One of the most action packed days of League of Legends every year is the first day of the promotion tournament. For the upcoming split, MVP and Kongdoo Monster were looking to stay in the LCK, while Griffin and Ever 8 Winners were looking to take their spots. Unfortunately for Ever 8, their hopes of returning to the LCK have already been dashed with today’s results, but the other three teams are still alive in the hunt for LCK 2018 Summer promotion.
MVP 2, Ever 8 Winners 1
This series was a lot closer than it should have been. Ever 8 won the first game after MVP put together a draft where they outsmarted themselves. Taking Vel’Koz as a support was an interesting pick, but it backfired in the mid-game as Ever 8 pounced on the champion. MVP’s line-up was far too squishy, and they couldn’t win a team fight after that leading to a loss.
MVP put together more conventional compositions in the second and third game and were rewarded for it. With a more standard draft, they looked much better than Ever 8 and sent their foes into the loser’s bracket.
Griffin 2, Kongdoo Monster 0
Coming into today there was a lot of buzz surrounding Griffin. They dominated Challenger with a 14-0 record, and they were considered hefty favorites over a Kongdoo team that had lost 14 straight series.
Things didn’t start off well for Griffin. They looked a bit nervous in the first game and would have probably lost to a better team. However, despite being down for most of the game, they were able to turn the tide after some fantastic play from Lehends on Alistar. Lehends was superb at getting his team into great position to win team fights throughout the game, and his four-man knock-up while Kongdoo was trying to siege the base proved to be the game-winning play.
Griffin looked more relaxed in Game 2, coasting to a relatively easy win despite a few misplays. Now, they have to win just once more in order to make it to the LCK.
Kongdoo Monster 2, Ever 8 Winners 1
Kongdoo was the better team throughout the series, but they blew a huge gold lead in Game 2 for Ever 8 to force a decisive third game. The same problems that had haunted Kongdoo throughout the Spring Split in the LCK bit them as hard they looked indecisive and made some poor decisions that cost them the game.
They were able to pull it together in the third game though. Kongdoo jumped out to an early lead and shut the door with authority this time, allowing Ever 8 to pick up just one kill.
What’s next
The LCK 2018 Summer promotion when MVP and Griffin square off in a best of five series on Thursday at 4 a.m. ET. The winner will qualify for the LCK 2018 Summer Split, while the loser will be forced into a do or die best of five series with Kongdoo Monster on Sunday at 4 a.m. ET. Check for LCK betting odds on BetDSI for both of these series later in the week.
