Moments that defined the 2016 EU LCS Spring Playoffs

Heading into the 2016 EU LCS Spring Split Playoffs each team was considered a serious contender to take the championship.

This was a series of games where every team was a potential favourite -- and no one was quite sure who would be heading to Rotterdam, and who would be forced out of the Finals by the competition. Below we highlight the top moments from the Quarter and Semifinals, and take a look at how the European Finalists battled their way to the top.

THE QUARTERFINALS

FNC vs. VIT

Team Vitality were considered to be favourites heading into the Playoffs. However, Fnatic refused to give up on their dreams of taking yet another European Split title. Fnatic took the series 3-1 over Vitality, but the bees fought as hard as they could to stay in the Playoffs. Let’s take a look at this moment from Game 4.

It was do or die for Vitality -- if they lost this game, they had no chance for redemption. Fnatic entered the team fight with a massive advantage - 5k gold, dragon down, and a fresh Baron buff. Spirit moves up to drop a risky ward, and Klaj and Rekkles follow him in. Spirit remains alive on Graves despite the Alistar Pulverize and damage from two of Vitality’s damage dealers, and Graves pumps out damage.

Despite Spirit surviving and pumping out damage, Fnatic were still down two members. Luckily, Teleport was able to bring Febiven and Gamsu into the fight. Febiven drops nearly 5k damage on the clustered members of Vitality. Gamsu comes in to disrupt and sink Vitality, and Spirit is still alive to pump out damage and push down the inhib and Nexus turrets.

While Fnatic started the fight with advantages, their smart team fighting and taking advantage of the Vitality’s positioning turned their lead into an unstoppable avalanche.

OG vs. UOL

The Unicorns had experienced roster changes, but they outperformed expectations during the Spring Split. Surprisingly, Origen underperformed, turning in some disappointing performances for a team that had just been to Worlds. This fight during Game 2 shows Origen’s confidence in handling the series and sending the Unicorns back to their meadow.

While we have to offer massive props to Fox and Steelback for playing their hearts’ out, Origen is in complete control of this fight. PowerofEvil is pumping out loads of damage from Varus on the backline, while the front line eats as much of the Unicorn’s aggression as possible. Soaz’s Poppy is a complete monster in these fights, picking up kills and shoving the Unicorns back aggressively.. This fight is a reminder that despite Origen underperforming in the regular Split, they are still the dangerous team that battled an 18-0 Fnatic to a Best of 5 last year, represented Europe as a semifinalist at Worlds, and a strong contender that can’t be underestimated.

THE SEMIFINALS

H2K vs. OG

After putting the Unicorns down, Origen moved on to face H2K. H2K took Origen to five games in a hard fought series, but ultimately OG moved on to their second Split Final in a row. H2K picked up two kills early on in Game 5, but Origen still managed an early gold lead. Origen still scraped out an early game gold lead  When the teams finally meet in a proper team fight, Origen come out ahead thanks to some incredibly stellar team play.

Zven carries hard from the back line while Soaz and Amazing initiate and peel perfectly. Braum’s contributions to the fight can’t be underestimated, especially the early Glacial Fissure that split H2K. Add a killer Orianna ult and sustained damage from PowerofEvil, and it’s safe to call this the fight that won Origen the series and took them to the Spring Finals.
They’re going to need to keep that team coordination and focus up if they hope to earn their first Split Championship, but things are looking good for the team. Their two mid roster served them well during this series, as they were able to swap xPeke in for a game and allow PowerofEvil to come back revitalized and ready to do work. Soaz may be one of their deepest assets during the upcoming Best of 5, as shown by his aggressive and high-reward Poppy play during this series. However, they’ll need to watch out during Picks and Bans and be prepared for G2 to nail some of their key picks, like POE’s Orianna, Mithy’s Braum, and the ever present Poppy pick.

H2K still have a chance at third place and those valuable Championship Points that could take them to Worlds. H2K was a strong squad throughout the split, and it's unfortunate that they suddenly looked directionless during their matches against OG. They’ll also need to take a look at their picks and bans. If they can regain their focus and regroup, they stand a strong chance against Fnatic to take a respectable third place for Spring.

FNC vs. G2

Fans watched this series on the edge of their seat, waiting to see if Fnatic v Origen would once again be the final match of the Split. Each team entered the series with a massive respect for the other, but only one would advance to the finals. During Game 3 of the series, Fnatic seemed to be off to a strong start, maintaining a gold lead. G2 caught Klaj out of position and eliminated him, then moved on to shove down mid.

Febiven stops G2 from progressing further with a Lissandra ult, but even this incredible stall was unable to stop G2 from backing off and rotating top at another attempt to shove down turrets.

Hybrid and Trick prevent another icy stall by pinching Febiven in the top lane just under two minutes later. Fnatic collapsed to defend their mid laner, but G2 outplayed them, racked up two kills, and picked up an overall gold advantage. This fight was an example of how G2 was able to outclass Fnatic and advance to the finals.

Fnatic still has hope - they’ll be facing H2K for the third place spot and Championship Points. The squad is still finding their tempo, and Rekkles and Febiven are huge assets on the team. Both H2K and Fnatic will be entering the third place match hungry not just for Championship Points, but for the chance to show that they’re still one of the top teams.

G2 are heading off to Rotterdam to play in their first Finals in their very first split -- an incredible achievement for a rookie team. G2 will be facing off against Origen, and they’re no doubt ready to throw everything they have against the team of veterans. Origen won’t go down easy; after falling just one game short of the Summer Championship, they’re ravenous to prove themselves the European Champions. But Origen can’t give up fighting until G2 is down and out -- if G2’s performance during the Split is any indication, they’ll fight tooth and nail to make sure that they claim the crown.

Get hyped, because the final showdowns in Rotterdam are fast approaching. Let us know your predictions for the EU Spring Split Winner, and share your favorite moments from the Playoffs so far.

Cassandra "Requine" Marshall is a storyteller who fell in love with Starcraft and never looked back. Follow her on Twitter @CERequine!