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TSM, C9, and LMQ head to Worlds to represent NA
While some teams head to Worlds, LCS finds themselves relegated after the NA LCS Playoffs.
TSM fans were ecstatic after they took first place
© LoL eSports
This past weekend the NA greats duked it out at PAX to find out what teams would be going to 2014 Worlds to represent the region. With hundreds of thousands watching, the pressure was on and some teams crumbled while others thrived.
TSM, Cloud 9, and LMQ were the three teams that ended up going to Worlds to represent NA. On the opposite end of the spectrum, longtime veterans CLG ended up finishing last and are now facing relegation.
TSM – First Place
TSM surprised everyone but their most devout fans by taking first place in the NA LCS Finals. The road to get there were two very long series where TSM played their heart out. After a long five game series, they prevailed 3-2 over LMQ and were put into the finals where they faced Cloud 9.
Cloud 9 and TSM was another close best of five, boiling down to the final minutes. An ultimate from Jinx determined the final team fight—blocked by a minion, it let TSM’S ADC Wildturtle live in a duel against Sneaky and proceed to get the game ending quadra kill.
C9's Sneaky prepares for the finals.
© LoL eSports
Cloud 9 – Second Place
Although they came in second place, it’d be a mistake to write off Cloud 9. The top teams of NA are very equal in skill; they played solidly throughout and it was anyone’s series until the very end.
In their first matches, they went against Curse and 3-0’d them with ease. When facing TSM, however, it was a different story; they won convincingly in their initial game of the series then lost equally convincingly in the next. It was a back and forth bloodbath where the two juggernauts were evenly matched. After the loss, C9 announced they were headed to Korea to scrim until Worlds to practice.
LMQ – Third Place
LMQ was new team with a lot to prove this season and it’s fitting that they ended up the third team to qualify for Worlds. There was a lot of talk surrounding them due to their origins and it’s satisfying to see them actually get a chance to prove themselves.
Both of their series ended in five games that were close. They lost to TSM in a 2-3 then edged out a victory 3-2 against Curse. Throughout LMQ’s team fighting felt off and they made questionable calls. They often went in needlessly, going into clear losses that threw what leads they’d amassed.
The crowds at PAX were energetic
© LoL eSports
Curse – Fourth Place
Curse is cursed to always be in fourth place it seems. Curse had their chance to go to Worlds and ended up losing to LMQ in a tight 2-3 series instead. After losing 0-3 to Cloud 9, they faced LMQ. Curse started out 2-0 against LMQ and it seemed like their dream of going to Worlds was about to be a reality, but it all ended with LMQ had a comeback in game three then used the momentum to win the next two games.
Dignitas – Fifth Place
Dignitas started the split out strong, the new additions to their roster of Shiphtur mid and ZionSpartan top serving them well. But they didn’t seem to quite have it in them to be a top three team in the region, even if they fought really hard for it. They went against TSM to fight for third place and ended up going 1-3—the games were close, especially the first two, but it wasn’t enough.
Their luck changed when they went against CLG for fifth place. Zion outclassed Seraph and managed superior lane control top while Crumbzz was able to apply pressure bot lane. They ended the series a respectable 3-1, managing to avoid relegation.
CLG couldn't pull it together despite best efforts
© LoL eSports
CLG – Sixth Place
After a boot camp in Korea, the hype for CLG was tangible. Unfortunately, their trip to Korea did nothing to fix their mistakes. They faced off against Curse where they went 0-3 then were against Dignitas in a battle to see who would end up fifth place. They went 1-3 against Dignitas and were completely unable to make things click. Even when they got ahead, they kept tunneling on objectives and kills causing misplays in the mid game which threw away advantages accrued; Doublelift was consistently caught out and their team fight skills were extremely lackluster.
After losing to both Curse and Dignitas, CLG ended up sixth place—joining the bottom tier of teams relegated for season 5. They will be going up against Crs Academy next week to fight for their LCS spot.
When All is Said and Done
The most surprising outcome was largely CLG’s decline. A team that’s struggled all season, they’ve promised to do better for a few seasons in a row now. Hopefully being relegated is the wake-up call they’ve needed.
As for Worlds, we’ll just have to see how TSM, C9, and LMQ do to represent NA. Other regions have fierce competition and it will be interesting to see how the top three NA teams do against KR and EU.
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