Photo by Garena
First off is team Machi eSports, landing 4th place in only their second LMS split. Having gained a new top laner in Wang “BoBo” You-Lin, Machi had one of the most neutral splits possible in LMS. This team’s strong suit rests with their bottom lane duo of Chen “Dee” Jun-Dee and Ceng “Dreamer” Jian-Hong, who will need to lead the charge if this team hopes to compete with such steep odds.
Next up is the former world champion Taipei Assassins, placing 3rd. While this team of underdogs were once known as the best in the world, they never quite hit that same level success after season 2. Season 6 saw the return of TPA championship carry Cheng “bebe” Bo-Wei, who helped lead the team to where they are now. Impressively, Chen “Morning” Kuan Ting boasts an astounding 13.35 KDA. In such a top dominant meta, this player will need to continue his miraculous teamplay to make this a team of champions once again.
Coming off of their dominating placement in the Worlds group stages is the Flash Wolves in 2nd. This team shocked the world by bowling over their bracket in the Worlds group A stage, beating the eventual 2nd place KOO Tigers 2-0. The season started off on a shaky note when long time top laner Chou “Steak” Lu-Hsi stepped down to become an analyst, forcing FW to adapt with Lihong “MMD” Yu. Fortunately, this season has been one of FW’s strongest thus far with stunning KDA’s across every position. As long as FW can pressure early and outdraft their opponents, their chances to seize victory are very bright.
Last but not least is the returning two time LMS champions ahq eSports Club, having achieved 1st place with the same lineup that saw quarterfinals at Worlds and 3rd-4th place at 2015’s Mid Season Invitational. ahq accomplished an immaculate 17-3-0 score, never outright losing a series and only dropping three games in total. Despite rumors proclaiming the retirement of fan favorite mid laner Liu “Westdoor” Shu-Wei, the star assassin has continued to rampage across the rift. So long as ahq do not get cocky and adapt properly to the new meta, they should have no issues retaining their title.
Each round consisted of a best of five between the competing teams, and the order of competition based on placement at the end of the LMS’s regular split. The winner of each round climbed to face the team placed above them, until the final round. Read ahead to catch the results of each individual round.
Quarterfinal: TPA vs. M17
Our quarterfinal match up starts the playoffs with an extremely back and forth series with both teams utilizing similar play styles that involve going aggressive to look for an opportunity to get ahead. When one team was not watching their backs, the other was sure to make them regret it. After claiming a lead, they would then pressure the map by denying vision, taking objectives, or grouping to invade to look for another victim. With that said, these aggressive styles would sometimes cost the initiator dearly. A prime example comes from game 3. Despite TPA being ahead, M17 decide to rush Baron after one kill onto TPA. M17’s weakened state allows TPA to swing the fight in their favor and ace M17, winning them the game. The following game is composed of TPA making several uncoordinated pushes towards M17, costing them their lead and bringing M17 back to tie it all up. TPA’s arrogance and lack of team play in the latter half of the series were what ultimately allowed Machi to secure a 3-2 and move on to face the Flash Wolves.
Semifinal: FW vs M17
The semi-finals kick off much faster and heavier in this match up. In this series, the Flash Wolves play a very forceful “win lane, win game” type of style. They look for early advantages by calculating the enemy’s movements and punishing them for positional mistakes. Once FW take their lead, they continue to apply pressure by denying resources and forcing Machi to play back, a style this team is not adept at. Machi typically drafted with a comp focused on scaling into the game, which FW simply countered by using strong laning champions who work well in a team fight. When behind, Machi attempted to farm back, or look for a catch, but their lack of information around the map often lead to FW quickly rotating to clean up M17 once their resources were spent. After a dominating performance, Flash Wolves move forward with a 3-0 sweep.
Final: AHQ vs FW
The rematch the fans of LMS have been waiting for, but no one could have expected an outcome quite like this. ahq may have exhibited a dominant performance previously in the split, but they seemed rather lost when pitted against Flash Wolves’ commanding presence. While ahq played a more slow paced an objective-focused style, FW continued their opportunistic nature from the previous series. Even when ahq attempted to be aggressive, they would often expend too much too quickly and would pay with a swift death, costing them a fight. Once FW gained the lead they wanted, ahq’s objectives were all for naught, leading to FW to force fights ahq could not possibly contest against. It what originally would have seem like an upset, the Flash Wolves sweep ahq eSports 3-0, claiming the LMS spring split championship.
With their trophy in hand, Flash Wolves now look to prepare for next month’s Mid Season Invitational in Shanghai, up against teams such as Counter Logic Gaming and G2 eSports. Competition is sure to be stiff, so FW must focus on keeping their macro game diligent and adapting to the future patches. Will Flash Wolves bring the LMS a new international victory? Tune in this May to see how they fair at MSI.
