NA LCS fans were treated to plenty of surprises during week six. The upsets started on Saturday when Cloud 9 lost to 100 Thieves. From there the surprises kept coming, with Echo Fox losing to TSM.
Things went back to normal on Sunday, but it became clear that nothing is set in stone. The events of last week means that week seven is now more important than ever. There is a three way tie in third place with upcoming matches that will break the deadlock once and for all.
So close to the playoffs, teams must focus on winning. Simply being good enough will not cut it in week seven.
Echo Fox vs Golden Guardians: Current standings
Echo Fox are the indisputable kings of the Spring Split. The team has only two loses on their record and it seems like that number will not go up.
Their aggressive style and assertive decision making gave them the top spot. At this point, they appear to be comfortable in first place.
Week one (2-0)
Vs FlyQuest (Victory)
Vs Clutch Gaming (Victory)
Week two (2-0)
Vs Cloud 9 (Victory)
Vs TSM (Victory)
Week three (1-1)
Vs Counter Logic Gaming (Defeat)
Vs OpTic Gaming (Victory)
Week four (2-0)
Vs Golden Guardians (Victory)
Vs Team Liquid (Victory)
Week five (2-0)
Vs 100 Thieves (Victory)
Vs Cloud 9 (Victory)
Week six (1-1)
Vs TSM (Defeat)
Vs Team Liquid (Victory)
Golden Guardians had a rocky start. It seems like the struggle will never end for the team. The small number of wins had them tied in ninth with Counter Logic Gaming, but this is not a good place to be. At this point they need every win that they can get.
Week one (0-2)
Vs Clutch Gaming (Defeat)
Vs Cloud 9 (Defeat)
Week two (0-2)
Vs FlyQuest (Defeat)
Vs Counter Logic Gaming (Defeat)
Week three (0-2)
Vs TSM (Defeat)
Vs Team Liquid (Defeat)
Week four (1-1)
Vs Echo Fox (Defeat)
Vs 100 Thieves (Victory)
Week five (1-1)
Vs OpTic Gaming (Defeat)
Vs Team Liquid (Victory)
Week six (1-1)
Vs OpTic Gaming (Defeat)
Vs Counter Logic Gaming (Victory)
Echo Fox vs Golden Guardians: Last encounter
Echo Fox and Golden Guardians met for the first time in week four of the NA LCS Spring Split.
At this point, Echo Fox had a remarkable record of five victories and one defeat. Golden Guardians, on the other hand, didn’t have a single win to their name.
The top and bottom of the board faced each other in a game where no one gave Golden Guardians a chance.
Echo Fox scored first blood two minutes into the game after a successful gank in the top lane. Joshua “Dardoch” Hartnett and Heo “Huni” Seung-hoon cornered Samson “Lourlo” Jackson and it was easy for the jungler to kill the enemy top laner.
This same lane would become the scene of many team fights during the match. At five minutes Echo Fox managed to kill Lourlo and Juan “Contractz” Garcia to increase the advantage.
Echo Fox took the first turret after 13 minutes and moments later they took a second turret in the bot lane.
With two turrets, 7k gold advantage and six kills, Echo Fox thought they had the game.
However, Golden Guardians wouldn’t go down without a fight. Lourlo got a double kill in the bot lane to set the mid game into motion. From this point on, Golden Guardians kept on winning the team fights.
Unfortunately, they couldn’t keep up with the advantage that Echo Fox achieved in the early game. Even when they had more kills, Golden Guardians had less gold. The completed items and a baron at 27 minutes gave Echo Fox the final push that they needed. They took the nexus at 34 minutes and took their record to 6-1.
Echo Fox vs Golden Guardians: Best case scenario
Echo Fox
Echo Fox will be facing two of the worst performing teams so far. Both matches should prove easy for the table-topping side. If they claim victories in both, they will hold on to first place.
In the unlikely case that they lose both games and Cloud9 win both of theirs, they would draw level in first place.
However, the numbers are still in Echo Fox’s favour.
Golden Guardians
Currently tied in ninth with Counter Logic Gaming, Golden Guardians are in desperate need of a win.
They still have a change to make it to the playoffs, but only if they manage to win every remaining game from this point on.
It seems impossible, but the Guardians have shown that they can give most teams a run for their money.
Winning is the only option, but week seven has made it difficult by pitting them against Echo Fox and Cloud9, NA LCS’ top two sides.
Echo Fox vs Golden Guardians: Weaknesses
Echo Fox has been the dominant side since the beginning of the Split. Their roster has many strong personalities that double up as strong laners.
The team do not depend on a tank to gain advantage in lane. No matter the composition, they manage to win lanes and get enough gold to complete the items.
They have a good track record, but they are not perfect. Echo Fox struggled with the mid game. They have a hard time winning team fights and often lose objects. Some teams have taken advantage of this, but only a few have actually snatched a victory.
Golden Guardians is a new team with experienced players. However, they still don’t have a defined game style, lack synergy and have poor communication. These issues aren’t rare in new rosters, which could be the reason that Golden Guardians are struggling to perform.
However, the moment to fix these problems passed a long time ago.
Echo Fox vs Golden Guardians: Prediction
If week six proved something, it was that anything could happen in the NA LCS.
Based on track record and overall performance, Echo Fox will secure another win in this match.
Do the Guardians stand a chance? Yes, they do. The first match between these two earlier in the Split showed that Guardians have the tools and ability to make Echo Fox struggle. However, they will need to find a combination of great opportunities if they want to win this one.