We run through each of the four LCS Spring Split semi-finals and pick the teams most likely to continue their question the coveted crown
After weeks of intense battles in the world of League of Legends, the LCS Spring Split is coming to an explosive end.
In both NA and EU we have four worthy teams facing off in the semi-finals, with the winners entering the thick of the fray as finalists for this season’s crown.
But who will it be? Well, it makes sense to start with the favourites…
Undoubtedly the team to beat in America right now, Immortals have torn through the NA LCS.
Of their 18 round-robin matches, they’ve lost just one – boasting a terrifying 12-match win streak.
Immortals (1.10) automatically went through to the semi-finals, where they’ll be up against Team SoloMid (5.75).
They seem to suffer from the exact opposite of Immortals’ incredible team synergy – a talented bunch, for sure, but loosely assembled.
In the round robins, TSM lost as many matches as they won, scraping through to the quarter-finals.
But their impressive 3-1 win over Cloud 9 in the quarter-finals is noteworthy.
The question is, will their new momentum going forward be enough to shake the Immortals on Sunday?
Now for Counter Logic Gaming (1.50), the other team to go through automatically and the current champions having lifted the trophy last year.
A lot has happened since then, not least the loss of key players, but they’ve shown they are the rightful reigning kings of the rift.
In particular, they’re the only team to have beaten Immortals in a match that was the perfect example of how well this team can perform as a cohesive unit.
Team Liquid (2.40) meanwhile – their opponents on Saturday – thrashed NRG Esports in the quarter-finals, though this seemed more down to NRG’s incompetence than anything despite decent play from Liquid’s jungler, Joshua “Dardoch” Hartnett, and ADC, Chae “Piglet” Gwang-jin.
If Immortals do take the trophy, it could be a close fought battle for second and third places.
CLG, TSM and Liquid all drew 1-1 with each other in the initial stages, laying down an even battlefield.
Similarly, the EU tournament has been closely fought. There’s no clear Immortals-like frontrunner, however.
The two teams that automatically went to the semis were G2 Esports and H2k-Gaming (1.35), who tied their round-robin games against each other 1-1.
During their win against G2, H2k’s Forg1ven gave an extremely entertaining performance.
Playing as Lucian – who was buffed last year – he dominated the map, and got a k/d/a ratio of 4/0/4 – mistakes not found.
They’ll be up against Origen (2.95) this Saturday, though, who are still looking like potential winners in their own right.
They destroyed Unicorns of Love in the quarter-finals, and it’ll be a heavily-contested semi-final against H2k.
Zven in particular shone against Unicorns, with 8, 7 and 8 kills in their three matches respectively, something H2k will have to keep their eye on.
G2 (1.55) are a solid team whose strength lies in skirmishes and fighting in general, but they’ll have to curb their aggressive tendencies occasionally.
They surprised us by finishing first place, but let’s see how they perform against Fnatic (2.30) on Sunday.
Fnatic have had a weak season – they recently lost some of their top talent and it shows.
They won nine and lost nine in the round-robins to barely make it through, but there’s hope for the titans of eSports yet.
For a start, they beat each of the remaining teams once in the early stages, including a spectacular win over then-favourites Origen.
Gamsu, playing as Olaf, finished with a mean k/d/a ratio of 9/1/3, and Fnatic finished the game with their towers intact. They also convincingly beat Vitality in the quarter-finals.
What’s most interesting is what will come after the NA and EU finals at the World Championship.
NA has traditionally been weaker than the EU, with NA teams struggling on the international stage, but this time could be different.
It will also be interesting to see what happens in this year’s international showdown in China – MSI, 4-15 May.
NA recently poached a lot of the EU talent, and Immortals – still a relatively new team – have made such an intimidating mark that it will be fascinating to see how they hold up internationally, especially against the Europeans. And the Koreans…
Who do you think will emerge victorious? Give us your opinion at @BetwayeSports.
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