Going from ending Summer 2016 fighting in the promotion tournament to retain their LCS spot, to ending Spring 2017 as the #3 seed going into the playoffs, Phoenix1 showed one of the biggest turnarounds in the LCS. As a new organization going into the 2016 Summer split, little was expected to come from Phoenix1, and their performance matched the expectations.

A commitment from management to make a change for the better during the offseason paid off huge for the organization. Using their two highly valued import slots on two Korean players comes with a high risk and a high reward. The cultural differences between the regions, the work ethic, and communication barriers can all turn what, on paper, was a perfect signing, into a flop, and possibly another fight to retain the LCS spot. For Phoenix1 this was not the case. Signing veteran mid laner Yoo “Ryu” Sang-ook, formerly of H2K, gave the team a solid player with the potential to carry the team. To fill out the team, P1 then signed the world class former KT Rolster ADC No “Arrow” Dong-Hyeon. The roster moves were the right ones as P1 secured their playoff spot and locked up the #3 seed.  

In their first round matchup against Team Dignitas, P1 made quick work of their opponents and secured a 3-0 victory. In game 1 of the series, P1 was behind and being pressured by Dignitas when the two stars, Ryu and Arrow, teamed up to stunlock and take down Keane’s Cassiopea as Dignitas were pushing with baron buff. This kill subsequently led to P1 taking the topside inhibitor and set the table for P1’s comeback victory. From there, P1 was able to win a few more fights and ultimately, the game.

Game 2 and 3 were much more dominant from P1 as they developed early leads and translated them well into the mid game, taking towers, dragons and barons on their way to a clean sweep in the first round. Contrast this series victory with where the organization was at the same time just a split ago, fighting to retain their LCS spot, and we see how great of an impact the changes set forth by the management had on the team. Bringing in two highly talented players, a revamped coaching staff and having it all mesh together resulting in a playoff series win, is worthy of a celebration in and of itself. But P1 couldn’t stop and celebrate yet, they were hungry for more and had Cloud 9 to look forward to as their next opponent.

The semifinal match against Cloud 9 was almost an exact mirror of the quarterfinal match. And by mirror I mean, what P1 did to Dig in the quarterfinals, C9 did to P1 in the semis. In every game, C9 outclassed P1. Jensen earned leads over Ryu and translated them to getting his team farther ahead. C9’s rookie of the split, Contractz, got ahead of Inori and Meteos and was an integral part in the victories. P1 had shown signs of greatness and lots of potential, but alas, their season would come to an end in the third place match, rather than the finals. And after TSM’s 3-0 sweep of FlyQuest, it was known who their opponent would be in that final match of spring.

Game 1 of the 3rd place series was a combination of the original core of P1, top laner Derek “Zig” Shao and jungler Rami “Inori” Charagh, and Ryu taking control of the game early and never looking back. The three combined for a 13/0/21 scoreline on the way to their game one victory. 

With how the first game was won, P1 surely had momentum in their favor going into the second game of the series. This was certainly not the case. FlyQuest ADC Altec took control of the game on his Kog’Maw pick and the series was all tied up at 1-1. In game three FlyQuest essentially dominated the entirety of the 35 minute game and made the series 1-2 in their favor. Game 4 then became match point, and for P1, time to do or die. P1 dominated the game and those offseason roster moves proved their worth once again as both Arrow and Ryu had massive performances that led their team to victory. With that, the series was 2-2 and it was time to see once and for all who would claim 3rd place, and alongside it, the valuable points towards worlds qualification. P1 jumped out to a quick early lead with Ryu securing first blood, bot lane claiming first brick, and the team getting first drake it seemed like P1 were on their way to an easy victory. FlyQuest would not go down without a fight and they stretched the game out to an almost 45 minute battle before P1 secured 3rd place overall and claimed the valuable 50 championship points.

While most would think a third place finish is ok, but nothing to celebrate, when taking the history of this organization into consideration, getting 3rd place is a solid achievement. Phoenix1 has risen from the ashes of relegation and shown themselves to be among the top three teams in NA in just their second split. With  such a strong showing in Spring, expectations are high for the upcoming Summer split, and with 50 championship points locked in, the goal of reaching worlds is definitely attainable. So the question for this Summer is, “just how far can the Phoenix rise?”.  

Photo Credits: Riot Games

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