Week 5 of the NA LCS introduced fans to the second half of the split. We had many exciting rematches such as the Gravity vs. Team Liquid matchup and the old rivalry game, TSM vs. CLG. Along with these two invigorating games, we finally got to see TDK at full strength for only one day when Emperor and Ninja finally got their visa issues resolved. These all made for an exciting weekend of matches.

 

Though these games were rematches, the terms these teams were meeting under and the way they would face each other had changed since the early weeks. Gravity and Team Liquid were tied with one another and were fighting for the second place spot. Since their first meeting, Gravity’s shot-calling and map movement improved tremendously and put them in a good spot to take the victory from their once sister team. Team Liquid had seen their ups and downs since their last matchup. The team that was once considered the top team in North America had suffered defeats from teams they once thought they could beat. This game was a must win for them to start their renewed climb towards the top and to finish the week 2-0 after their win over CLG. Unfortunately for Team Liquid, Bunny Fufuu and his Gravity squad showed up to play some League of Legends. After beating Team Liquid in the early game, with small farm advantages and better objective control, they used these small victories to catapult their late game team comp into the lead. With calm and calculated play, Gravity thwarted Team Liquid with ease. After this victory many may question if their loss to TSM earlier in the split was just a fluke. This will be a question answered next week as the fight against early game masterminds CLG and the calculated play of TSM.

 

As Sunday rolled on, another historical battle was to be fought between CLG and TSM. This game was a chance for CLG to prove to themselves and their fans they had the better team play after the substitution of Link for Pobelter. As the game played out, TSM seemed to have the better strategy. After Xmithie gave his life for a level one facecheck in top pixel bush, TSM seemed to snowball their lead from there. Never giving up the lead, TSM looked extremely strong. Even Dyrus was able to keep Zionspartan’s Gnar down. A champion Zion has been known for this season. After the heartbreaking loss to TSM, CLG is now involved in a three-way battle for second place with Gravity and Team Dignitas. Next week will be their opportunity to show one of their placed opponents, Gravity why CLG deserves the second place spot in the LCS.

 

A team that shocked the league on Sunday was Team Dragon Knights. With their full roster in place on Sunday, they fought against the team that had previously shocked the league with their ability to topple top teams, Team Dignitas. With the second half of the split beginning, TDK has to go undefeated for the rest of their games to even be considered for a top spot in the league but yesterday they showed this may not be a problem. Even though Sunday was the first day with a full team, it didn’t seem to phase them to be playing with new players in the AD Carry and Mid lane positions. They took over the game with ease; countering Dignitas’ ability to punish mistakes by not making any. Early in the game all of TDK’s lanes played a passive farm game, which made pressure for Helios extremely difficult. TDK’s passive play seemed to almost make Dignitas anxious to make a move as Dignitas was actually the team to be caught out in the first skirmish of the game. TDK showed their new lineup is one to be feared by defeated one of North America’s newest top teams. TDK fans are looking forward to seeing what this new lineup can produce for one of the newest teams in North America.

 

After last weekend, the top contenders in the league still aren’t very clear. There is a clear first place holder in TSM but second place is still being fought for. Next weekend we have games that may break up the top teams and give us sole owners of each top spot in North America. Will TDK rise to the top? We can only wait and see.

   NA LCS Week 5: The Dragons Are Here