Group C: 1 Trick Ponies, Dirt Nap Gaming, Falafel Gaming, Meat Playground
1Trick Ponies vs Dirt Nap Gaming
---1TP bans: Zyra, Lee Sin, Kha'Zix---DNG bans: Evelynn, Jarvan, Malphite---
1TP: Olaf, Amumu, Katarina, Miss Fortune, Sona
DNG: Shen, Maokai, Jayce, Graves, Lulu
1TP always seems to have an unusual plan. This game, they send MF mid with Sona, Olaf bot, and Katarina top, and it seems to backfire, because Sona makes a silly move and gets herself first blooded. Later 1TP groups up mid to fight and lets bot fall. Eventually 1TP gets so far behind in gold, DNG Cris on Shen becomes completely unkillable - Deman calls him a 'raid boss' when all five 1TP's are on him for a full minute and he just casually kills them all. Gruesome.
1Trick Ponies vs Falafel Gaming
---1TP bans: Nocturne, Amumu, Shen---FG bans: Lee Sin, Evelynn, LeBlanc---
1TP: Zed, Olaf, Katarina, Miss Fortune, Sona
FG: Rumble, Nunu, Pantheon, Graves, Lulu
No tricks this time from 1TP, just LilKvn mid with Katarina. But I doubt it's the standard style of gameplay that let's them get so far ahead; I think they just outclass FG.
Meat Playground vs Falafel Gaming
---MP bans: Rumble, Shen, Nunu---FG bans: Evelynn, Kha'Zix, Lee Sin---
MP: Vlad, Amumu, Katarina, Miss Fortune, Sona
FG: Elise, Cho'Gath, Pantheon, Ezreal, Leona
Absolutely crazy aggressive MP Arthelon on Katarina mid - first item potion of fortitude with the intention of tower dive for first blood. After that, ran to bot to tower dive to kill both bot and got himself killed. His crazy aggression seems to be okay with the rest of MP, which savagely initiated fight after fight and the score quickly got out of hand.
Dirt Nap Gaming vs Meat Playground
---DNG bans: Amumu, Malphite, Nidalee---MP bans: Twisted Fate, Shen, Kha'Zix---
DNG: Olaf, Nocturne, Jayce, Graves, Sona
MP: Cho'Gath, Lee Sin, Evelynn, Caitlyn, Nunu
MP initiates a lane switch, but loses the life exchange when the ganks happen, starting off in an early 4-1 deficit. DNG knows how to put the lockdown on, and turns that advantage into a big snowball.
1Trick Ponies vs Meat Playground
---1TP bans: Zyra, Shen, Ezreal---MP bans: Katarina, Amumu, Miss Fortune---
1TP: Zed, Evelynn, LeBlanc, Caitlyn, Lulu
MP: Malphite, Nunu, Kha'Zix, Kog'Maw, Sona
Right at the outset, Phreak definitely states that Kog'Maw will get too huge late game for 1TP to do anything about - they'll have to win within approx 20 min or not at all. I wonder if 1TP knew that. MP puts ADC and support mid, strangely, and 1TP immediately moves their lanes to counter. Apparently the 'one trick' that 1 Trick Ponies is named after is LilKvn's LeBlanc, which he mains. And indeed, he plays a classy LeBlanc with a number of flashy kills, but MP's strong late game eventually overpowers their assassin-heavy team.
Results:
1. DNG (2-0)
2. MP (2-1)
3. 1TP (1-2)
4. FG (0-2)
