RheingoldRiver brings reports from all of the LCS action

With excellent overviews of each match and interviews with the expert summoners involved, RheingoldRiver brings insight into the events that enthrall millions as part of the League of Legends Championship Series.

RheingoldRiver is a valued member of the terrific LolKing community; the site for all of your League of Legends tools, guides and information. Rhein also streams regularly and you can get updates on her latest League of Legends content here.

Game 1: Team Curse v Vulcun Techbargains

Voyboy: Vladimir

Saintvicious: Nautilus

Nyjacky: Twisted Fate

Cop: Caitlyn

EDWard: Sona

Sycho Sid: Shen

Xmithie: Elise

mancloud: Orianna

Zuna: Tristana

BloodWater: Zyra

After some technical difficulties resulting in several delays, the first game of the week started explosively with a level-one 5v5 fight near the Curse red buff.  The fight ended with 5 kills, 3-2 in Curse's favor.  After that, the game stagnated a bit until Nyjacky's first Destiny, which was to toplane---but a counter Stand United from Sycho Sid led to the gank being turned in Vulcun's favor, and from there on it was Vulcun who had control of the game.  Early turrets were all answered by Curse, and the blue team even had the gold lead by 1k at 15 minutes, but Vulcun was dictating.  A huge exchange of kills and objectives, starting at 22 minutes led to three members of Curse down and Vulcun taking Baron, bringing them to a 3k gold lead and allowing them a few more towers.  Nyjacky's Destinies continued being thwarted, and by 30 minutes, when Vulcun secured Baron again, they had pushed both mid and top inhibitors.  Though EDWard was able to shut down the 8-2 mancloud, it wasn't enough, and Vulcun secured all three inhibitors.  Not a team to overcommit, they backed off briefly, before returning in full force to push the nexus at 33 minutes.

Game 2: Velocity eSports v Team Solo Mid

Cris: Elise

Nk Inc: Evelynn

Vileroze: Ryze

maplestreet: Draven

Evaniskus: Sona

Reginald: Zed

TheOddOne: Nasus

Dyrus: Jayce

WildTurtle: Caitlyn

Xpecial: Thresh

Continuing the trend set in the first game, Velocity and TSM fought at level 1, only this time near Velocity's wraiths and with only one kill per team.  However, unlike last game the game continued at a quick pace after, with Nk Inc stealing TheOddOne's blue and a 4-minute tower for Velocity in botlane plus three kills in toplane.  Off this early advantage, Velocity jumped ahead in kills and towers, at one point up 8-2 in kills and 3-1 in towers, but TSM stayed even on dragons, and Reginald became extremely farmed by split-pushing side lanes all game.  When Reginald was bot at 29 minutes, Velocity rushed Baron without any vision, and was barely able to finish it before TSM closed in, allowing it to win the ensuing teamfight 4-2.  The buff led to TSM's middle inhibitor falling but, at the same time, Reginald took Velocity's bot inhibitor turret, and ultimately TSM took advantage of Velocity's split-up positioning at 41 minutes to win a 5-0 teamfight, its first decisive teamfight win.  With no champions alive from the side of Velocity that late in the game, TSM pushed the remainder of its way down midlane and closed out the game.

Game 3: Cloud 9 v Dignitas

Balls: Elise

Meteos: Zac

Hai: Jayce

Sneaky: Draven

LemonNation: Lulu

KiWiKiD: Twisted Fate

Crumbz: Xin Zhao

scarra: Zed

imqtpie: Graves

Patoy: Sona

Though there was no level one fight, Cloud 9 still put early pressure onto Crumbz's jungle, with LemonNation rotating down from top and Hai up from mid to help Meteos steal red buff away, stopping a lot of Crumbz's potential early pressure.  KiWiKiD's Twisted Fate, however, was not so set behind, and his Destiny ganks gave Dignitas the lead in both kills and gold out of the early game, completely shutting down Sneaky and multiple times securing kills for imaqtpie onto both of Cloud 9's duo lane.  However, Dignitas attempted an extremely risky baron at 25 minutes when Cloud 9 was bot to take Dragon.  Instead of checking the pit with a ward, Meteos jumped in head-on with an Elastic Slingshot followed up by Let's Bounce and Wild Growth, and the 4-0 was short work for Cloud 9, giving them Baron also.  A skirmish in midlane near Cloud 9's tier 2 turret gave scarra the time to backdoor the top inhibitor, stopping the baron team from pressing its buff advantage, and the game stagnated once again.  But at 33 minutes Dignitas engaged on a LemonNation who seemed out of position, and having used too many cooldowns on the support when the rest of his team arrived, the fight once again went 4-0 for Cloud 9, and once again the fight meant a baron.  With no real ability for Dignitas to split-push anything, Cloud 9 stormed into its base, won one final fight 4-1, and closed out the game at 35:30.

Game 4: Counter Logic Gaming v Team Coast

Nien: Jayce

bigfatlp: Nasus

Link: Orianna

Doublelift: Tristana

Chauster: Sona

ZionSpartan: Shen

NintendudeX: Evelynn

Shiphtur: Zed

DontMashMe: Draven

Daydreamin: Thresh

Against the jungle Evelynn of NintendudeX, CLG pinke warded everything in lanes early on, resulting in no first blood until 10 minutes, after even the first dragon that went over to Coast.  The kill went over to Doublelift's Tristana, and CLG looked strong.  But at 15 minutes, after a few objectives were exchanged, Coast had a great initiate onto CLG, just saving its outer mid turret and winning a fight 3-1, giving them CLG's outer mid turret too.  Gold was still decently even between the teams, but at 23 minutes Coast baited CLG into yet another bad exchange, this time with Nien and jiji dying as Doublelift split-push botlane.  Coast sent ZionSpartan back to defend the split-push while it killed Baron, and Doublelift was barely unable to push the inhib turret.  The next few fights and objectives all went to Coast, with a sacrifice at 36 minutes of a 4-3 fight in CLG's favor, but the bot inhibitor over to Coast.  Greedy for the low bot turret, Link and Doublelift ran all the way across the map to take it down, but the respawns of Coast were barely too short, and both of CLG's carries ended up dying.  In return, Coast easily pushed CLG's mid inhibitor, took Baron, and then closed out the game at 43 minutes.