LCS Playoffs: NRG ends at 6th place, Dignitas moves on to next round

End of season for NRG. Dignitas eliminates them from the LCS Summer Playoffs and sends them in early vacation after an inconsistent yet tight series that ended in game 5. This marks a tough end of the year for NRG, as they won Summer split last year and accessed to Worlds 2023 with nearly the same roster apart from support Choi "huhi" Jae-hyun.

In the first game, Jesper "Zven" Svenningsen and Jonah "Isles" Rosario went with a Kalista/Senna duo, dominating NRG's botlane from start to finish. NRG attempted a dive at the 5-minute mark but failed miserably. DIG seized the opportunity, starting a snowball effect and countering with a 3-man dive on Niship "Dhokla" Doshi's Poppy. DIG remained unshaken throughout objective defense and team fights, wrapping up the game in just 28 minutes.

The second game was a one-sided affair, this time for NRG. Choi "huhi" Jae-hyun’s Bard set the pace in the early game, and the opposing botlane’s lack of range kept them from making an impact throughout. A surprise and successful gank from Rumble before 10 minutes put them further behind, and DIG crumbled across all lanes. With a score of 21-1, the game was wrapped up in just 25 minutes, evening the series.

For the first time, neither team dominated right from the start. A lane swap occurred, and DIG's superior macro play gave them a 3,000 gold lead. The game’s pace shifted at the 22-minute mark when Cristian "Palafox" Palafox's Taliyah initiated the first major team fight. However, NRG overextended, giving away too many kills and allowing DIG to extend their lead to 5,000 gold. Despite NRG putting up a fight, they faltered around the Infernal Soul, which handed DIG a crucial advantage. A series of chaotic fights and random catches followed, with DIG eventually securing a well-executed Nashor fight that led to a sudden game finish at the 40-minute mark.

Facing elimination in game 4, NRG locked in Smolder and Azir, aiming for a scaling comp with Renekton and Maokai to dominate midgame teamfights. A clutch play by Skarner earned Smolder a double kill at 6 minutes, giving NRG the lead. They controlled objectives and Palafox’s Azir secured a triple kill in a crucial fight. Despite DIG's strong defense and an ace in the late game, Smolder became too powerful, and NRG evened the series at 2-2.

The final game has been pretty shaky for all 10 players. Contractz's Skarner started by setting a strong early pace, heavily pressuring Jensen in the midlane. NRG gained the lead in the first 10 minutes and maintained control until they were outplayed by DIG at the 25th-minute Baron Nashor. However, a brilliant 39-minute TP from Dhokla caught Jensen's Zeri off guard, securing the Infernal Drake's soul. Despite this, NRG lost the team fight before Elder Drake at 46 minutes. DIG capitalized and ended NRG's Nexus in a nearly 50-minute game 5.

Despite an inconsistent series, Dignitas came out on top. Both teams traded dominant wins, but the overall midgame wasn't very solid on both sides. NRG is sent on an early vacation, while DIG will play at least one more best-of-five next week. Their future opponent will be determined in the next two days as the playoffs continue in the winner's bracket. They should keep an eye on tomorrow’s Team Liquid vs. 100 Thieves match, as well as Cloud9 vs. FlyQuest, since they'll face the lowest-seeded losing team.