(Photo courtesy of Riot Games via Flickr)







Echo Fox Dethrone The Kings

Despite being a mid-tier team in the LCS, Echo Fox came into Day 2 of week one ready to win.







After losing their first match against the Golden Guardians, the Foxes were slated to lose their second match against Team Liquid, being back-to-back North American champions. Team Liquid held a strong grip onto Echo Fox throughout most of the early to mid-game. With a 3K gold difference, 2 kill lead, and 2 tower lead, the North American champions looked solid and ready to secure another win for week one. However, Echo Fox were able to turn the tide of the game in a late-game teamfight in the mid lane, closing the gold difference, and giving them an extra tower, letting them play a bit of catch up.

With this momentum on their side, just 5 minutes later, Echo Fox had another teamfight with TL on the blue-side red buff. This fight was do-or-die for either team, and the side to win this were set to win the match. To a surprising end, Echo Fox take down all of the members of Team Liquid and end the game, beating the champions, and taking home a win for themselves.





OpTic Start Summer Off Strong

On the lower end of the spectrum, OpTic Gaming ended the first week of the Summer Split with a 2-0 record. Their first match of the season was against Clutch Gaming. Coming from the split before, OpTic lost to Clutch both times they’ve met. This time around, OpTic is looking to return the favor. The match was looking neck-and-neck until a teamfight mid allowed OpTic to take Baron and widen their lead. From there it was smooth sailing and they carried the win in their sails to get their first win.

(Photo courtesy of Riot Games via Flickr)







Next up for the Greenwall was 100 Thieves, with an inverse of Clutch Gaming, OpTic won both matches they faced against the Thieves, with their sights on winning another.

OpTic were able to get 3 early-game kills, putting them at a significant advantage over 100T. With the Thieves unable to keep up with OpTic’s strong lead, they needed something to come back. Winning an Ocean Drake teamfight and attempting to close the gap, 100T looked ready to come back. OpTic, however, had different plans. After increasing the gold lead they had from 2K to 4K and taking down a baron-buffed 100T roster, the Greenwall were able to end the weekend 2-0 with a strong start to the split.

Cloud9 Looks Promising

Cloud9 has always been a top-tier team in the LCS. In 2018 they were able to take out TSM 3-0 in Summer finals, in Spring 2019, they were able to able to secure a semifinalist spot, and at end of week one, they ended with a 2-0 record, while finalists TSM and Team Liquid finished with a 1-1 record. Though the teams C9 played against (Clutch Gaming and FlyQuest) weren’t the best the league had to offer, Cloud9 dominated both of these teams, with kills and gold leads in the double-digits at 20 minutes.

Definitely a lot happier with our win today!! I can't wait to see what we can accomplish this split 😁 — C9 Licorice (@Licorice) June 2, 2019

It’s safe to say that coming back from their bootcamp in Korea, Cloud9 returned looking for a third championship, and to do it with style. It’s exciting to anticipate what’s in store for Cloud9 and their strong lineup.