This article is part of our LoL Recap series.
iG vs. Newbee
Invictus Gaming (4-2, 10-4 match record) demolished Newbee (2-4, 6-9) on Week 4, Day 1 of the League of Legends Pro League in Shanghai, China with a clean 2-0 series sweep to close out Thursday's action.
Invictus Gaming struck early as jungler Ge "KidKid" Yan picked up first blood on Nidalee, but it was AD carry Feng "Marge" Li's Ashe that got the iG snowball rolling. Landing several Enchanted Crystal Arrows in the mid game, iG picked up several kills on a disoriented Newbee side, who struggled to find their footing in the face of iG's oppressive poke composition. After a 24-minute Baron kill and a 3-for-1 teamfight win, iG looked poised to run away with the game, thanks in large part to Marge, who finished with a 5/1/7 KDA (kills/deaths/assists) for 80 percent kill participation to earn MVP honors. Sweeping through Newbee's base with a 5-for-0 ace, Invictus Gaming cruised to an easy 29-minute win.
Continuing their rampage from Game 1, Invictus Gaming picked up first blood in a successful 2-for-1 skirmish in the bottom lane at just six minutes in. Picking up towers and neutral objectives throughout the early and mid game, iG looked unstoppable, squashing a Newbee dive in the bot lane and picking up a 3-for-0 teamfight win at the 15-minute mark. After a 22-minute Baron kill, the iG snowball was irreversible, with KidKid's Kha'Zix finding picks across the map en route to a flawless 7/0/2 KDA. Overwhelming NewBee's defenses, Invictus Gaming proved why they are challenging for the top spot in Group A with a convincing Game 2 win in just under 30 minutes.
Invictus Gaming returns to action on Friday, where they look to take out fellow LPL powerhouse Team WE at 2:00 AM EST, while Newbee will have to wait until Tuesday, March 9th to get back to winning ways against Snake Esports at 6:00 AM EST.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
WE vs. Snake
Week 4, Day 1 of the League of Legends Pro League kicked off on Thursday as Team We (4-2, 9-6 match record) faced off against a floundering Snake Esports (2-4, 4-9), picking up a quick 2-0 series sweep in Shanghai, China.
Snake Esports took control of Game 1 early after surrendering first blood as mid laner Liu "Zz1tai" Zhi-Hao's Talon picked up two kills and first tower gold around 11 minutes. Before Snake could snowball, however, WE began roaming as a unit, picking up a 4-for-3 teamfight win at the 22-minute mark to regain control of the game. Racing ahead of Snake with a 3-for-1 teamfight and Infernal Drake at 25 minutes, Snake forced a desperation Baron kill at 32 minutes to try and stem the tide, but WE was too strong. On the back of mid laner Su "xiye" Han-Wei's Cassiopeia, who earned a 4/3/11 KDA (kills/deaths/assists) for 83 percent kill participation, WE methodically took down Snake in a 37-minute Game 1 win.
WE, emboldened by their Game 1 success, started off strong with xiye's Syndra picking up first blood just two minutes into Game 2 with help from jungler Xiang "Condi" Ren-Jie, who had a massive performance on Graves. He picked up early kills across the map and abused former Snake jungler Le "SofM" Quang Duy, who unexpectedly role-swapped to support. Firing on all cylinders throughout the mid game, a quick Baron kill at 26 minutes all but sealed the game for WE, who thoroughly outclassed Snake in every role. Condi was a monster for WE, picking up a KDA of 5/1/4 for 82 percent kill participation as the team secured a lightning-quick, 29-minute Game 2 to lock up the 2-0 series sweep.
WE will look to continue their winning ways against Invictus Gaming Friday at 2:00 AM EST while Snake will have to wait until next week, when they'll play against NewBee on March 9 at 6:00 AM EST.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
EDG vs. LGD
In the latest installment of their historic League of Legends Pro League rivalry, EDward Gaming (5-1, 10-4 match record) took a 2-1 series win over LGD Gaming (2-4, 6-8) on Friday to begin Week 4, Day 2 of the League of Legends Pro League in Shanghai, China.
LGD Gaming got off to a hot start in Game 1 as jungler Tang "Intruder" Sheng's Graves picked up first blood in the mid lane at just four minutes. Dominating the jungle matchup, Intruder snowballed his other lanes through kills and objective control as LGD took a strong lead in the mid game. A poor play near the Baron stalled their progress, but LGD were undeterred as mid laner Wei "GodV" Lian's Corki dealt massive damage en route to a game-high 20,400 damage dealt to go alongside a 4/2/7 KDA (kills/deaths/assists). Methodically choking EDward Gaming out of the map, LGD Gaming looked surprisingly clean in their 33-minute win.
Rebounding after a crushing Game 1 loss, EDward Gaming came out swinging in Game 2 as mid laner Lee "Scout" Ye-chan's Syndra picked up first blood three minutes in off the back of a gank from jungler Zhao "Fireloli" Zhi-Ming's Kha'Zix. Crushing the mid game through ganks from Fireloli, EDG held a commanding gold lead throughout the later stages of the game, picking up a 4-for-0 teamfight win and a Rift Herald kill at 17 minutes. On the back of Fireloli's flawless 6/0/11 KDA for 94 percent kill participation, EDward Gaming crushed LGD Gaming in a commanding 27 minute to extend the series.
LGD Gaming brought the pressure in Game 3 as Intruder's Lee Sin sought out Fireloli's Kha'Zix to begin a series of early kills for LGD, but EDward Gaming quickly fired back, taking a 3-for-0 teamfight at 15 minutes to regain control of the game. EDG snowballed ahead through Scout's Zed, who dealt 37,400 damage to enemy champions and posted a 10/2/15 KDA for 81 percent kill participation while blowing up LGD's backline. EDG took a 5-for-1 ace and a Baron kill at 31 minutes, but LGD's tenacious defense stalled the game for a little while longer, forcing EDG to secure a 37-minute Elder Dragon and take a clean 5-for-0 ace in LGD Gaming's base to give EDward Gaming the 42-minute win.
LGD will try their luck against Game Talents this Sunday at 1:00 AM EST while EDward Gaming face another formidable foe in Royal Never Give Up when the teams clash this Sunday at 4:00 AM EST.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
RNG vs. Game Talents
Week 4, Day 2 of the League of Legends Pro League finished on Friday with Royal Never Give Up (5-1, 10-5) taking a 2-1 series win over Game Talents (1-5, 4-10) in Shanghai, China.
Royal Never Give Up struck first in Game 1 as jungler Liu "Mlxg" Shi-Yu picked up an early first blood at five minutes in. Despite being on the positive end of a handful of early teamfights, RNG couldn't hold on to their lead, allowing Game Talents to secure an Infernal Drake at 20 minutes and later take a 4-for-1 teamfight at 40 minutes. Game Talents was completely in control during the late game through strong teamfighting as they took a shocking Game 1 win in 46 minutes on the back of the first pentakill of the LPL this split, courtesy of debuting AD carry Chen "WEST" Long's Jhin.
Shaking off a poor Game 1 performance, Royal Never Give Up took control of the second game with a 2-for-0 skirmish win in the bottom lane at 12 minutes. This gave RNG first tower gold and allowed AD carry Jian "Uzi" Zi-Hao's Varus to lock down objectives with his oppressive poke and waveclear elsewhere on the map. Snowballing out of control, RNG took a 4-for-1 teamfight underneath Game Talents' mid towers, eventually securing a Baron kill and further extending their lead. By the time RNG took a brilliant clean ace around the 34-minute mark, Uzi had already made his mark by dealing a game-high 26,600 damage to enemy champions as RNG forced Game 3.
Royal Never Give Up lived up to their moniker in Game 3 as mid laner Li "Xiaohu" Yuan-Hao picked up first blood on Ryze just five minutes in the game. Mlxg's Kha'Zix was also big for RNG, helping RNG find success in their early plays while securing an Infernal Drake, an Ocean Drake, and a free Baron kill at 29 minutes. Keeping the deathball rolling, support Shi "Ming" Sen-Ming's Karma had a huge performance with a flawless 1/0/14 KDA for 94 percent kill participation to take home MVP honors for Game 3. Game Talents looked completely out of sorts as RNG tore through their base with a 4-for-1 teamfight as Royal Never Give Up took Game 3 in 31 minutes to secure the 2-1 series win.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
I may vs. Vici Gaming
I May (3-3, 6-7 match record) swept Vici Gaming (2-4, 6-9) in the first match Saturday during Week 4, Day 3 of the League of Legends Pro League in Shanghai, China.
Vici Gaming ran out to an early lead in kills, turrets and gold in Game 1 but struggled to press its advantage. Thanks to great vision control, I May managed to find kills through picks to keep the score close. Finally, a play around the Baron pit near the 30-minute mark broke the game wide open, as I May caught Vici Gaming's support Wang "Hetong" Bin out of position, then chased down three other members of VG to take the teamfight in commanding fashion. That enabled I May to track down both the Baron and Elder Dragon, using the buffs to push down both the middle and bottom lane inhibitors. It was only a matter of time until Vici Gaming succumbed to the pressure, eventually falling in Game 1.
Game 2's action started with I May's jungler Tu "Ben4" Xin-Cheng and top laner Shek "AmazingJ" Wai Ho invading and killing Vici Gaming jungler Bae "Bengi" Seong-woong for first blood. AmazingJ continued to make roams from the top lane and secured kills or assists that made up for some of his CS deficit. I May continued to find pick after pick, but mid laner Kang "Athena" Ha-woon's Ryze got caught overextending, giving Vici Gaming the opportunity to claim Baron. The buff did nothing, however, as I May was too far ahead in both gold and tower advantage to be troubled by the additional minion pressure. After Vici Gaming squandered the Baron buff, I May went on the offensive and eventually bullied its way down middle lane for win. I May were great at protecting its AD carry Xie "jinjao" Jin-shan's Varus throughout teamfights and allowed him to damage carry it to victory.
Vici Gaming will look to right its ship next Thursday against OMG at 4 a.m. EST while I May will take on the Qiao Gu Reapers next Friday at 4 a.m. EST.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Team WE vs. Invictus Gaming
Team WE (5-2, 11-6 match record) trounced Invictus Gaming (4-3, 10-6) in intergroup play Saturday, picking up a 2-0 series sweep during Week 4, Day 3 of the League of Legends Pro League from Shanghai, China.
Team WE struck early with jungler Xiang "Condi" Ren-Jie's Graves stealing Invictus Gaming's red buff while AD carry Jin "Mystic" Seong-jun's Jhin picked up first blood in a duo lane outplay at two minutes. Picking up a 3-for-1 teamfight win in the bottom lane at the 10-minute mark, Team WE were massively ahead, punishing iG's lack of waveclear by taking several turrets in the midgame. Securing a Baron kill at 30 minutes, WE surged on the back of Condi's burst damage and Mystic's excellent performance, who finished with a game-high 27,300 damage dealt to enemy champions. Picking up a double kill in a 4-for-0 teamfight at the 36-minute mark, en route to a 7/0/12 KDA (kills/deaths/assists) for 75 percent kill participation, Mystic helped Team WE sweep through Invictus Gaming's base for the 37-minute win.
Invictus Gaming fired back in Game 2, with jungler Ge "KidKid" Yan's Rengar invading Condi's Gragas for first blood. With the rest of iG converting on KidKid's pressure, Team WE found what little advantages it could heading into midgame, slowly clawing its way back into the game. Securing a Baron kill at 36 minutes, Team WE used its superior late game rotations to earn a gold lead through objectives and fantastic teamfighting where Condi shined, landing huge Explosive Casks to disrupt iG's backline en route to a 5/6/10 KDA for 75 percent kill participation. Winning a clean 4-for-0 teamfight around the Elder Dragon at 40 minutes, WE marched through Invictus Gaming's base for the Game 2 win in just over 41 minutes.
Team WE look to continue its winning ways next week when it squares off against I May next Sunday at 5:00 a.m. EST. Invictus Gaming will head out of the frying pan and into the fire next week when it battles Group B frontrunners EDward Gaming on Friday, March 10 at 6:00 a.m. EST.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
QG Reapers vs. OMG
The QG Reapers (4-2, 9-6 match record) took a 2-0 series sweep over OMG (2-4, 5-8) to close out Saturday's action on Week 4, Day 3 of the League of Legends Pro League in Shanghai, China.
OMG jumped out to a minor lead in the early game, but QG Reapers bided their time. Objective control was the name of the game for QG, who kept close to OMG in gold thanks to top laner Kan "Kabe" Ho Man on Shen, who had good uses of Stand United to help QG find picks and skirmish wins when he wasn't applying split pushing pressure. Despite an OMG Baron kill at the 31-minute mark, QG was clearly in control of the late game, repelling OMG's pushes with good side wave control. Taking two Barons in the late game, QG pushed ahead through good objective control and strong poke damage coming out of AD carry Wang "Alone" Zi-Jun's Varus, who dealt 37,900 damage to enemy champions. On the back of two Elder Dragons, two Barons and a 2/2/12 KDA (kills/deaths/assists) from Kabe, QG Reapers outlasted OMG in a 51-minute slobberknocker.
Just as in Game 1, OMG tallied a gold lead of roughly 3,000 at the 15-minute mark thanks to a strong early game, but QG Reapers fought back thanks to mid laner Kim "Doinb" Tae-sang's Vladimir, who put in a ridiculous amount of work. After picking up first blood, Doinb had snowballed in classic Vladimir fashion, becoming an unkillable source of endless magic damage in teamfights. With a 4-for-2 teamfight at 24 minutes to set up a Baron kill shortly afterward, QG used the pressure Doinb created to vault ahead in gold. While a series of poor calls from QG allowed OMG to rush a Baron and Elder Dragon, Doinb could not be denied in teamfights, dealing a ridiculous 64,000 damage to enemy champions to complement a 10/6/8 KDA for 86 percent kill participation. Dominating the late game, QG Reapers took a final 3-for-1 fight in OMG's base to secure the near 51-minute game to close out a 2-0 series sweep.
OMG will look to shake off their loss as they prepare to take on Vici Gaming next Thursday at 3:00 a.m. ET, while QG Reapers will attempt to pick up another win against I MAY next Friday, March 10, at 3:00 a.m. ET.
