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When FlyQuest and Phoenix1 loaded onto the Rift for Game 1 of the North American League of Legends Championship Series third-place match on Saturday in Vancouver, tension was high. Both teams were trying to reach milestones for their organizations. After five action-packed games and overcoming a 2-1 deficit, Phoenix1 took home the third-place finish.
In Game 1, it appeared Phoenix1 was going to play around No "Arrow" Dong-hyeon on Kog'maw. FlyQuest focused the magic/attack damage hybrid AD carry in teamfights, but all that attention meant Ryu "Ryu" Sang-weok on Jayce and Derek "Zig" Shao on Rumble were able to essentially free to jump in and tilt engagements. Through the early and mid game, Phoenix1 was quicker to move around the map while calling cleaner shots, leading to big advantages in each lane but bottom. By the time the late game was underway, P1 had massively out-scaled FlyQuest and was able to steamroll through the base to take victory in under 32 minutes.
The Game 2 draft featured FlyQuest taking two of the picks P1 had used in the previous match. FlyQuest's Galen "Moon" Holgate played smart on Ivern in the jungle, and ADC Johnny "Altec" Ru was able to show his power with Kog'Maw from the bottom lane. Additionally, Hai "Hai" Lam was able to show why he is so well-known for his Talon play, taking first blood early in the game, then orchestrating endless map pressure as the game progressed.
FlyQuest made a decisive call to turret race Phoenix1, and because it had Ivern with Daisy, it was able to take the upper hand. As a result, FlyQuest took all three of Phoenix1's bot lane turrets by the 13-minute mark. The early game pressure led to late game map control, and 25 minutes in, FlyQuest had taken both Drakes and five turrets to Phoenix1's one. The game was won when FlyQuest took Baron, then sieged the enemy base. After taking two inhibitors, Altec went off in a team fight, earning a pentakill and shattering the Nexus along with his teammates' help.
Throughout Game 3, FlyQuest continued its blistering pace with unrelenting pressure around the map. Once again in mid game it had a massive lead in turrets to the tune of six to Phoenix1's one at the 25-minute mark. In the end, FlyQuest was able to take the game by being much more effective in map rotation and chaining together objective grab after objective grab before Phoenix1 could move into position. The consistent out-plays created an insurmountable advantage, and FlyQuest was able to get to match point.
When the teams loaded onto the Rift for the fourth time, Phoenix1 managed to take back momentum. An early gank by Rami "Inori" Charagh on Elise to help Ryu's Syndra secure first blood on Hai's Ekko set the tone for the game. This time around, Phoenix1 was quicker to pull the trigger on map movements than FlyQuest, and by mid game things were snowballing.
Phoenix1 was able to secure victory through repeated Baron baits. When FlyQuest would face check for vision, P1 would pick off a player, then take a turret or other objective. Because Phoenix1 routinely was more efficient in these teamfights around Baron, Arrow's Twitch out-scaled Altec's Kog'Maw to the point that the Phoenix1 ADC was able to secure a nasty triple kill that ended up being the play that let Phoenix1 break the FlyQuest Nexus and force Game 5.
The last match of the series followed a similar trajectory to its predecessors in this third-place matchup.
Throughout the series, both teams followed similar paths to victory: Gain an early lead, then exploit small advantages until item breakpoints and eventually snowball. Inori was able to get first blood in an awkward Level 1 jungle invade turned into three-on-three skirmish. With the early momentum Phoenix1 was off to the races and able to win the early game.
But instead of rolling over, FlyQuest continued to fight. The team started catching on to Phoenix1's baiting tricks and was able to catch its foes when Phoenix1 was on victory's doorstep. Uncharacteristically, Phoenix1 took a sloppy fight under FlyQuest's top inhibitor turret, and an ace of Phoenix1 breathed new life into a team that was moments away from defeat.
After the map was reset, Phoenix1 returned to a more patient strategy. With three exposed inhibitors, it coolly edged forward and slowly chipped down the structures, beginning the flood of double super minions. FlyQuest had no choice but to engage on a five-on-five teamfight, and when the dust settled, P1's carries and support were left standing with only FlyQuest support Daerek "LemonNation" Hart on Karma between them and the Nexus. The damage dealers prevailed, and Phoenix1 officially took third place in the 2017 NA LCS Spring Split.
Although the result was disappointing for FlyQuest and its fans, the inaugural split can be chalked up as a success. Despite a roster of former Challenger Series players, FlyQuest silenced critics by just making the playoffs, and fourth place is more than anyone could have expected of the team. Phoenix1, meanwhile, flipped its place in the league table. After finishing in the third-to-worst position in the 2016 Summer Split, the team was able to battle through adversity and roster turnover on its way to securing third place in the 2017 Spring Split.