In a meta defined by power-farming picks like Udyr and Olaf, Dardoch has not only ignored the latter of the two best jungle champions but has also shown that a willingness to be more flexible than his peers can give Dignitas the edge it needs to exceed expectations throughout the start of the 2021 LCS Spring Split.
The finals match of the 2021 League of Legends Championship Series Lock In was the best LCS match since 2019. After a stale and relatively disappointing 2020 season for North American League of Legends esports fans, the conclusion of the LCS Lock In was a much-needed change of pace. Let’s dive into the factors of what made the LCS Lock In final between Team Liquid and Cloud9 the best series hosted in North America in over a year.
Let's take a look at Impact's performance in the LCS Lock In and contextualize it within EG's playstyle, success at the tournament, and Impact's identity within Team Liquid's playstyle for the previous three seasons.
"I think the loss of Bjergsen might actually be bigger than what we've gained," Jensen explained. "In terms of mid lane talent, this year at least, I always felt like I learned more from playing against Bjergsen compared to what I've learned so far this year."
After Team Liquid won its last series, a 2-0 victory over FlyQuest in the quarterfinals, TL jungler Lucas "Santorin" Larsen sat down with Inven Global to discuss the unique experience in playing against his old organization, his thoughts on new FlyQuest jungler Brandon Joel "Josedeodo" Villegas, and acclimating to his new team despite being saddled with visa issues for the first time in his career.
100 Thieves will face off against Cloud9 in a best-of-five series and Evil Geniuses will take on Team Liquid on the other side of the bracket. Both semifinals will take place on Saturday, Jan 30, and the two winners will play each other in the best-of-five finals of the LCS Lock In on Sunday, January 31.
Following the conclusion of Group B, Perkz joined Inven Global's Nick Geracie to discuss Cloud9's play thus far in LCS Lock In, acclimating to North America as a new region and what C9 fans can expect from the team's roster in 2021.
The LCS Lock In knockout stage will begin on Saturday, January 23rd at 1:00pm PT with 100 Thieves vs. Immortals...
Due to visa issues, Immortals had already started 3/5 of IMT Academy in the first week of the Lock In. Jungler Andrei "Xerxe" Dragomir, AD carry Quin "Raes" Korebrits and support Mitchell "Destiny" Shaw were unavailable for the start of the tournament, so Nicholas James Joseph "Potluck" Pollock, Yuri "Keith" Jew and Joseph "Joey" Haslemann filled in alongside mid laner David "Insanity" Challe and rookie top laner Mo "Revenge" Kaddoura.
At the end of the interview, Dash asked Damonte if he, as someone who now has a few years of LCS experience under his belt, had any advice or insights to pass onto any rookies making their LCS debut in 2021. Damonte laughed before saying: "For all the new rookies: Definitely lay off of the cringe, cocky comments. It's pretty weird if you come into the LCS not proven at all and ****-talk everyone...probably prove yourself before saying stuff like that."
After dispatching of IMT, Evil Geniuses mid laner Daniele "Jiizuke" Di Mauro spoke to Inven Global's Nick Geracie about the team's new acquisitions, his sudden disappearance from the starting roster in the 2020 LCS Summer Split, and the visa issues currently affecting EG's coaching staff that the team has had to overcome early into 2021.
