Recapping the Promotion Tournament slugfests
After battling their way through the Challenger Series, the top two teams on either side of the Atlantic earned a spot in the Promotion Tournament and a shot at entering the LCS. There, they would face off against three former LCS teams that had slipped into relegation.
Five teams entered the Promotion Tournament -- but only three could emerge with a spot in the 2016 LCS Summer Split. After a grueling Best of 5 tournament schedule, the results are finally in. Say hello to the new faces and old talent that will be gracing the LCS stage this summer.
EU LCS
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Splyce, Team Roccat, and Giants Gaming have defended their EU LCS spots against the Challenger teams of Team Huma and Copenhagen Wolves. The gatekeepers of Europe proved to be too strong, with both Team Huma and Copenhagen Wolves narrowly missing out on promotion.
A clash between the Wolves and the Giants kicked the Promo Tournament off, and the Wolves were hungry for blood -- as evident by a little light hearted Twitter trash talk. The two teams duked it out in a Best of 5 that went the distance, but Giants took the series home 3-2, sending the Wolves back to lick their wounds for another split.
After fighting off the Wolves, Giants entered the arena with the serpents of Splyce. For the second time in two days, Giants experienced a no holds barred full Best of 5. This time, their opponents proved to be too strong. Splyce earned their spot back in the LCS, and the Giants fell to the Losers Bracket.
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Their opponent was to be decided by the Best of 5 between Team Roccat and Team Huma. And while Team Huma managed to take one win off the wildcats, they ultimately went down and the door was opened for Team Roccat to step back into the EU LCS for the Summer Split.
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In the final series, Team Huma was granted one last shot to get into the EU LCS against Giants. If there was any moment for them to take control of their destiny, this was it. Yet even though Huma fought hard, Giants refused to budge. They picked up the series 3-1, earning their spot back into the European LCS for Summer 2016.
Congratulations to Splyce, Roccat, and Giants! We can’t wait to see these returning teams rally and come back for the 2016 EU LCS Summer Split.
NA LCS
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While the LCS teams of Europe held their ground against their Challenger rivals, North America's teams saw their first LCS casualty from the new Promotion Tournament format. While the Renegades and Team Impulse successfully defended their spots, we want to offer a hearty congratulations and welcome to Apex Gaming to the NA LCS. Say hello to the newest six-man roster to grace the North American LCS...
- TOP: Cristian "Cris" Rosales
- JUNGLE: Seo "Eve" Jun-cheol/Lee "Shrimp" Byeong-hoon
- MID: Lae-Young "Keane" Jang
- ADC: Park "Police" Hyeong-gi
- SUPPORT: Alex "Xpecial" Chu
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The Promotion Tournament started out with a major shocker: During the first day of games, Team Dragon Knights knocked Team Dignitas out of the North American LCS. That's right, the historic Team Dignitas organization will not be participating in the NA LCS Summer Split -- the first time they won’t be part of the NA LCS lineup.
After their victory, Team Dragon Knights moved on to face the Renegades. It was a charged series, considering that the two teams had engaged in some roster swaps earlier in the season. Old friends clashed, but the red banditos emerged victorious with a dominant 3-0 performance, retaining their spot in the NA LCS once for the 2016 Summer Split.
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Even so, The Dragon Knights weren’t knocked out quite yet. They moved onto the Losers Bracket where their opponent would be determined by the winner of the match between Apex and Team Impulse. The lions of Apex took one game off Impulse, but the boys in red and black were determined to take their spot back in the Summer Split, and won the series 3-1.
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In the end, it came down to a battle of the Challenger teams as to who would take the final spot in the NA LCS. And it was Apex, who managed to bounce back from their initial loss against Team Impulse and sweep the Dragon Knights 3-0 in a dominant series, who proved they deserved their place competing amongst the best.
Welcome back to the NA LCS Renegades and Team Impulse, and congratulations to Apex Gaming, the newest team in the 2016 Summer Split!
Share your favorite moments from the Promo Tournament and let us know how you think these rosters will fare in the upcoming LCS Summer Splits. Be sure to catch them compete in June when the 2016 LCS Summer Splits kick off!
