LCS Spring playoffs: Cloud9 reach finals as FlyQuest move to Championship Qualifier

The second week of LCS Spring playoffs were exciting, with another elimination round, and with placements taking one team for sure in Finals, and two teams moving to the Championship Qualifier.

For a breakdown of the winners and losers, check out the recap below.

Cloud9 v. Evil Geniuses 

Game 1 

It was a game we would expect from Cloud9, but Evil Geniuses were certainly trying to give them a run for their money. C9 got first blood at 6:30, while Robert “Blaber” Huang got a kill onto Daniele “Jiizuke” di Mauro in the midlane with Dennis “Svenskeren” Johnsen close by. At 10:30, C9 got Rift Herald; Eric “Licorice” Ritchie got a triple kill, but Evil Geniuses got two kills on Jesper “Zven” Svenningsen and Phillippe “Vulcan” Laflamme. 

In midgame, Blaber’s Nocturne tried a dive botlane, Zven helped but Tristan “Zeyzal” Stidam used his stopwatch under tower and Blaber died to tower shots, but because Zeyzal had attacked him, the kill went to him.

Bae “Bang” Jun-sik had been killed after they killed Vulcan. This failed tower dive could have given EG time to regroup. At 24 minutes, with another whiffed Ornn ult by Colin “Kumo” Zhao, C9 get four more kills and the Baron. 

As C9 fought into the base of EG, it looked like they would end it there, but Bang got a major shut down on Licorice who, at that point, had not died yet and Bang gets a considerable bounty. 

After getting dragon soul and a second Baron, C9 takes Game 1 in 35 minutes. 

Game 2 

In Game 2, C9 got first blood by minute four, with Yasin “Nisqy” Dinçer on to Svenskeren, and then Licorice killed Kumo while Svenskeren came in for a gank a minute later. 

Cloud9 continued their dominance and punished EG mistakes, and it was clear they were truly synched up as Jiizuke tried to Licorice on low health. Licorice got to single digit health but was able to get away as Blaber ran up and killed Jiizuke.  

In a fight in the botlane at 9:44, Nisqy got a sleepy trouble bubble on Bang but before he could follow up with a paddlestar, Zeyzal ran in front to prevent the follow up. Svenskeren then ults in as Blaber does, and though it seemed the fight would end up with no kills on either side, Jiizuke runs down and kills Vulcan. 

At 21 minutes, another show of the teamwork that C9 has showcased all split. Svenskeren, Kumo, Zeyzal and Bang find Licorice in the jungle south of Baron, but the rest of Cloud 9 caught up to capitalize; they got four kills while EG only got two. Cloud9 got Baron at 24 minutes, and at 25 minutes they took Game 2. 

Game 3 

This is where C9 showed a little bit of a weakness; they played well, but this is part of the result of a best of 1 type of split where the team is never challenged. 

While the game started normal, with C9 again getting first blood at 3:38 against Jiizuke's Zoe, a sloppy botlane fight caused EG to win out with 2 kills.  

EG then got drake at 12:24, the first objective EG had taken all series. Despite Jiizuke having been 1/3/0 on Zoe at 14:25 and having been 4k down in gold, they took down Blaber in river and began to catch up on kills. 

They stole the second drake at 19 minutes, and incredibly, took the game in 28 minutes. 

While the win for EG was well deserved, it would be hard for C9 or their fans to be worried at this point, as the odds were clearly in their favour.

However, this painted a picture - as mentioned before - of a switch to best of 5s from the single game format that was all of Spring Split, where it would be easier to catch trends of mistakes, or even picks/bans, and clearly, these were exploited.  

Game 4 

In what would still be match point for C9, the game still found the back and forth of a team being revitalized by a win against the juggernaut, and the other team still believing in the skills that got them to this point. 

Jiizuke got first blood at 4:30, but Licorice immediately killed him while Jiizuke greeded pushing the wave forward at low health. Zven got a kill in botlane but a gank by Svenskeren got yet another kill onto Licorice. 

In what seemed like payback for Game 2, when Kumo would constantly get dove, Svenskeren ganked top at 11 minutes and killed Licorice. EG continued to fight and tried to take control of the game; a fight in mid lane around 18 minutes got them 2 more kills after their midlane turret went down. 

Then, in a major fight near drake, Bang killed Licorice, but in a re-engage, Vulcan hooked Sven and they killed him; by this point C9 had enough drakes and they got soul at 23 minutes.  

After a significant amount of back and forth between the two teams, including Licorice being killed again, and C9 choosing to punish this with two kills on their end, C9 decided that enough was enough. 

They took the elder drake after soul, got three more kills, and pushed into EG’s base. They won at 32 minutes and EG moved down to the Championship Qualifier and would wait to see who won between TSM and FlyQuest.

TSM vs FlyQuest 

Game 1

In a game (and series) spicier than the one preceding it, we begin with setting the stage to show how hungry FlyQuest is. Colin “Solo” Earnest gets an early flash onto Segen “Broken Blade” Çelik while Joshua “Dardoch” Hartnett makes multiple attempts to gank botlane to no avail, but they do get their first drake at six minutes. 

In a fight at Rift Herald at 11 minutes, FQ are able to injure Dardoch decently so they are able to grab it, however ults were expended from Lucas “Santorin” Tao Kilmer Larsen and Tristan “PowerOfEvil” Schrage to make it happen. 

A fight happens in the midlane and it becomes a 1 for 1 and TSM take botlane turret. Another midlane fight happens around 16 minutes, PowerOfEvil gets a kill onto Vincent “Biofrost” Wang, but plenty of ults were used on the side of FlyQuest. 

Plenty of objectives, including drakes and turrets have been taken at this point. Fight at river near Baron at 21 minutes when Jason “WildTurtle” Tran flashes forward to take out Jasper “Kobbe” Kobberup after an engage by Lee “IgNar” Dong-geun, but Søren “Bjergsen” Bjerg is able to chase WildTurtle and take him down in the top lane. 

At 23 minutes, there’s a fight at drake pit, and although it begins as a 2 for 1 on the side of FQ, they stay too long, and TSM go for a re-engage and kill 3, and then run and take Baron, and Fly move back towards the drake and take it down, tying the drake count. 

At 31 minutes, there’s a fight in river near drake, with a 2 for 2 in kills and while it's a 3 vs. 3 after the main fight, FQ do not want to contest and TSM get their third drake. 

At 32 minutes, there’s a fight near baron; FQ were taking Baron but they had to back off to fight TSM. Using this to their advantage, TSM were able to ace, and they took Baron. At 34 minutes, in a fight at FQ base, FQ get kills onto Broken Blade, Dardoch, and Biofrost after Dardoch gets too close while going in for a possible engage.  

This back and forth in kills continues, however a fight in midlane at 46 minutes breaks out, and PowerOfEvil just deletes Bjergsen. While FQ are pushing into base, however, Bjergsen teleports into the FQ base and takes the game at 47 minutes.  

Game 2 

We have another salty runback this week as yet again, the picks and bans are exactly the same as they were the previous game, letting us know that at least FlyQuest, if not TSM as well, believe they could do even better and the champs were not the problem. 

And not a problem they were. Bjergsen gets the first blood on PowerOfEvil at 2:45 and the first drake of the game at 7:40. However, FQ are able to get Rift Herald and they use it to get top first turret and almost the second, while TSM had gotten first turret blood in the botlane at 10 minutes. 

At 11 minutes, a fight in botlane has WildTurtle killing Kobbe. 

A fight in botlane at 20 minutes has TSM two against one trying to take out Solo but PowerOfEvil is able to teleport in and take our Broken Blade for the attempt. 

At 29 minutes, there is another fight by Baron and PowerOfEvil gets a kill on Biofrost and they move towards the third drake. 

TSM re-engage but FQ get three more kills, the drake, and Baron at 30 minutes. FQ pushed into base at 35 minutes after a reset from the previous Baron push and win at 35:33. 

Game 3

As the tension mounts, we see FlyQuest become hungrier after their first win, and TSM frantic to get closer to ending the series. 

A major fight in botlane occurs at just before the 6 minute mark with summoner spells used, double teleports gone, and 3 kills on both sides. FlyQuest wants to capitalize on this and three go top to kill Broken Blade, but because of this, WildTurtle loses a bit of farm in the botlane and Dardoch takes first drake. 

This game is actually a bit slower by 21 minutes; maybe the slowest pace of the entire series. But at 22 minutes, Bjergsen gets a chain CC onto WildTurtle, takes him down, and TSM move to Baron. 

FQ is able to prevent TSM from taking Baron but the fight continues, and TSM get three kills and FlyQuest gets two as well. Solo and WildTurtle try to take down Baron with PowerOfEvil and IgNar following in, and they end up taking it at 24 minutes. TSM respond with their third drake.

At 32 minutes, a fight in midlane occurs, but it doesn't look like anyone will fall. 

FQ moves towards Baron and though Dardoch jumps into the pit to try and steal, he is not able to, and FQ still takes baron, while PowerOfEvil gets Dardoch and Kobbe. 

It looks like FlyQuest really has control over the map and the game, but at 39 minutes, IgNar is too far forward, and TSM capitalizes on that and kills him. They move towards FlyQuest for the re-engage, get two more kills while Fly only gets one and they stop the forward momentum of FQ.

However, FlyQuest are confident in their game play and the strength of the team; they continue to push Baron and take it, and then kill Broken Blade and Bjergsen for their trouble. 

In one of the longer games of the series, FlyQuest finally have enough full strength after Baron, they run down to get dragon soul to both prevent TSM from getting it and to make them stronger when finally taking the base, which works as they push into TSM and finally get the win at 44 minutes. 

Game 4 

We begin this game with a kill from Dardoch of all people onto Solo at 5:22, the only time this series thus far that Dardoch has gotten first blood. At 6:57, Dardoch again comes top lane to help Broken Blade take down Solo, but this time Broken Blade gets the kill. 

Santorin and PowerOfEvil come up to avenge their toplaner, getting a kill onto BrokenBlade, however, Dardoch responds with a kill onto PowerOfEvil, and a teleport top from Bjergsen takes down Santorin. 

We look to top lane yet again at 9:35, as Dardoch and Santorin are at it again. IgNar comes up to help his jungler and gets a kill onto Dardoch, but Bjergsen also makes another move north, and takes down Santorin once more, and follows it up with a kill onto IgNar. 

PowerOfEvil comes back up top lane where it is him and Solo against Biofrost, Bjergsen, and Broken Blade, but no more kills are taken on the top side… until we turn to bot side, where Dardoch is waiting in the bush, and helps Kobbe to take down WildTurtle. 

The game just continues to snowball from here. Bjergsen is a monster on Sylas, going 7/0/0 by 22 minutes; clearly the carry for this particular game. Kobbe also gets a notable mention; he is 2/0/0 at 22 minutes. 

After taking 8 turrets to zero, and three drakes to zero, this was an absolute decimation of a game, and TSM take the win at 24:30 and yet again take us to Game 5 and Silver Scrapes! 

Game 5

TSM and FlyQuest going to Game 5 this playoff season, name a more iconic duo! With this game deciding who ends their split here, and who continues on, the pressure was mounted and all that was left was seeing who would respond to the call to action. 

FlyQuest begins that call with PowerOfEvil getting first blood on Dardoch in the river. 

TSM try to strike back with a four man push down to the bottom side. Santorin runs. Dardoch takes down WildTurtle, Santorin responds with a kill onto Biofrost, and Kobbe takes down IgNar, the original first target in this dive. 

PowerOfEvil comes to the rescue, and gets a double kill onto Kobbe and Dardoch. Despite the initial engage from TSM, FlyQuest comes out on top.  

By 14:30, FlyQuest has three towers down to TSM’s zero, however, they are tied in drakes at one apiece. By 21:54, TSM had caught up to FlyQuest in kills by getting a couple of picks onto Solo; both teams were 5 and 5 at this point. 

At 22:12, Biofrost gets a hook onto IgNar and a fight breaks out in the midlane, but his teammates are ready, and WildTurtle can respond with a kill onto Biofrost. Bjergsen begins to flank and causes Santorin to use his stopwatch. 

However, while Solo chases Bjergsen, IgNar, PowerOfEvil, and WildTurtle make an example of Dardoch and take him down. 

Solo takes down Broken Blade as he and Bjergsen run back up the river. From here, FlyQuest are able to take their third drake of the game and translate that to a kill on Baron.

With Baron buff, FlyQuest moves into the TSM base and is deleting the inhibitors easily. After two inhibitors down, FlyQuest back and reset towards their own base, before moving towards the top side of the map. 

TSM looks for an engage in the topside jungle, but Santorin takes down Biofrost in the attempt. Solo ults onto Sett, and Dardoch is down. FlyQuest mows over the nexus turrets and takes the game and the series at 26:53. TSM ends their season and FlyQuest will meet Evil Geniuses in the Championship Qualifier. 

Be sure to catch more weekly recaps here on GINX TV and check out the Championship Qualifier and Finals beginning on 18th April, at 21:00 GMT (12:00 CET / 01:00 PST). You can catch it on YouTube, Twitch, and lolesports.com.