League of Legends: LCS Summer playoff teams set after multiple tiebreakers

Joe O'Brien

The six League of Legends teams that will compete in the LCS Summer playoffs have been finalized after an intense season that ended in multiple tie-breakers.

After nine weeks of regular season play, the six teams that will compete for the LCS trophy in Summer 2019 have been decided.

Going into the final week of the regular season there was little separating fourth place from eighth, meaning the last matches would be crucial in deciding which teams clinched a top-six finish and a place in the playoffs.

TSM and Clutch Gaming were able to win both of their matches, guaranteeing their positions outright. The final spot, however, came down to tiebreakers, with OpTic Gaming able to defeat both 100 Thieves and Golden Guardians to clinch sixth place.

It’s a somewhat heart-breaking end to the season for both 100T and Golden Guardians, with the Thieves having turned around a disastrous start to the split to become a legitimate playoff contender by the end. The Guardians, meanwhile, held a playoff spot right through summer until it slipped away in the final matches.

Reigning LCS champions Team Liquid look like the favorites once again for the Summer title.

At the upper end of the standings, Team Liquid maintained their long-held position as the league’s number one team, while Cloud9 and Counter Logic Gaming also played a tie-breaker for second place, with C9’s victory securing them a bye to the semi-finals.

The summer playoffs aren’t just about domestic glory, as they also hold the key to teams’ chances of appearing at the World Championship. The Summer champions will secure a direct spot, while the Championship Points on offer will also help determine North America’s second seed, and which teams get a chance to compete in the regional qualifier for the third place.

LCS Summer Playoff teams:

  • Team Liquid
  • Cloud9
  • CLG
  • TSM
  • Clutch Gaming
  • OpTic Gaming

The schedule and matches for the LCS Summer playoffs can be seen below.

LCS Summer Playoffs 2019

Quarterfinals

Match Date PDT EDT BST
TSM vs Clutch Gaming Saturday, August 10 2 PM 5 PM 10 PM
CLG vs OpTic Gaming Sunday, August 11 12 PM 3 PM 8 PM

Semi-finals

As the first seed, Team Liquid will have their pick of opponent between the winners of the semi-finals.

Match Date PDT EDT BST
Cloud9 vs TBD Saturday, August 17 2 PM 5 PM 10 PM
Team Liquid vs TBD 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


LCS Summer 2019 regular season final standings

Place Team Record
1 Team Liquid 14-4
2 Cloud9 12-6
3 Counter Logic Gaming 12-6
4 TSM 10-8
5 Clutch Gaming 9-9
6 OpTic Gaming 8-10
7 Golden Guardians 8-10
8 100 Thieves 8-10
9 Flyquest 5-13
10 Echo Fox 4-14