LoL: LCS Summer 2019 semi-finals set as TSM crash out early
Riot GamesThe semi-finals of the LCS have been determined after Clutch Gaming and Counter Logic Gaming won their respective quarter-final matches.
The two teams advance to play Team Liquid and Cloud9, who had byes to the semi-finals as the top two seeds from the regular season.
As the number one seed, Team Liquid had the opportunity to select which of the quarter-final victors they wished to face. They have chosen to play Clutch Gaming, meaning that Cloud9 will battle CLG for a spot in the final.
Clutch Gaming were the first of the quarter-final teams to secure a spot in the playoffs with a 3-1 victory over TSM. The result marks only the second time ever that TSM won’t appear in the LCS semi-finals.
In the other quarter-final it was an even more convincing win for CLG, who swept OpTic Gaming 3-0. With CLG having only been denied the second seed by a tiebreaker loss to Cloud9, it’s little surprise to see them advance to the semi-final spot they almost secured in the regular season.
Team Liquid will face Clutch Gaming to reach their fourth consecutive LCS final.LCS Summer Playoffs 2019
Semi-finals
| Match | Date | PDT | EDT | BST |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cloud9 vs CLG | Saturday, August 17 | 2 PM | 5 PM | 10 PM |
| Team Liquid vs Clutch Gaming | Sunday, August 18 | 12 PM | 3 PM | 8 PM |
Finals
| Match | Date | PDT | EDT | BST |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3rd-place decider | Saturday, August 24 | 2 PM | 5 PM | 10 PM |
| Grand Final | Sunday, August 25 | 12 PM | 3 PM | 8 PM |
As the results come through in the Summer playoffs, they also have implications on the available spots in the World Championship. With TSM falling out in 5th-6th, Team Liquid are almost guaranteed a spot, with only one possible scenario – in which they lose in the semi-finals and Clutch go on to win the final over Cloud9 – resulting in them not at least securing the second seed by championship points.
In the event that Team Liquid win the split outright as they are favored to do, Cloud9 are most likely to secure the second seed, with only a third-place finish then required for them to collect the most championship points.
TSM fans can still rest assured that they are guaranteed to feature in the Regional Qualifier for a shot at the third and final Worlds seed, although how many rounds of the gauntlet they will have to play through varies depending on the outcomes of the remaining playoff matches.