The playoffs for the League of Legends Spring Split are happening all weekend long, as teams face off in a battle for Championship points and eventually a place the World Championships in September.
CLG v Team Liquid
Stream: Riot Games
We’re continuing our live coverage of the LCS Playoffs today with a look at the North American side of things as 2nd seed CLG faces off against 4th seed Team Liquid. I’ll be on live blogging duties all weekend for the playoffs, so do keep me company while we watch some League of Legends for literally days on end. Feel free to reach out to me on Twitter with any comments and observations about the matches!
LIVE BLOG (Refreshes automatically)
Pre-Game
KiwiKid: “Piglet and Matt are the best duo in the League”
Pre-Match
Game 1 – Pick and Bans
We’re underway in the Pick and Ban phase!
Game 1 – Picks and Bans
Here we go, the champions are locked in for Game 1.
2MIN
CLG manage to avoid Piglet and Matt in the lane swaps. Both teams push the towers.
4MIN
Flash burned by Huhi in mid after a gank by Dardoch.
6MIN
TL grab the first Rift Herald of the game.
FIRST BLOOD
10MIN
After Piglet picked up first blood onto Darshan, TL pick up the first Dragon of the game. They’re 700 gold up.
15MIN
Both teams just CS’ing at the moment. Here’s a 15min update.
17MIN
A good early start by Team Liquid. They’ve picked up their second Dragon and are 2K up.
19MIN
20MIN
Here’s a 20 minute update. Fenix farming very well on LeBlanc mid.
21MIN
23MIN
TL secure Dragon…and CLG head to Baron!? TL try their best to make it up in time, but they cant – Kalista secures it with the rend. CLG only lose Aphromoo for their troubles. Good play.
27MIN
CLG use their baron buff to gain 1 turret, TL’s 2nd tier mid turret. They are now 0.3K gold in the lead.
30MIN
Oh my word, huge by Piglet! Dardoch grabs dragon and switches focus to Huhi who was being a nuisance, all of CLG and TL funnel in and Piglet goes untouched through some great mechanics. An ace for TL.
33MIN
Wow, wow, wow. Dominant, and that’s probably game. After that fight earlier (where Piglet grabs the quadra kill) – Liquid continue to pressure all the way around the map. They grab the inhib, grab top turret, then go to baron and bait it out. The team fight is a huge success, TL ace CLG and will end the game right here.
34MIN – TEAM LIQUID WIN
Game 1 – Reaction
Piglet was huge in that game, going 6/0/4. The former World Champion showing beautiful mechanics to grab a quadra at Dragon.
GAME 2 – UP NEXT
NA Spring Split Finals
Just a reminder of what these teams are fighting for today…
Game 2 – Picks and Bans
Game 2 – Picks and Bans
TL have a team fighting comp. CLG more or less have the same team composition they drafted last game.
1min
No lane swaps, a standard 2v2 lane – this should see some excitement!
6MIN
Just as I was about to say that this lane was going really well for TL, this happens. Aphromoo starts to go low and TL smell blood, but they go way too hard for it. They chase under turret and go low – a TP from Darshan then cuts off Matt, Piglet and the Poppy. 0-3 CLG. Huge.
10MIN
TL respond superbly! CLG are debating wether they should dive top or not, they see more TL members than they expected and back off…but Xmithie is way to slow. He gets caught out in TL’s blue side jungle and the rest of CLG collapse to help him. It results in a 2-0 for TL.
12MIN
Gold lead cut to 0.8K for CLG.
13MIN
Good ward control from CLG sees them catch out Dardoch in his own jungle.
17MIN
First, Lourlo gets caught in top lane by Xmithie and Darshan. Then Fenix gets caught out in CLG’s jungle. CLG push their advantage up mid. CLG performing really well here.
18MIN
TL members being caught out, again.
22MIN
Wards are the main reason why CLG are winning this game. TL push up mid to grab the tower, and CLG have wards to teleport to. TL scramble and dont stick together, CLG pick them off and then head to Baron to secure it.
24MIN
A huge fight in mid lane – and it was quite close too! Kindred take the first blood in the fight and Team Liquid feel like they have it. They go for the reengage and Lourlo steps too far, he tries to flash and get away but is picked off. CLG push into TL’s base – Dardoch takes by one before dying himself. On the way out of the base Aphromoo also gets dropped. As you can tell by my description, it was hectic.
28MIN
CLG destroy the inhibitor and delete Piglet. A scrappy skirmish doesn’t see them end the game from there though.
31MIN – CLG WIN
TL have to do something, and it doesn’t work. CLG ace Team Liquid and take the win.
Game 3 – Picks and Bans
Game 3 – Pick and Bans
Game 3 pick and bans will be with you shortly.
Game 3 – Picks and Bans
Bans are up. Bit strange that there was no Ekko ban from Team Liquids side….they continue to ban this Tristana.
Game 3 – Picks and Bans
Anivia pick comes out for CLG! A very good composition. This’ll be hard for TL.
1MIN
Matt goes in to harrass Xmithie, but he finds Aphromoo and his ADC. They gift the kill to Anivia. Terrible start for TL.
5MIN
Xmithie and Darshan get a kill onto Lourlo. An even worse start from TL. They look to have been on tilt ever since that mistake in Game 2.
9MIN
Darshans early kill means that he’s comfortable in that bottom lane. He now has a 30 CS lead.
11MIN
Darshan TP’s to mid and gets nothing – he works his way top and is able to turret dive Matt. The rest of TL responds but is unable to get any kills back due to a teleport by Huhi. 3-0 for CLG.
14MIN
CLG up 2.2K gold.
16MIN
Fenix flash stuns Stixxay and Dardoch comes over to kill him – 1 for 1 trade though as Fenix goes down.
20MIN
20-minute update. TL haven’t even got a turret yet – CLG’s wave clear is just too good.
24MIN
CLG fight in a choke hold too their advantage – TL get extremely low and retreat. CLG bait Baron and TL run straight over and PIGLET gets caught out, AGAIN. 2-0 for CLG.
26MIN
TL do well to get Dragon, but then Piglet gets caught out…again.
27MIN
With Piglet down, CLG go to Baron. TL try fight it and CLG’s damage is too strong. This looks like game now.
29MIN – CLG WIN (2-1)
CLG ride the Baron buff to victory. Another amazing performance by CLG. They’re one win away from the Spring Split Finals.
Game 3 – Review
Stixxay went off that game. 11/1/4. He did over 50% of his teams damage that game! What can TL do to come back into this series? They’re on the verge of going out and they need to mix it up – banning Ekko and having a better draft seems like a start.
Game 4 – COMING NEXT
Game 4 – Pick and Bans
TL don’t ban Ekko, but they pick it away from CLG. Regarding the team comps – Darshan is off a carry in the top lane, which is good for TL, but his switch to Maokai sees CLG rock a very solid team comp. They seem to have more damage sources – Team Liquid look very heavily reliant onto Piglet.
4MIN
First blood to Piglet and Team Liquid, just the start they wanted! Dardoch counter jungles Xmithie and gives away double buffs to Piglet.
5MIN
The Keystone masteries of the players.
7MIN
Piglet and Matt got a good CS lead bot.
8MIN
A great counter gank by Xmithie sees Huhi go big in the mid lane. The bot lane duo of Matt and Piglet roamed mid and managed to get a kill for Liquid. 2-1 trade for CLG.
10MIN
A great ult by Matt catches Aphromoo. His team takes the kill. Matt then goes and gets the stun on Huhi under the turret and Piglet gets the kill! Huge plays from Matt on this Bard.
13MIN
16MIN
CLG catch Piglet offguard and take the kill. They go to take the turret but Matt ults and stuns them all – then hugggeee damage come from TL and Fenix! A quadra kill is picked up! The knock up, into the stun. Awesome combo.
18MIN
TL are starting to knock down towers now. They have a 9K gold lead so far and will be looking to bait/grab baron when it comes up in a minutes time.
22MIN
CLG think they’ve caught out Fenix…but nope, the rest of TL collapse and Piglet cleans up with a triple kill. I think we’re going to another Game 5!
24MIN – TEAM LIQUID WIN
What a performance by Team Liquid, the fastest performance we’ve had so far. Fenix went legendary and was huge on Karma, but the stand-out performance…Bard! Matt was quality on Bard that game and it set up so many kills. Will it be banned for Game 5?
24MIN – TEAM LIQUID WIN
Game 5 – Picks and Bans
Game 5 – Picks and Bans
Game 5 on the way shortly.
Game 5 – Picks and Bans
Ekko finally banned away by Team Liquid. Bard still up for Matt.
Game 5 – Picks and Bans
Here we go. It’s the same comp again for TL, more or less, apart from they have Cait and Naut instead of Lucian and Ekko.
Different comp here for CLG – Darshan on Poppy…would have maybe liked to see a carry, like Graves.
2MIN
The gloves are off this game! Both bot lane duos trade early – Aphromoo gets in the bush, ignites and flahs binds…and misses! Full throttle so far.
7MIN
The game has fizzle out since that 2nd minute, but it is Game 5! Nobody wants to be one that makes the mistake and sees their team miss out on a final.
9MIN
FIRST BLOOD FOR FENIX AND TL. Dardoch and Fenix come up for the counter gank on Darshan and Xmithie – taking down the latter.
11MIN
A 2-2 for trade down bot. Team Liquid perform a successful tower dive, but then overstay their welcome and lose a member.
13MIN
15MIN
Chaos down bot. TL catch out the bot lane duo with Fenix taking down Aphromoo. The Darshan teleport is huge though as he takes a kill onto Bard – he is now on a rampage. 4/0/0.
18MIN
TL now playing reactionary, CLG on the front foot.
19MIN
20MIN
TL take down Darshans poppy!
21MIN
TL take down Darshans poppy, but TL look at the map and see CLG taking their bot and mid turret! They bait Baron, a gutsy call, and it works! All in all they get 4 kills only losing Matt and his Bard.
25MIN
TL take down mid turret and get CLG’s ADC so low they feel like they can bait Baron. They do bait it and end up taking down Huhi.
27MIN
Fenix is so huge right now – he deletes the Lucian! A team fight ensues and TL come out on top. They keep on flirting with Baron but will not commit to it yet.
30MIN
CLG push mid and destroy TL’s mid tower – CLG take the gold lead.
32MIN
This game is insane! Aphromoo and Matt both go down here. TL bait Baron but this time CLG win the fight! Piglet gets destroyed but Dardoch and Fenix manage to take Stixxay down. Everyone recalls. Gold is even.
34MIN
The stats.
37MIN
TL get an early kill on Aphromoo, but Piglet is out of this fight for too long! Everyones so low and chaos ensues! CLG come out on top.
36MIN
CLG win a fight and take baron!
41MIN
This game is gonna give me a heart attack.
42MIN – CLG WIN 3-2
I can’t believe it. Piglet holds off the push by CLG. Darshan and Huhi then TP on to a single minion, Piglet thinks its just one player…they kill him and they end the game! CLG are through to the final. Heartbreak for TL.
CLG WIN THE SERIES 3-2
Hello, and welcome to our live coverage of the NA LCS Sprint Split Semi-Final! Today we see CLG vs Team Liquid.