Things are starting to heat up in the PCS 2021 Spring Split playoffs as we near the end of the tournament.
It was clean sweeps over the course of the weekend with J Team, Berjaya Dragons, Machi Esports, and Hong Kong Attitude taking part in the action. The prevalent theme of the games over the weekend was the three-nil sweeps across the board as Machi Esports came out as the top dog amongst the four teams.
Both games were played out over the weekend with the winners facing off against one another for that coveted spot in the loser bracket finals. This puts them one step closer to reaching the grand finals where the victor represents the whole of Southeast Asia at the Mid-Season Invitational next month.
J Team vs Berjaya Dragons
The first game of the weekend was between J Team and Berjaya Dragons and it was a feisty affair, to say the least. Both teams used the same champions in more than one game as J Team stuck with Kai'Sa, Hecarim, and Alistar for all three games as well as Gnar for two games. Berjaya Dragons, on the other hand, stuck with Volibear and Tristana for all three games while Orianna, Tristana, Rakan, and Renekton were picked twice each.
Berjaya Dragons managed to take a slight lead in the early game but it didn't last long before J Team got their footing and began to dominate across the map. To put it into perspective, Berjaya Dragons were stuck on just six kills the entire game while J Team ended the game with 20.
Game two wasn't any better for Berjaya Dragons as they tried the same strategy once more with the same lineup. However, J Team also did the same but switched Akali for Kassadin instead. As a result, J Team won the second match in an even shorter time than the first. Game three was the nail the coffin for Berjaya Dragons as they just couldn't keep up with the pressure. J Team was able to hold them off at arm's length, ensuring that a comeback was virtually impossible in all three games.
Machi Esports vs Hong Kong Attitude
In the second series of the weekend, we saw Machi Esports take on Hong Kong Attitude. Having placed second in last year's PCS Spring Split as well as clinching gold in the PCS Summer Split, it's hard to write them off entirely, even if they're in the lower bracket. While HKA did put up a worthy fight, it was unfortunately not enough to see them through.
Game one was a fairly even affair for both teams until the mid-game where Machi Esports slowly pulled away with a gold and kill lead. This all culminated in the Baron's pit where Machi Esports took out four from HKA before breaching the high ground of their base and taking the Nexus. Game two was a disastrous affair for HKA as well with Machi Esports taking control of the game from the get-go. They were able to take a substantial lead from the start, not giving HKA a moment to breathe before forcing out the 'GG' call by breaching their base in less than half an hour.
In the last and final game of the series, it was do or die for HKA and unfortunately, it was the latter chosen for them by Machi Esports. While it was the longest match of the series (by only 34 seconds though!), HKA tried their hardest to make things difficult. However, as the mid-game rolled around, that is where Machi Esports were at their strongest, able to take fights with ease and walk away unscathed. Soon after, 'GG' was called as Machi Esports appeared too much for HKA to handle.
J Team vs Machi Esports
Both teams were feeling confident heading into the series having won their previous matches in convincing fashion. Game one started out fairly slow with first blood only being drawn after 13 minutes by J Team. They soon managed to maintain a slim gold lead heading into the mid-game but Machi Esports managed to catch up soon after. It was a tight match between both teams, who were evenly matched in every aspect. However, J Team soon buckled under the pressure and called 'GG'.
Game two started out at a much quicker pace with machi Esports taking a quick lead in the early game. But it was J Team who regained the lead in the mid-game, not giving Machi Esports a moment's notice. Moving into the late game, J Team were able to build a sizeable lead in terms of gold and kills, leading by as much as 7k gold at one point. Sadly, that wasn't enough to deter Machi Esports as they dug deep, pushing J Team and taking over their base in one fell swoop.
The last match of the series was another tightly-contested game with both J Team and Machi Esports keeping up with one another in terms of gold and kills. While J Team were able to maintain a slim lead throughout the majority of the match, they could never use it to their full advantage, giving Machi Esports the opportunity to pounce on their mistakes and take the win to move into the loser bracket finals.
Still to come...
Machi Esports will be waiting for the loser of the match between PSG Talon and Beyond Gaming, the top two teams so far in the PCS 2021 Spring Split. They will face off in four days time on 17th April. The loser will drop down to the lower bracket final and play Machi Esports a day later.
