Echo Fox overcame first half gold deficits to sweep Phoenix1 2-0, kicking off Week 8 of the North America League of Legends Championship Series Summer Split in Los Angeles.
Phoenix1 (3-12,13-26 match record) played around the bottom lane early in Game 1 as jungler Mike "MikeYeung" Yeung's Zac Elastic Slingshot got himself in for ganks. The teamfights in the first half all seemed to go in P1's favor, as Yoo "Ryu" Sang-ook's Taliyah stifled any chance Echo Fox had at escaping a given skirmish with Weaver's Wall, setting up plenty of kills. Despite losing all of its turrets, Echo Fox (5-10, 15-21 match record) started to pick itself back up, even in the face of a massive gold deficit. The rebound truly began off the back of a risky Baron call, as Echo Fox managed to march all the way down the middle lane and destroy an inhibitor. The reversal of fortunes almost seemed to knock Phoenix1 off kilter, as its previously dominant fighting abilities faded near the stretch. The final teamfight broke out in the middle lane, Echo Fox walked away with a 4-for-1 trade and blitzed through the rest of the Nexus for a Game 1 win.
Phoenix1 was back to the early aggression in Game 2, earning first turret and blood thanks to rising Summer Split star, jungler MikeYeung, this time on RekSai. Lane swaps in the mid game allowed P1 to take a lead in turrets and objectives without having to fight for them, as once again Echo Fox appeared off its game. However once the side lanes opened up, Echo Fox began to execute its split push team compositions and slowly even up the objective advantages. As was the case in Game 1, the second match basically was decided by a pivotal play near Baron. While Echo Fox would go for, and eventually lose the buff in an extended teamfight, it still walked away with a 2-for-0 trade, giving EF enough time to whittle away an inhibitor. A short while later, Phoenix1 would officially succumb to the constant pressure, as Echo Fox would score an ace in the ensuing teamfight, taking down the Nexus to finish off the series.
Phoenix1 will do battle with Counter Logic Gaming on Sunday at 3 p.m. ET, while Echo Fox will square off in a crucial match in terms of seeding against Team Dignitas later that day at 6 p.m. ET.