The Breakdown - LMQ vs. Cloud 9

Coming into their match against North America’s reigning champion Cloud9, LMQ had already shown signs of vulnerability after their first Week 2 loss against Dignitas. Cloud9 undoubtedly had a few issues of their own at the start of the split, but were looking to regroup and prove to both their fans and themselves that they are still a premiere team in the NA LCS. Despite a shaky early game against LMQ, C9 came back by using sound decision making and a superior approach to team fights. It certainly didn’t hurt that Sneaky had one of the most impressive performances by an ADC in the Summer Split so far.

Assembling the team

Champion Select LMQ bans: Morgana, Elise, Lulu C9 bans: Kassadin, Thresh, Leona LMQ picks: LeBlanc, Zyra & Lucian, Renekton & Nunu C9 picks: Shyvana & Lee Sin, Kha'Zix & Nami, Corki LMQ used their three bans to eliminate champions with strong initiation from LemonNation, Meteos, and Hai. C9 had similar concerns as their bans removed two offensive supports from Mor's champion pool. While LMQ locked in a top tier ADC pick in Lucian for Vasilii, C9 opted for an underplayed champion in the form of Corki. Mid lane was the most difficult matchup for Cloud9, with XiaoWeiXiao’s LeBlanc holding a significant early advantage over Hai’s Kha'Zix. [Champion select] The C9 team composition allowed for two sturdy frontline champions with Shyvana and Lee Sin while their two carries could use their mobility to come in from behind or at a flank. C9 appeared very AD heavy at first glance, but Corki possesses a considerable amount of magic and true damage from Missiles and Corki's passive. Even though Twitch was available, Corki proved to be the wiser option and C9 avoided putting all their eggs into the pure Attack Damage basket. LMQ remained steadfast in their initiate-heavy team composition. Ackerman was their lone frontline while NoName and Mor brought the utility that would allow XiaoWeiXiao and Vasilii to pick up all the kills for LMQ.

Taking aim

In the first 16 minutes, LMQ had a 3K gold lead over Cloud9 as a result of three consecutive Dragons and a two kill advantage. However, C9 remained within arm's reach of LMQ through the tenacious plays of Sneaky's Corki. During the mid game, Sneaky used his Missile Barrages and Phosphorous Bombs to whittle down LMQ before key fights, keeping the door open for his team to challenge LMQ for map objectives without being overwhelmed by LMQ's item advantage. Thanks to Sneaky keeping their opponents at bay, C9 slowly but steadily recovered in gold until they clawed back even with comparable items. As the game progressed, Sneaky brought much needed magic and true damage to C9’s otherwise very AD-heavy team. Even when he got picked off, he provided continual burst and poke to decimate multiple LMQ health bars simultaneously, allowing the rest of Cloud9 to clean up the mess - most notably Hai’s triple kill late into the game. [1900 Sneaky kill] An explosive two man burst While LMQ retained a marginal lead on the scoreboard, C9 were viciously biting back. Solid last hitting mechanics meant C9 players had similar items compared to their LMQ counterparts, despite being behind in kills. What C9 needed was an opportunity to present itself so they could capitalize on LMQ's mistakes. As soon Mor split off from NoName's side, Hai and Sneaky both jumped in and decimated LMQ's support in a matter of seconds. By picking up this first but critical kill, Sneaky not only maintained a gold lead over Vasilii but paved the way for C9 to take back map control from LMQ by taking out their third turret of the match in mid lane. [2300 Dragon and Sneaky Double] LMQ pincered between spikes and rockets Even with a lineup that had incredible initiation due to Meteos' Resonating Strike and Balls' Dragon's Descent, C9 knew better than to dive into LMQ head-on. The root, peel, and kite potential LMQ from NoName's Absolute Zero and Mor's Stranglethorns would've been C9's undoing if they attempted a poorly timed initiation. Recognizing that, C9 had Hai and Sneaky poked relentlessly until one or more LMQ members were low enough in health to start a fight.

Lock and load

With LMQ's early game lead significantly blunted, C9 was back in the game after getting kills and gold allocated to the appropriate carries. With a Bloodthirster and Trinity Force completed, Sneaky only became even more efficient at picking off champions. [2500 Sneaky kills Mor] C9's overwhelming pick potential Much like Sneaky's very first kill of the game, C9 had an amazing ability to quickly dispatch any LMQ player caught unawares. With the slows from Meteos' Cripple on Lee Sin and LemonNation's Tidal Wave on Nami, the one-two punch of Hai and Sneaky continued to make things difficult for Mor. Because ackerman was tasked with split pushing bot lane, the remaining members of LMQ were incredibly susceptible to picks without their tanky frontline to protect them. This pick on Mor resulted in another kill for Sneaky, pushing him ahead of Vasilii, and allowing him to be the first to pick up a Last Whisper. [3000 C9 Dragon and kills] The Big One that lost LMQ the fight True to their team fight strategy from the start of the game, C9 was incessantly poking LMQ at every opportunity. During another major dragon contest, Sneaky landed a clutch Big One missile squarely on XiaoWeiXiao, putting LMQ's mid laner at below half life. Unable to commit to a fight at such low health, XiaoWeiXiao headed back to the Fountain. Meanwhile, the rest of LMQ refused to give C9 a free Dragon. By the time XiaoWeiXiao returned to the fray, C9 already turned their attention to the opposing team, eliminated Mor once again, and chased down the rest of LMQ as they retreated in tatters. With that single Missile, Sneaky prevented LMQ from challenging C9 as a team. Realizing their advantage, C9 felt safe to initiate a teamfight, proving the strength of their strategy.

Firing all missiles

Going into endgame, C9 and LMQ were even in gold. With things so close, it came down to which side could make better decisions and respond to those the other squad made. For example, while it appeared they made the grave mistake of trading their top inhibitor for a Dragon, C9 was not about to let LMQ retreat back to base completely unscathed, chasing down their opponents and dropping every last one. [4300 C9 Ace] Every rocket counted In the late game, Hai took over the spotlight, racking up kills by cleaning up champions that Sneaky poked into vulnerability. Here, as Balls and Hai jumped forward to close the gap and Meteos attempted to flank, Sneaky took advantage of the three bodies in front of him and consistently showered LMQ with Phosphorous Bombs and Missile Barrages. While it was ultimately Hai who picked up a Quadra Kill and the ace for C9, it wouldn't have been possible without all of Sneaky's AoE damage. [4400 C9 Ace] To Sneaky, Renekton was just fresh meat Armed with a Trinity Force, Bloodthirster, Blade of the Ruined King, and Last Whisper, there was no distinction between frontline and backline to Sneaky during that final brawl. With his Hextech Shrapnel Shells’ passive, not even an armor laden ackerman could withstand Sneaky's focus fire. While the outlook of the team fight was already looking positive for C9, the fight swung heavily into their favor after Mor completely missed his Stranglethorns. Without the crucial knockup needed to create distance for LMQ as a whole, C9 was in jabbing distance and went for the knockout punch.

Wrapping up the match

Key moments for each team [C9 team picture] Cloud9 Pokes and positioning From Sneaky's Big One rockets to Hai's Evolved Spike Racks, Cloud9 had a multitude of pokes that they used effectively to whittle down LMQ before major team fights. In tandem with their superior team fight positioning, this gave C9 the edge they needed to overcome LMQ's early game lead. [LMQ Team picture] LMQ Faltering at forced fights Not every map objective can be contested. While the word 'retreat' does not appear to be in LMQ's lexicon, there are situations where they need to accept that not fighting is sometimes the best option. Case in point: During a crucial engagement at Dragon, they tried to force a team fight while XiaoWeiXiao was at base, ultimately giving Sneaky a Double Kill to allow C9 back into the game. Jack is a freelance writer for Riot Games. It is a tight race for No. 1 in the NA LCS. Which teams do you think will finish in the top 3 at the end of the split? You can tweet him your thoughts @NeoIllusions.