Golden Age reborn: Golden Guardians qualify for first LCS Grand Final
Nobody was certain as to how this series would go today. While FlyQuest could be seen as the favorites due to their strong play throughout the LCS 2023 Spring Split regular season, many could not ignore Golden Guardians’ story. For Golden Guardians, the scrappy underdogs have been the biggest surprise in the LCS 2023 Spring Split. After entering the LCS 2023 Spring Split playoffs as the sixth seed, Golden Guardians have continuously proved to everyone that they are not to be messed with after taking down both 100 Thieves and Evil Geniuses to qualify for LCS Finals Weekend in Raleigh, North Carolina.
In game one, LCS fans were witness to another strong start for Golden Guardians. They soared to an early kill and gold lead over FlyQuest due to their incredible team play and mechanics.
However, a few misplays around objectives saw FlyQuest eventually mount its comeback in the game. After a few more strong team fights from the side of FlyQuest, Golden Guardians found themselves down 0-1 as FlyQuest entered game two looking up 2-0.
After dropping down 0-1 to FlyQuest in the best-of-five series, Golden Guardians pulled out an interesting composition that saw them pick up Jarvan support. It was working out for the team very early at first as Golden Guardians were all over FlyQuest in the early stages of the game. However, Golden Guardians fans’ hearts stopped for a few moments when FlyQuest’s Spica was able to steal the baron from Golden Guardians.
Luckily, Golden Guardians AD carry Stixxay was unstoppable on the Zeri pick in game two as he finished that game with a 13/0/9 record. That ultimately helped Golden Guardians tie up the series 1-1 as both teams entered the third game of the LCS 2023 Spring Split Lower Bracket Finals.
After two back-to-back strong early games from Golden Guardians, FlyQuest found their stride in the third game as they inched within striking distance of a date with Cloud9 in the LCS 2023 Spring Split Grand Final.
The Golden Age reborn
Down 2-1 in the series, Golden Guardians showcased a whole new level of grit during game four of the Lower Bracket Final. In game four, Golden Guardians were down a sizeable amount of gold as they found themselves on the precipice of a loss. However, Golden Guardians' midlaner Gori was the hero on Tristana as his immaculate positioning and smart engagements helped keep Golden Guardians in the game.
The magic was completely on display during the final moments of game four when Golden Guardians' top lane Licorice pieced together a masterful engagement on Malphite towards the dragon pit. Golden Guardians then ended up taking that momentum in the fifth and final game where FlyQuest looked outclassed. The effects of everything from the end of game four were definitely still ringing through FlyQuest's minds as the team looked completely disjointed all throughout the game five. Golden Guardians were able to capitalize on that as they put the finishing touches on the fifth and final game.
With this victory, the Golden Guardians have qualified for their first LCS Grand Final as they look to win their first LCS split in the team's history. In what has already been a miraculous run in playoffs, Golden Guardians will have their biggest test tomorrow against Cloud9. Regardless, the Golden Guardians have officially booked their ticket to the 2023 Midseason invitational alongside Cloud9.
