For the first time in the 2023 LCS Spring Playoffs, Cloud9 were seriously pushed against Golden Guardians in today’s grand final. After skating through the playoffs to this point, winning six of their first seven individual games, C9 were forced to play a much closer series than expected against the LCS’ sixth seed, but still managed to secure the league’s title—the second in as many splits for the franchise.
With this win, C9 becomes the first LCS team since 2019 Team Liquid to win two consecutive LCS titles. It’s the organization’s sixth overall LCS trophy.
Beyond another domestic championship, C9 have set themselves up for international success with today’s win, as they secured the first seed out of North America at this year’s Mid-Season Invitational. MSI will begin on May 2, but C9 will have a delayed start, as they’ve been seeded straight into the bracket stage of the event due to today’s victory.
In games one and two of the series, Golden Guardians amassed impressive early game leads, forcing C9 to play on the back foot in hopes of a comeback. Golden Guardians had back-to-back leads of 5,800 gold at 15 minutes in both games one and two. While C9 only completed the comeback in one of those games (game one), their dominance in games three and four was enough to clinch the series by a score of 3-1.
In those back-end games, it was the Spring Split MVP, Berserker, who served as the difference-maker for C9. He posted a combined scoreline of 13/0/6 across games three and four.
What today’s outcome means for NA at MSI 2023
This year, the Mid-Season Invitational will welcome the top two teams from each of the pro scene’s four major regions (North America, China, Korea, and EMEA), so although Golden Guardians and C9 were already locked into the tournament coming into the day, seeding at the event was on the line. A new format change to MSI splits the tournament into two phases: the play-in stage and the bracket stage. In the case of major regions (except for the LEC), the champion is seeded directly into the MSI bracket stage, while the runner-up will have to compete in the play-ins.
Related: All League of Legends teams qualified for MSI 2023
Golden Guardians will be the first NA team to make an international appearance this season, as they’ll be ushered into the MSI play-in stage alongside other major region second seeds (including Korea’s T1), and the scene’s crop of minor region champions (like PSG Talon of the PCS).
The MSI play-in stage will begin in London, United Kingdom on May 2, while the LCS will return to its domestic schedule two months from now when the Summer Split begins on June 1.
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Michael Kelly