RheingoldRiver beings reports from Friday's 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: Cloud 9 v Team Solo Mid

Balls: Rumble

Meteos: Nasus

Hai: Zed

Sneaky: Ashe

LemonNation: Zyra

 

Reginald: Ryze

TheOddOne: Zac

Dyrus: Yorick

WildTurtle: Vayne

Xpecial: Thresh

For the first game of the week, Cloud 9 took off to a commanding start over TSM in a level one invade and turned that start into a complete game domination.  With TheOddOne forced to help Dyrus against Balls in the botlane, Sneaky and LemonNation, once again using their Ashe-Zyra heavy-CC lane, were given a free lane—and not only that, but Balls was even able to turn a 1v2 into his favor, picking up the first blood.  One dragon did go over to TSM, but other than that it was effectively shut out of the game, picking up only 4 kills to Cloud 9's 20 in the end.  Already up over 10k gold at 21 minutes, Cloud 9 aced TSM for 2 and took Baron. It went on to push the game's first inhibitor in midlane at 24 minutes and, instead of backing off, continued its push in the toplane, and once again Cloud 9 closed out a game decisively before the 30-minute mark.

Cloud 9 wins

Game 2: Team Curse v Team Coast

Voyboy: Elise

Saintvicious: Jarvan IV

Nyjacky: Jayce

Cop: Twitch

EDward: Fiddlesticks

 

ZionSpartan: Renekton

NintendudeX: Gragas

Lux: Shiphtur

DontMashMe: Corki

Daydreamin: Zyra

With everyone in soloqueue standard lanes, no towers or kills came before 10 minutes, and Curse was decidedly in command of the early lane phase, especially in botlane.  First blood went to Coast when NintendudeX came bot at 10 minutes and, though Saintvious's toplane gank was less successful, the junglers' rotations led to towers being exchanged.  The game continued at a slow pace, Curse always slightly ahead in gold, but Shiphtur's Lux was able to make several pickoffs with just a Q-E-R combo.  The 42-minute Baron attempt by Curse was even stolen away by Shiphtur's Final Spark, but it was at the cost of NintendudeX's life, and at that point Coast had two exposed inhibitors.  Unable to defend either one 4v5 even with its Baron buff, Coast had to hope that it could defend its remaining inhibitor turret and two nexus turrets 5v5 until its inhibitors respawned.  But with super minions rushing in through two lanes, it was impossible for it to defend its bot inhib turret, and Curse won a 3-1 fight at 47 minutes and then pushed the nexus.

Curse wins

Game 3: Vulcun Techbargains v Dignitas

Sycho Sid: Zac

Xmithie: Nunu

mancloud: Ezreal

Zuna: Kog'maw

BloodWater: Sona

 

KiWiKiD: Rumble

Crumbz: Lee Sin

scarra: Ryze

imaqtpie: Caitlyn

Patoy: Fiddlesticks

Running the Korean double-AD composition with Ezreal mid, Vulcun got off to a very strong start as Xmithie secured kills for his team in both mid and toplane, though he did fall to KiWiKiD in exchange.  BloodWater picked up a double kill for himself when Dignitas tried for a dragon at 12 minutes and, with a dragon and a kill in toplane also going to the blue team, its snowball started to take full force.  By 20 minutes, Vulcun had a 10 kill and 10k gold lead, with 4 towers to Dignitas's 0.  Most of these kills came from pick-offs, but Vulcun showed that it could win fights too, pulling off a successful turret-dive exchange at 22 minutes.  Vulcun continued to apply pressure in all lanes and took Baron and, finally at 29 minutes, pushed the nexus off the back of a triple kill for mancloud and a fountain dive.

Vulcun wins

Game 4: Counter Logic Gaming v Velocity eSports

Nien: Irelia

bigfatlp: Nunu

Link: Ezreal

Doublelift: Tristana

Chauster: Sona

 

Vileroze: Shen

Nk Inc: Lee Sin

ecco: Orianna

maplestreet: Varus

Evaniskus: Thresh

After Vulcun's success in the previous game, CLG also tried the Korean double-ADC composition with Nunu jungle and, again, the composition was successful in securing a first blood off a Nunu gank, this time going over to Nien in toplane at 4 minutes. The first tower went to Velocity, and by 20 minutes it was ahead 4 kills and even in turrets, though CLG sported a 2k gold lead due in part to farm and in part to two dragons.  Velocity continued to win uneven fights and increased its kill lead, and the 25-minute dragon went to them; CLG answered with a 29-minute sneaked baron.  But CLG didn't do much with its buff, and at 36 minutes Velocity won a fight after chasing CLG across most of the map, and went on to take a baron for itself.  Finally, after taking two more towers and an inhibitor, Velocity managed to claw itself into a gold lead at 40 minutes, and from then on every objective belonged to it.  The team picked up another dragon, another baron, and evened the turrets at 7.  CLG's last stand came from an engage by Nientonsoh at 51 minutes but, by this point Velocity was unstoppable, and maplestreet picked up a quadrakill on Varus.  He turned it into a delayed penta as his team pushed through CLG's base, and Velocity was able to close out the game, picking up its third win of the season.

Velocity wins

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