Houston, we have a problem. That’s right, the LCS Finals are coming to Houston, and we couldn’t be more excited. And while this is great news for the city and region, it also poses some unique challenges. How do we get everything ready in time? What kind of transportation needs to be in place? How will the influx of people affect our infrastructure? Fortunately, all of these questions and more have been addressed by our amazing team of professionals. In this blog post, we will explore everything that has gone into making sure the LCS Finals come to Houston in 2018. From hotels to attractions to transportation, read on to get up-to-date information on what you need to know if you want to attend!
How Houston Got to the LCS Finals
The 2017 NA LCS finals pit the two-time runner-up Houston Outlaws against first seed and reigning world champion, North America’s Cloud9. The Outlaws made it to the semifinals by upsetting second-seed Team Liquid 3-1 in the quarterfinals, while Cloud9 topped rival CLG 3-0 in the semifinals. As such, these two teams are no strangers to one another. However, neither team has been able to win a championship yet.
Houston’s journey to the LCS finals began with their acquisition of Korean mid-laner Song “Smeb” Kyung-ho in February of this year. Smeb is widely considered one of the best mid-laners in the world and his addition gave Houston an undeniable boost. After some struggles early on in the season, including a loss to eventual second-place finisher Team Liquid at IEM San Jose, Houston eventually found its form and finished the regular season with a record of 15-7.
Cloud9 had a much more difficult regular season, finishing at 11-13 after losing several key players to other teams in free agency. Nonetheless, they made it past CLG and Immortals (the latter of which had replaced C9’s former teammate Jensen) on their way to face off against Liquid in the semifinals. There, they were narrowly defeated 3-1 after dropping games 1 and 3. This loss marked Cloud9’s first matchup against an
The Key Players in Houston’s Run to the Finals
Houston’s journey to the League of Legends World Championship Finals began in the Mid-Season Invitational. The team finished 3rd in their group, behind SK Telecom T1 and ahq e-Sports Club. They defeated EDward Gaming in a tiebreaker match to secure a spot in the playoffs. In the playoffs, Houston lost to eventual champions SK Telecom T1 in the semifinals. However, they beat KT Rolster 3-0 in the third place match to earn their spot at Worlds. At Worlds, Houston finished 2nd place in their group behind KOO Tigers. They beat Misfits Academy 3-1 and then knockout stage champion Royal Never Give Up 3-2 in the semifinal and final, respectively. This earned them their first World Championship appearance.
The Different Teams Houston Faced Along the Way
Houston’s LCS Finals: How We Got There
Two years ago, when Houston was announced as one of the ten cities to host a League of Legends Championship Series (LCS) team, few could have predicted just how good things would turn out for the city. After all, Houston had never before hosted a competitive gaming event of any kind.
But despite early struggles and plenty of skepticism from skeptics, the Rockets organization and its fans rose to the occasion. The team quickly assembled a roster of world-class players and went on to make it all the way to the LCS Finals this year.
What made their run even more impressive is that they faced some tough competition along the way. In particular, they had to beat three teams who had been among the best in the League for many years – Team SoloMid (TSM), Cloud9, and Immortals – in order to make it to championship contention.
All in all, it was an exciting journey that showed off what Houston is capable of – both as a city and as a community. Thanks go out to everyone who helped make it happen!
The various Strategies Used by Each Team
Houston’s LCS Finals: How We Got There
by Tyler Erzberger
No one expected the final match of the season to be a competitive affair between two bottom feeders. But that is exactly what happened when TSM and CLG squared off in the Grand Final of the North American LCS. Despite being seeded third and fourth, respectively, both teams had to fight tooth and nail to make it there. TSM was able to do so by defeating both Curse and Team Liquid, while CLG topped out their group with a 3-1 record over Cloud9. In the playoffs, CLG took down TSM 2-0 in the semifinals before winning a close 3-2 series against C9 in the finals.
In order for either team to win, they had to play exceptionally well throughout the entire playoffs and Grand Final. Each team had its own strategies that it relied on on in order to win; however, all three strategies were essential in getting each team where it wanted to be.
TSM’s strategy was based around strong mechanical play from their top layer Bjergsen and his teammate’s AD carries Doublelift and utility man Lux. They used high-volume early-game aggression combined with precise rotations in order to take down their opponents quickly. This allowed them to snowball early leads which they would use to close out games decisively.
CLG’s strategy revolved around two main focuses: mid-lane control and macro execution. Their mid lan
The Results of the Final Series
The Houston Astros made it to their first League Championship Series in franchise history after a dramatic three-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Astros were down 2-0 in the best-of-seven series but fought back to take the lead in games 4 and 5 before losing both games.
This is Houston’s second trip to the LCS, as they previously made it to the finals in 2006 (the only time they’ve ever gone that far). They faced off against the St. Louis Cardinals (who had also made it to the previous two LCS’ but lost both times) this year, and while they advanced as far as they did largely because of MVP candidate José Altuve, there were definitely some standout performances by other players on the team.
Here are five things you may not know about the Astros’ historic run to the League Championship Series:
1. This is Houston’s first time playing in a League Championship Series – previous appearances were in 2006 when they lost to the St. Louis Cardinals and 2016 when they lost to the Dodgers.
2. José Altuve was named MVP of both of Houston’s League Championship Series appearances – he batted .583 with 3 home runs and 7 RBIs in Games 4 & 5 against LA respectively. He became just the 7th player in MLB history (3rd since 1901) to win an MVP award in multiple postseason seasons.
3. George Springer also had a strong playoff performance batting .426 with 1
What This Means for Houston and the LCS
Houston’s LCS Finals are a major accomplishment for the city, and it will be remembered as one of the most successful events in the city’s history. The event was a huge success, both in terms of attendance and viewership.
The event was held at the Toyota Center, which was over capacity for all three days. This indicates that there is a lot of interest in professional League of Legends in Houston. The local team, NRG Esports, played well and showed that they are one of the best teams in North America.
In the end, NRG Esports won against Cloud9 with a 3-1 scoreline. This victory means that Houston now has its own professional League of Legends team and that the city is well on its way to becoming a contender in this competitive industry.
Conclusion
After months of fierce competition, finally it was time for the Houston leg of the League Championship Series (LCS) to come to a close. The final two teams standing were Team SoloMid (TSM) and Counter Logic Gaming (CLG). TSM had been on an absolute tear this season, clinching first place in both North America and Europe within a matter of weeks of each other. CLG had been playing catch-up all year, but they managed to eke out a 3-2 victory against TSM in the semifinal round-robin stage to make their way to Houston. Similar to how other professional sports leagues work, there are different levels at which teams compete in the LCS. The top dogs play against each other in multiple best-of-five matches until one team is able to secure enough victories that they are able to take home the championship trophy. This year, it was TSM who emerged as champions after disposing of CLG 3-1 in the finals. Although this may not have been everyone’s cup of tea when it came to watching professional eSports competitions unfold over the past few weeks, I believe that ultimately these tournaments serve as a valuable educational experience for budding business professionals or anyone else looking for a
