LCS: NRG are the new kings of the league

The American League of Legends Championship Series has completed its final summer split. It pits defending champions Cloud9 against the surprise of the summer, NRG.

We already know the Worlds qualifiers for the US LCS. Now the puzzle of who would become the ruler of the league was still to be solved. One certainty we would have before the finals, Cloud9’s steady performance once again saw them march all the way to the final waters. On the other side, they faced perhaps the least expected opponent – NRG.

The team, which returned to the LCS thanks to a slot buyout from traditional organization Counter Logic Gaming, had no exaggerated ambitions. At best, it was counted on as a joker for world qualification. While Cloud9 clearly dominated the LCS, the rest of the starting field was very evenly matched, giving other teams room to shine.

The Golden Guardians experienced this in the spring, making similarly sensational runs to the finals and MSI. This time, NRG sent a big win over Team Liquid (3-2) into the finals and were able to make up for their hesitation from the previous matchup with Cloud9.

Still, many clearly favored the defending champions, and rightfully so. The champion’s performance was consistent, innovative and confident. NRG went into the fight as the underdog, ultimately showing how well the team can prepare for the grand finals.

First a blow for the favourite, then a balanced battle

The outsider started the series promisingly and the effort to play an equal game with the defending champions was evident. But despite the sympathy, the team suffered from poorer communication and the opponent punished these mistakes. Cloud9 managed to keep the relatively even game on their side and started the final round victorious.

NRG didn’t fold their arms and made a change in composition for the second game. Ivern ended up being the key element of the game that managed to keep the team at bay. The underrated team then added on better communication and compactness, which Cloud9 struggled with. The series evened out and added to the attractiveness.

The third game after that was NRG’s best performance. The team was able to dismantle the opponent’s ambitions into prime numbers. Palafox and the FBI did whatever they wanted to do on the Rift. Their activity greatly helped their teammates to speed up an initially balanced game, to which the defenders failed to respond adequately. NRG went up 2-1 and put a wrinkle on the forehead of the LCS rulers.

The fourth game did not have a significant advantage for a long time. Both teams were scrambling for every piece of the map and looking for an opportunity to succeed. The veteran Ignar helped keep NRG in check at important moments. Cloud9’s performance was decidedly lackluster. While there were some dramatic moments, it was clear that the title defense was miles away.

In the end, NRG shut down Cloud9 with a very dedicated game and were able to celebrate the historic title. The 3-1 result will go down in big letters in American LCS Finals history. After all, NRG’s success is a big surprise in the context of the balance of power. The underrated team has done the best job of preparing for the playoffs and can now celebrate a great triumph.

Source: LCS, Kaza LoL, Leaguepedia