The six-way tie at the top of the LCS is over but the summer split remains competitive.
After week three wrapped up with six teams owning a 4-2 record, things got back to normal in week four as top squads were forced to face off. One of the key matchups was the showdown between Team Liquid and the Golden Guardians. Though many were expecting a tight, competitive game, it was instead something of a showcase for Liquid.
Liquid and GGS opened week four with a slow early game. The teams had multiple skirmishes but neither wanted to commit to any serious action. As they transitioned to the mid game Golden Guardians recognized that a slower pace benefitted Team Liquid, which prompted them to get more aggressive. Liquid went after a baron only to be killed inside the pit by mid laner Henrik “Froggen” Hansen but two buffs survived and allowed Liquid to push for inner turrets.
The Golden Guardians were beginning to fall behind and sought to remedy this by going for a baron of their own. Top laner Jung “Impact” Eon-yeong put a stop to that and forced GGS into a fight, which set up a push on a nexus turret by Nicolaj “Jensen” Jensen.
Team Liquid were relentless and, thanks to the regeneration from two ocean dragons, were able to apply constant pressure. Powered up by the baron buff, Team Liquid initiated one last fight and secured the win.
Every victory is precious at the top of the LCS where a number of teams are jockeying for first place. Still, this victory was doubly important for Liquid as it helps erase some of the memories of their shaky start to the summer split. It also comes at the perfect time as they prepare for Rift Rivals.
The rest of the schedule was full of surprises. Marcel “Scarlet” Wiederhofer made his LCS debut and dominated Team SoloMid alongside OpTic Gaming. 100 Thieves also pulled off a major upset against Cloud9. Counter Logic Gaming defeated FlyQuest, and Clutch Gaming took a win against Echo Fox.
With Liquid’s win, the team now finds itself in a three-way tie for first with CLG and OpTic. On Sunday, Liquid will look keep that spot in a showdown against Clutch Gaming. Meanwhile, Golden Guardians and TSM will face off with hopes of rebounding.
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