Week 2: Sinkers and Floaters
Fan-favorite FlyQuest rises to the top, middle-of-the-pack squads rekindle their spark, and the bottom of the standings gets a bit heavier.
Welcome back Scuttlers,
Before you is a treacherous swamp, with a thick, murky pond that separates you from the other end of the path you walk along. However, also between you and your destination are a smattering of identical round stones, seemingly floating on the surface of the water. To continue on, you must select your path among the varied course, and what ultimately defines your fate falls between bravery and luck.
It’s not a hypothetical — it’s admittedly ripped straight from Spike TV dubbed reality show Most Extreme Elimination Challenge’s Sinkers and Floaters minigame. And in addition to being one of the most elegantly comedic game show stunts I’ve ever seen, sums up how I thought Week 2 of the LCS Spring Split went for most of its teams. This week was a mad dash, complete with predictable tumbles, surprising missteps, and mind-blowing grace.
Yup, that’s the segway. Let’s go!
Sinkers - CLG, TSM, GG, and DIG
Disappointingly and predictably, the bottom end of the LCS’ standings got even heavier this week, but in some ways, not to their fault. After failing to find footing during Week 1, Dignitas faced 100 Thieves and Evil Geniuses, who both gained some momentum in Week 2 and put on solid performances. Golden Guardians understandably took their first lost from top dogs FlyQuest, but then fumbled the bag in the mid game against Team Liquid. Both squads seemed to sort of croak along in their matches, failing to grab favorable tempo in the early game and allowing their opponents to snowball the game across small, avoidable mistakes.
In the middle of the pack, CLG and TSM forfeited the top of the leaderboard after being handed their first losses. Again, strength of schedule comes into play as the squads faltered against the liked of Cloud9, 100 Thieves, Evil Geniuses and… Immortals? While both CLG and TSM didn’t seem to live up to their strong Week 1 performances holistically, they did deliver incredibly fun matches to watch. In particular, CLG’s matchup into Immortals featured Kenvi pulling out the Kindred, Palafox running a Jak’sho Irelia, and a pair of Navori Quickblades to fuel an explosive bot lane matchup.
Floaters - 100T, FLY, TL
100 Thieves didn’t have much wind in their sails during Week 2, but the tides changed as the team approached a manageable strength of schedule. In both games, Doublelift and Busio were able to command lane and carry momentum into team fights, and Closer felt like he had the ability to intentionally impact the game across solid lane states. Bjergsen played a respectable Azir game followed by a fan-favorite pick in Zilean — both of which flexed an attentive, team-driven approach that enabled his peers. With any luck, 100 Thieves will continue to shake off the cobwebs and come into form.
FlyQuest truly impressed me this week, and handedly proved that their dominant Week 1 was no fluke. In their matchup against Cloud 9, Impact made Fudge look helpless in the top lane, VicLa took an imposing lead into Diplex early in mid, and Spica was able to lock down objectives and set up crucial skirmishes. Chat’s favorite team is continuing to put a flag (or tree?) in the ground this split, and I don’t foresee them being handed their first loss anytime soon.
Team Liquid really subverted expectations in Week 1, but redeemed themselves in Week 2. The squad’s scaling Ryze-Sona composition into Immortals was a nice flex of their diverse pool of playstyles, and seeing CoreJJ on Blitzcrank against Golden Guardians just made my heart happy. However, Team Liquid didn’t have the most imposing schedule in Week 2, so their mettle will be tested against 100 Thieves in Week 3.
“That” Monologue
The LCS community has turned on itself and the broadcast team over a controversial segment ahead of the 100 Thieves-TSM matchup. In it, LeTigress walks viewers through a monologue that sets the table for the matchup through the lens of Doublelift finally playing against his former team. However, the segment discussed much of the drama between Doublelift and TSM CEO Andy "Reginald" Dinh, which eventually resulted in Riot Games placing him on probation over an investigation that found him fostering a toxic workplace environment.
Let’s be clear: the culture that Reginald imposed at TSM was heinous, and Riot’s decision to place him on probation was entirely justified. In face, the investigation to Reginald resulted in player- and staff-first systems that should have been in place years ago. However, Reginald’s actions are not indicative of the rest of TSM’s staff, especially current employees who are working to redefine the organization.
Yes, the LCS broadcast team — not LeTigress independently, as these segments are never a one-person show — painted with far too broad of brushstrokes, and failed to empathize with the rest of the organization. Yes, you could have created hype for the matchup without digging into the Reginald controversy. But no, LeTigress and team don’t deserve a fraction of the vitriol they’re receiving online from fans, including those that are fueled by Doublelift’s standout criticism of the monologue.
In short, the LCS team created a really awkward situation that was only amplified by Doublelift and fans dogpiling them for it. With apologies out from both LeTigress and the broader LCS team, hopefully everyone has said their piece and we can move on.
Despite an entire section dedicated to discussing the LCS’ biggest broadcast blunder of the season, I still wanted to take a moment to appreciate how the league’s content ecosystem has developed since last year. We’ve been getting more pros on air —including players like Bwipo and Zven who delivered incredibly entertaining stints as casters — more “non-league” content like “Dash Made Me”, and snappy, team dynamic-driven social content. The league has truly upped its game in terms of showcasing player personalities, and its impact on the viewing experience is tangible. Even with Week 2’s misstep, I hope the team continues to take risks and push the envelope with its content and storytelling.
Until next week, Scuttlers.
Exclusively playing support marksmen,
Nick Mo.