NA playoffs, Day 1. Maybe break it into three parts for ease of viewing.
Team Dignitas vs Good Game University, Game 1
[d bans: Jayce, Thresh, Caitlyn][GGU bans: Diana, Gragas, Shen]
d: Zac, Lee Sin, Twisted Fate, Draven, Sona
GGU: Riven, Elise, Karthus, Ezreal, Blitzcrank
If I haven't informed you before, we're now rooting for GGU, and scarra is no longer my hero. Sorry, scarra. Crumbz is still cool, but scarra runs away a lot more than he used to, in my memory, at least. And Daydreaming's hooks are legendary. Also, pr0lly joined the analysis desk, and he is pretty funny.
Team Dignitas vs Good Game University, Game 2
[GGU bans: Diana, Gragas, Shen][d bans: Thresh, Caitlyn, Twisted Fate]
GGU: Kha'Zix, Elise, Ryze, Tristana, Yorick
d: Renekton, Nasus, Karthus, Ezreal, Zyra
GGU trolled a bit and showed Teemo in champ select for a while, but Phreak didn't freak out! The world is a place of change, my friends. Ugh, Yorick support. And as if scarra took offense to our lack of support in the last game, he comes out with a very solid Karthus.
Team Dignitas vs Good Game University, Game 3
[d bans: Caitlyn, Thresh, Twisted Fate][GGU bans: Diana, Gragas, Shen]
d: Renekton, Jarvan, Karthus, Ezreal, Janna
GGU: Jayce, Nasus, Orianna, Twitch, Lulu
Sorry I haven't been giving a very thorough play by play. These games haven't been too interesting. Even this one is 3-3 in kills at 22 minutes. Jatt (I think that's him) gives a good description and slow-down look at some of the best fights in the following video. Except for the perfectly executed baron steal by GGU, take a look at that if you have time. If not, let me paint a sprite picture: 4 digs on baron, 3 GGU's hovering outside the pit, Janna trying to push them away with tornados. At the very last second, in goes Nasus with his ult, just as he's in the middle of everyone, Lulu ults him, pops all of dig into the air, Orianna shockwaves them as they come down, during all the confusion, Nasus grabs baron.
Counter Logic Gaming vs Vulcun Command, Game 1
[CLG bans: Renekton, Nasus, Jayce][VC bans: Lux, Shen, Twisted Fate]
CLG: Malphite, Lee Sin, Orianna, Vayne, Sona
VC: Irelia, Jarvan, Karthus, Tristana, Thresh
Where did the 'command' part of Vulcun go in all the official stuff? Well, I liked it, I'm keeping it. I've previously discussed how everyone knows that CLG has one meta: Protect the Doublelift, and how different teams have found different ways of defeating it. Some teams split push, and teams like VC just sit on Doublelift's lane with three people and crap all over his creeping attempts. It is tragic to watch - CLG can't even defend him under his own tower.
Counter Logic Gaming vs Vulcun Command, Game 2
[VC bans: Lux, Amumu, Twisted Fate][CLG bans: Jayce, Renekton, Nasus]
VC: Shen, Lee Sin, Karthus, Tristana, Sona
CLG: Malphite, Jarvan, Orianna, Twitch, Thresh
It seems to me that most of the time when CLG looks good, it's because Link, not Doublelift, becomes powerful. It's all about confidence, Link! Get out there and carry!
Counter Logic Gaming vs Vulcun Command, Game 3
[CLG bans: Renekton, Nasus, Jayce][VC bans: Lux, Shen, Twisted Fate]
CLG: Malphite, Volibear, Orianna, Twitch, Thresh
VC: Irelia, Jarvan, Diana, Tristana, Sona
Further to my theories on people strangely looking like their champs, Zuna plays a lot of short, roundish ADCs. Right? It's not my imagination? He doesn't seem to play those tall ADCs like Vayne or Ashe - and furthermore, looking back on my own posts, when he does, they lose! Chauster and Xmithie both played jungling asian guys in the last game, and Hotshot is a pretty big guy - at least compared to Link. As for the actual game, it's pretty one sided. CLG still shows on occasion that they are a good team, even though it's 12-1 in kills by that point, and Chauster was level 13, Aphromoo was 10, while Sycho Sid and Zuna were 18, CLG still somehow manages to win a teamfight, which we give them props for. But that lead is just insurmountable.
Monday, June 17, 2013
Sunday, June 16, 2013
LCS EU Spring Playoffs pt2
Day 2 in the EU Spring Playoffs, and Ocelot is wearing a much better scarf. Crack reporting, going on here, I know. Face-off for third place comes up first, and the question is, who recovers from yesterdays losses better? EG had some long games and narrow losses, which are heartbreaking, but SK got stomped twice, which is kind of backbreaking. Which is easier to brush off and come back from?! Who has the more sieve-like memory? These guys are 2-2 in the regular season, and ex-teammates Ocelot and Wickd have nothing but love/rage for one another!
SK Gaming vs Evil Geniuses, Game 1
[SK bans: Anivia, Zed, Varus][EG bans: Jarvan, Nasus, Rumble]
SK: Renekton, Volibear, Twisted Fate, Ezreal, Elise
EG: Zac, Shen, Kassadin, Miss Fortune, Thresh
SK had mentioned that they 'had something planned for EG,' and maybe this was it: a level 1 tower dive on the Shen that manages to kill him off, and then a crazy escape from the rest of the team. One of the commentators used the term "hyrqBot on Voli-BEAR-ly got away from that fight alive," and I hope the other commentator smacked his face on the desk. Anyway, it's a good game, objectives are defended and fights are frequent. But, as with all games that EG wins, it's pretty long.
SK Gaming vs Evil Geniuses, Game 2
[EG bans: Jarvan, Rumble, Kassadin][SK bans: Anivia, Zac, Twisted Fate]
EG: Zed, Nasus, Lux, Miss Fortune, Thresh
SK: Renekton, Shen, Orianna, Varus, Elise
Another level 1 fight, another one kill pickup for SK. Zed is significantly less visually exciting than Zac, but oh well. Also, Wickd bought a mana pot by accident, so you know. Keep that in mind: everyone can make mistakes! Speaking of which, poor Ocelot, who brought his whole family to spectate live in studio.
Fnatic vs Gambit Gaming, Game 1
[Fnatic bans: Thresh, Shen, Kha'Zix][GG bans: Leona, Twisted Fate, Nasus]
Fnatic: Rumble, Jarvan, Kennen, Varus, Zyra
GG: Elise, Zac, Zed, Miss Fortune, Sona
Fairly exciting, and during team fights, the circles on the ground are bigger than ever.
Fnatic vs Gambit Gaming, Game 2
[GG bans: Leona, Nasus, Twisted Fate][Fnatic bans: Thresh, Shen, Zac]
GG: Elise, Amumu, Kha'Zix, Miss Fortune, Sona
Fnatic: Zed, Jarvan, Ahri, Varus, Lulu
Fnatic look especially awesome, but that might be because they are winning it against GG. Especially a GG that has Alex on Kha'Zix
Fnatic vs Gambit Gaming, Game 3
[Fnatic bans: Thresh, Shen, Zac][GG bans: Leona, Twisted Fate, Kha'Zix]
Fnatic: Jayce, Jarvan, Kennen, Varus, Lulu
GG: Rumble, Evelynn, Zed, Miss Fortune, Elise
GG is like a steamroller: you can beat it, but you'd best not stumble during this race.
Fnatic vs Gambit Gaming, Game 4
[GG bans: Leona, Nasus, Twisted Fate][Fnatic bans: Thresh, Shen, Zed]
GG: Malphite, Jarvan, Zac, Varus, Lulu
Fnatic: Elise, Volibear, Kha'Zix, Kog'Maw, Janna
It's 2-1 in favor of GG at this point, if it has not been clear. The red team (second team listed in my notation) has won every game so far. I hope they talk later about what they were thinking about during picks and bans, because those are two semi-unusual APCs. AlexIch is top lane with a Zac against Soaz on Elise, and xPeke is bot against Darian on Malphite. And look at how much knock-up there is on GG! There's a surprising amount of early aggression and a few deaths - I think each team realizes how precious each death is. Hurray for tons of action LoL games! Let's hope it's a new meta!
Fnatic vs Gambit Gaming, Game 5
[Fnatic bans: Thresh, Shen, Zac][GG bans: Leona, Twisted Fate, Kha'Zix]
Fnatic: Rumble, Jarvan, Zed, Twitch, Janna
GG: Elise, Nasus, Diana, Varus, Sona
One last game to rule them all. And what can I say about it? This is some high level play. Krepo speculates that the Diana pick into the Zed lane was the cause for loss, but I'm going to assume that after five super-long games, GG was just too tired. Alex (of course) looks royally pissed afterwards, but cheer up, Alex! Here's some ideas for next season:
SK Gaming vs Evil Geniuses, Game 1
[SK bans: Anivia, Zed, Varus][EG bans: Jarvan, Nasus, Rumble]
SK: Renekton, Volibear, Twisted Fate, Ezreal, Elise
EG: Zac, Shen, Kassadin, Miss Fortune, Thresh
SK had mentioned that they 'had something planned for EG,' and maybe this was it: a level 1 tower dive on the Shen that manages to kill him off, and then a crazy escape from the rest of the team. One of the commentators used the term "hyrqBot on Voli-BEAR-ly got away from that fight alive," and I hope the other commentator smacked his face on the desk. Anyway, it's a good game, objectives are defended and fights are frequent. But, as with all games that EG wins, it's pretty long.
SK Gaming vs Evil Geniuses, Game 2
[EG bans: Jarvan, Rumble, Kassadin][SK bans: Anivia, Zac, Twisted Fate]
EG: Zed, Nasus, Lux, Miss Fortune, Thresh
SK: Renekton, Shen, Orianna, Varus, Elise
Another level 1 fight, another one kill pickup for SK. Zed is significantly less visually exciting than Zac, but oh well. Also, Wickd bought a mana pot by accident, so you know. Keep that in mind: everyone can make mistakes! Speaking of which, poor Ocelot, who brought his whole family to spectate live in studio.
Fnatic vs Gambit Gaming, Game 1
[Fnatic bans: Thresh, Shen, Kha'Zix][GG bans: Leona, Twisted Fate, Nasus]
Fnatic: Rumble, Jarvan, Kennen, Varus, Zyra
GG: Elise, Zac, Zed, Miss Fortune, Sona
Fairly exciting, and during team fights, the circles on the ground are bigger than ever.
Fnatic vs Gambit Gaming, Game 2
[GG bans: Leona, Nasus, Twisted Fate][Fnatic bans: Thresh, Shen, Zac]
GG: Elise, Amumu, Kha'Zix, Miss Fortune, Sona
Fnatic: Zed, Jarvan, Ahri, Varus, Lulu
Fnatic look especially awesome, but that might be because they are winning it against GG. Especially a GG that has Alex on Kha'Zix
Fnatic vs Gambit Gaming, Game 3
[Fnatic bans: Thresh, Shen, Zac][GG bans: Leona, Twisted Fate, Kha'Zix]
Fnatic: Jayce, Jarvan, Kennen, Varus, Lulu
GG: Rumble, Evelynn, Zed, Miss Fortune, Elise
GG is like a steamroller: you can beat it, but you'd best not stumble during this race.
Fnatic vs Gambit Gaming, Game 4
[GG bans: Leona, Nasus, Twisted Fate][Fnatic bans: Thresh, Shen, Zed]
GG: Malphite, Jarvan, Zac, Varus, Lulu
Fnatic: Elise, Volibear, Kha'Zix, Kog'Maw, Janna
It's 2-1 in favor of GG at this point, if it has not been clear. The red team (second team listed in my notation) has won every game so far. I hope they talk later about what they were thinking about during picks and bans, because those are two semi-unusual APCs. AlexIch is top lane with a Zac against Soaz on Elise, and xPeke is bot against Darian on Malphite. And look at how much knock-up there is on GG! There's a surprising amount of early aggression and a few deaths - I think each team realizes how precious each death is. Hurray for tons of action LoL games! Let's hope it's a new meta!
Fnatic vs Gambit Gaming, Game 5
[Fnatic bans: Thresh, Shen, Zac][GG bans: Leona, Twisted Fate, Kha'Zix]
Fnatic: Rumble, Jarvan, Zed, Twitch, Janna
GG: Elise, Nasus, Diana, Varus, Sona
One last game to rule them all. And what can I say about it? This is some high level play. Krepo speculates that the Diana pick into the Zed lane was the cause for loss, but I'm going to assume that after five super-long games, GG was just too tired. Alex (of course) looks royally pissed afterwards, but cheer up, Alex! Here's some ideas for next season:
- Work on long-term endurance (don't overdo it, remember!)
- Put Redbull/coffee/Gatorade in those waterbottles you have under your desks
- Petition Riot for no more best of 5s
- At least ask for best of 5s that don't happen on one day
Something else to consider, before we wrap on EU: Right at the end, when Fnatic took the final nexus, they burst out of their chairs cheering and clapping and hugging. GG came over, disappointed and grim, but applauding with a lot of class (they're some of the older, more mature players in the league). But where was Sjokz (sp?), huhn, Xian!??!?! They all just awkwardly stood there, glad team and glum team, just looking at one another for a long time.
Standings
1st place: Fnatic ($50,000)
2nd place: GG ($25,000)
3rd place: EG ($15,000)
4th place: SK ($10,000)
Thursday, June 13, 2013
LCS EU Spring Playoffs pt1
Spring playoffs for the LCS. Around about the third game in, Deman talks about aAa getting disqualified from the playoffs and SK moving on automatically to face off against GG. He referred listeners to "go check out the forums" for more information, but Deman, come on. I don't read the LoL forums, just like I don't skinny dip inside industrial septic tanks. I just don't go there. A quick google scan tells me that aAa was disqualified for not having enough players the day of the game - one of them had a family emergency, and the substitute could not make it in time. Harsh!
Evil Geniuses vs Copenhagen Wolves, Game 1
[EG bans: Kha'Zix, Kassadin, Jarvan][CW bans: Thresh, Twisted Fate, Zed]
EG: Zac, Cho'Gath, Anivia, Varus, Leona
CW: Rumble, Nasus, Ahri, Ezreal, Zyra
Woah, low kill game.
Evil Geniuses vs Copenhagen Wolves, Game 2
[CW bans: Anivia, Thresh, Twisted Fate][EG bans: Kha'Zix, Jarvan, Zed]
CW: Shen, Nautilus, Kassadin, Varus, Lulu
EG: Zac, Volibear, Kayle, Kog'Maw, Alistar
Finally, some engages, and they all go CW's way. We still haven't figured out a good way to prevent spoilers: since you can see there's a third game, you know what happens here. Heck, if you glanced below these games, you'd see who wins. Don't look down, I guess. Also, blue team is listed first in bans and picks, if you haven't noticed so far.
Evil Geniuses vs Copenhagen Wolves, Game 3
EG: Rumble, Nasus, Zed, Kog'Maw, Leona
CW: Shen, Nautilus, Orianna, Varus, Lulu
Apparently they played for some time before EU server issues forced them to recreate the game. I didn't see the bans from this point. Wicked was convinced that blue side = victory, but Deman claims that the stats don't bear that out. I wonder if they did the stats on just the teams in the playoffs, or even just EG, or what. What might hold true for pro teams probably doesn't not hold true for all LoL players across every ELO.
ALSO! I urgently need to confirm my theory that the top lane tank is physically the biggest person on the team! Wickd is taller than I previously realized. And, now that I think about it, when I roll five, our top lane man is always one of two guys, and those are the two biggest guys in our group.
Fnatic vs Evil Geniuses, Game 1
[Fnatic bans: Thresh, Lux, Zed][EG bans: Kha'Zix, Kassadin, Twisted Fate]
Fnatic: Zac, Jarvan, Nidalee, Corki, Leona
EG: Shen, Volibear, Ahri, Varus, Alistar
It's easy to root for Nidalee teams, but I don't root for Corki teams. This presents a dilemma. Also, they lavish a lot of praise on Froggen's Anivia, but for some reason, he doesn't always pick the bird when it's available.
Fnatic vs Evil Geniuses, Game 2
[EG bans: Kha'Zix, Jarvan, Kassadin][Fnatic bans: Thresh, Twisted Fate, Zed]
EG: Zac, Cho'Gate, Anivia, Varus, Alistar
Fnatic: Elise, Nasus, Caitlyn, Corki, Leona
Low kills, but high skills. Haha, see what I did there? No, really, what engages there are showcase some impressive micro on both sides. Interesting lineup, Fnatic, double-AP. Almost weird to see xPeke trying to build IE. But they did this against Froggen's Anivia before, I think, trying to use the Caitlyn net to get through the ice wall.
Fnatic vs Evil Geniuses, Game 3
[Fnatic bans: Thresh, Lux, Zed][EG bans: Kha'Zix, Jarvan, Kassadin]
Fnatic: Rumble, Volibear, Twisted Fate, Varus, Leona
EG: Zac, Shen, Ahri, Kog'Maw, Elise
Fnatic themselves banned Twisted Fate last game, and who knows why. Twisted Fate on xPeke is win, everyone should know this. Even though EG got ahead early with kills and dragons and look in a dominant position, Fnatic was never that far behind in gold! All come-back wins must be hinged on TF or Tristana.
Gambit Gaming vs SK Gaming, Game 1
[GG bans: Twisted Fate, Nasus, Jarvan][SK bans: Kha'Zix, Shen, Zac]
GG: Elise, Udyr, Zed, Miss Fortune, Sona
SK: Rumble, Nautilus, Karthus, Varus, Thresh
GG steamroll. There should be a picture meme I can insert here instead of always saying that. Two pulls on SK's side, interesting but unsuccessful; Edward back on Sona, and still in fine form on those crescendos; Ocelot wearing a very ugly scarf today.
Gambit Gaming vs SK Gaming, Game 2
[SK bans: Kha'Zix, Zac, Shen][GG bans: nasus, Twisted Fate, Rumble]
SK: Zed, Nautilus, Kassadin, Ezreal, Elise
GG: Renekton, Jarvan, Malphite, Varus, Thresh
In case you didn't hear, and I didn't mention it previously, GG has not been together in the same place for practice in months because of their crazy travel schedules. When asked about it, AlexIch just shrugged and said, "we practice together in our sleep." Way to create more mystical atmosphere around your crazy team, Alex. At any rate, they showed up early in Germany for the playoffs, and they've had one week to practice together. And they're back to being monsters. This was even more of a regretful stomp than the last game. SK actually surrenders.
- And that brings to an end Wickd's dire prediction that the blue team would win every game. It held true for all the games up until that last one!
- On the one hand, I don't miss RageOcelot, because whoaaaa that was a lot of rage, and it would obliterate anything else you were trying to observe or talk about. But on the other, I just a little tiny bit miss RageOcelot, because his rage was special, you know?
- I cannot stand the EU interviewer, have I said? She drives me nuts. Xian thinks she's hot, and as usual, all sins can be forgiven depending on hotness scale.
- Alex's interview reveals GG's real intentions: they already assume they're the best in the EU (and who can blame them for that assumption, really) and they're using this time as idle practice for the international matches, already scoping out their Asian opponents (completely ignoring the other regions as non-competition).
Evil Geniuses vs Copenhagen Wolves, Game 1
[EG bans: Kha'Zix, Kassadin, Jarvan][CW bans: Thresh, Twisted Fate, Zed]
EG: Zac, Cho'Gath, Anivia, Varus, Leona
CW: Rumble, Nasus, Ahri, Ezreal, Zyra
Woah, low kill game.
Evil Geniuses vs Copenhagen Wolves, Game 2
[CW bans: Anivia, Thresh, Twisted Fate][EG bans: Kha'Zix, Jarvan, Zed]
CW: Shen, Nautilus, Kassadin, Varus, Lulu
EG: Zac, Volibear, Kayle, Kog'Maw, Alistar
Finally, some engages, and they all go CW's way. We still haven't figured out a good way to prevent spoilers: since you can see there's a third game, you know what happens here. Heck, if you glanced below these games, you'd see who wins. Don't look down, I guess. Also, blue team is listed first in bans and picks, if you haven't noticed so far.
Evil Geniuses vs Copenhagen Wolves, Game 3
EG: Rumble, Nasus, Zed, Kog'Maw, Leona
CW: Shen, Nautilus, Orianna, Varus, Lulu
Apparently they played for some time before EU server issues forced them to recreate the game. I didn't see the bans from this point. Wicked was convinced that blue side = victory, but Deman claims that the stats don't bear that out. I wonder if they did the stats on just the teams in the playoffs, or even just EG, or what. What might hold true for pro teams probably doesn't not hold true for all LoL players across every ELO.
ALSO! I urgently need to confirm my theory that the top lane tank is physically the biggest person on the team! Wickd is taller than I previously realized. And, now that I think about it, when I roll five, our top lane man is always one of two guys, and those are the two biggest guys in our group.
Fnatic vs Evil Geniuses, Game 1
[Fnatic bans: Thresh, Lux, Zed][EG bans: Kha'Zix, Kassadin, Twisted Fate]
Fnatic: Zac, Jarvan, Nidalee, Corki, Leona
EG: Shen, Volibear, Ahri, Varus, Alistar
It's easy to root for Nidalee teams, but I don't root for Corki teams. This presents a dilemma. Also, they lavish a lot of praise on Froggen's Anivia, but for some reason, he doesn't always pick the bird when it's available.
Fnatic vs Evil Geniuses, Game 2
[EG bans: Kha'Zix, Jarvan, Kassadin][Fnatic bans: Thresh, Twisted Fate, Zed]
EG: Zac, Cho'Gate, Anivia, Varus, Alistar
Fnatic: Elise, Nasus, Caitlyn, Corki, Leona
Low kills, but high skills. Haha, see what I did there? No, really, what engages there are showcase some impressive micro on both sides. Interesting lineup, Fnatic, double-AP. Almost weird to see xPeke trying to build IE. But they did this against Froggen's Anivia before, I think, trying to use the Caitlyn net to get through the ice wall.
Fnatic vs Evil Geniuses, Game 3
[Fnatic bans: Thresh, Lux, Zed][EG bans: Kha'Zix, Jarvan, Kassadin]
Fnatic: Rumble, Volibear, Twisted Fate, Varus, Leona
EG: Zac, Shen, Ahri, Kog'Maw, Elise
Fnatic themselves banned Twisted Fate last game, and who knows why. Twisted Fate on xPeke is win, everyone should know this. Even though EG got ahead early with kills and dragons and look in a dominant position, Fnatic was never that far behind in gold! All come-back wins must be hinged on TF or Tristana.
Gambit Gaming vs SK Gaming, Game 1
[GG bans: Twisted Fate, Nasus, Jarvan][SK bans: Kha'Zix, Shen, Zac]
GG: Elise, Udyr, Zed, Miss Fortune, Sona
SK: Rumble, Nautilus, Karthus, Varus, Thresh
GG steamroll. There should be a picture meme I can insert here instead of always saying that. Two pulls on SK's side, interesting but unsuccessful; Edward back on Sona, and still in fine form on those crescendos; Ocelot wearing a very ugly scarf today.
Gambit Gaming vs SK Gaming, Game 2
[SK bans: Kha'Zix, Zac, Shen][GG bans: nasus, Twisted Fate, Rumble]
SK: Zed, Nautilus, Kassadin, Ezreal, Elise
GG: Renekton, Jarvan, Malphite, Varus, Thresh
In case you didn't hear, and I didn't mention it previously, GG has not been together in the same place for practice in months because of their crazy travel schedules. When asked about it, AlexIch just shrugged and said, "we practice together in our sleep." Way to create more mystical atmosphere around your crazy team, Alex. At any rate, they showed up early in Germany for the playoffs, and they've had one week to practice together. And they're back to being monsters. This was even more of a regretful stomp than the last game. SK actually surrenders.
- And that brings to an end Wickd's dire prediction that the blue team would win every game. It held true for all the games up until that last one!
- On the one hand, I don't miss RageOcelot, because whoaaaa that was a lot of rage, and it would obliterate anything else you were trying to observe or talk about. But on the other, I just a little tiny bit miss RageOcelot, because his rage was special, you know?
- I cannot stand the EU interviewer, have I said? She drives me nuts. Xian thinks she's hot, and as usual, all sins can be forgiven depending on hotness scale.
- Alex's interview reveals GG's real intentions: they already assume they're the best in the EU (and who can blame them for that assumption, really) and they're using this time as idle practice for the international matches, already scoping out their Asian opponents (completely ignoring the other regions as non-competition).
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
LCS EU W10 pt2
Week 10, continued from the midway point.
Evil Geniuses vs Gambit Gaming
[EG bans: Kha'Zix, Nasus, Elise][GG bans: Twisted Fate, Jarvan, Nautilus]
EG: Zed, Volibear, Anivia, Varus, Thresh
GG: Jayce, Evelyn, Nunu, Miss Fortune, Sona
Another Nunu against Wickd? It's just cruelty, now. And no more LeBlanc for Froggen? I guess her passive is largely useless against pro players, or something. AlexIch took his Nunu top against Wickd, and just wasn't as effective as Soaz. It's alright - GG was mostly just messing around: they took baron three minutes after he was available, among other nonsense. They have nothing left to play for, having clinched top 2.
Fnatic vs Copenhagen Wolves
[Fnatic bans: Jarvan, Thresh, Kassadin][CW bans: Elise, Zed, Blitzcrank]
Fnatic: Kha'Zix, Nocturne, Ahri, Twitch, Leona
CW: Shen, Nasus, Twisted Fate, Varus, Zyra
CW got TF and Shen! Too much global to contend with! Fnatic would make a half-move, and then Twisted Fate would be there, with Shen on his heels.
Dragonborns vs Fnatic
[DB bans: Twisted Fate, Zed, Shen][Fnatic bans: Draven, Lux, Thresh]
DB: Kennen, Jarvan, Kayle, Miss Fortune, Elise
Fnatic: Nunu, Nasus, Kha'Zix, Twitch, Zyra
Sigh, DB
Gambit Gaming vs Against All Authority
[GG bans: Jarvan, Ezreal, Shen][aAa bans: Thresh, Kha'Zix, Twisted Fate]
GG: Rumble, Nasus, Kassadin, Miss Fortune, Sona
aAa: Renekton, Nautilus, Karthus, Tristana, Elise
Aw, man, aAa, you were ahead for a while there.
SK Gaming vs Giants
[SK bans: Kennen, Kassadin, Volibear][Giants bans: Jarvan, Nasus, Shen]
SK: Rumble, Pantheon, Twisted Fate, Varus, Lulu
Giants: Kha'Zix, Elise, Cassiopeia, Ashe, Thresh
I looked up one moment and the kill score was 9-9. At the end it was 42-22 (!) That's like the last ARAM I played.
Evil Geniuses vs Copenhagen Wolves
[EG bans: Jarvan, Kha'Zix, Kassadin][CW bans: Anivia, Thresh, Zed]
EG: Rumble, Nasus, Twisted Fate, Miss Fortune, Leona
CW: Shen, Xin Zhao, Syndra, Varus, Lulu
CW had something going early, but Wickd's Rumble is surprisingly handy.
Giants vs Fnatic
[Giants bans: Nasus, Shen, Nunu][Fnatic bans: Kennen, Elise, Twisted Fate]
Giants: Irelia, Jarvan, Diana, Caitlyn, Zyra
Fnatic: Zed, Voliebear, Ahri, Twitch, Thresh
Getting down there in the matches that don't matter...
Copenhagen Wolves vs Gambit Gaming
[CW bans: Shen, Elise, Thresh][GG bans: Jarvan, Kha'Zix, Twisted Fate]
CW: Singed, Cho'Gate, Zed, Varus, Zyra
GG: Renekton, Nasus, Karthus, Miss Fortune, Sona
Nice match, CW! Or, Alex had nothing to play for...
Against All Authority vs Dragonborns
[aAa bans: Kha'Zix, Kayle, Zed][DB bans: Shen, Karthus, Elise]
aAa: Renekton, Nasus, Morgana, Ezreal, Thresh
DB: Riven, Jarvan, Maokai, Draven, Nunu
I guess aAa didn't have anything to play for, because they let Hosan have Draven, and the win to go along with it.
Evil Geniuses vs SK Gaming
[EG bans: Jarvan, Kassadin, Rumble][SK bans: Anivia, Twisted Fate, Lux]
EG: Renekton, Malphite, Zed, Varus, Thresh
SK: Shen, Nasus, Kayle, Ashe, Elise
Solid game out of EG, if largely unexciting.
Standings
Fnatic 22-6
GG 21-7
SK 17-11
EG 15-13
CW 13-15
aAa 10-18
Giants 8-20
DB 6-22
Evil Geniuses vs Gambit Gaming
[EG bans: Kha'Zix, Nasus, Elise][GG bans: Twisted Fate, Jarvan, Nautilus]
EG: Zed, Volibear, Anivia, Varus, Thresh
GG: Jayce, Evelyn, Nunu, Miss Fortune, Sona
Another Nunu against Wickd? It's just cruelty, now. And no more LeBlanc for Froggen? I guess her passive is largely useless against pro players, or something. AlexIch took his Nunu top against Wickd, and just wasn't as effective as Soaz. It's alright - GG was mostly just messing around: they took baron three minutes after he was available, among other nonsense. They have nothing left to play for, having clinched top 2.
Fnatic vs Copenhagen Wolves
[Fnatic bans: Jarvan, Thresh, Kassadin][CW bans: Elise, Zed, Blitzcrank]
Fnatic: Kha'Zix, Nocturne, Ahri, Twitch, Leona
CW: Shen, Nasus, Twisted Fate, Varus, Zyra
CW got TF and Shen! Too much global to contend with! Fnatic would make a half-move, and then Twisted Fate would be there, with Shen on his heels.
Dragonborns vs Fnatic
[DB bans: Twisted Fate, Zed, Shen][Fnatic bans: Draven, Lux, Thresh]
DB: Kennen, Jarvan, Kayle, Miss Fortune, Elise
Fnatic: Nunu, Nasus, Kha'Zix, Twitch, Zyra
Sigh, DB
Gambit Gaming vs Against All Authority
[GG bans: Jarvan, Ezreal, Shen][aAa bans: Thresh, Kha'Zix, Twisted Fate]
GG: Rumble, Nasus, Kassadin, Miss Fortune, Sona
aAa: Renekton, Nautilus, Karthus, Tristana, Elise
Aw, man, aAa, you were ahead for a while there.
SK Gaming vs Giants
[SK bans: Kennen, Kassadin, Volibear][Giants bans: Jarvan, Nasus, Shen]
SK: Rumble, Pantheon, Twisted Fate, Varus, Lulu
Giants: Kha'Zix, Elise, Cassiopeia, Ashe, Thresh
I looked up one moment and the kill score was 9-9. At the end it was 42-22 (!) That's like the last ARAM I played.
Evil Geniuses vs Copenhagen Wolves
[EG bans: Jarvan, Kha'Zix, Kassadin][CW bans: Anivia, Thresh, Zed]
EG: Rumble, Nasus, Twisted Fate, Miss Fortune, Leona
CW: Shen, Xin Zhao, Syndra, Varus, Lulu
CW had something going early, but Wickd's Rumble is surprisingly handy.
Giants vs Fnatic
[Giants bans: Nasus, Shen, Nunu][Fnatic bans: Kennen, Elise, Twisted Fate]
Giants: Irelia, Jarvan, Diana, Caitlyn, Zyra
Fnatic: Zed, Voliebear, Ahri, Twitch, Thresh
Getting down there in the matches that don't matter...
Copenhagen Wolves vs Gambit Gaming
[CW bans: Shen, Elise, Thresh][GG bans: Jarvan, Kha'Zix, Twisted Fate]
CW: Singed, Cho'Gate, Zed, Varus, Zyra
GG: Renekton, Nasus, Karthus, Miss Fortune, Sona
Nice match, CW! Or, Alex had nothing to play for...
Against All Authority vs Dragonborns
[aAa bans: Kha'Zix, Kayle, Zed][DB bans: Shen, Karthus, Elise]
aAa: Renekton, Nasus, Morgana, Ezreal, Thresh
DB: Riven, Jarvan, Maokai, Draven, Nunu
I guess aAa didn't have anything to play for, because they let Hosan have Draven, and the win to go along with it.
Evil Geniuses vs SK Gaming
[EG bans: Jarvan, Kassadin, Rumble][SK bans: Anivia, Twisted Fate, Lux]
EG: Renekton, Malphite, Zed, Varus, Thresh
SK: Shen, Nasus, Kayle, Ashe, Elise
Solid game out of EG, if largely unexciting.
Standings
Fnatic 22-6
GG 21-7
SK 17-11
EG 15-13
CW 13-15
aAa 10-18
Giants 8-20
DB 6-22
Friday, June 7, 2013
LCS EU W10 pt1
Week 10 in the EU. They finally have the headsets that allow the players to not have to wear two, but some of them still are wearing double, perhaps for sponsorship purposes.
In case you didn't hear, voting is closed for All-Star players, more on that later. Polls were extremely close for the top lane in the EU, Wickd vs Soaz (from Fnatic). Wickd, in his infinite Wickdness, offered to 1v1 Soaz, best of 5, on his stream. No less than 140,000 people were watching live as it came down to the Shen (I think Wickd was on Shen) vs Nunu. In the NA, the analysts pondered why Wickd would take such a team contributor, since Soaz was taking an obviously 1v1-strong champ, but it was an exciting finish, and Wickd lost. He honorably conceded defeat, and said everyone should vote for Soaz for the All-Star team, which they did.
Against All Authority vs Evil Geniuses
[aAa bans: Twisted Fate, Varus, Shen][EG bans: Kha'Zix, Elise, Renekton]
aAa: Xin Zhao, Jarvan, Karthus, Ezreal, Thresh
EG: Zed, Nautilus, Lux, Miss Fortune, Leona
Exciting and back and forth. The kind of battles that exhausts the commentators, haha.
Dragonborns vs SK Gaming
[DB bans: Diana, Twisted Fate, Renekton][SK bans: Dravan, Jarvan, Kha'Zix]
DB: Jayce, Shen, LUx, Ezreal, Thresh
SK: Rumble, Nasus, Kayle, Varus, Elise
Sigh, DB.
Against All Authority vs Giants
[aAa bans: Twisted Fate, Olaf, Shen][Giants bans: Thresh, Renekton, Kayle]
aAa: Xin Zhao, Nasus, Kha'Zix, Varus, Leona
Giants: Rumble, Elise, Karthus, Kennen, Zyra
Kennen's finally not banned for Jimbz! Here's another stat-crunching idea: how often these high-banned champs = win for certain people. And yet, it's not win for them, here.
Fnatic vs SK Gaming
[Fnatic bans: Kayle, Thresh, Jarvan][SK bans: Twisted Fate, Nasus, Volibear]
Fnatic: Elise, Dr. Mundo, Ezreal, Urgot, Blitzcrank
SK: Irelia, Shen, Lux, Varus, Janna
xPeke is actually running an AD Ez in mid - double AD comp. It sometimes works. What really works is Blitzcrank snatching a squishy and dragging them into the group to be insta-murdered. When that happened, Fnatic would jump on the 5v4 and destroy SK, and after a while, SK would just back off once one of them got grabbed. And that happened quite a lot. It's how SK was winning in kills but losing in towers.
Gambit Gaming vs Giants
[GG bans: Kennen, Twisted Fate, Jarvan][Giants bans: Thresh, Shen, Renekton]
GG: Jayce, Nasus, Kayle, Ezreal, Elise
Giants: Kha'Zix, Nautilus, Kassadin, Miss Fortune, Sona
It was pretty close, but GG gets angry vengeance for Giants always somehow beating them.
Fnatic vs Evil Geniuses
[Fnatic bans: Lux, Thresh, Leona][EG bans: Kha'Zix, Zed, Kassadin]
Fnatic: Nunu, Nasus, Twisted Fate, Twitch, Zyra
EG: Shen, Volibear, LeBlanc, Varus, Elise
What, LeBlanc?! And how did you not know that EG was coming for jungle invade level 1, Fnatic? They have Shen, Voli, Elise, LeBlanc! But your worry is for naught, because Soaz is out to prove that Nunu vs Shen was not a one time thing, and that Nunu can be very team-oriented, not just 1v1. Wickd will be seeing that Absolute Zero in his nightmares.
Copenhagen Wolves vs Dragonborns
[CW bans: Draven, Kayle, Kha'Zix][DB bans: Kassadin, Zed, Thresh]
CW: Shen, Jarvan, Twisted Fate, Ashe, Lulu
DB: Renekton, Nasus, Gragas, Varus, Elise
CW playing like a team that wants to get into the playoffs, DB playing like a team that doesn't want to win anymore.
Against All Authority vs SK Gaming
[aAa bans: Jarvan, Twisted Fate, Shen][SK bans: Karthus, Thresh, Renekton]
aAa: Kennen, Nasus, Kha'Zix, Miss Fortune, Leona
SK: Rumble, Volibear, Kayle, Varus, Elise
Quick and easy for SK
Dragonborns vs Gambit Gaming
[DB bans: Thresh, Elise, Kha'Zix][GG bans: Draven, Jarvan, Miss Fortune]
DB: Zed, Nasus, Kennen, Jayce, Soraka
GG: Renekton, Amumu, Twisted Fate, Ezreal, Sona
Sigh, DB
Copenhagen Wolves vs Giants
[CW bans: Kennen, Elise, Kassadin][Giants bans: Zed, Shen, Singed]
CW: Kha'Zix, Jarvan, Syndra, Varus, Lulu
Giants: Jax, Xin Zhao, Twisted Fate, Caitlyn, Thresh
That was the best Syndra I've ever seen. Attention Summoner's Rift. Please Do Not Feed the Bjergsen. Thank you.
In case you didn't hear, voting is closed for All-Star players, more on that later. Polls were extremely close for the top lane in the EU, Wickd vs Soaz (from Fnatic). Wickd, in his infinite Wickdness, offered to 1v1 Soaz, best of 5, on his stream. No less than 140,000 people were watching live as it came down to the Shen (I think Wickd was on Shen) vs Nunu. In the NA, the analysts pondered why Wickd would take such a team contributor, since Soaz was taking an obviously 1v1-strong champ, but it was an exciting finish, and Wickd lost. He honorably conceded defeat, and said everyone should vote for Soaz for the All-Star team, which they did.
Against All Authority vs Evil Geniuses
[aAa bans: Twisted Fate, Varus, Shen][EG bans: Kha'Zix, Elise, Renekton]
aAa: Xin Zhao, Jarvan, Karthus, Ezreal, Thresh
EG: Zed, Nautilus, Lux, Miss Fortune, Leona
Exciting and back and forth. The kind of battles that exhausts the commentators, haha.
Dragonborns vs SK Gaming
[DB bans: Diana, Twisted Fate, Renekton][SK bans: Dravan, Jarvan, Kha'Zix]
DB: Jayce, Shen, LUx, Ezreal, Thresh
SK: Rumble, Nasus, Kayle, Varus, Elise
Sigh, DB.
Against All Authority vs Giants
[aAa bans: Twisted Fate, Olaf, Shen][Giants bans: Thresh, Renekton, Kayle]
aAa: Xin Zhao, Nasus, Kha'Zix, Varus, Leona
Giants: Rumble, Elise, Karthus, Kennen, Zyra
Kennen's finally not banned for Jimbz! Here's another stat-crunching idea: how often these high-banned champs = win for certain people. And yet, it's not win for them, here.
Fnatic vs SK Gaming
[Fnatic bans: Kayle, Thresh, Jarvan][SK bans: Twisted Fate, Nasus, Volibear]
Fnatic: Elise, Dr. Mundo, Ezreal, Urgot, Blitzcrank
SK: Irelia, Shen, Lux, Varus, Janna
xPeke is actually running an AD Ez in mid - double AD comp. It sometimes works. What really works is Blitzcrank snatching a squishy and dragging them into the group to be insta-murdered. When that happened, Fnatic would jump on the 5v4 and destroy SK, and after a while, SK would just back off once one of them got grabbed. And that happened quite a lot. It's how SK was winning in kills but losing in towers.
Gambit Gaming vs Giants
[GG bans: Kennen, Twisted Fate, Jarvan][Giants bans: Thresh, Shen, Renekton]
GG: Jayce, Nasus, Kayle, Ezreal, Elise
Giants: Kha'Zix, Nautilus, Kassadin, Miss Fortune, Sona
It was pretty close, but GG gets angry vengeance for Giants always somehow beating them.
Fnatic vs Evil Geniuses
[Fnatic bans: Lux, Thresh, Leona][EG bans: Kha'Zix, Zed, Kassadin]
Fnatic: Nunu, Nasus, Twisted Fate, Twitch, Zyra
EG: Shen, Volibear, LeBlanc, Varus, Elise
What, LeBlanc?! And how did you not know that EG was coming for jungle invade level 1, Fnatic? They have Shen, Voli, Elise, LeBlanc! But your worry is for naught, because Soaz is out to prove that Nunu vs Shen was not a one time thing, and that Nunu can be very team-oriented, not just 1v1. Wickd will be seeing that Absolute Zero in his nightmares.
Copenhagen Wolves vs Dragonborns
[CW bans: Draven, Kayle, Kha'Zix][DB bans: Kassadin, Zed, Thresh]
CW: Shen, Jarvan, Twisted Fate, Ashe, Lulu
DB: Renekton, Nasus, Gragas, Varus, Elise
CW playing like a team that wants to get into the playoffs, DB playing like a team that doesn't want to win anymore.
Against All Authority vs SK Gaming
[aAa bans: Jarvan, Twisted Fate, Shen][SK bans: Karthus, Thresh, Renekton]
aAa: Kennen, Nasus, Kha'Zix, Miss Fortune, Leona
SK: Rumble, Volibear, Kayle, Varus, Elise
Quick and easy for SK
Dragonborns vs Gambit Gaming
[DB bans: Thresh, Elise, Kha'Zix][GG bans: Draven, Jarvan, Miss Fortune]
DB: Zed, Nasus, Kennen, Jayce, Soraka
GG: Renekton, Amumu, Twisted Fate, Ezreal, Sona
Sigh, DB
Copenhagen Wolves vs Giants
[CW bans: Kennen, Elise, Kassadin][Giants bans: Zed, Shen, Singed]
CW: Kha'Zix, Jarvan, Syndra, Varus, Lulu
Giants: Jax, Xin Zhao, Twisted Fate, Caitlyn, Thresh
That was the best Syndra I've ever seen. Attention Summoner's Rift. Please Do Not Feed the Bjergsen. Thank you.
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
LCS NA W10 pt2
Week 10, continued from here. If I have not mentioned it yet, NA has a new toy recently: a picture in picture of live action, which they squeeze into the bottom left corner when split pushes and base races happen. Sweet!
Dignitas vs Curse
[d bans: Jarvan, Miss Fortune, Thresh][Crs bans: Diana, Shen, Gragas]
d: Singed, Volibear, Evelynn, Caitlyn, Zyra
Crs: Renekton, Nasus, Karthus, Ashe, Sona
Another Ashe, but it works less well when your arrows miss, etc.
Counter Logic Gaming vs Vulcun Command
[CLG bans: Karthus, Nasus, Diana][VC bans: Vayne, Malphite, Twisted Fate]
CLG: Shen, Amumu, Lux, Tristana, Sona
VC: Renekton, Jarvan, Ryze, Twitch, Lulu
This was all really even until CLG managed a late baron that seemed to make the difference?
Team MRN vs Counter Logic Gaming
[MRN bans: Cho'Gath, Nidalee, Shen][CLG bans: Renekton, Riven, Malphite]
MRN: Irelia, Jarvan, Twisted Fate, Tristana, Thresh
CLG: Jax, Amumu, Ahri, Vayne, Sona
That was the biggest comeback I've ever seen, amateur or professional. I was really hoping for an unstoppable Jax from HotshotGG.
Curse vs Complexity
[Crs bans: Zed, Jayce, Shen][coL bans: Volibear, Thresh, Jarvan]
Crs: Gragas, Udyr, Twisted Fate, Caitlyn, Lulu
coL: Darius, Amumu, Kha'Zix, Miss Fortune, Kayle
Wow, complexity is really on a roll. Or PEDs.
Team SoloMid vs Good Game University
[TSM bans: Riven, Elise, Thresh][GGU bans: Renekton, Draven, did not ban third]
TSM: Shen, Nocturne, Karthus, Varus, Sona
GGU: Jayce, Nasus, Lux, Caitlyn, Janna
GGU lost their first ban because they tend to chat about their strategy during pauses. It's a natural thing to want to do, but the commentators are clear the they had been warned at least once and continued to ignore the rule. There you go, GGU, now TSM has a very global team and makes you look like rookies again.
Dignitas vs Vulcun Command
[d bans: Jarvan, Karthus, Thresh][VC bans: Diana, Caitlyn, Shen]
d: Renekton, Volibear, Gragas, Draven, Alistar
VC: Malphite, Nasus, Cassiopeia, Tristana, Sona
Odd game, another close ending / comeback win, if that's what you want to watch. Dignitas was pretty solidly in control early game, and VC somehow managed. Later, I want to go back and check if all the 'comeback' games have involved Tristana...
Good Game University vs Counter Logic Gaming
[GGU bans: Malphite, Cho'Gath, Shen][CLG bans: Twitch, Karthus, Thresh]
GGU: Jayce, Elise, Ryze, Tristana, Yorick
CLG: Udyr, Jarvan, Orianna, Ezreal, Lulu
Support Yorick?! This is one of those times that I can agree with (I think it was) pr0lly's theory that people are bad against champs that they don't remember. I'm always bad against Yorick, because I never played him, and I'm always surprised by his abilities and how they do so much damage and slow.
Dignitas vs Team SoloMid
[d bans: Thresh, Malphite, Karthus][TSM bans: Gragas, Diana, Shen]
d: Zed, Nasus, Katarina, Draven, Alistar
TSM: Renekton, Cho'Gath, Twisted Fate, Miss Fortune, Sona
I was excited to see scarra back on Katarina, but nope, he does not really get a chance to do either thing that she does: split push, or dive in and kill all. Not that I've seen a Katarina in a high level manage to do some 1v5ing, but one can always dream.
Complexity vs Team MRN
[coL bans: Renekton, Malphite, Jarvan][MRN bans: Kha'Zix, Zed, Amumu]
coL: Jayce, Nasus, Gragas, Caitlyn, Thresh
MRN: Riven, Shen, Twisted Fate, Twitch, Sona
Not such a roll now, coL. A level 1 fight in the jungle puts them far enough behind that there was no catching up, especially when MRN had TF and Shen. Afterwards, in an interview with ClakeyD, he tells us that they knew where coL would be level 1 because they had seen them execute a sneaky pull with Thresh before.
Vulcun Command vs Curse
[VC bans: Miss Fortune, Volibear, Kassadin][Crs bans: Shen, Thresh, Renekton]
VC: Zed, Xerath, Draven, Udyr, Sona
Crs: Nunu, Fizz, Tristana, Ezreal, Elise
Yes, you read those champ picks right. The commentators were saying something about the match being meaningless for Curse's standings. If they mentioned it was also meaningless for VC, I missed it. I hope so, because they've switched up roles? The champs are listed in order of the player's usual role, but Zed on Sycho Sid ran with smite, and Zuna was on Udyr in the top lane.
Standings
TSM 21-7
Crs 19-9
dig 17-11
CLG 13-15
VC 12-16
GGU 11-17
MRN 10-18
coL 9-19
Dignitas vs Curse
[d bans: Jarvan, Miss Fortune, Thresh][Crs bans: Diana, Shen, Gragas]
d: Singed, Volibear, Evelynn, Caitlyn, Zyra
Crs: Renekton, Nasus, Karthus, Ashe, Sona
Another Ashe, but it works less well when your arrows miss, etc.
Counter Logic Gaming vs Vulcun Command
[CLG bans: Karthus, Nasus, Diana][VC bans: Vayne, Malphite, Twisted Fate]
CLG: Shen, Amumu, Lux, Tristana, Sona
VC: Renekton, Jarvan, Ryze, Twitch, Lulu
This was all really even until CLG managed a late baron that seemed to make the difference?
Team MRN vs Counter Logic Gaming
[MRN bans: Cho'Gath, Nidalee, Shen][CLG bans: Renekton, Riven, Malphite]
MRN: Irelia, Jarvan, Twisted Fate, Tristana, Thresh
CLG: Jax, Amumu, Ahri, Vayne, Sona
That was the biggest comeback I've ever seen, amateur or professional. I was really hoping for an unstoppable Jax from HotshotGG.
Curse vs Complexity
[Crs bans: Zed, Jayce, Shen][coL bans: Volibear, Thresh, Jarvan]
Crs: Gragas, Udyr, Twisted Fate, Caitlyn, Lulu
coL: Darius, Amumu, Kha'Zix, Miss Fortune, Kayle
Wow, complexity is really on a roll. Or PEDs.
Team SoloMid vs Good Game University
[TSM bans: Riven, Elise, Thresh][GGU bans: Renekton, Draven, did not ban third]
TSM: Shen, Nocturne, Karthus, Varus, Sona
GGU: Jayce, Nasus, Lux, Caitlyn, Janna
GGU lost their first ban because they tend to chat about their strategy during pauses. It's a natural thing to want to do, but the commentators are clear the they had been warned at least once and continued to ignore the rule. There you go, GGU, now TSM has a very global team and makes you look like rookies again.
Dignitas vs Vulcun Command
[d bans: Jarvan, Karthus, Thresh][VC bans: Diana, Caitlyn, Shen]
d: Renekton, Volibear, Gragas, Draven, Alistar
VC: Malphite, Nasus, Cassiopeia, Tristana, Sona
Odd game, another close ending / comeback win, if that's what you want to watch. Dignitas was pretty solidly in control early game, and VC somehow managed. Later, I want to go back and check if all the 'comeback' games have involved Tristana...
Good Game University vs Counter Logic Gaming
[GGU bans: Malphite, Cho'Gath, Shen][CLG bans: Twitch, Karthus, Thresh]
GGU: Jayce, Elise, Ryze, Tristana, Yorick
CLG: Udyr, Jarvan, Orianna, Ezreal, Lulu
Support Yorick?! This is one of those times that I can agree with (I think it was) pr0lly's theory that people are bad against champs that they don't remember. I'm always bad against Yorick, because I never played him, and I'm always surprised by his abilities and how they do so much damage and slow.
Dignitas vs Team SoloMid
[d bans: Thresh, Malphite, Karthus][TSM bans: Gragas, Diana, Shen]
d: Zed, Nasus, Katarina, Draven, Alistar
TSM: Renekton, Cho'Gath, Twisted Fate, Miss Fortune, Sona
I was excited to see scarra back on Katarina, but nope, he does not really get a chance to do either thing that she does: split push, or dive in and kill all. Not that I've seen a Katarina in a high level manage to do some 1v5ing, but one can always dream.
Complexity vs Team MRN
[coL bans: Renekton, Malphite, Jarvan][MRN bans: Kha'Zix, Zed, Amumu]
coL: Jayce, Nasus, Gragas, Caitlyn, Thresh
MRN: Riven, Shen, Twisted Fate, Twitch, Sona
Not such a roll now, coL. A level 1 fight in the jungle puts them far enough behind that there was no catching up, especially when MRN had TF and Shen. Afterwards, in an interview with ClakeyD, he tells us that they knew where coL would be level 1 because they had seen them execute a sneaky pull with Thresh before.
Vulcun Command vs Curse
[VC bans: Miss Fortune, Volibear, Kassadin][Crs bans: Shen, Thresh, Renekton]
VC: Zed, Xerath, Draven, Udyr, Sona
Crs: Nunu, Fizz, Tristana, Ezreal, Elise
Yes, you read those champ picks right. The commentators were saying something about the match being meaningless for Curse's standings. If they mentioned it was also meaningless for VC, I missed it. I hope so, because they've switched up roles? The champs are listed in order of the player's usual role, but Zed on Sycho Sid ran with smite, and Zuna was on Udyr in the top lane.
Standings
TSM 21-7
Crs 19-9
dig 17-11
CLG 13-15
VC 12-16
GGU 11-17
MRN 10-18
coL 9-19
Monday, June 3, 2013
LCS NA W10 pt1
Another super week, this one to determine final standings before playoffs. Phreak and Jatt keep telling me how it's going to work, but without any visuals I think it's just not sticking. Bottom line is, there's so many games this week, everyone is still mathematically viable to survive relegation, especially since there's ties at 2nd and 2nd to last place.
Complexity vs Team Dignitas
[coL bans: Diana, Caitlyn, Renekton][d bans: Zed, Kayle, Kha'Zix]
coL: Jayce, Jarvan, Gragas, Miss Fortune, Thresh
d: Shen, Nasus, Twisted Fate, Draven, Sona
Have not seen Scarra on Twisted Fate, or pr0lly on Gragas, so it promises to be interesting. The real interesting lane turns out to be bottom, though, where M eye A has gone mad with the desperation to avoid relegation. Scarra used to be my hero, back when he played the only Katarina in high level play. Has he become distinctly less ballsy, or is it just my imagination? At any rate, non-aggressive AP mid players don't have much use for TF, really. We've seen it used to fine advantage by xPeke and AlexIch, but scarra just isn't as murder-filled as those guys.
Team MRN vs Team SoloMid
[MRN bans: Thresh, Shen, Karthus][TSM bans: Riven, Evelynn, Twisted Fate]
MRN: Malphite, Jarvan, Katarina, Miss Fortune, Lulu
TSM: Renekton, Nasus, Diana, Twitch, Sona
It's always a close game when each team has inhibitors down, and there are a lot of fights to watch. But the end seemed to come down to who had more experience with this kind of late game.
Complexity vs Good Game University
[coL bans: Twitch, Elise, Thresh][GGU bans: Amumu, Zed, Shen]
coL: Kha'Zix, Jarvan, Gragas, Caitlyn, Sona
GGU: Riven, Nasus, Twisted Fate, Urgot, Kayle
Like I said before, coL is suddenly intent on not being in last place. I also suddenly notice that their team mostly looks like their roles, which is hilarious. Pr0lly could pass for a tiny black mage, and Nickwu looks like a fairly large tanky bruiser. Even Lautemortis looks like a jungler. Really!
Counter Logic Gaming vs Team SoloMid
[CLG bans: Draven, Nocturne, Vladimir][TSM bans: Vayne, Shen, Malphite]
CLG: Cho'Gath, Jarvan, Nidalee, Twitch, Lulu
TSM: Jayce, Nasus, Karthus, Caitlyn, Sona
There's that lineup from CLG that won them some nice games before. But TSM plays a regular roll.
Curse vs Good Game University
[Crs bans: Jayce, Karthus, Thresh][GGU bans: Renekton, Miss Fortune, Twisted Fate]
Crs: Kha'Zix, Nasus, Morgana, Twitch, Lulu
GGU: Riven, Elise, Orianna, Caitlyn, Janna
Interesting game. May want to watch this one to get an idea of how a team can come back from way down.
Counter Logic Gaming vs Dignitas
[CLG bans: Gragas, Diana, Draven][d bans: Vayne, Twitch, Caitlyn]
CLG: Shen, Amumu, Twisted Fate, Ezreal, Thresh
d: Singed, Nasus, Karthus, Corki, Zyra
Did you notice up there that dignitas tried to ban out Doublelift? It's not as if he's really the ONLY damage on CLG; I think CLG just lets everyone believe that because it suits them. But yes, they generally run with mostly Protect the Doublelift strategy. And besides, there's more ADC's out there. Doublelift got Ezreal, and you got stuck with Corki. I hope if Corki has a 0% win rate that pros will stop picking Corki.
Vulcun Command vs Team MRN
[VC bans: Riven, Malphite, Twisted Fate][MRN bans: Kha'Zix, Karthus, Diana]
VC: Renekton, Jarvan, Ryze, Trist, Sona
MRN: Shen, Evelynn, Lux, Twitch, Thresh
Battle for sixth place, and I think ClakeyD should stick with Nocturne - his Eve hasn't demonstrated a lot of helpfulness.
Complexity vs Team SoloMid
[coL bans: Malphite, Renekton, Shen][TSM bans: Gragas, Zed, Thresh]
coL: Jayce, Javan, Diana, Caitlyn, Elise
TSM: Kha'Zix, Nasus, Karthus, Draven, Sona
Early on, TSM was winning in kills and gold, but coL's winning in turrets. Usually turrets are best, but TSM just had more gold and items.
Team MRN vs Curse
[MRN bans: Kha'Zix, Ryze, Karthus][Crs bans: Vayne, Renekton, Twisted Fate]
MRN: Malphite, Shen, Ahri, Draven, Sona
Crs: Riven, Volibear, Orianna, Ashe, Thresh
Usually I enjoy games with a lot of 5v5 fights, but all of these seemed to end with one or two people from each team limping away, so it was always hard to tell who was winning. Apparently the answer is Crs, and I will just credit Ashe for that, since she is the original.
Vulcun Command vs Good Game University
[VC bans: Caitlyn, Jayce, Thresh][GGU bans: Malphite, Twisted Fate, Nasus]
VC: Renekton, Jarvan, Diana, Twitch, Sona
GGU: Kha'Zix, Elise, Karthus, Tristana, Lulu
Clearly it's the lack of uniforms, GGU.
Complexity vs Team Dignitas
[coL bans: Diana, Caitlyn, Renekton][d bans: Zed, Kayle, Kha'Zix]
coL: Jayce, Jarvan, Gragas, Miss Fortune, Thresh
d: Shen, Nasus, Twisted Fate, Draven, Sona
Have not seen Scarra on Twisted Fate, or pr0lly on Gragas, so it promises to be interesting. The real interesting lane turns out to be bottom, though, where M eye A has gone mad with the desperation to avoid relegation. Scarra used to be my hero, back when he played the only Katarina in high level play. Has he become distinctly less ballsy, or is it just my imagination? At any rate, non-aggressive AP mid players don't have much use for TF, really. We've seen it used to fine advantage by xPeke and AlexIch, but scarra just isn't as murder-filled as those guys.
Team MRN vs Team SoloMid
[MRN bans: Thresh, Shen, Karthus][TSM bans: Riven, Evelynn, Twisted Fate]
MRN: Malphite, Jarvan, Katarina, Miss Fortune, Lulu
TSM: Renekton, Nasus, Diana, Twitch, Sona
It's always a close game when each team has inhibitors down, and there are a lot of fights to watch. But the end seemed to come down to who had more experience with this kind of late game.
Complexity vs Good Game University
[coL bans: Twitch, Elise, Thresh][GGU bans: Amumu, Zed, Shen]
coL: Kha'Zix, Jarvan, Gragas, Caitlyn, Sona
GGU: Riven, Nasus, Twisted Fate, Urgot, Kayle
Like I said before, coL is suddenly intent on not being in last place. I also suddenly notice that their team mostly looks like their roles, which is hilarious. Pr0lly could pass for a tiny black mage, and Nickwu looks like a fairly large tanky bruiser. Even Lautemortis looks like a jungler. Really!
Counter Logic Gaming vs Team SoloMid
[CLG bans: Draven, Nocturne, Vladimir][TSM bans: Vayne, Shen, Malphite]
CLG: Cho'Gath, Jarvan, Nidalee, Twitch, Lulu
TSM: Jayce, Nasus, Karthus, Caitlyn, Sona
There's that lineup from CLG that won them some nice games before. But TSM plays a regular roll.
Curse vs Good Game University
[Crs bans: Jayce, Karthus, Thresh][GGU bans: Renekton, Miss Fortune, Twisted Fate]
Crs: Kha'Zix, Nasus, Morgana, Twitch, Lulu
GGU: Riven, Elise, Orianna, Caitlyn, Janna
Interesting game. May want to watch this one to get an idea of how a team can come back from way down.
Counter Logic Gaming vs Dignitas
[CLG bans: Gragas, Diana, Draven][d bans: Vayne, Twitch, Caitlyn]
CLG: Shen, Amumu, Twisted Fate, Ezreal, Thresh
d: Singed, Nasus, Karthus, Corki, Zyra
Did you notice up there that dignitas tried to ban out Doublelift? It's not as if he's really the ONLY damage on CLG; I think CLG just lets everyone believe that because it suits them. But yes, they generally run with mostly Protect the Doublelift strategy. And besides, there's more ADC's out there. Doublelift got Ezreal, and you got stuck with Corki. I hope if Corki has a 0% win rate that pros will stop picking Corki.
Vulcun Command vs Team MRN
[VC bans: Riven, Malphite, Twisted Fate][MRN bans: Kha'Zix, Karthus, Diana]
VC: Renekton, Jarvan, Ryze, Trist, Sona
MRN: Shen, Evelynn, Lux, Twitch, Thresh
Battle for sixth place, and I think ClakeyD should stick with Nocturne - his Eve hasn't demonstrated a lot of helpfulness.
Complexity vs Team SoloMid
[coL bans: Malphite, Renekton, Shen][TSM bans: Gragas, Zed, Thresh]
coL: Jayce, Javan, Diana, Caitlyn, Elise
TSM: Kha'Zix, Nasus, Karthus, Draven, Sona
Early on, TSM was winning in kills and gold, but coL's winning in turrets. Usually turrets are best, but TSM just had more gold and items.
Team MRN vs Curse
[MRN bans: Kha'Zix, Ryze, Karthus][Crs bans: Vayne, Renekton, Twisted Fate]
MRN: Malphite, Shen, Ahri, Draven, Sona
Crs: Riven, Volibear, Orianna, Ashe, Thresh
Usually I enjoy games with a lot of 5v5 fights, but all of these seemed to end with one or two people from each team limping away, so it was always hard to tell who was winning. Apparently the answer is Crs, and I will just credit Ashe for that, since she is the original.
Vulcun Command vs Good Game University
[VC bans: Caitlyn, Jayce, Thresh][GGU bans: Malphite, Twisted Fate, Nasus]
VC: Renekton, Jarvan, Diana, Twitch, Sona
GGU: Kha'Zix, Elise, Karthus, Tristana, Lulu
Clearly it's the lack of uniforms, GGU.
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