LoL Recap: LPL Week 1

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Updated on February 26, 2017 2:30PM EST

I May vs. RNG

Season 7 formally kicked off in the League of Legends LPL with a clash of two teams that represented China at the 2016 World Championships. Looking to make a statement early in the season, both RNG and I May battled hard, but I May dominated thanks to superior teamwork and coordination in-game.

The first game of the series was surprisingly quiet in the early game, with little action occurring until Liu "Mlxg" Shi-yu picked up first blood at 12 minutes on Lee Sin. Soon after, though, the game would pick up with a fight in the dragon pit, where Shek "AmazingJ" Wai Ho took advantage of his Maokai's tankiness to secure a 3-for-1 teamfight win for I May. Although LPL rookie Tu "Ben4" Xin-cheng looked nervous in his debut, his performance on Kha'Zix was certainly impressive, finishing with a 3/1/6 KDA (kill/death/assist ratio) while finding crucial picks onto Mlxg's Lee Sin. A clean 5-for-0 teamfight in RNG's base near the 28 minute mark locked up the Game 1 win for I May.

Ben4 continued to control the map early in Game 2, picking up first blood by killing Jian "Uzi" Zi-Hao in a 2-for-1 fight early on. After turning a three-man dive in top lane into a 3-for-1 teamfight win for I May, Ben4 took over the game with a series of highlight reel plays, including a Mountain Drake steal at 18:30 and a quadrakill at 29 minutes. Still, it was I May's impeccable teamfighting performance that sealed RNG's fate. Yun "Road" Han-Gil and Ben4 were monsters in the late game teamfights, setting their teammates up to blow RNG out of the water. In similar fashion to Game 1, I May secured the Baron, walked into RNG's base and took RNG out in a clean ace, this time closing out the win in just over 33 minutes.

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iG vs. OMG

The second matchup of Day 1 in China's League of Legends Pro League saw Invictus Gaming and OMG do battle. While both teams struggled at times, iG was able to take down OMG in convincing fashion thanks to big individual performances.

While Song "Rookie" Eui-jin's LeBlanc did massive damage to OMG, Ge "Kid" Yan's Rengar was instrumental to iG's Game 1 win, setting Rookie up with first blood early in the game to begin the snowball. Taking a massive 4-for-2 teamfight in bottom lane near the 10-minute mark, iG had fully seized control of the game, with OMG unable to apply meaningful pressure for the rest of the contest. While iG played slowly, they were never at risk of losing momentum, methodically taking objectives and forcing OMG further into a gold deficit. On the back of Kid's 6/0/9 KDA (kills/deaths/assists), iG took Game 1 in just over 38 minutes.
Game 2 would begin with a rarity, as Lee "Duke" Ho-Seong picked up a first blood solo kill on Maokai against Hu "Xiyang" Bin's Nautilus. Duke would capitalize on his lead in a big way at around 10 minutes into the match, teleporting into a bottom lane skirmish to give iG a 4-for-2 teamfight win. Snowballing out of control, iG were free to do whatever they wanted courtesy of the presence Duke had in the frontline. Even when Duke flashed into three OMG players in their jungle, iG were able to win the ensuing teamfight with a clean ace, setting iG far ahead of OMG in gold. Barely missing out on a flawless game, Duke finished Game 2 with a 2/1/13 KDA, carrying iG to a 33 minute win and a 2-0 sweep for the series.

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Edward Gaming vs. Vici Gaming

Edward Gaming rolled over Vici Gaming during Day 2 of the Chinese League of Legends Pro League Spring Split even without team captain and starting jungler Ming "Clearlove" Kai, who did not start after recently returning from a break.

Edward Gaming blitzed out to an early lead thanks to an impressive amount of map pressure, using the extra advantage to claim the game's first Baron during the mid game. The ensuing teamfight, wherein the kill count went in favor of Edward Gaming, 4-0, only put Vici Gaming further in the hole, as EDG's Lee "Scout" Ye-chan's Ryze and Hae "Zet" Seong-Min's Caitlyn picked up double kills.

Edward Gaming won the final teamfight with a 5-1 kill count, with Tian "Meiko" Ye's Zyra and Zet picking up double kills to end the game. EDG's Chen "Mouse" Yu-Hao earned the game's MVP award with a 1/2/9 KDA (kills/deaths/assists) on Maokai.

In Game 2, Edward Gaming used an early Ryze roam from Scout to pick up two kills in the bottom lane and followed it up with a four-man dive moments later, leading to two kills, first turret blood and a mountain dragon. The game quickly snowballed from there as Vici Gaming was never able to gain control.

Edward Gaming took charge in the second-to-last teamfight, securing Baron and 2-0 kill advantage, giving them a commanding 11,000 gold lead by the time the buff wore off. With a clean ace in the final teamfight, Edward Gaming closed out their sweep over Vici Gaming, as Zet finished with an impressive 5/0/10 KDA on Jhin.

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iG vs. Snake Esports

Snake Esports opened up its 2017 Chinese League of Legends Pro League Spring Split on a high note, defeating Invictus Gaming 2-1 in a hard-fought series on Saturday.

The action started off slowly in Game 1, as both teams opted to farm, with neither a tower kill nor first blood occurring before the 15-minute mark. However, a first blood kill shortly thereafter by Snake's Dan-won "Tank" Park's Cassiopeia ignited the match, as each team traded kills with one another for the majority of the mid game. Invictus Gaming appeared to gain the upper hand in the first major teamfight near the Baron, as Li "Marge" Feng, on Ezreal, picked up multiple kills in the skirmish.

But the advantage was squandered soon after, as a critical Baron kill by Snake's Kun "Mint" Wan's Varus set up a 2-for-1 trade, opening the door for the team to blitz into the enemy Nexus. Fueled by the buff and the performance from Tank, who finished with a 3/1/7 KDA (kills/death/assists), Snake claimed Game 1.

In a complete contrast to the first game, both teams were aggressive to open Game 2. While Mint, again using Varus, claimed two of the first three kills for Snake before the five-minute mark, Invictus Gaming was able to trade each one, keeping the contest tight. Eui-jin "RooKie" Song's Synda finally pushed iG ahead in the mid game, recording three kills in the first major teamfight to give his team a 4,000 gold lead advantage; it was a lead they would never relinquish. A somewhat desperate Baron play by Snake soon after led to a 3-for-0 teamfight win in favor of iG, who then took the buff and won the ensuing teamfight to push the series to a final game.

Both teams remained even throughout the majority of Game 3, as neither team could muster more than a 2,000 gold lead for the first 35 minutes. A critical kill by RooKie, using Ryze, opened the door for his team to claim the first Baron, appearing to give Invictus Gaming momentum. But a questionable laning decision shortly after wiped it all away, as Snake's Quang Duy "SofM" Le's tanky Kha'zix cleaned up two easy kills. As the game approached the 50-minute mark, the Kha'zix became too much of a headache for iG, as SofM managed to steal the final Baron. That was all Snake would need to win the ensuing teamfight and take the Nexus.

On the plus side for iG, its Dota 2 team did better than expected at the Dota Pit S5 Finals Day 1.

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I May vs. LGD

Riding a wave of confidence after their win Thursday against League of Legends Pro League powerhouse Royal Never Give Up, I May faced off against a fresh LGD Gaming squad on the third day of Week 1. In a sloppy back-and-forth series Saturday, I May remained undefeated, taking down LGD 2-1.

I May began Game 1 firing on all cylinders, earning a small gold lead by dominating lane matchups. When the teams met up to teamfight at 12 minutes, Tu "Ben4" Xin-cheng's Lee Sin set I May up to win a 4-for-2 teamfight that put them ahead. I May's Ha-Woon "Athena" Kang played phenomenally on Ryze, earning a KDA (kills/deaths/assists) of 8/0/2 while dealing a game-high 21,100 damage to enemy champions. Even though LGD's Li "Funny" Yuan-Hui got to play a near perma-banned Camille, I May's superior coordination gave them the upper hand, taking an uncontested early Baron at around 24 minutes.

After I May's Shek "AmazingJ" Wai Ho's Darius walked into LGD's base and secured a triple kill, the game was all but over, as I May would put LGD away in just over 28 minutes.

Despite having been demolished in Game 1, LGD would fire back early in Game 2, picking up four kills across the map at 6:30 to quickly take control. While I May would put up an admirable defense, LGD's Wei "GodV" Zhen was unstoppable on Corki, dealing massive mixed damage while staying a safe distance from I May's initiators. Whereas LGD failed to generate any momentum in the game prior, they held a 9,000 gold lead at 25 minutes and never let their foot off the gas, closing out Game 2 in 32 minutes.
Game 3 was even until the 10-minute mark, when Athena's Ryze used his Realm Warp to give AmazingJ's Maokai first blood in the top lane. After Athena ganked top lane a second time just five minutes later, I May snowballed out of control, thanks to Athena's massive damage. Consistently catching LGD players out of position, I May was free to do what they pleased, taking towers and killing LGD's Gu "Imp" Seung-bin's Kog'Maw whenever he tried to farm. After cracking open LGD's base at 26 minutes, it was only a matter of time before I May secured Baron and broke through LGD's defenses, securing the game and the series in just under 30 minutes.

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RNG vs. OMG

After I May's Shek "AmazingJ" Wai Ho's Darius walked into LGD's base and secured a triple kill, the game was all but over, as I May would put LGD away in just over 28 minutes.

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Quiao Gu vs. GameTalents

The brand new QG Reapers lineup made it look easy as the organization earned its first win of 2017, beating GameTalents 2-0 in Week 1 of Chinese League of Legends Pro League Spring Split.

While the GameTalents roster perhaps isn't the best test of mettle for a new team, the QG Reapers certainly made a good first impression. Game 1 saw Kim "Doinb" Tae-sang, QG's sole returning member, team up with rookie jungler Kim "Clid" Taemin's Lee Sin to grab two early kills, followed by a four-man dive onto GT's bottom lane to pick up two more, along with first turret. This duo would continue to wreak havoc on GameTalents all game, as Doinb put on a clinic with the use of Ryze's ultimate, Realm Warp. ADC Tang "Candyseven" Xin also got in on the action, nabbing a 7/1/9 KDA on Sivir and out-damaging Doinb by just 100.

Unfortunately for GameTalents, Game 2 was more or less the same story. QG swapped out their bot lane for this game, but it hardly mattered, as the mid-jungle duo once again would hard-carry the team to victory. With Clid back on Lee Sin and Doinb now on Karma, the duo would once again look to the bot lane, this time diving with all five members to trade 2-for-1 opportunities and pick up the first turret. Just like the previous game, QG would use the pressure to accrue an objective advantage and slowly but surely strangle GT out of the game.

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Vici Gaming vs. Newbee

Vici Gaming earned its first win of the Chinese League of Legends Pro League, knocking off Newbee in a drawn out, three-game series.

Game 1 looked to be a toss-up early on; while Vici Gaming's mid and top lanes took large CS leads, Newbee's bot lane was equally ahead. Unfortunately for Newbee, the solo lanes were what would end up making the difference. VG top laner Zhu "Loong" Xiao-Long would grab his team's first four kills, and Lee "Easyhoon" Ji-hoon on Syndra would then solo-kill Yu "Cool" Jia-Jun's Corki, leading to a mid-lane turret and Ocean Drake for Vici. VG would snowball their advantages into teamfights, Baron, and Elder Drake to end the game.

The early game of Game 2 drifted somewhat in VG's favor; they were able to gank Bao "V" Bo to get first blood at five minutes, and drew out both of NB's Teleports in an even kill trade in the bottom lane. Once the mid game rolled around, however, everything went right for Newbee. Starting with a pick onto Cool that turned into a 4-1 fight in favor of Newbee, every move that Vici attempted was thwarted and turned on its head. Newbee would eventually win their umpteenth fight in a row to take the game.
The final game of the series had quite the slow opening, with the first kill of any real consequence coming onto Cool, leading to a turret and Ocean Drake for VG. The slow nature of the game continued to unfold as VG methodically marched from objective to objective, happily capitalizing on Newbee's passive nature. Multiple Baron and dragon kills effectively ended the game, as VG profited from the massive buffs, pushing in its opposition's base and killing the Nexus.

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EDward Gaming vs. WE

EDward Gaming swept World Elite during its Day 4 matchup in the Chinese League of Legends Pro League.

EDG took Game 1 by dominating teamfights throughout the game, gaining excellent objective control from Zhao "Fireloli" Zhi-ming's on Kha'zix en route to securing every drake and Baron that spawned in the game. WE held off EDG from cracking their base through the mid game as Jin "Mystic" Sung-jun's Caitlyn picked up two kills during a mid game teamfight to stop the siege. But EDG closed out the game by taking the Elder Dragon in the 40th minute and winning the ensuing teamfight 4-for-0 with Tong "Koro1" Yang picking up a triple kill on Jayce. Hae "Zet" Seong-min's Jhin earned the Game 1 MVP with a 2/0/10 KDA (kills/deaths/assists).

WE looked primed to take a scrappy Game 2 behind the strength of Su "Xiye" Han-Wei's Leblanc. Xiye picked up three sets of double kills throughout the game, helping WE take down EDG during mid game teamfights. In a back-and-forth affair, WE made a huge mistake in the late game by overstaying in the EDG base. Lee "Scout" Ye-chan picked up a double kill on Ryze allowing EDG to win a 4-for-0 teamfight and march down the mid lane to end the game, winning by a narrow 1,000 gold margin. Scout earned the MVP award for Game 2, ending with a 8/1/3 KDA.

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