This article is part of our LoL Recap series.
Newbee vs. Qiao Gu Reapers
NewBee took a 2-1 series win over the previously-undefeated Qiao Gu Reapers to kick off Week 3, Day 1 of the League of Legends Pro League on Thursday in Shanghai, China.
After a tense early game from both sides, Qiao Gu took the lead in Game 1 with a 3-for-1 teamfight win and first tower gold at the 15 minute-mark. QG continued to snowball the gold lead, but a questionable item build from mid laner Kim "Doinb" Tae-sang's LeBlanc saw him build Iceborn Gauntlet second, gutting his early damage. Doinb's lack of kill pressure allowed NB to storm back, picking up a 3-for-1 teamfight win near 30 minutes and securing a Baron kill a few minutes later. Despite QG's armor stacking, NB AD Carry Yu "Happy" Rui's Ezreal was simply too strong for QG to handle, dealing a game-high 41,100 damage to enemy champions and finishing with a 6/1/6 KDA (kills/deaths/assists) as NewBee took a final 4-for-1 teamfight win to close out Game 1 in just over 41 minutes.
Qiao Gu came roaring back in Game 2, somehow getting their hands on both Doinb's Leblanc and jungler Kim "Clid" Tae-min's Rengar on blue side. Clid would punish NB's poor draft by finding kills throughout the game, picking up several early kills top to put QG ahead. After a 4-for-1 teamfight for QG at just 12:30, QG snowballed out of control, dominating the mid-late game thanks to Clid's map presence and 5/3/10 KDA. Qiao Gu were firing on all cylinders as they took a final 4-for-0 teamfight at the 25-minute mark to take Game 2.
NewBee came out of the gates swinging in Game 3, with top laner Shin "Coco" Jin-yeong's Jayce picking up first blood early on. After taking an early first tower and picking up kills across the map, the NewBee snowball was in full effect, smothering QG and forcing them into their base. Despite a sneaky Baron kill for Qiao Gu around 24 minutes, NewBee continued to dominate in teamfights, with Coco dealing 18,100 damage to enemy champions while Happy's Varus topped the charts with 28,000 damage. Dominant in a Game 3 win, NewBee swept through QG's base in 32 minutes to secure the 2-1 series win.
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WE vs. Game Talents
In the second match of Week 3, Day 1 of the League of Legends Pro League in Shanghai, Team WE demolished Game Talents in a convincing 2-0 sweep Thursday.
Team WE got off to a strong start in Game 1, picking up first blood around three minutes in. Game Talents fought back to take control of the early game with a series of kills in the top lane, but WE took over on the back of AD Carry Jin "Mystic" Seong-jun, who secured a quadra kill as WE took a 5-for-2 ace at 17 minutes.
Massively fed after that fight, Mystic popped off in Game 1, dealing 25,800 damage to enemy champions en route to a 9/1/4 KDA (kills/deaths/assists) for 81 percent kill participation. Despite Game Talents' efforts, Team WE were simply too far ahead of their opponents, securing the Game 1 win in just over 31 minutes.
Game 2 was more of the same for WE, jumping ahead early through strong rotations and lane outplays. They took their time cultivating their gold lead in the mid game, snowballing after jungler Xiang "Condi" Ren-Jie's Kha'Zix was the sole survivor of a 5-for-4 fight at 21 minutes, right after WE secured an Infernal Drake.
With Condi and mid laner Su "Xiye" Han-Wei's Kassadin popping off to jump on GT's squishy backline, Team WE had everything going for them in the mid-late game, picking up a Baron kill around 23 minutes. Xiye in particular was on point, diving in and out of teamfights while dealing massive damage, eventually finishing with 25,700 damage dealt to enemy champions alongside a 9/4/9 KDA for 82 percent kill participation.
WE looked comfortable and in control as they dismantled Game Talents, taking Game 2 after a clean 5-for-0 ace in GT's base at just over 31 minutes.
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RNG vs. iG
Royal Never Give Up took on Invictus Gaming to kick off Week 3, Day 2 of the League of Legends Pro League on Friday, walking away from Shanghai, China with a 2-1 series win.
IG began Game 1 with an early lead thanks to jungler Ge "KidKid" Yan's Elise, who counter-jungled consistently while picking up first blood at around five minutes. While RNG stayed even in kills throughout the mid game, iG mid laner Song "Rookie" Eui-jin had a stellar performance on Orianna, finding picks throughout the game and dealing massive damage in teamfights to finish with 15,400 damage to enemy champions. After a great Baron play at the 27-minute mark, iG became unstoppable, taking a 5-for-0 ace in RNG's base at 28 minutes on the back of Rookie's Orianna, who finished with a 5/1/5 KDA (kills/deaths/assists), finishing Game 1 in a quick 29-minute win.
Seemingly unfazed by their quick loss, RNG came storming back in Game 2 with jungler Liu "Mlxg" Shi-Yu's Elise picking up first blood at just three minutes. Quickly taking control of the early game, RNG showed great rotational play as they took down iG's towers to increase their gold lead while finding picks across the map. With a clean 5-for-0 ace in a skirmish at 16 minutes, RNG was unstoppable, controlling objectives to secure three Mountain Drakes and a Baron kill at 26 minutes. Mlxg played particularly well in the RNG stomp, earning match MVP with a flawless 4/0/7 KDA as RNG took Game 2 in just over 30 minutes.
Carrying their momentum into Game 3, RNG again struck first when AD Carry Jian "Uzi" Zi-Hao's Jhin picked up first blood at just over two minutes into the game. RNG did a good job of picking on Rookie's Taliyah pick, sending multiple members to kill the intrepid mid laner and earning an early gold lead. With iG's team composition desperately far behind, RNG were free to take towers with impunity, relying on an absurdly fed Uzi and mid laner Li "Xiaohu" Yuan-Hao's Syndra to blow through iG. After a 22-minute Baron kill for RNG, Game 3 was all but over as RNG found a few more kills to add to Xiaohu's 7/2/3 KDA before finishing Game 3 in 25 minutes.
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Snake vs. LGD
Snake Esports and LGD Gaming squared off in the second match of Week 3, Day 2 of the League of Legends Pro League on Friday. While it was by no means a clean win, LGD left Shanghai, China with a 2-0 series win.
Snake jumped out to an early lead after picking up two cross-map kills along with first tower gold at 11 minutes. Despite Snake's ability to find picks in the mid game, however, they were unable to capitalize on mid laner Park "Tank" Dan-won's lead on Aurelion Sol, stagnating in the mid game. With LGD creeping back into the game, Snake took a Baron at 29 minutes, but instead of pushing their advantage, Snake failed to develop their lead. In a baffling move, LGD were then given a free Baron kill at 36 minutes, empowering LGD mid laner Wei "GodV" Zhen's Orianna to find several picks to bolster an already great performance. Finishing with a 9/3/3 KDA (kills/deaths/assists) for 86 percent kill participation, GodV and the rest of LGD surged into Snake's base, completing the massive comeback in a 37-minute Game 1 win.
LGD jumped out to an early lead to start Game 2, with jungler Xie "Eimy" Dan picking up first blood as Rek'Sai just three minutes into the game. LGD played well in the early-mid game, snowballing early leads and getting AD Carry Gu "Imp" Seung-bin's Caitlyn fed so that he could carry LGD's sieges. Taking a 5-for-2 teamfight in the mid lane at 21 minutes, LGD looked poised to cruise to an easy win, but Snake fought back with a 4-for-1 teamfight win just a few minutes later to secure a Baron kill for themselves. In a chaotic late game, the gold lead swung wildly back and forth as both teams struggled to close out teamfights, but Imp would stay consistent for LGD. Finishing with a team-high 37,400 damage dealt to enemy champions alongside a 5/5/13 KDA, Imp shined as LGD avoided throwing the game and secured the scrappy 2-0 series sweep in 42 minutes.
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EDG vs. QG
In a battle of the Group B elite on Week 3, Day 3 of the League of Legends Pro League in Shanghai, China, EDward Gaming took a 2-0 series sweep over Qiao Gu Reapers.
EDG began Game 1 with a lead as jungler Zhao "Fireloli" Zhi-Ming's Kha'Zix picked up first blood in the bot lane at six minutes. EDG was unable to capitalize on the early kill, however, and allowed QG to take control with a 4-for-2 teamfight in the top lane and a Baron kill around 25 minutes.
QG took several towers with the Baron buff but overreached and started feeding EDG kills. That opened the game up for EDG top laner Chen "Mouse" Yu-Hao, who was a late-game powerhouse on Shen. Mouse, who finished with a 4/1/10 KDA (kills/deaths/assists) for 74 percent kill participation, won a 1-vs-3 around 34 minutes and created enough pressure for the rest of EDG to secure the second Baron at 36 minutes. In a chaotic late game, EDG held on to its gold lead with another Baron kill at 44 minutes and eventually closed out the 47-minute win with a 5-for-1 teamfight in QG's base.
In a bloody beginning of Game 2, EDG mid laner Lee "Scout" Ye-chan's LeBlanc picked up an early kill along with double buffs around four minutes, which set him up to snowball. Rotating around the map, Scout found enough kills and picks to put EDG ahead going into the mid game, but the team struggled heavily around Baron. After surrendering control of the map to try and bait Baron, QG secured it at 30 minutes and threatened to pull ahead of EDG. Scout's assassinations of key targets crippled QG's aggression, though. Finishing with a team-high 30,600 damage dealt to enemy champions to go along with a 8/2/4 KDA, Scout was a monster for EDG as it outlasted QG's stolen Elder Dragon buff to eventually take Game 2 and the series in around 44 minutes.
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World Elite vs. VG
Week 3, Day 3 of the League of Legends Pro League kicked off with World Elite picking up a 2-1 series win over Vici Gaming on Saturday in Shanghai, China.
Vici Gaming were focused heading into Game 1, picking up two kills from a four-man dive in the bottom lane at nine minutes. VG quickly snowballed to earn a commanding mid game lead on the back of strong play from mid laner Lee "Easyhoon" Ji-hoon's Orianna, setting up a Baron kill for Vici just 23 minutes in. VG's high damage composition, led by top laner Zhu "Loong" Xiao-Long's Jayce dealing a game-high 19,100 damage to enemy champions, allowed it to methodically pick apart taking WE's defenses and lock in a 1-0 series lead with a 37-minute win.
Unfazed by their Game 1 loss, World Elite came out swinging in Game 2 as jungler Xiang "Condi" Ren-Jie picked up first blood on Lee Sin at eight minutes. Transitioning into the mid game, WE used smothering objective control to snowball their lead, fighting VG around objectives to put Vici further and further behind. After sneaking a Baron kill at 24 minutes, the game was all but won for WE, as AD Carry Jin "Mystic" Seong-jun's Ezreal dealt a massive 21,500 damage to enemy champions, which allowed his teammates to easily rake in the kills. Taking a final 4-for-0 team fight in Vici's base, World Elite secured the 35-minute Game 2 win to force Game 3.
Maintaining their momentum from Game 2, World Elite struck first by picking up two kills in the bottom lane around nine minutes. After a tense mid game, however, both teams looked to take control through Baron, with Vici Gaming picking up a few kills around the pit before starting the Baron. Condi's Lee Sin tilted the game in WE's favor with a Baron steal at 30 minutes that gave his team the tools needed to take a big mid- to late-game lead. Vici threatened to come back with a 4-for-0 team fight win at 34 minutes, but a second Baron secure and a couple of kills from Condi, en route to his 5/4/13 KDA, sealed Vici's fate as World Elite pushed to a 40-minute win.
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Game Talents vs. Newbee
Game Talents took on NewBee in the final matchup of Week 3, Day 3 of the League of Legends Pro League in Shanghai, China. In a war of attrition, Game Talents took home the upset 2-0 series win to close out Saturday's action.
Game Talents jumped out to an early lead when AD Carry Xu "Xubin" Qing-Bin's Jhin picked up first blood at five minutes, but GT weren't able to convert that into a meaningful gold lead. In a wild back-and-forth game, both teams took turns dictating the tempo and eventually trading objectives, with five Barons and three Elder Dragons being taken out by the end of the game.
Game Talents showed hesitation when it came to proactively making plays while in control, but top laner Kim "Gimgoon" Han-saem's Jayce found ridiculous poke damage while relentlessly carving NB up in team fights. With Xubin locking down NB members from range with Curtain Calls and Deadly Flourishes en route to a 9/4/7 KDA (kills/deaths/assists) for 76 percent kill participation, Game Talents mercifully took down NewBee's Nexus in a split-record 65 minutes.
Game Talents got on the board early in Game 2, as Gimgoon's Rumble picked up first blood at four minutes. For the second game in a row, GT held an early lead going into the mid game, but this time, they were able to use their lead to impact the map, securing a couple of Mountain Drakes to empower their objective control.
Mid laner Bong "Republic" Geun-tae's Viktor was huge for GT, dealing a team-high 28,400 damage to enemy champions, while posting an 8/2/9 KDA for 89 percent kill participation, as GT looked more in control in the mid to late game. Securing two Barons and shutting a previously surging NewBee out completely, Game Talents won a 4-for-0 extended team fight in NewBee's base to close out the shocking upset in 41 minutes.
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OMG vs. Snake
OMG rolled over Snake Esports with a 2-0 sweep to kick off Week 3, Day 4 of the League of Legends Pro League on Saturday in Shanghai, China.
Snake Esports took an early lead in Game 1 as mid laner Dan-Won "Tank" Park's Cassiopeia secured first blood on OMG jungler Yu-Tian "World6" Chen's Lee Sin. World6 recovered nicely in the mid game, finding clean picks that helped OMG stay within striking distance. The teams took turns overreaching in the mid game, keeping the gold relatively even, but OMG ran away with a lead in the late game thanks to a second Baron kill. OMG dominated teamfights on the back of mid laner Xie "Icon" Tian-Yu's Jayce, who finished with a 9/1/11 KDA (kills/deaths/assists). Snake jungler La "SofM" Quang Duy's Elise bought a little time by stealing Elder Dragon, but OMG was too strong, brute forcing through Snake's base to take Game 1 around the 42-minute mark.
Game 2 started off with a very slow pace as neither team was successful in finding kills until 13 minutes in, when OMG's siege of mid lane cost jungler World6's Lee Sin his life. OMG overcame the setback as they slowly built up a 2,000 gold lead around 20 minutes, controlling Dragon and knocking down turrets while a bewildered Snake got pushed into their base. After sneakily taking a Baron kill at the 22-minute mark, OMG ran away with a lead that Snake couldn't recover from thanks to Icon's Ekko, who locked up MVP honors for Game 2 with a 6/1/1 KDA. Firing on all cylinders, OMG knocked down Snake Esports' Nexus 29 minutes in dominant fashion to secure the 2-0 series sweep.
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Invictus vs. I May
Invictus Gaming and I May engaged in a war of attrition during Week 3, Day 4 of the League of Legends Pro League, with Invictus surviving two harrowing games on Sunday to walk away from Shanghai, China with a 2-0 series sweep.
Invictus Gaming executed their game plan, camping IM mid laner Kang "Athena" Ha-woon's Varus and ganking him early and often to the tune of four kills before 15 minutes to get their mid laner Song "Rookie" Eui-jin's Orianna ahead. Despite taking two Infernal Drakes and seemingly dominating the map, iG sputtered out in the mid-late game. Seemingly afraid to commit to a siege against I May's heavy poke composition, iG allowed I May to fight back around the 56-minute mark with a 2-for-0 teamfight win. In a dramatic finish, I May took a 3-for-0 teamfight near the Baron pit around 60 minutes, but couldn't finish iG's Nexus off as the rest of iG respawned, bringing it down to about 400 health before getting aced 5-for-1. Rookie was clutch in these final moments, picking up a quadra kill en route to his 6/2/16 KDA (kills/deaths/assists) for 88 percent kill participation as iG eventually took a poorly played Game 1 win in over 63 minutes.
With both teams reeling after Game 1, iG and I May took turns trading kills throughout the early game. Rookie's Cassiopeia was decently fed heading into the mid game, but sloppy rotations from iG allowed I May to take Rookie down at 23 minutes, turning the game in I May's favor. Securing a Baron kill at the 33-minute mark, I May seemed poised to take over the game, but a great teamfight from iG support Wang "Megan" Liu-Yi's Zyra gave iG a 3-for-0 win and control of the game. Megan and Rookie were on fire for iG, with Rookie dealing a game-high 34,100 damage to enemy champions while Megan earned a 2/1/12 KDA for 78 percent kill participation. iG took a 5-for-1 ace after I May secured a 42-minute Elder Dragon. After that, Invictus Gaming easily pushed through I May's base to take Game 2 in 43 minutes to complete the 2-0 sweep.
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RNG vs. LGD Gaming
Royal Never Give Up proved why it's one of the top teams in the League of Legends Pro League against LGD Gaming on Sunday, finishing Week 3, Day 4's action with a decisive 2-0 series sweep in Shanghai, China.
Royal Never Give Up came firing on all cylinders in Game 1 as jungler Liu "Mlxg" Shi-Yu's Elise picked up first blood in the top lane around four minutes. RNG wasted no time in exploiting the early kill as mid laner Li "Xiaohu" Yuan-Hao's Syndra roamed top to pick up a kill of his own at eight minutes, which he used to snowball out of control. RNG were in complete control come mid game, taking towers across the map while finding occasional picks. LGD started a desperation Baron at 22 minutes, but a flashy steal from Mlxg sealed LGD's fate as RNG took the proceeding fight 4-for-1. With Xiaohu picking up a 5/1/4 KDA (kills/deaths/assists), RNG cruised to a 25-minute Game 1 win.
Continuing their momentum from Game 1, Royal Never Give Up got ahead early as Mlxg's Rek'Sai picked up another four-minute first blood, this time in the mid lane. RNG was methodical in its early-mid game, finding picks and winning skirmishes through good rotational play to get their carries ahead, particularly Xiaohu's Ryze, who earned a 2/1/13 KDA for 83 percent kill participation. LGD showed brief signs of life around the 18-minute mark when they won a 2-for-0 teamfight, but RNG quickly regained control thanks to support Shi "Ming" Sen-Ming's Malzahar, who secured picks for RNG with good uses of Nether Grasp. In desperation, LGD secured a Baron kill at 32 minutes, but couldn't get away from RNG as it took a 4-for-0 teamfight and used that momentum to sweep through LGD's base for the Game 2 win in 34 minutes.
