2LT National News

First-place FlyQuest earned another victory while their two closest pursuers, Evil Geniuses and Cloud9, both lost on Thursday as Week 5 of the League Championship Series Spring Split got underway.

FlyQuest (9-1) defeated 100 Thieves (4-6) while Cloud9 (7-3) stumbled against Golden Guardians (6-4) before Evil Geniuses (7-3) fell against last-place Dignitas (1-9).

In other action, Team Liquid (4-6) defeated Immortals (2-8) and Counter Logic Gaming (5-5) tripped TSM (5-5).

The 10 teams in the top North American League of Legends circuit will play every other team twice through March 17. The first- through fourth-place teams will then head to the upper-bracket semifinals of the double-elimination playoffs. The fifth- and sixth-place teams will enter the playoffs in the lower bracket.

The winner and runner-up in the playoff final will earn berths in the Mid-Season Invitational along with other teams from LoL leagues worldwide. The LCS Spring Split carries a $200,000 prize pool, with the champion earning $100,000.

On Thursday, FlyQuest registered a 34-minute win on blue over 100 Thieves. South Korea’s Lee “Prince” Chae-hwan amassed an exceptional 14-0-1 kill-death-assist ratio for FlyQuest, while Denmark’s Soren “Bjergsen” Bjerg ended up at 4-4-4 for 100 Thieves.

A 4-1-4 K-D-A ratio from the United States’ Trevor “Stixxay” Hayes powered Golden Guardians, playing on red, to a 36-minute win. Kim “Berserker” Min-cheol of South Korea topped Cloud9 at 3-2-0.

Dignitas, playing on red, got past Evil Geniuses in 37 minutes. The United States’ Frank “Tomo” Lam led Dignitas at 6-1-5, while Australia’s Ian Victor “FBI” Huang ended up at 3-2-2.

Team Liquid produced a 28-minute win on blue against Immortals. South Korea’s Hong “Pyosik” Chang-hyeon posted an 8-0-10 K-D-A ratio for Liquid, while the Philippines’ Shane Kenneth “Kenvi” Espinoza finished at 2-5-0.

Counter Logic Gaming, playing on blue, beat TSM in 38 minutes. Turkey’s Fatih “Luger” Guven recorded a 9-0-5 K-D-A ratio for Counter Logic Gaming. Taiwan’s Huang “Maple” Yi-tang had a 2-2-2 K-D-A ratio for TSM.

Week 5 concludes on Friday with five matches:

–TSM vs. Cloud9

–Dignitas vs. FlyQuest

–Team Liquid vs. 100 Thieves

–Golden Guardians vs. Evil Geniuses

–Immortals vs. Counter Logic Gaming

League Championship Series (LCS) Spring Split group-stage standings

1. FlyQuest, 9-1

T2. Evil Geniuses, 7-3

T2. Cloud9, 7-3

4. Golden Guardians, 6-4

T5. Counter Logic Gaming, 5-5

T5. TSM, 5-5

T7. 100 Thieves, 4-6

T7. Team Liquid, 4-6

9. Immortals, 2-8

10. Dignitas, 1-9

–Field Level Media