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FlyQuest pulled off a stunning victory against Cloud9 in round two of the League of Legends Championship Series (LCS) Summer Playoffs, securing their place at the 2024 LoL World Championship alongside Team Liquid.
This marks FlyQuest’s first World Championship appearance in four years, and they did it in style, taking down one of the LCS’s most storied teams.
FlyQuest’s journey to this victory wasn’t straightforward.
After finishing third in the LCS Summer regular season with a 5-2 record, FlyQuest fell to Cloud9 0-2 on the final day.
However, their thirst for revenge was evident in the playoffs.
Despite losing the first game of the series, FlyQuest looked dominant throughout, nearly clinching the win in map one before Cloud9 managed a narrow comeback.
From that point on, it was all FlyQuest.
In the following maps, FlyQuest took control, winning maps two and three in long but convincing fashion.
The final map, however, was a masterclass in dominance.
FlyQuest dismantled Cloud9 in just 26 minutes with a perfect 14-0 kill score, leaving Cloud9 without a single kill.
A significant contributor to FlyQuest’s victory was mid laner Song “Quad” Su-hyeong, who celebrated his 22nd birthday by putting on an exceptional performance.
Quad achieved a 25-5 kill/death score over the series, with a standout nine-kill performance in Game 2 on Smolder.
His 81% kill participation underscored his critical role in FlyQuest’s success.
But it wasn’t just Quad who shone.
Top laner Gabriël “Bwipo” Rau rebounded from a difficult start to hold his own in a Renekton vs. K’Sante battle against C9’s Park “Thanatos” Seung-gyu.
Meanwhile, jungler Kacper “Inspired” Słoma secured a crucial baron steal on map three, shifting the momentum decisively in FlyQuest’s favour.
After the match, Inspired highlighted the team’s growth in coordination, stating, “The team is finally doing only coordinated plays; in this game and the whole series, we never took a fight when we didn’t need to.”
This win sends FlyQuest to the upper bracket final against Team Liquid on Saturday, August 31.
Although their primary goal of reaching LoL Worlds is secured, FlyQuest is far from complacent.
Inspired acknowledged the challenge ahead, noting that Team Liquid is equally adept at controlled gameplay, making their upcoming match anything but easy.
Welcome to #LCS Championship weekend, FlyQuest 🏆#FLYWIN pic.twitter.com/VmkmfQIhTr
— LCS (@LCSOfficial) August 25, 2024
Cloud9, on the other hand, now faces a critical test.
After falling to FlyQuest, they’ll await the winner of Dignitas vs. 100 Thieves for a do-or-die match on Sunday, September 1, to claim the final LCS spot at Worlds.
Despite their recent struggles, Cloud9 remains a formidable opponent, having attended ten of the past eleven World Championships.
However, they’ll need to regroup quickly and address the mistakes that plagued them in this series to keep their streak alive.
FlyQuest’s victory not only avenges their regular season loss to Cloud9 but also cements their resurgence in the LCS.
As they prepare to face Team Liquid, fans can expect a thrilling encounter between two of the top teams in North America.
