Over the last week, six teams brawled for the title in the European Spring League of Legends playoffs. The competition was stiff, but in the end, Fnatic came out on top to earn their third consecutive first-place finish. With so much at stake, each team played at the top of their game, and the playoffs featured some of the most exciting plays so far this year.
Here are the best.
5) The Crescendo
SK Gaming and ROCCAT were all tied up heading into the final game, with the winner getting a seat in the finals against Fnatic. With the close game going down to the wire, SK finally found an opportunity. A heavy siege in the top lane gave support Christoph “nRated” Seitz the perfect chance to land his champion’s ultimate ability, Crescendo. He unloaded it with perfect timing, icing out several ROCCAT players and leaving another vulnerable. SK took out the ROCCAT attacker and then pushed in to seal victory.
4) The Multitasker
Much like the other semifinal, Fnatic’smatch against Alliance was a close one. But with victory finally in sight towards the end of the match, Fnatic moved to end the final game by securing a Baron kill. Alliance reacted just a bit too slowly, and their only chance to stop Fnatic was in the hands of jungler Ilyas “Shook” Hartsem. Fnatic, however, had other plans. They spotted Hartsem and launched spell after spell at him, all while continuing to fight the Baron. As the Baron fell, Fnatic launched themselves at the enemy team and walked away with a win.
3) The Teleport
ROCCAT and Gambit had been jockeying for position in the LCS ever since January, and their playoff match was no exception. Gambit, eager to extend a lead over their rivals, went for the Dragon late in the game. ROCCAT’s counter-play, which included a brilliant use to the Teleport spell by top laner Marcin “Xaxus” Maczka, surprised Gambit and led to several kills going over to ROCCAT, who proceeded to take the game. And it was all made possible by one small ward.
2) The Battle in the Middle
In the final game of the finals, Fnatic had a sizeable lead, but were on the run from a huge push down the middle lane by SK. A flank by mid laner Enrique “xPeke” Cedeño Martínez opened up a huge opportunity to end the series. His spear throw, which demolished SK’s mid laner, opened up the flood gates, and Fnatic took down most of the SK players, leading the way towards victory.
1) The Pentakill
Gambit Gaming had a rough time in playoffs, falling down to the 5th place match where they faced possible expulsion from the league. One game down against Copenhagen Wolves, they played extremely cautiously, turning the match into the longest of the playoffs. But when the Copenhagen Wolves moved to take the Baron, Gambit didn’t hesitate. With everything on the line, Gambit’s marksman, Evgeny “Genja” Andryushin, stepped up to the plate and came out swinging. His relentless assault saw all five Wolves fall under his deadly rifle, and it netted him the first LCS Pentakill of the year. The rare display of skill gave Gambit the confidence to come back and eventually win the series.
