This series is a quick summary of the matches that occurred over the weekend with brief notes on how one team lost and which players were the strengths and weaknesses of their team

FlyQuest vs Optic Gaming:

Courtesy of Riot Games

After their impressive upset win yesterday over Golden Guardians FlyQuest continued to silence the haters with another win to end the weekend 2–0. FLY are proving that despite individual mistakes they are playing better as a unit than most of the league in the first week. Optic managed to put up more of a fight than GGS did the previous day, lasting 8 minutes longer, but their early advantages faded away once the game became about 5v5 team fighting.

Studs:

Crown : The season 7 world champion mid laner asserted dominance over Pobelter’s Lissandra on Zoe for the majority of the laning phase. He continues to be the best player on this team.

: The season 7 world champion mid laner asserted dominance over Pobelter’s Lissandra on Zoe for the majority of the laning phase. He continues to be the best player on this team. Pobelter : Despite coming up short against his lane opponent the notorious POB more than made up for it with multi man Lissandra ultimates and devastatingly effective teleport flanks. If Pobelter is perhaps not the best individual player on his team he certainly is making the case for being their most important. Without his performance in the mid and late game it’s unlikely FLY would have been able to hold out long enough for Turtle and Santorin to come online and win teamfights.

: Despite coming up short against his lane opponent the notorious POB more than made up for it with multi man Lissandra ultimates and devastatingly effective teleport flanks. If Pobelter is perhaps not the best individual player on his team he certainly is making the case for being their most important. Without his performance in the mid and late game it’s unlikely FLY would have been able to hold out long enough for Turtle and Santorin to come online and win teamfights. WildTurtle: It is so refreshing to see the Turtle of old make his return to the LCS stage. His excellent performance on Ezreal in Day 2 combined with his performance the previous day are quickly making the case for why he is a top 3 ADC in the LCS.

Duds:

JayJ: Much of the early advantage OPT were able to obtain was due to how poorly JayJ played. A foolish level 2 engage in the bottom lane gave first blood to OPT. A few minutes later JayJ foolishly extended while optic started the dragon and was killed, TWICE. At 17 minutes Optic had 5 kills and 4 of them were from JayJ alone. No matter how you put it that is unacceptable for a team that wants to make the post season.

Much of the early advantage OPT were able to obtain was due to how poorly JayJ played. A foolish level 2 engage in the bottom lane gave first blood to OPT. A few minutes later JayJ foolishly extended while optic started the dragon and was killed, TWICE. At 17 minutes Optic had 5 kills and 4 of them were from JayJ alone. No matter how you put it that is unacceptable for a team that wants to make the post season. Optic Execution : There was no one player on Optic who played poorly enough as an individual to warrant a dud mention. However, the greater issue is how much the team fumbled what should have been a pretty straight forward game plan.

: There was no one player on Optic who played poorly enough as an individual to warrant a dud mention. However, the greater issue is how much the team fumbled what should have been a pretty straight forward game plan. Between Rakan ult, Sion ult, Zoe trouble bubble, Camille engage, and Sivir ult the obvious plan for Optic would be to catch one of the side laners (Lissandra or Irelia) out in the side lane as a unit and then proceed to force objectives or favorable fights out of FLY. Unfortunately for Optic despite their early advantage FLY was able to prolong the game to the point where this never panned out.

OPT consistently took 5v5 fights despite the fact FLY drafted a composition that wanted to do exactly that. They squandered their early advantages and forgot to play the way their comp demanded.

Cloud9 vs 100 Thieves:

Courtesy of Riot Games

Things are really not looking good for 100T. In both of their losses this weekend they fell behind early and despite attempts by their bottom lane to recover they got rolled over. The serious problem here is just how poorly their mid and jungler are playing at the moment. Cloud9 was able to 3 buff AnDa’s Nocturne in the first two jungle cycles and never let go of full jungle control. Cloud9 displayed they were the superior team in every area which culminated in a 10k gold lead at 22 min.

Studs:

Aphromoo : In both of their loses this weekend Aphromoo earned credit for being the best looking player on his team by making several attempts to get back into the game. His vision control of the bottom side of the map was able to punish a greedy drake start by Svenskeren and his massive flank around the second drake would have resulted in several kills had his team been ready to capitalize.

: In both of their loses this weekend Aphromoo earned credit for being the best looking player on his team by making several attempts to get back into the game. His vision control of the bottom side of the map was able to punish a greedy drake start by Svenskeren and his massive flank around the second drake would have resulted in several kills had his team been ready to capitalize. Nisqy : Aatrox in the hands of Nisqy looked like an absolute monster. After getting an early solo kill on huhi in the mid lane Nisqy quickly tried to push his advantage as much as he could. Roaming top and bottom as well as pushing Ryze as far behind as he could Nisqy is giving C9 fans some comfort after Jensen’s departure.

: Aatrox in the hands of Nisqy looked like an absolute monster. After getting an early solo kill on huhi in the mid lane Nisqy quickly tried to push his advantage as much as he could. Roaming top and bottom as well as pushing Ryze as far behind as he could Nisqy is giving C9 fans some comfort after Jensen’s departure. Zeyzal: Both the supports in this match had standout performances. From great early vision control which created the space for the previously mentioned 3 buff to seemingly being everywhere on the map Zeyzal continues to impress in his sophomore split.

Duds:

Huhi : There really is no way around the fact that Huhi’s performance was a massive factor in 100T’s loss. From falling behind early against Aatrox, to botching a TP play topside Huhi looked totally unprepared on stage. He is going to have to step up in a big way if 100T want to turn around their 0–2 start to the split.

: There really is no way around the fact that Huhi’s performance was a massive factor in 100T’s loss. From falling behind early against Aatrox, to botching a TP play topside Huhi looked totally unprepared on stage. He is going to have to step up in a big way if 100T want to turn around their 0–2 start to the split. AnDa: The surprise late Nocturne pick-up was designed to give 100T early game momentum. Instead, it put them severally behind. AnDa looked uncomfortable on the champion between wasted ult opportunities topside and having his bottom jungle raided consistently due to poor early game pathing. He also was shocked so bad early on that he appeared to be afraid to engage at all after the 15 min mark. AnDa’s performance was the single biggest factor as to why the thieves lost.

Team Liquid vs Counter Logic Gaming:

Courtesy of Riot Games

Counter Logic Gaming are quickly headed towards a repeat of 2018. Beginning the week 0–2 after what most fans would have hoped would be a 1–1 opening weekend has many faithful worried. What is even more cause for concern is how poor much of the team look during their losses. Despite solid performances from their bottom lane (Biofrost especially) CLG were too sloppy this weekend to secure a victory in either match. Team Liquid showed despite a relatively close match against Cloud9 the day before just how large the gap is between them and the rest of the league.

Studs:

Impact : One of, if not THE, best tank player in the region got a hold of one of the most potent top lane picks in the meta: Urgot. Impressive multi man taunts as well as laying down damage made Impact a huge player in this match.

: One of, if not THE, best tank player in the region got a hold of one of the most potent top lane picks in the meta: Urgot. Impressive multi man taunts as well as laying down damage made Impact a huge player in this match. Doublelift: Doublelift was fed most the resources this game on Xayah and did Doublelift things with them. It reached the point where CLG were unable to eliminate the front-line before DL was doing half of their health with 3 or 4 auto attacks.

Duds:

PowerofEvil : For someone who is somewhat known for his Orianna play this was a shockingly bad game. Multiple opportunities for huge multi man shockwaves were either not taken or completely whiffed. What was supposed to be a big name pick-up in the mid lane to step up their game from the previous season has not proved fruitful in the first week of play.

: For someone who is somewhat known for his Orianna play this was a shockingly bad game. Multiple opportunities for huge multi man shockwaves were either not taken or completely whiffed. What was supposed to be a big name pick-up in the mid lane to step up their game from the previous season has not proved fruitful in the first week of play. Wiggly : In his first appearance on the LCS stage Wiggly had a tall order going up against the powered up back to back LCS champions in Team Liquid. While not playing particularly awful he was unable to make anything happen during the game and did not contribute pressure in any shape or form (which is the main job of the jungler).

: In his first appearance on the LCS stage Wiggly had a tall order going up against the powered up back to back LCS champions in Team Liquid. While not playing particularly awful he was unable to make anything happen during the game and did not contribute pressure in any shape or form (which is the main job of the jungler). FallenBandit: Another rookie stepping up to the plate against TL FallenBandit did not impress at all during this match. So many Kennen ultimate opportunities where not taken and the truly startling thing is that he didn’t seem to notice they were there in the first place. One particular opportunity where he could have flashed over the dragon pit after teleporting in could have turned the ensuing fight in CLG’s favor. Instead this and other chances never turned into realities.

Clutch Gaming vs Team SoloMid:

Courtesy of Riot Games

What should have been a done deal at the 15 minute mark turned into a game that TSM will be thinking about for a while. Despite Huni getting demolished in the 1v1 top lane to BrokenBlade’s Aatrox Clutch were given the chance to scale into the late game where their poke composition came online. Despite Bjergsen and Zven being the only 2018 members still on the team there already appear to be a great deal of similarities. Despite their obvious leads on Akaadian and BrokenBlade TSM did not push those advantages and instead allowed CG to get back into the game and take control at no extra charge.

Studs:

Piglet : Ezreal is a powerful champion. Piglet is an incredible AD Carry. The amount of damage Piglet was able to lay down while not being in danger (thanks in part to Tahm Kench) was a treat to watch. Despite Huni and Lira borderline feeding Piglet was able to save multiple fights and help Clutch go 2–0 in week 1.

: Ezreal is a powerful champion. Piglet is an incredible AD Carry. The amount of damage Piglet was able to lay down while not being in danger (thanks in part to Tahm Kench) was a treat to watch. Despite Huni and Lira borderline feeding Piglet was able to save multiple fights and help Clutch go 2–0 in week 1. Damonte : Despite struggling against the Urgot in the early lanning phase Damonte put up a huge performance on Akali. He in cooperation with Piglet are what saved Clutch.

: Despite struggling against the Urgot in the early lanning phase Damonte put up a huge performance on Akali. He in cooperation with Piglet are what saved Clutch. BrokenBlade: As previously mention BrokenBlade should have been able to win the game by himself with the advantage he created in the top lane. At this point in time he is the clear best player on his team.

Duds:

Huni/Lira : I have grouped these two players together because their failures this match came from one another. Huni totally underestimated his lane opponent and required Lira’s assistance. Lira foolishly thought he could get a return kill on Aatrox since his passive was down. This despite the fact that both Akaadian and Aatrox were stronger and had most of their health. The resulting flash engage was either full tilt or pure stupidity. It is also worth mentioning that before this point Lira’s Lee Sin pick accomplished nothing in the early game despite aggression in the early game being the key play-style of the champion.

: I have grouped these two players together because their failures this match came from one another. Huni totally underestimated his lane opponent and required Lira’s assistance. Lira foolishly thought he could get a return kill on Aatrox since his passive was down. This despite the fact that both Akaadian and Aatrox were stronger and had most of their health. The resulting flash engage was either full tilt or pure stupidity. It is also worth mentioning that before this point Lira’s Lee Sin pick accomplished nothing in the early game despite aggression in the early game being the key play-style of the champion. Bjergsen: If I was forced to point to one player that was the most responsible for TSM becoming passive in the mid game despite their massive lead it would be their star mid laner. Bjerg seemed unwilling to push any advantage the team created. Instead he and Zven seemed far more comfortable farming and waiting till the late game to 5v5 team fight. The lack of pro activity that has characterized the team for some time now has emerged once again in the first week of play.

Echo Fox vs Golden Guardians:

Courtesy of Riot Games

It must be upsetting that the Golden Guardians are starting off their season 0–2. The only thing that could make that even more upsetting is the reality they have yet to play any of the top teams in the league. Some baffling team fight initiations combined with flat out poor play by their bottom lane allowed Echo Fox to take the reigns in this match. There is also the issue that as of week 1 their big name mid laner Froggen has yet to deliver. Only time will tell if these are just growing pains of a new roster, or something much worse.

Studs:

Apollo : With Xayah in his control the seasoned and often underrated ADC of Echo Fox put the team on his back. Apollo pressured the enemy bottom lane sufficiently to win the lane and gain control over the dragon pit (GGS only took one drake when FOX were in base). He also was a team fight monster dodging Galio and Ryze engages and laying down massive damage in return.

: With Xayah in his control the seasoned and often underrated ADC of Echo Fox put the team on his back. Apollo pressured the enemy bottom lane sufficiently to win the lane and gain control over the dragon pit (GGS only took one drake when FOX were in base). He also was a team fight monster dodging Galio and Ryze engages and laying down massive damage in return. Hakuho : So many massive ultimates and key engages from his Leona this game made Hakuho look like the god that took down TSM in spring split last year. He canceled the rift herald summon, stop several GGS engages, and made Olleh’s Rakan pick look foolish. That is without mentioning the excellent vision control and consistent jungle invades he accompanied Rush on.

: So many massive ultimates and key engages from his Leona this game made Hakuho look like the god that took down TSM in spring split last year. He canceled the rift herald summon, stop several GGS engages, and made Olleh’s Rakan pick look foolish. That is without mentioning the excellent vision control and consistent jungle invades he accompanied Rush on. Rush : Despite having a laughably poor performance on Karthus the previous day Rush was not deterred in the slightest and showed why this champion is so prevalent in the pick and ban phase of week 1. Rush was able to clear his entire jungle in the time it took Contractz to clear his top side and rift scuttle. He also poured damage down in team fights and could assist his teammates with ultimates while invading the enemy jungle.

: Despite having a laughably poor performance on Karthus the previous day Rush was not deterred in the slightest and showed why this champion is so prevalent in the pick and ban phase of week 1. Rush was able to clear his entire jungle in the time it took Contractz to clear his top side and rift scuttle. He also poured damage down in team fights and could assist his teammates with ultimates while invading the enemy jungle. Honorable Mention: Contractz: Contractz’s performance in this game was him making the best out of a bad situation. Since Karthus was taken by FOX it was clear he would be out jungled due to the superior clear speed on Rush’s side. Instead Contractz looked for and pulled off several ganks in the early game as well as tried to secure neutral objectives like the rift herald.

Duds:

Olleh : There is really no way around the fact that Olleh had one of his worst performances ever in this game. His reengages during the laning phase made him seem like a rookie instead of the back to back LCS champion he is. He also was caught out throughout the remainder of the game and was too squishy to be a reliable engage tool in later team fights.

: There is really no way around the fact that Olleh had one of his worst performances ever in this game. His reengages during the laning phase made him seem like a rookie instead of the back to back LCS champion he is. He also was caught out throughout the remainder of the game and was too squishy to be a reliable engage tool in later team fights. Deflty: We witnessed what a capable ADC can do with the Ezreal pick despite their team borderline feeding. Deflty just didn’t show much in this match. Where he should have been trying to poke he seemed too afraid to step up.

Power Rankings: End of Week 1