Only two spots are up for grabs in the LCS Spring playoffs.
The LCS Spring Split playoffs are now at the business end with just four teams remaining. The likes of Coud9, FlyQuest, Evil Geniuses, and Golden Guardians will be vying for just two spots at the upcoming Mid-Season Invitational happening in London in just a few months. As it stands, both C9 and FQ are in the upper bracket finals with the winner securing themselves a slot at MSI.
In the lower bracket, you have EG and GG fighting for a spot in the lower bracket final, where they will face the loser between C9 and FQ. With the LCS getting two slots to MSI this year, this doubles the region's chances of having an LCS team lift the trophy for the first time. But which of these four teams will take it?
LCS Spring Split Preview
The LCS Spring Split finals will be played in front of a live audience next weekend at the PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina on April 8 and 9. This will feature the final three teams that will be competing at LAN to determine who will head to London later this year. The lower bracket finals will take place on April 8 at 12 pm PT/3 pm ET while the LCS Spring Split grand finals will happen on April 9 at 12 pm PT/3 pm ET.
Cloud9
FlyQuestBoth Cloud9 and FlyQuest already have one foot in the door to MSI due to being in the upper bracket finals. The upcoming best-of-five between both teams will be a showstopper, given that this will only be their third time facing one another in the playoffs. The last two best-of-five series both teams played against each other occurred back in 2020 with C9 winning in the spring and FQ in the summer.
With the head-to-head match-up at one apiece, it will be interesting to see who breaks the deadlock to go ahead. FQ has looked like a different team over the past few months, having made some shrewd transfer deals along the way to sign underrated talent from abroad. And their first playoff test could not have gone any smoother than a 3-0 sweep against 100 Thieves, who also happened to have some of the LCS' best players on the roster.
C9 also made light work of Counter Logic Gaming, despite dropping a map to win 3-1 in the first round of the playoffs. The boys in blue have also had FQ's number this entire split, taking them out during the final super week as well as the tiebreaker, which also placed C9 as the number one seed in the LCS. FQ will be looking to exact revenge on C9 after losing out on the top spot, which they held for five weeks straight.
Mingyi "Spica" Lu was the MVP in FQ's last outing against 100 Thieves, in which the jungler excelled with his Xin Zhao in the first two games before wrapping it up with a Wukong pick for the third. Aside from that, FQ can also rely on both Dae-gwang "VicLa" Lee and Lee "Prince" Chae-hwan, two new imports who have taken the LCS by storm. With five group stage MVP titles each to their name, the former LCK players have risen the bar on what to expect from Korea.
As for C9, making the change by moving Dimitri "Diplex" Ponomarev to Cloud9 Challengers while rotating Min-soo "EMENES" Jang to the starting line-up proved to be a smart move as C9 managed to challenge for the top spot during the second half of the spring split group stage. It also helps that EMENES made an immediate impact off the bench, securing himself four group stage MVP titles; only Ibrahim "Fudge" Allami has more with five.
Golden Guardians vs 
Evil Geniuses
Undeniably mid-table for this split, Golden Guardians and Evil Geniuses have had their ups and downs over the last few months. During the group stage, EG managed to come out on top against GG in the opening weekend of the spring split but it was the latter who got revenge in the fifth week. However, despite their group-stage woes, both teams have managed to salvage their season thus far. EG took out Counter Logic Gaming in three straight games while GG managed to overthrow 100 Thieves in the fifth and final match.
Both EG and GG have never faced one another in a best-of-five series before so it will be worth watching to see who comes out on top. Given their recent history, it's still tied at 1-1 so it will be either team's series at this point. Historically, EG also has the upside in the match-up, having beaten GG on numerous occasions. Then again, those were different lineups back then.
GG has made some great moves this year, securing the likes of former LCK, LPL, and PCS veteran midlaner, Kim "Gori" Tae-woo. Pair that with Choi "huhi" Jae-hyun and you have got a lineup that is one best-of-five series away from securing a spot on the main stage in front of a live audience. While GG hasn't been overly impressive this season, they have improved in many areas. This will also be the organisation's highest finish to date in an LCS regular split.
EG, on the other hand, will be looking at Kacper "Inspired" Słoma to take charge with being the only other player aside from Yiliang "Doublelift" Peng with six group stage MVP titles. While the team as a whole hasn't fully stepped up to its potential, EG has shown that they do have what it takes to go all the way. Last season may seem like a distant memory now, but EG has been known to pull off amazing lower-bracket runs.
The LCS Spring Split playoffs continue later today with Cloud9 taking on FlyQuest in the upper bracket finals. Catch the action on the official LCS Twitch channel.
