LCS 2023 Spring Split Schedule, Standings, and Preview - Week 5
The LCS 2023 Spring Split has finally hit its halfway point, as LCS fans have a better picture of where all 10 LCS teams stand in the Spring Split. For teams like FlyQuest, Evil Geniuses, and Cloud9, things are sky-high. For everybody else, however, it is a race (except for Dignitas) for the final three playoff spots.
Going into week 5, there are a number of questions that LCS viewers have for the remainder of the season. How good are the Golden Guardians? How much worse can Dignitas get? Who is the best between FlyQuest, Evil Geniuses, and Cloud9? Here, we highlight the key storylines to follow this week.
League of Legends LCS 2023 Spring Standings Before Week 5
Here is how all 10 LCS teams stack up at the halfway point in the LCS 2023 Spring Split.
- FlyQuest (8-1) 24 Pts
- Evil Geniuses (7-2) 21 Pts
- Cloud9 (7-2) 21 Pts
- Golden Guardians (5-4) 15 Pts
- TSM (5-4) 15 Pts
- CLG (4-5) 12 Pts
- 100 Thieves (4-5) 12 Pts
- Liquid (3-6) 9 Pts
- Immortals (2-7) 6 Pts
- Dignitas (0-9) 0 Pts
League of Legends LCS Matches
Thursday, Feb. 23
- FlyQuest vs. 100 Thieves
- Immortals vs. Team Liquid
- Golden Guardians vs. Cloud9
- TSM vs. CLG
- Dignitas vs. Evil Geniuses
Friday, Feb. 24
- TSM vs. Cloud9
- Dignitas vs. FlyQuest
- Team Liquid vs. 100 Thieves
- Golden Guardians vs. Evil Geniuses
- Immortals vs. CLG
TSM, the most pleasant surprise in the LCS
TSM took down the previously undefeated FlyQuest
Photo by Robert Paul/Riot Games
TSM has been a delight to watch in 2023, not because of how exceptional their play has been, but how much they have continued to shake up the LCS 2023 Spring Split standings. Heading into 2023, not many people would have pegged TSM as a playoff team, but week after week, they have proved that they are much better than people expected. That credit has to go to TSM head coach Wong “Chawy” Xing Le, who has made this internationally mixed lineup work in tandem against a strong LCS field.
After being the first LCS team to hand FlyQuest a loss in the LCS 2023 Spring Split, they will look to prove their upset victory was no fluke against CLG and Cloud9 this week. If they maintain their form seen against FlyQuest, TSM might have a resurgence in the LCS on its way very soon.
Truly Golden? Or just Fool’s Gold
Stixxay was the LCS week 4 MVP
Photo by Robert Paul/Riot Games
One of the biggest storylines of the LCS has been the recent uptick in performance from the Golden Guardians. They enter week 4 on a five-game winning streak after starting the LCS 2023 Spring Split 0-4. While the first four wins could be attributed to an easier schedule, their most recent win against 100 Thieves is a testament to their actual strength as a legitimate contender for a playoff spot. This week’s pair of games against Cloud9 and Evil Geniuses will be a true test for the Golden Guardians to see if they are more than a middle-of-the-pact team.
They will be looking toward veteran botlaner Trevor “Stixxay” Hayes to lead the charge in this botlane-centric meta. While this week will be a challenge against two formidable bot lanes, the week four MVP has an opportunity to cement his late-career resurgence with a pair of wins.
Regardless, Golden Guardians are not favorites to win either game this week. A 1-1 week would be a major stepping stone toward their playoff aspirations. That would certainly break many people’s preseason rankings.
CLG is truly counter logic in 2023
This team is so confusing because of how inconsistent they are.
Straight up, this team just does not make any sense. They are so inconsistent in their level of play. In some games, CLG looks like the favorite to join FlyQuest in the LCS 2023 Spring Finals. On other days, they look worse than Dignitas. Okay, let’s not take it that far, but it’s still pretty bad. That being said, this core of five players is the most exciting lineup CLG has had in quite a long time.
This week is actually a test for CLG because it is against teams they should beat, but I’m sure CLG will soon ask me to hold their beer as they run it down in the early game. For their sake, I hope they can at least beat Immortals so they can collect some much-needed wins if they want to make playoffs. Their TSM matchup is more evenly matched, but they need to win against TSM or they risk losing out on the head-to-head tiebreaker. There is a strong likelihood these two teams are battling for that final spot in playoffs so it is important for CLG to win this.
Evil Geniuses and FlyQuest battling for the top spot
Prince is the frontrunner for LCS 2023 Spring MVP.
FlyQuest has a slight edge over both Cloud9 and Evil Geniuses right now, but things are so much closer between the three teams in recent memory. Additionally, all three teams are likely to go 2-0 this week as they have each avoided each other this week. This week’s games will be about maintaining their current form against teams they are favored against.
The pressure is on all three teams to continue winning. If either team drops one game this week, they risk losing ground on their secure spot in the top two at the end of the LCS 2023 Spring Split. That being said, both teams are still playing at a high level. Evil Geniuses is currently on a winning streak since their shaky start and FlyQuest’s Prince Factor is still too much for LCS teams to handle, regardless of their loss to TSM last week.
These two are the teams to beat in the LCS.
How will Cloud9’s bold midlane swap turn out?
How will the team perform with a new midlaner?
Photo by Colin Young-Wolff/Riot Games
In my eyes, there is a clear top three in the LCS 2023 Spring Split, but Cloud9 is most definitely the third-best team between themselves, Evil Geniuses, and FlyQuest. However, a swap in the midlane could shift the dynamics of their placement and push them into the top two by the end of the regular season.
Prior to week 5, Cloud9 revealed that midlaner Dmitri “Diplex” Ponomarev would be swapped out this week for C9 Challengers midlaner Jang “EMENES” Min-soo and I truly believe this makes Cloud9 better. Diplex was performing fine in the LCS for his first split outside of the LFL, but Emenes has been truly outstanding in the lower leagues. If Cloud9 want to have any chance at being able to match up to FlyQuest and Evil Geniuses, they needed a midlaner with firepower.
All eyes will be on Emenes this week as Cloud9 is putting faith in their young talent to accelerate his fast-paced growth through games on the LCS stage. There is no question that Emenes has the talent to keep up with the other LCS mids. The only thing that could hold this young player back is the pressures that lie in taking your game from Challenger to the LCS.
Where you can watch League of Legends LCS
Viewers can tune in for week 5 of the LCS 2023 Spring Split through the LCS Twitch and YouTube channels. The LCS 2023 Spring Split will take place every Thursday and Friday where the action will begin with a rematch between Prince, and Doublelift as FlyQuest takes on 100 Thieves.
