NA LCS Week 11 Super Week recap

This article was originally published on GameSpot's sister site onGamers.com, which was dedicated to esports coverage.

The end of the NA LCS Spring split came in the form of a ridiculous action-packed Super Week. Top teams Cloud 9 and Team SoloMid needed to wrap up the split in good fashion for the potential first-place. The bottom of the standings could still enter the playoffs and each and every match up allowed for the drama to build. The conclusion of the split was everything fans wanted.

Cloud 9 v. XDG - Cloud 9 wins at 35:18 - Overall match rank: 3.5 out of 5.

Best play: It was a slow death for XDG, but at 34:00, Cloud 9 finally muscled their way through with a top lane push. A beautiful pillar allowed Cloud 9's Hai "Hai" Du Lam to clean up and scare off the rest of the XDG team fight back to their base.

MVP: An "Balls" Le for Cloud 9 took initiation seriously. He was the main player and tool to start fights and was easily the hardest champion to kill. His 11.00 KDA ratio was just further indication of his impact.

Team Coast v. Team Curse - Team Curse wins at 36:02 - Overall match rank: 3 out of 5.

Best play: An awful engagement from Team Coast in Baron at 31:40 ended any chance at winning the game. The lack of coordination and teamwork from Team Coast led to a separate team fight that was quickly dispatched by Team Curse. Team Curse took advantage of the mistake with a 2-for-1 trade and the Baron kill.

MVP: It's hard to ignore the nine kills that Team Curse's Joedat "Voyboy" Esfahani put up. He was the match's MVP, easily. He was consistently in safe spots during team fights and skirmishes and displayed the fantastic burst damage that his AD Carry could deal.

Counter Logic Gaming v. Cloud 9 - Cloud 9 wins at 43:25 - Overall match rank: 4.5 out of 5.

Best play: Cloud 9 took advantage of the greedy CLG Baron play at 32:35 with precise skill shots. From that point, it was a systematic hunt of CLG champions en route to the biggest lead of the match.

MVP: Cloud 9's Daerek "LemonNation" Hart was fantastic throughout the match. He played smart support, contributed to nearly every big engagement and most importantly, stayed alive. His two deaths was the big difference-maker for Cloud 9's team fights.

Team Dignitas v. Team Curse - Team Dignitas wins at 36:42 - Overall match rank: 3.5 out of 5.

Best play: 21:31 was the big turning point for Team Dignitas. They were behind all game, but a risky play at dragon took care of any and all problems. Greyson "goldenglue" Gilmer's quadra kill after the dragon was all Team Dignitas needed to take all the momentum.

MVP: Team Dignitas' middle, Greyson "goldenglue" Gilmer, was the main beneficiary from each and every team fight. He was the last bit of burst damage in the majority of Team Dignitas' fights and created plenty of opportunities for his team to succeed.

Evil Geniuses v. Team SoloMid - Team SoloMid wins at 35:39 - Overall match rank: 3.5 out of 5.

Best play: The most chaotic fight occurred at the 27:58 mark when Team SoloMid forced the action at the Baron pit. Evil Geniuses contested the best they could, but Team SoloMid took the Baron and traded kills, but took the gold and momentum lead.

MVP: Soren "Bjergsen" Bjerg won his lane, was the main damage dealer in team fights, and benefitted the most in the KDA score. His cs score was 65 more than his counterpart and proved to be the big difference-maker between the two teams.

XDG v. Team Dignitas - Team Dignitas wins at 34:04 - Overall match rank: 3 out of 5.

Best play: Team Dignitas dominated from the start, but at 26:40, it was clear. Hooks and cocoons landing allowed for turrets and objectives to fall in favor of Team Dignitas and relegated XDG into spectators in their own game.

MVP: Michael "imaqtpie" Santana shined the brightest for his team in this romp. His beautiful Draven play proved too problematic for XDG in team fights as Santana ended the game with zero deaths.

Team SoloMid v. Team Coast - Team SoloMid wins at 41:46 - Overall match rank: 3.5 out of 5.

Best play: Team SoloMid contested Team Coast's dragon attempt at 17:00 and made a close game into a wash. Team SoloMid separated Team Coast and took out each Team Coast member with advantageous numbers. After the fight, the kill lead expanded to 7-3 in favor of Team SoloMid.

MVP: Team SoloMid's support, Alex "Xpecial" Chu was special in this one. He was slippery and could not be caught in fights, but he also provided much of the damage in every Team SoloMid engagement.

Team Curse v. Counter Logic Gaming - Team Curse wins at 36:10 - Overall match rank: 3 out of 5.

Best play: A slow hit-and-run fight at 26:00 turned into a quadra kill for Team Curse. A great team fight spread and bait allowed for Team Curse's Caitlyn to shoot any and all targets on screen.

MVP: There wasn't a player more involved in team fights and kills than Team Curse's Michael "BunnyFuFuu" Kurylo. His insane 16 assists and only one death was absolutely the reason his team beat out the every-scary Counter Logic Gaming.

Team Dignitas v. Team Coast - Team Coast wins at 50:16 - Overall match rank: 4 out of 5.

Best play: The biggest kill of the game came from Apollo Price. The kill of Team Dignitas' imaqtpie effectively ended Team Dignitas' hope for victory. The 49:00 mistake from imaqtpie was too costly.

MVP: Someone other than Shiphtur and ZionSpartan took the crown. Team Coast's Apollo "WizFujiin" Price was a dominating killing machine. An insane 15 kills prevented Team Dignitas' strong composition from snowballing into a victory. His kill score was also the highest in the NA LCS.

Counter Logic Gaming v. Evil Geniuses - Counter Logic Gaming wins at 29:39 - Overall match rank: 3 out of 5.

Best play: Counter Logic Gaming made this game academic. A back-breaking fight near Baron pit at 26:00 crushed Evil Geniuses' hopes to winning the game. Counter Logic Gaming used a spread-out fight to take out any and all threats.

MVP: Yiliang "Doublelift" Peng played exactly like an AD Carry should. He dealt damage from every angle and took control of team fights with burst. He was a monster throughout the match and his zero death performance is a key indication.

Team SoloMid v. Cloud 9 - Cloud 9 wins at 32:36 - Overall match rank: 3.5 out of 5.

Best play: 27:38 was the biggest mistake Team SoloMid made. An engage and then a disengage allowed Cloud 9 to group and take the biggest gold and kill lead of the game up to that point. It was a bully affair after the team fight.

MVP: Daerek "LemonNation" Hart was the difference again for his team. The main initiation and support for the team, Hart did not die to boot. His team proved to be the best in the NA LCS after their dissection of Team SoloMid.

Team Dignitas v Counter Logic Gaming - Counter Logic Gaming wins at 21:34 - Overall match rank: 2 out of 5.

Best play: If there was a play to symbolize the game, it was during the 13:00 mark when Counter Logic Gaming surrounded Cruz "cruzerthebruzer" Ogden and absolutely tore him up.

MVP: Counter Logic Gaming was the MVP. This was a stomp if anything.

Evil Geniuses v. Team Curse - Evil Geniuses wins at 32:40 - Overall match rank: 3.5 out of 5.

Best play: 23:45 was textbook Evil Geniuses' initiation. They caught Team Curse off-guard in the middle lane in an objective push, but spread out to prevent any fallback attack or kills. The two-for-zero trade was indicative of the game Evil Geniuses played.

MVP: Stephen "Snoopeh" Ellis led his team to victory. His plays within team fights was the perfect complement. Whether it was initiation, ending damage, or starting burst, Ellis created space and advantages.

XDG v. Team SoloMid - XDG wins at 56:57 - Overall match rank: 4.5 out of 5.

Best play: XDG took advantage of Team SoloMid's greedy base push at 44:27 and ripped apart the attempt. The following chase and winning fight allowed XDG to assume map control and momentum. It was the moment XDG needed to take the upset victory.

MVP: Zachary "Mancloud" Hoschar played out of his mind and it was all necessary for the upset victory for XDG. He was the leading cs score for his team, the highest assist score, and the lowest death total. In short, Hoschar was the best player on the team.

Cloud 9 v. Team Coast - Cloud 9 wins at 40:48 - Overall match rank: 4 out of 5.

Best play: The backdoor of the NA LCS at 40:00 was all you need to see. Despite losing in overall kills and map control, Cloud 9 took the game with a great backdoor base race and crushed Team Coast's upset bid.

MVP: How could Danny "Shiphtur" Le not be the MVP? He was unstoppable with a 10-1-2 score. A playmaker from the start with his LeBlanc, Le showed that win or lose, he was the best player in the game.

XDG v. Evil Geniuses - Evil Geniuses wins at 47:00 - Overall match rank: 3.5 out of 5.

Best play: Evil Geniuses used early aggression to set the tone and none was more highlight-worthy than the 16:45 mark. A clone block, a double kill, and a turret dive was all you needed to know about Evil Geniuses' control of the match.

MVP: Tyson "Innox" Kapler was flawless. From damage, entering fights, and picking targets, Kapler made every right decision. He was 11-0-12 and was the clear MVP of the entire match.

Champion of the week: Corki

Whether it was played by Cloud 9's Sneaky or XDG's Zuna or Team Dignitas' imaqtpie, Corki was a damage giver. It could be the start of something absolutely new in AD Carry or it could be a fad, but Corki's impact in team fights was seen and felt in both losses and wins. The best example of a well-executed Corki was through Cloud 9's use of the champion. Kite and burst down opponents while staying near the team was the popular strategy.

Top of the week: Tyson "Innox" Kapler (KDA ratio 14.00)

Kapler was the pillar for Evil Geniuses. Whether it was through saving team fights or initiating, he made the best choice for the team's chances. The biggest highlight for Kapler was day 3 where he proceeded to play two games without a single death. His insane Lee Sin was a match up nightmare and it's a wonder where this version of Innox has been all season.

Jungle of the week: William "Meteos" Hartman (KDA ratio 4.2)

No, Hartman's overall ratios were not overwhelming, but the impact surely was. When a jungler is the reason your team wins a game, you're the top jungler. Hartman's amazing backdoor push against Team Coast was the difference in an entire match for Cloud 9. For that reason, he's in the discussion for best jungler.

Middle of the week: Soren "Bjergsen" Bjerg (KDA ratio 3.8)

Bjerg was the most consistent of the middle laners during Super Week. He wasn't overly flashy or the biggest play-maker, but he was the safest player and easily the best. Bjerg will never disappoint fans with an "off" week because his play style denies the opportunity; much like last week.

Bottom of the week: Zachary "Sneaky" Scuderi and Daerek "LemonNation" Hart (KDA ratio 5.1)

Cloud 9 will be a force entering the playoffs. Hartman, Scuderi, and Hart compose three of the best at their positions. Scuderi and Hart complemented each other so well, it was hard to break the team apart because of it. Their record and execution is no fluke, their bottom lane can attest to that.

Rank	Team	Record
1	Cloud 9	24-4
2	Team SoloMid	22-6
3	Counter Logic Gaming	18-10
4	Team Dignitas	12-16
5	Team Curse	11-17
6	Team Coast	10-18
7	Evil Geniuses	8-20
8	XDG Gaming	7-21

Summary of the week:

The spring split ended with a flurry of exciting matches. The bottom half of the standings stood their ground and did not fall to the top teams without a fight (with some upsets smattered across). Cloud 9 emerged from the rubble as the top North American team with the inconsistent week of Team SoloMid. Counter Logic Gaming ended the split with unsatisfying results. As for the rest of the pack, it may be good fortune that they're still in or the best could be played out.