Rheingold Reports: Last Week's LCS Matches
RheingoldRiver brings reports from all of the LCS action
Game 5: Curse v Cloud 9
Voyboy: Kennen
Saintvicious: Nocturne
Nyjacky: Ahri
Cop: Draven
EDward: Leona
Balls: Rumble
Meteos: Jarvan IV
Hai: Twisted Fate
Sneaky: Ezreal
LemonNation: Thresh
With standard solo queue lanes, the early game was relatively uneventful, with first blood going to Curse in a 2v2 fight in botlane. Kills were exchanged in toplane with the turret going to Cloud 9 as Curse took Dragon at 7 minutes, and after the exchange the gold differential was only 300. The first substantial advantage to either team came at 11 minutes, when Cloud 9 won a 3-1 kill exchange across the map and pushed both remaining outer towers. It continued winning fights and, at 19 minutes, was able to take Baron thanks to a 4-man countergank while Cop was all the way in botlane. Curse attempted to engage a fight near its mid inhibitor turret but, instead, Nyjacky and Voyboy died for free, and both the turret and inhibitor went to Cloud 9. At 26 minutes, Cloud 9 aced Curse in exchange only for Balls, and should have been able to win the game right then, but the inhibitor respawned after it had taken only the top nexus turret, so the team backed off, took their second baron, and then won the game right before the 30-minute mark.
Game 6: Team Solo Mid v Team Coast
Reginald: Karthus
TheOddOne: Zac
Dyrus: Jayce
WildTurtle: Draven
Xpecial: Sona
ZionSpartan: Elise
NintendudeX: Jarvan IV
Shiphtur: Ryze
DontMashMe: Caitlyn
Daydreamin: Blitzcrank
Without a single lane swap coming from either team, it was up to Daydreamin to put his Blitzcrank to good use not through jungle buff control but rather through hooking someone in the 2v2. This wasn't an issue, however, as he secured his team two early kills when TheOddOne came bot at 6:40 and then another two kills at 13 minutes. Coast also took the first turret of the game, but then when Daydreamin left botlane to help mid, DontMashMe was dived on by Xpecial and WildTurtle, and TSM won the ensuing teamfight. A few more objectives were exchanged, and TSM won a 4v4 fight in botlane, but there was no decisive power swing until Coast took Baron at 25 minutes but then lost a 4-for-1 fight, also giving up its inner mid turret and another dragon. From there, it was just a matter of TSM grouping, winning fights and then closing out the game, with Dyrus ending the game as a 9-0-7 Jayce with two triple kills.
Game 7: Velocity eSports v Counter Logic Gaming
Cris: Elise
Nk Inc: Lee Sin
Vileroze: Rumble
maplestreet: Draven
Evaniskus: Zyra
Nien: Shen
bigfatjiji: Jarvan IV
Link: Xerath
Doublelift: Draven
Chauster: Thresh
As always, Velocity showed strong play with very early jungle control, significantly delaying bigfatjiji at his red buff when Nk Inc was level 3 to bigfatjiji's 1. First blood came almost at 9 minutes when Cris successfully won a 1v2 in toplane, killing Chauster. Because bigfatjiji was also coming top, it led to a dragon for Velocity as well. The second dragon fight, however, went much better for CLG, as the two teams danced for several minutes, and CLG ultimately won a 4-1 teamfight when Vileroze's ultimate was down, gaining also two turrets and the dragon itself. But Velocity had an answer, as Nk Inc and Cris snuck a baron, avoiding wards by rappelling and safeguarding over the wall. The next several fights saw very few kills exchanged but CLG escaping with significantly more health than Velocity did, and then, at 34 minutes, it was CLG who snuck Baron with three members dashing over the wall. The last fight of the game came at 39 minutes near Velocity's base and was an easy 4-0 for CLG, who quickly pushed the rest of the way into the base, killed Evaniskus for good measure, and then closed out the game.
Game 8: Dignitas v Vulcun Techbargains
KiWiKiD: Twisted Fate
Crumbz: Xin Zhao
scarra: Diana
imqtpie: Graves
Patoy: Sona
Sycho Sid: Shen
Xmithie: Elise
mancloud: Ryze
Zuna: Tristana
BloodWater: Lulu
In the last game of the week, Vulcun came out with a strong start that secured them three of the first four jungle buffs and then proxy toplane farm 3v1 behind the turret, also killing Crumbz for first blood. The next three kills also went to Vulcun, and though Dignitas stayed even or ahead in turrets, Vulcun retained iron control of the dragon through the entire game. With KiWiKiD ulting to toplane regularly and catching members of Vulcun out, Dignitas began to gain control of the game, but Baron went the way of Vulcun at 29 minutes after trading away its top inhibitor to Dignitas in order to take mid inhibitor for themselves, and 1v1s between imaqtpie and Zuna turned from qtpie's favor to Zuna's as the game continued. The last fight came at 37 minutes off an engage by Dignitas in the very center of the map, but unfortunately Patoy's Crescendo didn't connect with Zuna, and Vulcun won the fight 3-0, repushed the mid inhibitor, and then closed out the game amidst Dignitas respawns.
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