The Trouble with Hai

Is it Time for Cloud9's Mid to Move On?

Photo courtesy of Riot Esports

by Patrick Garren

Since the acquisition of Zachary “Sneaky” Scuderi from Quantic Gaming on May 23rd 2013, Cloud9 have had the exact same roster. They didn't actually "acquire" Sneaky from Quantic either - they WERE Quantic. Sponsorship issues led to their reformation as Cloud9. Founder and Team Captain, mid-lander Hai “Hai” Lam, chose the name Cloud9 because he believed that professional gaming should be about being happy. But Cloud 9 is the last place they were at the beginning of the 2015 Spring Split, when they saw themselves in a spot they hadn't seen since they made it into the LCS: last place. Read more...

Week 6 LPL Preview

Two of the Best Teams in the World are about to take each other on! 

After a break because of the Lunar New Year, the LPL is back with twelve matches. Here's a preview of a few games that you might find interesting to watch. The games start at 06.00 AM CEST 00.00AM EST.

by Michael "Tribble" Godani

February 27

Vici Gaming (3-3-4) vs Energy Pacemaker(0-6-2)

This will be the first game of the week. There are a few interesting aspects about this matchup:

Vici Gaming has picked up two World Champions in Mata (support) and Dandy (jungle), but the team itself hasn't really been performing as was expected. They are starting to play better as a team and for the team itself we hope that this will result in a easy 2-0 win over EP.

Energy Pacemaker is still waiting for their first win of a series in this Spring Split but it will be very hard for them to realize this against this VG team who is growing by the week in strength and teamplay.

EP did manage to go into the break with a split against M3, let’s see if this has given them some more confidence to jump into this match against the inconsistent performance of VG.

LGD Gaming(5-3-2) vs Gamtee(1-4-5)

LGD, home of the team that might have the biggest toplane 'problem' of any team worldwide. With Acorn and Flame in the toplane, LGD can swap out players without getting weaker by doing so.  Although LGD might be higher placed at this point in the standings, Gamtee has split their session with OMG which means they are not to be taken lightly.

What we can hope for is for both teams to bring out their A game. In that case, I think that LGD will come out on top because of their strong ADC in IMP and incredibly talented toplane.

Team WE(0-6-3) vs King(2-6-2)

This will be a game where we can see if King has turned that 2-0 defeat by OMG into a positive vibe after giving them a real battle in the second game that series.

Assassin’s Azir looking incredibly strong that game together with Skye’s Rumble.

King can, if they win, climb a few spots and leave the bottom part of the standings.

Team We has been struggling. With only 3 ties and no wins they are on the bottom of the standings together with Energy Pacemaker. Spirit might be able to pull off something but it will be really hard for Team WE if King brings out the same amount of aggression and gameplay that they did in Game 2 versus OMG.

Edward Gaming(9-1-0) vs OMG(6-0-4)

EDG vs OMG. The first day of Week 6 will be concluded with two of the three current Chinese powerhouses of the Chinese League of Legends scene, or should we say two of the best teams in the world at this point? I’ll let you decide that.

EDG already dropped a set to newcomer Snake, who are currently sharing second place with OMG, and are really not going to want to drop another set to them. With Pawn and Deft, EDG has brought out the SSW gameplay that we all adored during Worlds 2014, strong rotations, incredible picks and tons of sub 30 minute stomps.

What can OMG do against such a team? First of all, OMG hasn't dropped a set although they did tie four of their series. The biggest problem that OMG will have against EDG is that, if they happen to win the first game, they shouldn't become sloppy or cocky in the second one. This kind of behavior has cost them several wins and also recently against King they almost threw the second game because of their arrogant way of playing.

Bottom line is that this game is the MUST SEE for any League of Legend fan, whether you are a LCS or LCK fan. Two of the best teams in the world will take each other on and I cannot wait to see this!

Click here to see the LPL schedule for the rest of the week!

The games are watchable on the following links:

English broadcast - http://www.twitch.tv/riotgames

Chinese broadcast - http://star.longzhu.tv/lpl

Welcome To Paris : A Fast Look at All-Stars

by Jt 'Ribbwich' Egbert

Halfway to worlds, the leagues are all ready for a chance to take a warning bite out of each other. As the All-Star hype train reaches critical mass, let's look at how these five teams have earned their invitations. We start with the kings:

Korea:

Korea is being represented by the winner of the Season Three World Championships, SK T1 K, although it is pretty well-known they aren't the strongest team in the region. (A title that probably belongs to one of the teams in Samsung Galaxy's stable.)

Why They Can Win: Mechanics, Mechanics, Mechanics. All of the pros in this region are 100% entrenched in their teams. This makes their personal mechanics match their team play mechanics. They time things to the millisecond, and outplay opponents on a large scale. Even the most solid teams end up tilting after experiencing SK T1 K's abuse.

How They Can Lose: Overconfidence is a weakness most Korean teams share. If their opponents remain calm and poised and stick to what they know (instead of going on a tilt trying to counter them,) any team has a chance of beating the god-kings.

China:

We had our first taste of China in the World Finals, when we got to see Royal Club's Tabe drop bears on people's heads. This time, we'll be seeing the Chinese team, OMG.

Why They Can Win: Aggressively striking from the shadows with fearless precision, the deadliest Chinese team is the unseen one. This team could take the win from nowhere, and you won't even see them coming...at first.

How They Can Lose: Vision. Other teams can pressure them out of their comfortable, unseen presence if they have a well-warded map. Get them on a tilt and the "W" is yours.

Garena:

The surprise winners of the Season Two World Championships, the Taipei Assassins are going to this years All-Star challenge as well, and they're riding the momentum of an undefeated spring season.

Why They Can Win: This region is always an unexpected treat - mixing Korean mechanics with Chinese aggression - but their best shot at winning lies in the fact that other teams are coming in crippled. SKT is slumping. C9 doesn't have Hai. OMG is playing with a rusty Cool, etc.

How They Can Lose: They don't really posses any team-fighting skill, so they need a lot of practice. Considering they'll be up against the best players in the world, the answers to this question are pretty much endless.

Europe:

Europe is one of the most competitive regions in the world, with some of the closest records we've seen in a single split. The European playoffs were hard fought, but ultimately they went in favor of perennial favorites, Fnatic.

Why They Can Win: Fnatic have great potential if they wear their amazing pants to these games. Fast reflexes, excellent mechanical skills and good rotations can lead Fnatic to victory.

How they Can Lose: By not bringing those pants. Fnatic has shown many times that they will attempt to try new things and push the meta as far as it will go. If their picks are bad and their play inconsistent, it might not be an impressive showing by Xpeke and the boys.

North America:

Who can say no to apple pie? Undefeated playoff contenders and double split winners, Cloud 9 HyperX, face their first Korean challenge in SKT T1k, and look to exact revenge against EU rivals, Fnatic.

Why They Can Win: Cloud 9 will come into this series prepared. They have done the legwork. They know their enemies...and LemonNation's legendary notebook has something in store for every one of them. Early Jungle pressure and superior rotations should keep even the best opponent on their toes - as long as they can synergize with Hai's replacement, Link.

How They Can Lose: C9 might have trouble keeping their collective cool under the immense competition these teams are sure to bring them. If they get out-pressured and over-aggressed, places where C9 has shown weakness before, it will spell the end of the red white and blue at All Stars.

That's all I have, thanks for the read, I will see you all in Paris! (Well, in twitch chat!)

League of Legends : Ushering in World Peace

Nien leaves CLG and Toxicity against Pros

(An emotional Nien during his interview with Ongamers.)

by Jeremy Heimann

     The big news of the day is Zach ”Nien" Malhas stepping down from CLG. In an interview with Travis Gafford, Nien included under performance to his own standards, toxicity towards him on forums and social media, and undisclosed family issues as his reasons. What percentage each of these reasons play in his choice is unknown. Nien is the type of person that will put others before himself, and he wants to see his team succeed.
     He also doesn’t plan on playing this split, although the possibility of his return to CLG was left open if they couldn't find someone that could fill his shoes. This was his own decision and not forced upon him by the CLG empire.
    The involvement of the community and its passionate fans does concern me. We lack the ability to control others actions, but we can improve on our own.The power of one has been proven to be a working method. The method is started by one not spreading hate - then another joins in and change begins. Change has to start somewhere and that somewhere is inside of all of us. Nein is just an example. If we don’t want to lose other pros to similar reasons then we need to squash that parasite now.

What do other pros think?

Josh Atkins ‏@NintendudeX
I hope the community learns a valuable lesson about how devastating hate toward a player can be to a persons mental health after this.

Mitch Voorspoels ‏@SkumbagKrepo
You will never be able to teach moron's/douchebags to give proper/constructive criticism so don't even try. At the same time there is no point in taking their comments seriously. It's very hard sometimes but the only way to keep going with a sane head.

Marcus ‏@LoLDyrus
@CLG_Nien this community is a double edged sword I disagree with you stepping down but if it's for the better I wish you the best of luck

Hai Lam ‏@Hai_L9
I think this is a pretty big case of where the community sucks ass, trashing on a player until he retires is pretty rough. I think the general opinion of the community towards players is wrong, aka hating on Nien and or praising players that I disagree with.

Søren Bjerg ‏@Bjergsen
Really sad to hear about Nien. Unfortunately I think the community played a big part in crushing his confidence. Stay strong man!

**Travis Gafford's original interview for Ongamers can be found here: CLG Nien announces his decision to step down from starting roster.

Potential Replacements for Nien:

By Joshua Kon 

#1. Link moves to top, Shiphtur becomes new mid for CLG - this is the one option that will have CLG fans drooling, as Shiphtur (at some points in this split) has shown he is the best mid NA.

#2. IkennyU - from the Blue Caster Minions that won the Riot Collegiate Championships from UW.  A top challenger rank and no real team, he may find his way to CLG.

#3. ZionSpartan - a strong top laner from Coast, he may be offered the position.

#4. Innox - if EG loses to C9 Tempest, you may see Innox be offered a position from CLG.

#5. Ackerman - this is a potentially a great pick up if XDG pulls off a miracle off against LMQ! Doubtful, but if not on an LCS roster after this weekend, the opening with CLG may fit perfectly for the top laner from Royal Club's 2nd place team.

#6. Maknoon - way out in left field - he has been streaming non stop and could easily make a transition to a good CLG team. Very doubtful though!

EU SUMMER PROMOTION TOURNAMENT - Thursday, April 24th

There is only one match Today and it's LCS-relegated MILLENIUM vs challenger NINJA IN PYJAMAS. Currently, NiP is favored by over 70% of the voters at lolesports. This particular incarnation of NiP...(Lemondogs in Pyjamas)...has a lot of familiar talent, including Zorozero, Mithy, Nukeduck and Freeze. (You may not have known this, but NiP's symbol is not a ninja shuriken - it's a picture of a revolving door.) Stealing back a slot in the LCS from the ailing Millenium is possible, but whether their roster can stay in one piece after the post-relegation shuffle remains to be seen. However, no matter their shirt color, these guys are all LCS worthy.  

LCS Fans - Get pumped up for Braum, the Heart of the Freljord!

Braum is 'The Interceptor,' putting himself between his teammates and danger and taking the blows for them. He has an interesting skill set with some slow and stun capabilities, but his biggest advantage seems to be his shield. This sounds like the kind of champion who will produce #BIGPLAYS with clutch saves and he should be a lot of fun to watch. 

LCS eSports Question of the Day:

Curse Voice is a third-party add-on to League that allows for team voice chat, but its overlay also includes Champion Ultimate and Jungle timers. Some players love the idea while others feel this is an unfair advantage over people who don't install it. So our Question of the Day, LCS Fans, is: 

Curse Voice...Good or Bad?

And here's what you had to say:

‏@ArronDempers wrote: Bad. Curse seem intent on monopolizing the league scene as far as they can, even in comms. Not a good thing for growing scenes.

‏@ste_coolname123 wrote: I don't need a client to tell me ultimates cd as long as I can follow the action/simply ask teammates, and I think lol is one of those games which should be chat-less so, not even a bit interested in oral communication.

‏@D3nn0s wrote: I don't know.. I like the ult timer of allies but that's it. But I agree with people who say Riot must implement it so either everybody has it or nobody has it. The automatic timer (even tho you have vision) is a terrible thing imo..

‏@Chef_Lu_Bu wrote: haven't used it. I'm not a fan of, as I understand, it keeping track of things like camp spawns and such. I think that memorization of spawn timers is something indicative of a skill-cap. Not every player can FADC in street fighter, and the game doesn't do it for you, because you're supposed to learn it on your own.

‏@Konman81 wrote: I think its good because it is forcing players to get better about timers... Watching diamond games players already time everything.

‏@the_grimmia wrote: It's not like timers are hard to remember. Buffs are five, drake is six, and baron is seven. It's math. Use a calculator rofl.

‏@DungOhBeetle wrote: Jungling since start of season 3, getting the timers wasn't hard for me, people complaining about static timers is moot. I think the only problem is it third party software, if riot patched in auto timers people would still bitch and moan, but at least it would promote some strategy around objectives for those who don't strategize at all in the game.

‏@JamesConnor wrote: I think in the sense of pushing Riot to integrate systems like this into the game, it's good. Dota does fine with voice in game

‏@SearchThisCity wrote: Regardless of the whole spawn timer debate, its a very solid and reliable communication system, its better than skype!

‏@Gregorok wrote: Curse voice is good, doesn't really give unfair advantage. One could only wish that Riot would have done it themselves.

‏@PyunTaeFoo  wrote: I think the idea is great, but not releasing it in full limits teams, if you have it you have an advantage and if you don't, well..Knowing timers is just gonna tell you when dragon or baron respawns, it still won't save bad players from bad rotations. Koreans play in windowed mode and keep timers in a wordpad, this is basically the same except you don't have to manually enter it.

‏@Fighter9363 wrote: Its good with all the timers and stuff and the chat thing when you can talk with your teamates is awesome!

‏@spdivr1122 wrote: Good. All it does is give you ult timers and baron/dragon time if you had vision. Nothing else.

@GoonLvOver9000 wrote:  the voice comms part is golden, the timers are broken and bad for the game

EU LCS SEMIFINALS : PREDICTIONS

BY Jeremy “Ne0 Jets” Heimann

1. COPENHAGEN WOLVES VS ALLIANCE

    Season series 3-1 in favor of ALLIANCE

COPENHAGEN WOLVES last beat Alliance January 14th, all the way back at the start of the spring split. During the split, the Wolves were led by Amazing in the jungle with a 4.1 KDA and their ADC, Forg1ven, with a 3.7 KDA ratio. While the two of them led the team by stats, they really need to get their Mid, Cowtard, and Top Lane, Youngbuck, off to better starts. Each of them averaged only around 2.5 KDA. Youngbuck has shown that his Heimerdinger Top is scary and I expect it to be banned out. I also expect him to fall back to Renekton whenever possible.

ALLIANCE, the “Superteam,” failed to live up to the media hype that surrounded their name early on. Lack of synergy, poor positioning, weak champion pools and individual egos all contributed to their inconsistency, but eventually they learned to work as a unit and managed to finish the spring split just short of First Place. Froggen has a 72.9% kill participation, probably because of his Karthus play. Even when he isn’t on Karthus, he is always around when the team fights break out, and he's not someone you can ban out easily. ADC Tabzz is third in average KDA, sitting at a solid 5.5 (higher then anyone on the Wolves.) Tabzz and Nyph have really grown as a Bot Lane team and should be feared. Shook and Wickd both averaged around 3.0 KDA and are the key reasons why Alliance finished 3rd this split. Shook likes early game Junglers while Wickd tries to counter the meta with Trundle or Irelia.

Prediction ALLIANCE 2-1 win. 

2. GAMBIT GAMING VS ROCCAT 

      Season series 3-1 in favor of ROCCAT

GAMBIT may have lost three games to ROCCAT but they won the most recent and they still have a chance to get the last laugh in this playoff series. Gambit is a playoff machine and they play better when they've had some boot camp time. They finished fourth at IEM Katowice when just before that they were looking shaky. You can’t base what Gambit will do on the regular season. This team comes ready to play and goes up a notch when it’s elimination time. Gambit’s Mid Laner, Alex Ich, is fourth in total kills with 116, and he loves to play high mobility champs with strong kill potential. Genja has an impressive 6.0 KDA, but he'll really need to have a good showing in the playoffs for Gambit to win. His lane mate, Edward, has a team low 2.1 KDA. Diamond in the jungle hasn’t had a great year, but he is still a very dangerous Jungler. I expect to see some bans thrown at him: Eve, Kha'Zix and Xin (yes, Xin) are all strong in patch 4.5. If one gets through, it will be banned the next game. Darien plays a solid Top. He just needs to just go tanky and stay away from the Ryze pick.

ROCCAT had some serious ups and downs (including moments of freefall) and they needed to stop the bleeding. They went an average 2-2 in Super Week right before playoffs and haven’t been so dominant since early in season when they were challenging the meta. Teams have caught grown accustomed to their play style, and they are facing a team that has toyed with the meta a few times themselves. Individually, their stats don’t really stand out but, as a team, they are solid across the board. Their Support, Vander, actually leads the team in KDA at 4.1, followed closely behind by Celavar with a 4.0 KDA. Overpower has a huge champion pool and can seemingly play whatever. Xaxus in the Top Lane is a solid, all-around player. Jankos has good synergy with Bot and works hard on getting them going.

Prediction GAMBIT 2-1 win. 

Esports : NACS PlayOffs : Today's Matches

Today's Matches : 

1. Curse Academy vs compLexity Black for Third Place

2. LMQ vs Cloud 9 HyperX Tempest - Finals 

C9 Roster: Yazuki - Top , kez - Jungler, Bischu - Mid, Altec - ADC, Gleebglarbu - Support

LMQ Roster: ackerman - Top, NoName - Jungler, XiaoWeiXiao - Mid, Vasilii - ADC, Mor - Support

Want to know more about these teams? Check out @RedShirtKing's site, lessthanlegends. He's got everything you need to know there to help you enjoy the games. :)  (Then..erm..come back here!)

EU Challenger Spring Playoffs

Tomorrow's Matches: (These matches are Best of Five)

1. THIRD PLACE: Denial Esports vs Reason Gaming    

2. FINALS: Cloud9 Eclipse vs Ninjas in Pyjamas 

LCS eSports Question of the Day

What do you think could be done to get more girls/women into LoL? Here were some of your responses:

‏‏@TiaraKind wrote: More word of mouth and support from current lady players? Band together, vixens!

@ThatGuyBranch wrote: Fix the community. Have a good example of a professional team for it and not be like the Sirens.

@AnnPragg wrote: Make it not a competitive video game.

@eSportsLawyer wrote: Boys play to win, girls play to have fun. More fun game modes (#URF4eva). Better focus on player experience, and maybe mentor mode.

@Donaldson_Andy wrote: Hmm, I think it just comes down to general taste tbh :O I dont think its about gender much :/ if you like LoL as a game....

@strawbrarie wrote: More yordles

@mentazero wrote: Less sexism in the community could help

@CoC_Pepitas wrote: I think the LCS and eSports is the key. While playerbase is 5% female, LCS viewerbase is 33%. Noticeable difference.

@SushiDucky wrote: Better funding and scouting into female oriented brands/Diamond(chall) Players/Diamond(Challenger) teams.

@SabrewoIf wrote: I think more girls just need to want it. I don't think there's anything stopping them, they just need to push for it

@Prof_Random wrote: Lots of girls/women already play, you can blame Teemo for that. But I'm guessing you're question is leaning more on the esports side.

@elisanuckle wrote: Would love to see some pro League female players. Or just more in esports in general.

@AbePringle wrote: Dudes playing could stop being douchebags elitist wanna be thugs.

Got an opinion? Send your answer to @punklit and we'll add it to the forum. 

EU Challenger Spring Playoffs

The EU Challenger Spring Playoffs - Semifinals are on today and if you haven't watched them before, it's a good time to start watching them now, because THIS is for those coveted spots in the relegation matches. Semifinal matches are a Best of 3 series. 

So...today's Matches:

1. Cloud9 HyperX Eclipse vs Denial Esports 

2. Ninjas in Pyjamas vs Reason Gaming 

And as for our LCS Central Predictions:

Cloud9 and NiP will both prevail..as expected.

NA LCS W11D2 Sat, April 5 - Super Week

Today's Matches: 

1. XDG vs Team Dignitas
2. Team SoloMid vs Team Coast
3. Curse vs Counter Logic Gaming
4. Team Dignitas vs Team Coast
5. Counter Logic Gaming vs Evil Geniuses
6. Team SoloMid vs Cloud 9 HyperX

The last game of the day is going to be one hell of a sweet match-up! 

GET READY!

EU LCS W11D3 Thur, April 3 - Super Week

Today's Matches: 

1. Millenium vs SK Gaming
2. Copenhagen Wolves vs Supa Hot Crew
3. Alliance vs Gambit Gaming
4. Fnatic vs Roccat
5. Alliance vs Copenhagen Wolves

Poor CandyPanda... :( 

LCS Central's Joshua Kon gives us his predictions for the EU LCS's Final day: 

1. SK Gaming to clinch the #1 seed when they beat Millennium in the first game.

2. A Tie Breaker match for the #2 Seed between Roccat and Fnatic

3. #4 Seed to be secured by Alliance after defeating Gambit

4. A Copenhagen Wolves 2-0 day

5. Gambit to be the #5 Seed

6. A Gambit vs Alliance series in the first round of next week's playoffs!

What are YOUR predictions, esports fans? 

Krepo gives us a Peek at his Life

If you haven't seen it, definitely check out (adorable) Mitch "Krepo" Voorspoels' latest blog post, My Life Before eSports. It's a very well-written insightful look into the pitfalls of his privileged upbringing and his growth as a person from spoiled, obnoxious kid to the sweet League of Legends Pro we know today. It was a fascinating read and I highly recommend it. 

EU LCS W11D1 Tue, April 1 : It's Super Week

Today's Matches : 

1. Fnatic vs Alliance
2. ROCCAT vs Supa Hot Crew
3. SK Gaming vs Fnatic
4. Millenium vs Supa Hot Crew
5. Copenhagen Doges vs Gambit Gaming

How funny are the Wolves, by the way? I love those guys! :P 

(From the Wolves FB Page) CowTard agrees with the name change:  "I think it's a good idea since a doge would definitely beat a wolf in a 1v1 in real life, any day."

LCS Central Team Rankings Week 11

LCS Team Rankings : Week 11 : by Joshua Kon 

1. Cloud 9 - Last week, C9 went 2-0 in the NA LCS, destroying Curse and Dignitas. They have the toughest Superweek in NA facing both CLG and TSM, the powers of NA LCS.

2. Team Solo Mid - Despite a loss to CLG this weekend, TSM still looks strong and ready as ever to take the #1 seed and push to represent NA in the All Stars event!

3. Alliance - The hottest team in EU is finally living up to their potential. After a terrible start Alliance now finds themselves on top of a very tight race for the #1 seed in EU LCS.

4. Fnatic - Still hot from their 2nd place finish at IEM, Fnatic also finds themselves tied for first in Europe after a nightmare middle part of the split.

5. Counter Logic Gaming - Looking for another five game winning streak, CLG is coming off hot wins against XDG and TSM. Since Dexter has been in the roster, CLG has only three losses, two to TSM and one to C9. They look to beat C9 this week and maybe steal the #2 seed.

6. SK Gaming - They held First Place for a little while but now they have a chance to take their new roster and end a Split with the #1 seed in EU.

7. Gambit Gaming - Edward made some flashy plays on Thresh last week but Gambit needs to be careful this week as they face one of the toughest schedules in EU. If they don't win against CW on Tuesday they might find themselves fighting in Relegation much like NIP earlier this year.

8. Roccat - They are the roller coaster team in EU. Along with Gambit I personally feel Roccat has a much higher ceiling than what they have shown. They too need to be careful not to have a bad Superweek and find themselves on the outside looking in.

9. Copenhagen Wolves - The Wolves had  a strong Week 10 and may be a spoiler to some teams ahead of them. They have the potential to knock off anyone and they'll have to do some of that if they don't want SHC taking over their 6th seed.

10. Super Hot Crew - This is the bracket busting team in the EU LCS. Skill wise, I feel they are a bottom 2 team but they have very good chemistry and have proven with their strategies they can beat anyone fast. Look for the CW vs SHC match on Thursday to decide if they make the playoffs or if they are busted!

11. Dignitas - The Scarra era is over but a win against EG gave Dig fans hope. I personally was impressed with Goldenglue's performance on Lux after giving up first blood!

12. Curse Gaming - Playing the two top teams in NA really pushed Curse down but being up on TSM early shows the potential these guys have. A few misplays and some dodge spear practice and who knows what this Curse team could of done vs TSM.

13. Millenium - At the bottom of the EU LCS, Millenium maybe enjoying their final week in Cologne but their new Jungler looked strong and confident in his ability to be a shotcaller in the future.

14. Coast - If there would ever be a possible free agent/trade system in the LCS then two at the top of everyone's list would be ZionSpartan and Shiptur. These two could really be the missing pieces of Curse and Dignitas but can't succeed on Coast because of the weak cast around them.

NA LCS W10D1 Sat, March 29th

Today's Matches: 

1. Dignitas vs Evil Geniuses
2. CLG vs TSM
3. Coast vs XDG
4. Curse vs C9

Dignitas will have a new midlaner as Goldenglue takes over for Scarra. And he'd better be good, because Scarra is some big shoes to fill! 

EU LCS W10D2 Fri, March 28th

Today's Matches: 

1. SK Gaming vs Alliance
2. Supa Hot Crew vs Gambit Gaming
3. Fnatic vs Millenium
4. Copenhagen Wolves vs ROCCAT

And..due to a bug with Aatrox we'll also see a rematch of Gambit v SK Gaming. 

(Yesterday's game paused while Fredy discussed his Aatrox issues with a ref.) 

Alliance is blazing hot right now...can they overtake SK to steal away 2nd place?