Fnatic bans: Lux, Nidalee, Syndra---CW bans: Leona, Kayle, Vi---
Fnatic: Shen, Volibear, Katarina, Miss Fortune, Sona
CW: Renekton, Xin Zhao, Kassadin, Ezreal, Thresh
Wow.  I had assumed (as you may have) that Fnatic would just zzz-roll, so I left it on in the background and started to do other stuff.  The constant screaming brought me back over, and I was glued to it for the rest of the match.  This game is a must-watch - it is exciting.  Deman's mind is all but blown at the end from the constant screaming.  Need more convincing?  There is a base race, AND there is a backdoor, both of which are epic.  Aranaea, guest analyst at the desk, thanked Lolesports profusely for inviting him, because that was the best LoL game he's ever seen.  You should probably watch it.

Evil Geniuses vs Against All Authority
---EG bans: Xin Zhao, Nidalee, Renekton---aAa bans: Kayle, Anivia, Lux---
EG: Rumble, Vi, Ryze, Varus, Thresh
aAa: Elise, Shen, Kha'Zix, Ezreal, Sona
I've never seen Wickd on Rumble.  aAa seems strong early on, and despite some late fumbling around, they manage to pull off the upset.

Gambit Gaming vs Fnatic
---GMB bans: Elise, Leona, Caitlyn---Fnatic bans: Xin Zhao, Thresh, Volibear---
GMB: Shen, Nassus, Kassadin, Miss Fortune, Taric
Fnatic: Rumble, Vi, Kayle, Corki, Sona
I think I will always be rooting against any team that fields Corki.  And lo and behold, GMB rolls.  Nice fights, though.  All three games so far have had good fights.

Giants vs Dragonborns
---Giants bans: Draven, Thresh, Xin Zhao---DB bans: Kennen, Ryze, Volibear---
Giants: Shen, Vi, Diana, Vayne, Sona
DB: Wukong, Jarvan, Kayle, Caitlyn, Taric
I agree with the commentators, some producer slipped some super aggression into everyone's coffee this morning, because kills are again quite even, aggression and kills happen throughout the match, and fights are exciting and plentiful.  Though DB are usually of the disposition to pick fights rather than play safe.  There's even a sweet baron steal.

SK Gaming vs Copenhagen Wolves
---SK bans: Varus, Elise, Lux---CW bans: Vi, Kassadin, Kayle---
SK: Irelia, Xin Zhao, Diana, Graves, Sona
CW: Renekton, Shen, Nidalee, Ezreal, Thresh
CW has been looking good in their last few games, and they were keeping up in this one, but they seemed to have bad positions for the last few skirmishes, and that's all it takes.

Gambit Gaming vs Against All Authority
---GMB bans: Elise, Nidalee, Vi---aAa bans: Kayle,Thresh, Xin Zhao---
GMB: Shen, Nassus, Kha'Zix, Ashe, Lulu
aAa: Renekton, Volibear, Twisted Fate, Varus, Sona
Mostly monsters and archers?  Huhn, Volibear early teleports into enemy blue - what cheese!  Have I mentioned before that GosuPepper - now his handle is just EdWard, is quite the epic support?   He made two kills under enemy turret early in this game to save his ADC, and he was wealthy and happy.

Against All Authority vs Fnatic
---aAa bans: Leona, Diana, Vi---Fnatic bans: Lux, Shen, Xin Zhao---
aAa: Malphite, Nassus, Kayle, Ezreal, Sona
Fnatic: Lee Sin, Jarvan, Twisted Fate, Miss Fortune, Alistar
Kills were even, but towers were not.

SK Gaming vs Gambit Gaming
---SK bans: Thresh, Nasus, Zed---GMB bans: Kayle, Graves, Shen---
SK: Darius, Vi, Kassadin, Kog'Maw, Sona
GMB: Renekton, Xin Zhao, Kha'Zix, Miss Fortune, Taric
The commentators basically asked themselves where SK was, and why they didn't show up for this game.

Dragonborns vs Evil Geniuses
---DB bans: Anivia, Lux, Reneketon---EG bans: Xin Zhao, Vi, Kayle---
DB: Kha'Zix, Jarvan, Elise, Nidalee, Soraka
EG: Zed, Shen, Twisted Fate, Draven, Sona
That was fun.  DB basically picked champs that can each fill multiple roles, so there was definitely a moment of confusion while swapping and right before locking in.  But they ended up as listed above, with Nidalee bot lane with Soraka, Kha'Zix top bruiser, and Shushei on Elise mid.  Also, Nid v Draven, you can aim the spear at the spot where he's going to catch the axe.  Sweet!  And think about it!  AP Nidalee doesn't depend so much on levels as much as she needs items to make that spear just massively hurtful.  And with Soraka there, spears are infinite!  Look out for AP bot lane in your soloq.

Copenhagen Wolves vs Giants
---CW bans: Kennen, Ryze, Kayle---GIA bans: Syndra, Vi, Elise---
CW: Singed, Xin Zhao, Kassadin, Varus, Sona
GIA: Wukong, Volibear, Diana, Vayne, Zyra
Well, well, well, CW.  Fine play these last few games, especially Deficio and Bjergsen, support and APC.  What an unfortunate story, Bjergsen: He couldn't be in the qualifiers because it was just before his 17th birthday, and then when he finally arrived in Cologne, he got mugged and couldn't be with his team for the early weeks of the season!  He went 15-0 in this game!

Dragonborns vs SK Gaming
---DB bans: Volibear, Shen, Vi---SK bans: Draven, Jarven, Kayle---
DB: Xin Zhao, Elise, Kha'Zix, Nidalee, Soraka
SK: Irelia, Nassus, Diana, Graves, Taric
DB's tricks don't work a second time.

Giants vs Evil Geniuses
---GIA bans: Lux, Kayle, Shen---EG bans: Kennen, Elise, Vi---
GIA: Irelia, Xin Zhao, Kassadin, Ashe, Sona
EG: Renekton, Maokai, Anivia, Varus, Zyra
Oddly, Froggen gets Anivia, and EG does pretty terribly. Very mysterious.

Dead Space 3, Day 3

Alright, the difficulty is cranked all the way up, and it's still not scary.  We die more, yes, but neither of us are scared.  Xian still hates the regenerating monsters, but he hasn't quit the game abruptly due to terror.  The only moments of terror occur when the game regretfully informs me, "Your co-op partner has died," and I still have the ability to run around and shoot the critters gathering around my ankles.  Usually I turn around to see Xian trying to fend off a huge necro that's putting a spike through his head, or flailing around as smaller necros systematically tear off his arms.  I lift my gun, but since the game has already told me there's no saving him, I just shrug sadly.
"How are you doing over there?" I venture hopefully.
"NO, NECRO, I NEED THAT ARM," he wails.
"So I guess we're not doing so good."
"GET THIS GUY OFF ME!"
"He's already tearing off your face, dude.  You're already dead, the game is already restarting from checkpoint.  This is just punishment. If I could take an action, I'd mercy-shoot you to prevent you from turning into a necro."
Mostly inarticulate yelling in reply.

The story continues to be inscrutable, and now that he's not scared, he's finally more alarmed that it's not clear or cohesive.  Someone once again sends us off on another fetch quest, and immediately a ton of necros leap out as if to distract us from the incongruity of it all.
"Wait, why is Isaac, the engineer, sent to do this and no one is coming with?  I'm not even on their stupid team," I ask while shaking off mini necros.
"Yeah," Xian muses, using his always-preferred shotgun.  "Was it always this unreasonable in the other Dead Spaces, and we just didn't notice?"
"We were spending most of our effort just getting out of each room alive," I agreed, double-tapping everyone that was down.  "We didn't exactly have time to ponder the why of it all.  Although I do remember you bitterly asking why you had to cross the necromorph'd daycare last game."
"And did you give a satisfactory answer?" Xian asked, stomping into the next room.
"I didn't have to.  You got exploded by a babymorph-bomb and then turned the game off to cry."
"Good times," he says, sounding a touch resigned as he raids the lockers and absently blasts a necro with his shotgun after it bursts out of a vent. "Did we get the stupid part to fix the stupid spacecraft?"
"Yeah, I grabbed it. Is the next part on this floor?"
"I think it's on the other side.  But I hear a lot of gurgling noises."
"Yeah, they're still out there.  But I'm sure they're just waiting for us on the other side."
We brute force our way through the next sections, both irritated at the way the rest of the so-called crew is doing a total of diddly-squat while Clarke and Carver are wading neck deep through necros to repair and fuel the spacecraft. After all that, Ellie sentences us to death by accident by firing up the shuttles thrusters and has no way of turning it off?  I mean, Ellie, you're supposed to be the love interest here, but you're not really supporting that cause, because I'm starting to hate your stupid ass.
This part is the worst.  I'm not scared of horror games, that's not my problem.  My gaming weakness is timing games.  If there's a rotating fan that you have to time just so in order to get through or it's certain death, you can bet I'm going to fail that thing like twenty times in a row.  The next part is supposed to be hectic and harrowing, but I manage to die on every single jet of flame that you're supposed to time your way past perhaps ten times.  I can hear Xian gritting his teeth on the other side of the Skype as we start the sequence over for the thirtieth time, when he says "this time, wait for the jet of flame before running?"  The regenerator necro isn't even scaring him anymore, he just flicks a stasis shot at him every time he shows up - and we know where he's going to show up, because we're only making incremental progress through this sequence.
Ugh, the shame.  It takes nearly half an hour to get through the stupid thirty second sequence.  Turning down the difficulty wouldn't even help, because I'd always die to the flames, which are one hit kills, not difficulty-dependent.  It was so late afterwards, we just saved and quit.

LCS EU W4 pt1

Super week in the EU, lots of games to get to.  Notice that the EU setup doesn't include a number of small sophistications that have been added to the LA studio: players still wearing double earphones, no name labels or 'power ranger cam', no fancy touch screen debriefing screen.  They do, however, have an in-studio audience, which is pretty cool.

Gambit Gaming vs Dragonborns
---GG bans: Draven, Jarvan, Vi---DB bans: Ryze, Kayle, Xin Zhao---
GG: Shen, Volibear, Zed, Miss Fortune, Thresh
DB: Renekton, Amumu, Kha'Zix, Varus, Leona
Huhn, guess the patch hasn't deterred the EU from taking Kha'Zix.  And the Xerath popularity wave hasn't reached their shores, either.  Exciting game - DB (and to a lesser extent GG) is one of the last teams that's all about killing folks and not just grinding away.  But alas for my favorite team DB, GG is that one team in the movie that's disciplined and organized and cohesive, and DB is the team in the movie that has moxie and renegades and is mostly undisciplined.  It's what we love about them, but they just get edged in all the big fights.

SK Gaming vs Against All Authority
---SK bans: Renekton, Elise, Xin Zhao---aAa bans: Twitch, Shen, Vi---
SK: Irelia, Jarvan, Kayle, Varus, Taric
aAa: Jayce, Volibear, Nidalee, Ezreal, Sona
There are some nice fights in this one, if you enjoy somewhat one-sided fights.  Ocelot apparently grew a beard of +2 power.  SK wins.

Giants vs Fnatic
---Giants bans: Malphite, Nidalee, Tryndamere---Fnatic bans: Ryze, Kennen, Xin Zhao---
Giants: Garen, Hecarim, Diana, Ashe, Sona
Fnatic: Shen, Kayle, Zyra, Miss Fortune, Leona
A Garen!  Woaaah.  Even the commentators scrambled to remember his abilities.  We've never seen him with Hecarim or Diana, and we've never seen him 1v2.  Unfortunately, it didn't seem to work, and he ended up not being effective.  And Jimbz, previously my hero, was not effective as Ashe.  Fnatic just pushes them down.

Evil Geniuses vs Copenhagen Wolves
---EG bans: Elise, Syndra, Kayle---CW bans: Anivia, Thresh, Sona---
EG: Shen, Vi, Lux, Varus, Alistar
CW: Renekton, Xin Zhao, Kassadin, Ezreal, Taric
Nope, don't watch it.  Poor CW doesn't even put up much of a fight.

Giants vs SK Gaming
---Giants bans: Kayle, Xin Zhao, Vi---SK bans: Kennen, Sona, Elise---
Giants: Shen, Hecarim, Ryze, Caitlyn, Thresh
SK: Darius, Volibear, Orianna, Graves, Zyra
Pretty dull grind to victory for SK.

Fnatic vs Dragonborns
---Fnatic bans: Xin Zhao, Jarvan, Thresh---DB bans: Shen, Kayle, Volibear---
Fnatic: Elise, Vi, Nidalee, Miss Fortune, Sona
DB: Darius, Amumu, Lux, Draven, Taric
That's a lot of roots, DB. But somehow Fnatic has more objective pushing power.  Even though there were very nice, even fights and deaths were equal until the end, Fnatic cleared the base, and that's how you win.

Evil Geniuses vs Gambit Gaming
---EG bans: Twisted Fate, Renekton, Kassadin---GG bans: Anivia, Lux, Kayle---
EG: Irelia, Vi, Nidalee, Draven, Taric
GG: Shen, Xin Zhao, Kha'Zix, Kog'Maw, Thresh
No, Wickd, don't face check that brush!  First blood at a minute for GG.

Copenhagen Wolves vs Against All Authority
---CW bans: Sona, Nidalee, Shen---aAa bans: Lux, Kayle, Thresh---
CW: Singed, Vi, Syndra, Varus, Zyra
aAa: Renekton, Xin Zhao, Orianna, Miss Fortune, Lulu
Is it just me, or is CW's comp full of very angry characters?  Are they angry because of their standings?  Well they played solidly in this game.  Their AP carry, Bjergsen, even got a pentakill.  Good game.

LCS NA W4 pt2

This was a long week, so I broke it up into two.  I'm loving the touch screen analysis.  It's like Sportscenter for LoL.  LoLcenter.  Also similar to the Sportscenter effect, the commentators mention that the players have become obsessed with their KDA ratios because the LCS keeps track of them and displays it next to your name in order to have a vague sense of 'grading'.

Good Game University vs Dignitas
---GGU bans: Singed, Xin Zhao, Draven---d bans: Twisted Fate, Kayle, Elise---
GGU: Akali, Vi, Orianna, Graves, Lulu
d: Diana, Nocturne, Gragas, Ezreal, Sona
I can't recommend this vid because it's been a really long day of games, and Phreak has gotten especially loopy with his casting.  Dignitas wins.

Team MRN vs Team Solomid
---MRN bans: LeBlanc, Singed, Malphite---TSM bans: Twisted Fate, Kayle, Renekton---
MRN: Akali, Jarvan, Nidalee, Tristana, Alistar
TSM: Rumble, Xin Zhao, Xerath, Miss Fortune, Taric
Just check out that lineup and tell me who had the better skill set to deal with Jarvan's ult?  That's right, one team has 5 jump skills, and one team has zero.  Team MRN just took out CLG earlier in the night, and they proceed to dismantle TSM, as well.  Nice.

Team Solomid vs Vulcun Command
---TSM bans: Nidalee, Elise, Rumble---VC bans: Miss Fortune, Jarvan, Kayle---
TSM: Singed, Maokai, Xerath, Kog'Maw, Taric
VC: Renekton, Xin Zhao, Lux, Ezreal, Alistar
This is the first game of the next morning, and Muffinqt was still trying to wake up during picks and bans.  As for Xerath, flavor of the week, it looks like.  VC gets solidly ahead and even looks like they're about to end it, but somehow, TSM uses their experience and savvy to delay until Kog'Maw becomes basically unstoppable.

Dignitas vs Complexity
---d bans: Zed, Jayce, Twisted Fate---coL bans: Singed, Kayle, Diana---
d: Elise, Xin Zhao, Nidalee, Jayce, Zyra
coL: Shen, Maokai, Kassadin, Kog'Maw, Taric
Woah, dignitas dismantled them in under 20 minutes.

Good Game University vs Team MRN
---GGU bans: Renekton, Vi, Nidalee---MRN ban: Kayle, Rumble, Twisted Fate---
GGU: Fizz, Elise, Orianna, Twitch, Alistar
MRN: Akali, Jarvan, Lux, Tristana, Sona
MRN has a ton of damage in this game.  They really blow up anyone they find.

CounterLogic Gaming vs Curse
---CLG bans: Xin Zhao, Twisted Fate, Nidalee---Crs bans: Shen, Malphite, Xerath---
CLG: Cho'Gath, Jarvan, Lux, Vayne, Lulu
Crs: Tryndamere, Nocturne, Kayle, Miss Fortune, Alistar
Kind of a dull grind to victory for CLG, despite two invulnerability abilities for Crs.  Some of the fights were really weird and scattered.  Like, low ELO fights.

Team SoloMid vs Curse
---TSM bans: Akali, Twisted Fate, Xin Zhao---Crs bans: Shen, Xerath, Kayle---
TSM: Singed, Maokai, Orianna, Kog'Maw, Alistar
Crs: Elise, Jarvan, Ryze, Tristana, Lulu
High level game play all around, high level fights.  Crs just edges them in kills, eventually.

Complexity vs CounterLogic Gaming
---coL bans: Xerath, Malphite, Vayne---CLG bans: Zed, Xin Zhao, Twisted Fate---
coL: Jayce, Jarvan, Kayle, Twitch, Taric
CLG: Shen, Lee Sin, Nidalee, Kog'Maw, Lulu
CLG discovers the miracle that is AP Nidalee, coL neglects to purchase MR.  It was ugly.

Team MRN vs Dignitas
---MRN bans: Draven, Singed, Kayle---d bans: Renekton, Akali, Twisted Fate---
MRN: Shen, Jarvan, Nidalee, Tristana, Sona
d: Elise, Xin Zhao, Diana, Corki, Alistar
dignitas lane switched mid and bottom, so the Corki/Alistar was against the Nidalee in mid, and I disliked it.  I dislike Corki in general.  I found myself in the strange position of rooting against scarra, and that turned out to be a losing proposition.  Dignitas rolled solidly, despite AP Nidalee, which has been so solid lately!

Vulcun Command vs Good Game University
---VC bans: Vi, Twisted Fate, Twitch---GGU bans: Nidalee, Kayle, Singed---
VC: Elise, Jarvan, Lux, Kog'Maw, Alistar
GGU: Akali, Xin Zhao, Orianna, Ezreal, Sona
Phreak got excited during picks and bans because VC was headed towards an all animal team (Alistar, Elise, Kog'Maw), and he scoffed at the "entirely humanoid" GGU team.  Anyway, if you were waiting for an epic Akali game, this is going to be the one.  ZionSpartan just carries his team via some murderous Akali.

Standings: 
Dig: 10-2
Crs: 9-2
CLG: 7-4
TSM: 7-4
MRN: 4-5
VC: 4-9
GGU: 2-10
coL: 1-8

LCS NA W4 pt1

Week 4 in the NA LCS, and it's some kind of 'super week'.  Guess there will be a lot of games to cover.   Let us take this time to grudgingly approve of the amount of improvements Riot has made to this spectator mode.  At the dawn of time imemorial, it was awful, they had to ad-hoc a sixth player who just had to carefully stand in the fountain the whole game, do you remember?  Then proper spectator mode, with helpful items and gold at the bottom, with optional vision toggles.  Then, auto-camera, and now their setup correctly labels the person in a tiny window at the bottom (not that they're usually doing much), which is another fine incremental improvement, like the single headset improvement from last week.

Counter Logic Gaming vs Vulcun Command
---CLG bans: Hecarim, Rumble, Kog'Maw---VC bans: Twisted Fate, Xin Zhao, Nidalee---
CLG: Malphite, Jarvan, Xerath, Vayne, Alistar
VC: Singed, Volibear, Kayle, Twitch, Thresh
This Link character plays some unusual AP mids.  Do you remember Xerath? He's the blue ghost-guy that shoots lightning and can root himself for really long range shots?  I mean, he was OP when he first came out, but I haven't seen him in quite some time.  Wonder if he got buffed.  Some fun big fights, but CLG was winning most of them, despite letting VC get Kayle.  VC really hung in there, though.

Curse vs Team MRN
---Crs bans: Shen, Taric, Renekton---MRN bans: Kayle, Twisted Fate, Akali---
Crs: Tryndamere, Xin Zhao, Lux, Caitlyn, Lulu
MRN: Cho'Gath, Jarvan, Nidalee, Tristana, Alistar
Whew, new Trynd art?  How long has that been there?  No way to know!  I haven't seen a Trynd in a game in months.  It suits Voyboy well, though.  It's all about balls of steel, and that's Voyboy for you.

Team SoloMid vs Complexity
---TSM bans: Shen, Kog'Maw, Vi---coL bans: Kayle, Singed, Orianna---
TSM: Malphite, Jarvan, Xerath, Miss Fortune, Taric
coL: Rumble, Xin Zhao, Twisted Fate, Varus, Fiddlesticks
Still no Leblanc, Reginald?  Would it surprise you if I just spoiled it and said TSM rolls?  Probably not.  There were a few good fights, though, to coL's credit.

Good Game University vs Counter Logic Gaming
---GGU bans: Malphiate, Shen, Nidalee---CLG bans: Twitch, Rumble, Lux---
GGU: Akali, Elise, Kayle, Caitlyn, Nunu
CLG: Cho'Gath, Jarvan, Orianna, Vayne, Alistar
Nope, sorry GGU.  Nice fights, but CLG had all the aoe cc.

Curse vs Complexity
---Crs bans: Shen, Vi, Jayce---coL bans: Nidalee, Kayle, Tryndamere---
Crs: Elise, Xin Zhao, Twisted Fate, Miss Fortune, Taric
coL: Zed, Jarvan, Ryze, Twitch, Thresh
Even _I_ just fast forwarded through this one.  The undefeated team against the nearly-winless team?  This is Patriots v Browns.  Eventually I saw Crs engage a fight top lane without their ADC, and won it against all 5 of coL.  Sorry coL.

Good Game University vs Team Solomid
---GGU bans: Singed, Malphite, Taric---TSM bans: Kayle, Akali, Twisted Fate---
GGU: Tryndamere, Xin Zhao, Lux, Corki, Lulu
TSM: Rumble, Jarvan, Orianna, Miss Fortune, Leona

Dignitas vs Vulcun Command
---d bans: Nidalee, Hecarim, Elise---VC bans: Draven, Diana, Kayle---
d: Singed, Vi, Gragas, Graves, Zyra
VC: Rumble, Xin Zhao, Ryze, Ezreal, Alistar
They didn't have much of a chance, but they put up a good fight.  It was back and forth for a while, but dignitas maybe has more experience in end-game.

CounterLogic Gaming vs Team MRN
---CLG bans: Tristana, Jarvan, Xin Zhao---MRN bans: Malphite, Shen, Kayle---
CLG: Nidalee, Wukong, Orianna, Vayne, Taric
MRN: Renekton, Vi, Twisted Fate, Kog'Maw, Sona
HotShotGG back on Nidalee!  Tragically, his Nidalee gets pretty stomped by MRN MegaZero's Renekton... What is wrong with CLG?  Perhaps it is as we have always suspected: only high schoolers have the attention span and OCD twitch skills to excel at this kind of stuff.  Or do you need to get rid of this Link fellow (or DoubleLift) and get Kobe24 back?   At any rate, his Nidalee is a tank Nidalee, and that's not going to have the awesome spears we saw earlier. CLG mounts an effort at a comeback based on nothing more than bold-faced bluffery, but that just did not work for long.  MRN achieves the upset.

Dignitas vs Curse
---d bans: Miss Fortune, Twisted Fate, Tryndamere---Crs ban: Singed, Kayle, Vi---
d: Elise, Xin Zhao, Diana, Kog'Maw, Alistar
Crs: Nidalee, Jarvan, Lux, Twitch, Taric
Oddly, dignitas looks like the undefeated team in this matchup.

Vulcun Command vs Complexity
---VC bans: Zed, Vi, Kayle---coL bans: Nidalee, Singed, Hecarim---
VC: Elise, Xin Zhao, Twisted Fate, Kog'Maw, Alistar
coL: Shen, Jarvan, Diana, Ezreal, Taric
This wasn't a bad game, though the end may have been foreordained.  Both teams were always ready to fight, even coL wanted to engage the fight when they were behind, which is a lovely sentiment for a spectator, because it keeps the action coming.  But VC is on the rise, while coL is still in the basement.

LCS NA W3

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