NA LCS 2016 Summer Split: Day 2, Week 3 Recap

Today marked Day 2, Week 3 of the 2016 North American League Championship Series (NA LCS) Summer Split.

From Immortals handing Team EnVyUs their first series loss of the split, to Phoenix1 still not winning a series, here is how Day 2, Week 3 went down.

(4-1) Immortals 2-0 Team EnVyUs (4-1)

This match was the one to look forward to for today, and both teams showed up. Game one was a close affair in which Eugene “Pobelter” Park’s 2/1/9 performance on Viktor was a deciding factor in the Immortals victory. Two of the best teams in the NA LCS, Immortals and EnVyUs brought a close game one, ending in just under 43 minutes as Immortals took a 5,000 gold lead and the victory.

Game two, believe it or not, was even closer than game one. 23-22 kills and 3-2 drakes in favor of Immortals, the Elder Dragon for EnVyUs, and one baron per team. This match was the closest of the Summer Split. In the final minutes of the 53-minute game, it seemed certain that EnVyUs would force a third game in this series. They were taking down the enemy nexus, but Immortals came out fighting from their respawns, aced EnVyUs, and ran it all the way across the map to take out EnVyUs’s nexus. Despite this series being a 2-0 win for Immortals, EnVyUs proved their worth.

(2-3) Counter Logic Gaming 2-0 Echo Fox (1-4)

A clearly dominant first game saw CLG defeat Echo Fox in under 25 minutes. Echo Fox never had any amount of control in this game, as CLG took practically every objective (a few uncontested) and demolished Echo Fox without a second thought.

Much like the first game, CLG never struggled in game two of this series. In just under 29 minutes, the Foxes lost 10 turrets to CLG and fell behind almost 11,000 gold. It was no contest, as CLG took their second series win of the Summer Split.

(3-3) Team Liquid 2-1 NRG eSports (1-4)

Game one saw NRG put all of their eggs into the split-push Jax basket, and they dropped it. Though Diego “Quas” Ruiz won his match-up as Jax, the rest of NRG was put into a deficit while they helped him take his lead. Liquid took the game without too much of a struggle, as Joshua “Dardoch” Hartnett went 7/2/6 on Olaf and controlled the flow of the entire game.

Game two was a game of counters. Liquid had a team composition only prepared for short-range fights, and NRG capitalized on that. Everytime Liquid went in for a big play, NRG had a counter teleport or flank, won the ensuing fight, and took some kind of objective off of it. The guys on Liquid were playing aggressive, constantly, and it cost them.

Liquid may have dropped game two, but their early game in each game was far superior to NRG’s. What matters in the end is the series win. Their team coordination is almost on par compared to where it was last split, as their objective control and tower dives were always perfect in game three. Liquid won this handily.

(3-2) Apex Gaming 2-1 Phoenix1 (0-6)

After going 2-0 week one and 0-2 week two, expectations for Apex are all over the place. This game though, against the last place NA LCS team, was expected to be an easy win. Game one was a little too close for comfort. Phoenix1 managed to keep even in kills almost all game, and push every lane to Apex’s inhibitor turrets. Regardless, Apex closed it out in the end with an 11,000 gold lead.

In a surprise turn of events, Phoenix1 went huge in game two. To be specifc, Choi “Pirean” Jun-sik went 6/1/7 on Lissandra. Phoenix1 countered Apex at every turn and, for one of the first matches all split, looked like a competitive NA LCS team. A dominant almost 11,000 gold lead helped Phoenix1 force a third game in the series.

Apex showed up determined in game three. This was not a close game and the numbers say it all. 16-2 in kills, 10-2 in turrets, 4-0 in drakes, and almost a 16,000 gold lead. Apex closed this game and series out easily in just under 30 minutes, keeping Phoenix1 winless.

What are your thoughts so far on week three of the NA LCS? Has a team surprised you yet? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below, or on our Twitter – @GAMURScom, and be sure to follow us for all of your esports needs.

Spencer Hester can be contacted by email at Hester.eSports@gmail.com or on Twitter – @SpenceGAMURS.