game1: team we vs Flash wolves

This match could have gone either way, but it was another case of aggression beating out defensive strategies. This time, it was WE that stepped up their game and brought the aggression, something they sorely needed. With Flash Wolves looking at a 0-2 score coming into the match, we also have to wonder if nerves aren’t beginning to get the best of them.

FW also made the mistake of drafting a very similar comp into WE that WE had only just recently used and lot with against TSM. The Shen/Taric combo works in theory, but like WE the day before, Flash Wolves failed to utilize it aggressively or effectively. Both MMO and SwordArt only used their ults defensively, constantly putting them on their back foot as WE pushed them time and time again. Considering how overly aggressive WE was – often leaving themselves wide open and moving into foolish positioning – FW needed to only take the initiative to capitalize on the obvious mistakes of WE, but they never did, and it cost them the game.

game 2: misfits vs team solo mid

TSM played a better game mechanically than Misfits did, they rotated better, engaged better, and had better map control, but a game of League of Legends is far more. At the end of the day, it was Misfits drafting that beat TSM, and there was little to be done about that once the game started. It seemed like Misfits had been paying close attention to TSM’s other games when they first banned Tristana. If any team watching TSM’s matches hasn’t identified that Doublelift on Tristana is the largest threat to their team, then they aren’t playing close attention. Coupled with the fact that TSM then so confidently chose Kog’Maw for Doublelift – a very on-meta champion but an off-player choice for Doublelift – it seemed somewhat doomed from the start.

Doublelift’s clear strength is in his ability to get in and out of fights. His aggression has been matched only by his skill, but Kog’Maw’s strengths simply don’t play into that, and a Xayah, Lucian, or Kalista all would have worked far better to his style. Misfits identified this and not only banned out his Tristana, but drafted to constantly poke and escape from Kog’Maw.

Misfits have also been taking notes on how to not play Shen, and combined with aggressive Shen and Leblanc plays, TSM was never able to get a hold of this game and fight back. Even with Bjergsen on Syndra, Misfits knew that it was about shutting down the bot lane, not the mid, that would lead them to victory.

game 3: gigabyte marines vs immortals

The GIGABYTE Marines are always trying something new, but their strategy to choose Kayn and hard counter Xmithie was simply not a winning idea, and it didn’t win. The entire concept was flawed to begin with, as GAM chose a Kog’Maw Lulu into a Xayah Rakan – a losing lane if ever there was one – and then tried to focus on Kayn hard farming to become a monstrous threat. However, Xmithie is a seasoned jungler and a little harassing and counter jungling wasn’t going to throw him. Though Levi was an irritation and did out farm Xmithie, it simply wasn’t enough.

There was also the problem of the bot lane. Levi was so preoccupied farming that he simply let GAM’s losing lane continue to lose. Even with Olleh giving up a foolish first blood, the CodySun/Olleh bot lane is one of the strongest in North America, and they made quick work of GAM. Couple this with Flame on an aggressive and extremely effective Shen (thankfully another team finally using this champion correctly) and there was nothing GAM could do to stop the onslaught.

game 4: fnatic vs longzhu gaming

Like G2 in Day 3, LZ understands the strengths of slow pushing and crushing out an enemy, but even more so. The first 17 minutes of the game saw zero kills from either side and yet LZ were already the clear winners. They out-farmed, out-pressured, and out-rotated FNC on every level. This was all on top of LZ drafting a Nasus top lane, something plenty of us recognize from solo play but you simply don’t see in professional play, let alone in Worlds.

FNC were simply unprepared for this composition and threat. Nasus against Maokai meant Khan was completely free to farm the entire game, and he did, slowly becoming monstrously strong and slowly pushing and crushing the top lane. There was also no hope of a Sejuani jungler rotating up to help Maokai kill Nasus. The damage simply wasn’t there. If FNC wanted a victory, they would have had to look to Rekkles on Tristana or Caps on Syndra for success, leaving lane to push kills and objectives elsewhere, but that didn’t happen.

This was the shortest game of Worlds at just under 21 minutes, and the only game we are expecting to see a Rift Herald used on the Nexus and dancing his way to victory. It was a truly crushing defeat to Fnatic, who are already struggling in this competition.

game 5: 1907 Fenerbahçe vs Samsung galaxy

SSG has also been watching other games to look for weaknesses and attack points, and after seeing Trundle dismantle FB previously, they quickly drafted him against Cho’Gath and FB. This part of SSG’s strategy was working brilliantly, and though they won the game, it actually wasn’t this strategy that did it. The unexpected factor was FB’s Frozen on Ekko, a player that managed to swing the game entirely in the favor of FB and almost single-handedly took down SSG.

FB quickly realized their top lane was lost – which was a wise call – and after seeing Frozen constantly pressuring Crown on Syndra, FB’s jungler Crash decided to join the fray, coming time and again to mid to push Frozen’s lead. After that, it was the Frozen show. SSG clearly had no strategy or experience playing against such a talented Ekko, as he moved in around their team and led FB to victory after victory. SSG could only struggle to keep up as FB stole a Baron and constantly appeared at different objectives.

However, the game finally went to SSG when they identified Frozen as FB’s success factor. All it took was catching him out once for SSG to push and kill the rest of FB and take the game.

game 6: royal never give up vs g2

A team can never underestimate the strength of their opponents comp, and that is exactly why G2 lost to RNG. Like EDG against SKT, it was all about the Twitch. Both teams failed to respect that Twitch’s strength is in unloading on the enemy team as a collective. Other ADCs have better engage or disengage, but that is what Twitch does, and the moment a team forgets their opponent’s biggest strength, the game is over.

It was a huge upset for G2 as well. The early game they were rotating and pushing fantastically and at an enormous lead. Even as RNG started to climb in kills, the map skills of G2 kept them securely ahead in gold. But it was G2’s awareness that let RNG snake kills and leads, like when Perkz used Ryze to try and get the drop on RNG, but Uzi simply stealthed into the back line and unloaded on the unsuspecting G2, getting 4 kills for RNG. After this, G2 continued to play well, getting great engages and follow-ups, but they pushed their luck when they tried to take a Baron against RNG.

Putting themselves clumped up and into a dead-end against a Maokai/Twitch was disaster from the start, and it was obvious to everyone but G2 that the game was already over after this decision. Maokai ulted the team, and in seconds Uzi had killed almost the entire G2 roster, leaving just Perkz to escape and witness as they took the game.