The second round of the 2020 LCS Summer Split playoffs kicked off with a match between Cloud9 and FlyQuest. In a surprising turn of events, FlyQuest secured a 3-1 victory over the higher-seeded C9.
In addition to their chance to continue in the playoffs in the winners bracket, FlyQuest earned a spot in the 2020 League of Legends World Championship, a first for the organization.
In a commanding game one, FlyQuest set the pace of the entire match by showing C9 that they’d be relentless against their jungler, Blaber. While C9 were able to strike back and bring a bit of tempo back to their side with a win in game two, FlyQuest continued to pressure Zven and Blaber to snatch the next two games.
With absolute control over objectives, securing Dragon Soul, Elder Dragon, and Baron in two different games, FlyQuest showed that C9 still have to search for more answers to their recent weaknesses. FlyQuest’s mid laner and MVP candidate, PowerOfEvil, had a commanding performance to control most of the map, with carry picks like Azir and strong controlling picks like Malzahar.
While this loss is a sting for C9, their playoffs and Worlds dreams don’t end here. They can still claw their way back through the playoffs to secure a spot in Worlds in the losers bracket.
Earlier this splitVeteran North American coach David “DLim” Lim took over the head coaching position for FlyQuest in week four. DLim joined the team back in December 2019, and has worked alongside Curry throughout his stint. As one of the most experienced coaches in NA, DLim has learned a lot from his stints with teams like Team Liquid, Clutch Gaming, FC Schalke 04, and Excel Esports. Unfortunately, his last stints as a head coach haven’t been too successful—Excel finished in last place during the 2019 LEC Summer Split and Clutch finished in ninth place during the 2018 Summer Split.
Curry had guided the roster to an impressive 4-2 record through the first three weeks of the 2020 LCS Summer Split, which has placed the team in a five-way tie for second place alongside teams like CLG, Evil Geniuses, Team Liquid, and TSM.
Not many teams have separated themselves from the rest of the pack—except for Cloud9—which means that the field is wide open for one or two teams to create some space with the split reaching its halfway point.
Earlier this Split, FlyQuest changed out the ADC as well. Just one hour before the Academy Match in mid-split, the organization revealed the roster swap, promoting Mash to its LCS lineup.