In one of the best series in NA LCS history, Clutch Gaming defeated Team Solomid, knocking them out of the playoffs. This will be the first time in five splits that TSM failed to make it to the final rounds. Clutch Gaming, a brand new team spawned out of the League of Legends esports franchise system, managed to pull off an upset so large it shook the esports ecosystem. With Cloud9 and Counter Logic Gaming losing their games and knocking themselves out of the bracket, Team Liquid, Echo Fox, 100 Thieves and Clutch Gaming are the only teams left. Franchising was supposed to shake up League's professional meta and I think it's succeeding.
My favorite play of the series had to be in game four of the series. At the 12-minute mark, Hauntzer on Camille tries to set up a three-man dive on Solo on Ornn. Solo nearly manages to kill Hauntzer, who escapes with just a sliver of life. Then out of nowhere, Febiven on Swain throws out a Nevermove, getting the kill. Taking Hakuho's Thresh lantern, he flies straight into the face of MikeYeaung on Sejuani. It was one of the most mechanically synchronous plays I've ever seen, from a team that many thought never stood a chance.
Clutch Gaming wasn't perfectly in sync all the time. In game three, a four-man TSM dive in the bottom lane brought down the CG bot lane duo. Caught up in the passion of the moment, Febiven called out he had teleport (which he sadly did not) and both his teammates lost their lives. They still managed to win the game, proving that TSM coordination can't beat unbridled talent.
The memes from this match have already starting pouring in. The final match quickly hit the top reddit all, gaining more than 10,000 upvotes in a little under an hour. Many knocked Zven and Mithy's confusing performance while others not believing what they just watched.
Next week's playoff games pit Clutch Gaming against fellow newcomer 100 Thieves on March 31. LCS heavyweights Team Liquid and Echo Fox. square off on April 1. Make sure to watch after the EU LCs playoffs end around 6 to 8 p.m. EDT.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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Steven Asarch is a tech reporter for Newsweek currently based in New York City. In high school, he started stand-up ... Read more
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