Week 7 in the NA. Idea of the week: Riot should include a practice mode - you know, in Street Fighter and other fight games, when you want to perfect your craft, you test out your combos in an isolated practice chamber, where the damage you do is reported meticulously? I think a lot of teams would like to specifically practice a 'come from behind' situation, or a 'late game 5v5' practice, without playing 40 minute games of 10 friends to set up such a situation?
Team Solomid vs Counter Logic Gaming
[TSM bans: Vayne, Evelynn, Taric][CLG bans: Rumble, Thresh, Malphite]
TSM: Shen, Xin Zhao, Diana, Draven, Lulu
CLG: Nasus, Nunu, Lux, Caitlyn, Janna
CLG has looked bad the last few weeks, and TSM has looked really good with WildTurtle. I typically support 'protect the super carry,' but the commentators seem to have a point - one mistake mid to late game, and it's over.
Curse vs Team Dignitas
[Crs bans: Rumble, Diana, Elise][d bans: Miss Fortune, Ryze, Lux]
Crs: Gragas, Volibear, Karthus, Varus, Sona
d: Renekton, Nasus, Kayle, Caitlyn, Lulu
Big-time matchup between powerhouses in the NA, but as always, one team just gets an edge and makes the other one look bad - at least, not as good as they are. Still a number of good engagements, though.
Good Game University vs Vulcun Command
GGU: Jayce, Nasus, Ryze, Caitlyn, Lulu
VC: Elise, Volibear, Diana, Kog'Maw, Thresh
They must have had a restart and then restarted the vod, so we didn't get to see bans. It was a nice close game until late, the best kind, really.
Team Complexity vs Team MRN
[coL bans: Twisted Fate, Renekton, Irelia][MRN bans: Zed, Kayle, Kha'Zix]
coL: Rumble, Amumu, Diana, Caitlyn, Sona
MRN: Udyr, Nasus, Anivia, Varus, Thresh
Odd fights, near the end. It didn't seem like coL was that much ahead, but they would win the fights in a really definitive way - as if MRN didn't have appropriate damage to go toe to toe with them.
Team SoloMid vs Team Dignitas
[TSM bans: Elise, Kayle, Lulu][d bans: Draven, Caitlyn, Shen]
TSM: Rumble, Volibear, Diana, Varus, Sona
d: Renekton, Nasus, Gragas, Ezreal, Thresh
Many large creatures involved on both teams? Also, they should make a 'fisherman' Thresh skin, because of the way he throws the hook and reels in his targets. Somehow, dignitas is up in kills, but TSM is up in gold? They must be ignoring kills in favor of objectives and towers. They go back and forth with who seems to be in the winning position, which makes for a good game, if not high in kills.
Counter Logic Gaming vs Curse
[CLG bans: Gragas, Volibear, Twisted Fate][Crs bans: Vayne, Xerath, Urgot]
CLG: Cho'Gath, Jarvan, Lux, Twitch, Lulu
Crs: Elise, Xin Zhao, Orianna, Varus, Sona
CLG has been doing so bad lately, but right before the game started, in the interview with Crs, someone said that CLG has been playing well in scrims, but comes out to gameday and 'chokes'. In the athletic sport world, we call that 'bulletin board material', and it only serves to poke the sleeping bear. Even though you're at the top of the league right now, Crs, you don't want to poke bears. After the game, we get more flashbacks to the early days of media focus on sports, when HotshotGG talks about how the community is influencing him. When you grow up heading to pro sports these days, you learn fast to ignore the community. I mean, Dwight Howard has to keep on living his life, HotShot. Sorry there's hecklers and expectations and disappointment. Even the Kardashians have to learn to ignore it. You're doing just fine, I'm sure. Also, at about 56:46, they admit to KDA-hoarding, purposefully killing Cop to decrease his league-leading KDA. Hahahaa.
Team MRN vs Vulcun Command
[MRN bans: Nidalee, Diana, Elise][VC bans: Akali, Renekton, Twisted Fate]
MRN: Rumble, Nasus, Lux, Varus, Janna
VC: Singed, Volibear, Kha'Zix, Caitlyn, Lulu
A weekend that proves that even high ELO teams can be made to look like noobs by equally high ELO teams. MRN got rocked by coL earlier, and they rock VC in turn.
Team Complexity vs Good Game University
[coL bans: Orianna, Nasus, Akali][GGU bans: Amumu, Zed, Thresh]
coL: Rumble, Shen, Kha'Zix, Caitlyn, Sona
GGU: Jayce, Elise, Twisted Fate, Tristana, Lulu
Close game - even kills and less than 500 gold difference at 44 minutes!! Of course, that means that at 44 minutes and 37 seconds, the whole game is decided in one five-second fight.
Team MRN vs Team Dignitas
[MRN bans: Diana, Gragas, Kayle][d bans: Twisted Fate, Irelia, Renekton]
MRN: Rumble, Trundle, Jayce, Caitlyn, Janna
d: Shen, Nasus, Zed, Varus, Elise
dignitas runs a somewhat strange strategy near the end of double pushing both side lanes at once. It's kind of interesting.
Counter Logic Gaming vs Team Complexity
[CLG bans: Rumble, Shen, Caitlyn][coL bans: Vayne, Evelynn, Twisted Fate]
CLG: Malphite, Jarvan, Lux, Twitch, Lulu
coL: Zed, Amumu, Kayle, Ezreal, Elise
I miss Nidalee.
Good Game University vs Team SoloMid
[GGU bans: Malphite, Thresh, Shen][TSM bans: Elise, Akali, Jayce]
GGU: Kha'Zix, Trundle, Twisted Fate, Kog'Maw, Sona
TSM: Renekton, Nasus, Zed, Caitlyn, Lulu
Smush.
Vulcun Command vs Curse
[VC bans: Gragas, Janna, Twisted Fate][Crs bans: Nidalee, Diana, Rumble]
VC: Kennen, Jarvan, Quinn, Miss Fortune, Sona
Crs: Renekton, Nasus, Ryze, Kog'Maw, Lulu
Well, there's your chance to see Quinn in action at a high level. It's a losing effort, though.
Standings
Crs 14-3
dig 16-5
TSM 14-6
CLG 10-10
VC 7-13
MRN 6-12
GGU 5-13
coL 4-14
