This article is part of our LoL Recap series.
OMG vs. EDward Gaming
A change in the mid lane turned out smashing for OMG (4-5, 10-11 match record) who took down EDward Gaming (6-3, 13-9) in a 2-1 upset on Thursday to kick off Week 6, Day 1 of the League of Legends Pro League in Shanghai, China.
Falling behind in basically every lane, OMG seemed doomed to get slowly choked out in Game 1, but a huge 5-for-0 ace at 13 minutes put them in the driver's seat. Substitute "mid laner" Yan "JueJue" Hong had a surprisingly good performance as Zed, considering he's a jungler, finding assassinations throughout the mid game to keep OMG ahead. Roaming together and dominating objectives, securing four Elemental Drakes to EDG's zero, OMG surged in the mid-late game, thanks in part to support Liu "Five" Shi-Yu's MVP performance on Lulu. Five was crucial to OMG's strong teamfighting, locking down EDward Gaming with clutch Whimsy casts en route to a 0/1/18 KDA (kills/deaths/assists) for 82 percent kill participation in a shocking 35-minute OMG win.
EDG came back in Game 2 with a strong early game for their bot lane, picking up several kills and first turret gold at the 14-minute mark. While OMG were eager to fight in the mid game, EDG mid laner Lee "Scout" Ye-chan was massive on Jayce, given the Rift Herald buff by his team and dealing massive poke damage while picking up kills to put EDG ahead. Transitioning into the late game, Scout's game-high 31,300 damage to enemy champions prevented OMG from garnering any momentum as EDG took a 28-minute Baron kill. While OMG picked up a 4-for-1 fight in a desperate defense of their base, a triple kill for Scout as part of his 14/1/10 KDA in a 4-for-2 fight a few minutes later sealed the deal for EDdward Gaming, taking Game 2 in 35 minutes.
A tense Game 3 saw both teams trading kills back and forth throughout the early game, but OMG top laner Hu "Xiyang" Bin made the difference early as Renekton, picking up early kills and applying immense pressure. As an unkillable monster, Xiyang gave the rest of OMG the room they needed to snowball ahead, despite getting occasionally picked by EDward Gaming's Ashe/Lee Sin combination. After a horrendous Baron attempt at 25 minutes, OMG took a 5-for-2 ace a few minutes later to secure the Baron, decimating EDG's defenses. With a final 5-for-1 ace at 37 minutes on the back of AD carry Han "Smlz" Jin's Kog'Maw quadra kill, OMG took the upset victory over EDward Gaming in 38 minutes.
EDG will next take on recent upstarts Snake Esports on Saturday at 6:00 a.m ET, while OMG will have to wait until Sunday to take on NewBee at 5:00 a.m ET.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Team WE vs. LGD Gaming
Team WE demolished LGD Gaming on Thursday to close out Week 6, Day 1 of the League of Legends Pro League in Shanghai.
Team WE (6-2, 13-6 match record) came out swinging in Game 1 as top laner Ke "957" Chang-Yu's Gragas secured first blood with help from jungler Xiang "Condi" Ren-Jie's Rengar just three minutes in. Condi snowballed hard off of the early lead as Team WE roamed around the map and methodically dismantled LGD throughout the early- and mid-games. Condi got several assassinations throughout the game, giving Team WE the space they needed to smash through LGD's towers.
LGD (2-7, 7-14) looked lost in the late game as WE killed three people to secure Baron, and LGD looked especially helpless against Condi, who dealt a game-high 21,500 damage while earning a flawless 12/0/5 KDA (kills/deaths/assists) for 85 percent kill participation and game MVP honors. Cruising through LGD's base, Team WE took an easy 28-minute win.
It took longer for WE to pop off in Game 2, but when it did, the move was emphatic. WE secured an early Infernal Drake before turning a LGD bot lane dive into a 4-for-1 teamfight win around the 10-minute mark. Team WE AD carry Jin "Mystic" Seong-jun secured three kills on Jhin during the dive, snowballing hard as WE's high-damage composition took over the map.
Following Game 1's script for the mid game, WE took skirmish wins as Condi's Graves picked up solo kills to stay ahead the entire series. After securing a Baron and picking up three more kills at 26 minutes, Team WE completed the decimation of LGD Gaming with a 29-minute win.
LGD Gaming look to recover with a series against Vici Gaming on Saturday at 1 a.m ET, while Team WE gear up for a clash of LPL leaders as they face Royal Never Give Up on Saturday at 4 a.m ET.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
NewBee vs. I May
Week 6, Day 2 of the League of Legends Pro League began with a bang as Newbee (3-6, 9-14 match record) out-fiesta'd I May (4-5, 9-12 match record) for the 2-1 series win in Shanghai, China on Friday.
Newbee had a solid start to Game 1 as jungler Baek "Swift" Da-hoon's Elise hit a prediction Cocoon to secure first blood at four minutes. I May quickly turned the tides, however, taking mid game skirmishes while top laner Shek "AmazingJ" Wai Ho's Camille applied immense splitpushing pressure. After taking a 3-for-0 fight at the 22-minute mark, I May secured its first Baron of the game, blasting through Newbee's outer turrets. With AmazingJ dealing a game-high 21,100 damage to enemy champions, a second Baron buff and 4-for-0 teamfight gave I May the 38-minute Game 1 win.
Newbee came firing back in Game 2 on the back of Swift's Graves, who put on a clinic on how to dominate the early game. Taking out I May jungler Tu "Ben4" Xin-Cheng's Rengar at his Blue buff just over two minutes in, Swift picked up two more early kills in a flurry of early activity that gave him a commanding 1,000 gold lead over Ben4 at five minutes. While Swift's over-aggression occasionally cost Newbee, Newbee still smashed I May in teamfights, taking a 3-for-0 and Baron kill at 26 minutes. With Swift posting a monstrous 10/3/5 KDA alongside a game-high 27,200 damage and Newbee holding a gold lead of nearly 9,000 gold at the 30-minute mark, it only took a 5-for-2 ace in the top lane and a follow-up 4-for-0 fight win for Newbee to surge through Game 2 in 33 minutes.
In a crucial Game 3, Swift once again popped off early, this time as Rengar, picking up two breath-taking kills before 10 minutes. Despite I May staying afloat in the mid game through teamfighting, Newbee found several picks heading into the late game, giving them the first Baron of the game at 35 minutes. A botched Newbee Baron attempt to end the game at 39 minutes gave I May the space it needed to secure an Elder Dragon, but Newbee would not be deterred. Fueled by debuting top laner Fan "Skye" Qi-Fang's Rumble, who dealt a staggering 48,500 damage to enemy champions, and Swift, who earned MVP honors with a 4/5/12 KDA for 76 percent kill participation, Newbee survived the nearly hour long fiesta to take a final 4-for-2 teamfight and the series with the Game 3 win coming just under 53 minutes.
I May next take to the Rift on Sunday, where they'll battle Game Talents at 3:00 a.m ET, followed by Newbee taking on OMG at 6:00 a.m ET.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
IG vs. QG Reapers
Invictus Gaming (5-4, 13-9 match record) picked up a statement win Friday, beating QG Reapers (5-4, 13-10 match record) 2-1 to close out Week 6, Day 2 of the League of Legends Pro League in Shanghai, China.
QG Reapers put together a good early game in Game 1 as jungler Kim "Clid" Tae-min's Rengar picked up a couple of kills, but Invictus Gaming came back through skirmishing. While iG snowballed its lead into turret kills, it couldn't pull away from QG, who stayed in the game on the back of mid laner Kim "Doinb" Tae-sang's Karma. Taking a 3-for-0 fight near Baron before securing the buff at the 33-minute mark, QG was in complete control of the late game, netting an Elder Dragon kill shortly afterwards before pushing to end the game. With Doinb landing massive Soulflares en route to his game-high 26,000 damage and 2/1/10 KDA (kills/deaths/assists) for 100 percent kill participation, QG Reapers overcame its mid game struggles to take Game 1 in 37 minutes.
Invictus Gaming came firing back in Game 2 as jungler Ge "KidKid" Yan's Rengar took over the early game, picking up the first couple of kills throughout a slow paced early-mid game. QG tried to get back in the game with an Infernal Drake at 23 minutes but iG took a 5-for-1 ace, taking full control of the game. While it took a long time, QG Reapers couldn't last against the weight of Invictus' two Baron kills and mid laner Song "Rookie" Eui-jin's Zed posting a KDA of 10/1/8 for 78 percent kill participation in the 35-minute Game 2 win.
In a crucial Game 3, Invictus Gaming and QG Reapers traded kills back and forth across the map, but Invictus Gaming held onto a 5,000 gold lead at 25 minutes thanks to its 4-to-1 tower advantage. Invictus dominated objectives from the get-go, securing four Elemental Drakes (two mountain, one infernal, and one ocean) to put themselves ahead in the late game. Securing a Baron kill alongside a delayed 5-for-1 ace at the 34-minute mark, Invictus Gaming were firing on all cylinders, empowered by support Wang "Megan" Liu-Yi's Nami, who hit huge Aqua Prisons and Tidal Waves to set up the rest of his team en route to his 87 percent kill participation. Outscaling QG Reapers, Invictus pushed straight up the bottom lane to take the 37-minute Game 3 win.
Invictus Gaming will take to the Rift next week when they take on Vici Gaming on Thursday at 5:00 a.m ET, while QG Reapers gear up for a huge showdown against Royal Never Give Up on Friday at 5:00 a.m ET.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
LGD vs. Vici Gaming
LGD picked up a convincing series victory against VG, dominating them in a 2-0 series sweep late on Friday to kick off Week 6, Day 3 of the League of Legends Pro League in Shanghai.
Game 1 saw both teams playing conservatively in the early game. With few kills, it seemed as though nobody would find a solid lead, but this changed quickly when LGD mid laner Wei "GodV" Zhen secured several teamfight victories thanks to his strong Lissandra play. As LGD Gaming (2-7, 7-14 match score) found skirmish victories, they gained a sizeable advantage, forcing Vici Gaming (2-6, 6-13 match score) to make aggressive moves. This proved to be the death of Vici as it tried to force a Baron at 39 minutes that let GodV and Lim "Jinoo" Jin-woo's Fiora find a devastating flank, securing a teamfight win and Baron, which let LGD close out the game with ease.
Vici made small improvements in their play for Game 2, starting things off by picking up several kills for themselves, with most going to mid laner Lee "Easyhoon" Ji-hoon's Vladimir. Unfortunately for VG, GodV's Syndra and jungler Tang "Intruder" Sheng's Elise had other plans, forcing objectives and towers early to dismantle VG's defenses. In several teamfights, Intruder and Jinoo's Renekton were able to create picks that set LGD up to close things out. On the back of Intruder's MVP performance, they created picks that gave LGD multiple advantages. Focusing down Easyhoon's Vladimir and Pi "XuanXuanPi" Xiao-Xuan's Ashe, they were able to take back-to-back teamfights, closing out the game in 34 minutes to secure the series sweep.
LGD will next take on NewBee on Friday during Week 7, Day 3 at 3 a.m ET, while VG will look to bounce back as they take on Invictus Gaming Thursday, Week 7, Day 1 at 5 a.m. ET.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Team WE vs. RNG
In a rare battle of League of Legends Pro League group leaders, Royal Never Give Up took on Team WE on Week 6, Day 3. In a hard-fought slobberknocker, Team WE left Shanghai with a 2-1 series win on Saturday.
RNG landed the first blow in the series with a crushing Game 1 win, beginning with substitute jungler Wang "Baybay" You-Chun's Elise picking up first blood at eight minutes. Rotating well in the mid-game, Royal Never Give Up (7-2, 15-7 match record) sent all five members mid at 11 minutes allowing them to secure two kills and a Mountain Drake. Dominating Team WE (8-2, 17-7 match record) with a 5-for-1 ace after WE picked up a Mountain Drake, RNG shined as AD carry Jian "Uzi" Zi-Hao's Ezreal popped off, securing kills throughout the game while dealing a game-high 26,500 damage to enemy champions. Securing a Baron kill, RNG kept its foot on the gas pedal, relentlessly sweeping through WE's base while Uzi earned a flawless 7/0/3 KDA (kills/deaths/assists) for 83 percent kill participation and game MVP honors as RNG took Game 1 in just under 29 minutes.
RNG continued to excel in the early game as Baybay's Kha'Zix picked up another first blood before 10 minutes to start Game 2. RNG mid laner Li "Xiaohu" Yuan-Hao had a prolific mid game as Taliyah, using the Weaver's Wall to create picks for RNG, but Team WE stayed close in gold. Biding its time, WE took over the mid-late game with a 2-for-0 skirmish at the 22-minute mark, giving Team WE a free Baron kill which it used to demolish RNG's defenses. Methodically choking RNG out of the map, Team WE secured a second Baron kill at 32 minutes, pushing into RNG's base and taking an extended 5-for-1 fight in a 35-minute Game 2 win.
In a crucial Game 3, Team WE controlled the tempo from the start as Xiaohu's Vladimir picked up first blood at just six minutes. Dominating the objective game, WE secured three Ocean Drakes, one Mountain Drake, and two Baron buffs throughout the course of the game, consistently shutting down RNG's attempts to claw back into the game. Support Nam "Ben" Dong-hyun was clutch down the stretch on Nami, landing huge Aqua Prisons in the mid and late game to put WE ahead. Looking nothing like the team that got so thoroughly stomped in Game 1, Team WE took control of the league with a 35-minute Game 3 win.
Royal Never Give Up will look to shake off the loss as they prepare for another tough matchup against QG Reapers on Friday at 5 a.m ET, while Team WE squares off against OMG on Saturday at 1 a.m ET.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
EDward Gaming vs. Snake
In the final match of Week 6, Day 3 of the League of Legends Pro League, EDward Gaming left Shanghai with a 2-1 series win over Snake Esports to close out Saturday's action.
Making his triumphant return to the LPL, EDG jungler Ming "Clearlove" Kai made an early impact as Rek'Sai in Game 1, helping mid laner Lee "Scout" Ye-chan's LeBlanc snowball ahead with several kills before the 10-minute mark. Roaming together throughout early, Clearlove and Scout controlled the game with ease for EDward Gaming (7-3, 15-10 match record), securing three Elemental Drakes while finding picks on Snake Esports (4-5, 9-12 match record) and its scattered split-pushers. After securing a 26-minute Baron, EDG was incredibly far ahead, coasting on the back of Scout's flawless 5/0/4 KDA (kills/deaths/assists) for 82 percent kill participation and MVP honors as EDward Gaming took Game 1 in 29 minutes.
Game 2 looked like another stomp for EDG as it picked up an early kill advantage, but Snake Esports stayed in the game thanks to its split-pushing. Top laner Li "Flandre" Xuan-Jun's Camille was a force to be reckoned with, knocking down towers while being able to kill individual EDG members as Snake kept EDG from snowballing ahead with a gold lead. Securing a risky Baron call at 24 minutes while losing only one member, Snake Esports took down several towers while jungler Le "SofM" Quang Duy's Kha'Zix found picks to keep Snake in control en route to a 5/1/1 KDA. In dramatic fashion, after EDG started Baron at around the 34-minute mark, Flandre and mid laner Liu "Zz1tai" Zhi-Hao's Ekko secured a kill in the bottom lane, pushing all the way through EDG's base while SofM stopped EDG's recalls to take Game 2 in 35 minutes.
EDward Gaming appeared to get back on track in Game 3, as Scout's Ekko roamed around the map early to pick up kills alongside Clearlove's Elise. Snowballing its advantages, Clearlove made sure that EDG top laner Chen "Mouse" Yu-Hao's Camille got fed, giving him several kills to get rolling. Mouse applied immense splitpushing pressure as the game was close throughout the mid game, forcing Snake into making a critical mistake. Trying to rush a Baron kill around 25 minutes, EDG collapsed to pick up a 4-for-0 fight and Baron kill, using the buff to smash through Snake's towers. With Mouse able to fight 1 vs. 3 in the late game with a flawless KDA of 5/0/4 and 75 percent kill participation, EDward Gaming had no problems sweeping through Snake's base to lock down a 32-minute win.
Snake Esports will look to recover on Thursday when it takes on Game Talents at 8 a.m ET, while EDward Gaming prepares to battle I May on Friday at 8 a.m ET.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Game Talents vs. I May
I May demolished Game Talents to kick off Week 6, Day 4 of the League of Legends Pro League in Shanghai, taking a commanding 2-0 series sweep on Sunday.
I May (5-5, 11-12 match record) got on the board early with a first blood in the top lane, allowing top laner Shek "AmazingJ" Wai Ho's Camille to snowball out of control. Rotating as a team, I May smothered Game Talents (3-6, 8-14 match record) in the mid game, picking up a 5-for-0 ace on the back of a triple kill from AD carry Xie "Jinjiao" Jin-Shan's Ashe that secured Baron buff for IM. With AmazingJ popping off, dealing a game-high 14,100 damage to enemy champions while earning a flawless 2/0/9 KDA (kills/deaths/assists) for 79 percent kill participation, I May cruised to a ruthlessly quick Game 1 win in just over 23 minutes.
It took longer for I May to get going in Game 2, but overall the script didn't change much. I May earned a mid game lead through solid skirmishing before finding a crucial teamfight around Baron to open the game up. Taking a 4-for-1 teamfight at the 25-minute mark on the back of AmazingJ's Camille, again earning MVP honors by dealing a game-high 19,100 damage while posting a 5/0/9 KDA for 78 percent kill participation, I May secured a Baron kill at 26 minutes and would use the buff to destroy Game Talents. While it was admirable of Game Talents to allow I May to basically pick their team composition from Game 1, it came back to bite Game Talents as I May took the series with a 29-minute win.
Game Talents have little time to recover from this thorough thrashing as they face Snake Esports on Thursday at 8 a.m ET, while I May will look to maintain their momentum as they take on EDward Gaming on Friday at 8 a.m ET.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
NewBee vs. OMG
OMG closed out Week 6, Day 4 of the League of Legends Pro League with a harrowing 2-1 series win over Newbee on Sunday in Shanghai.
OMG (5-5, 12-12 match record) started Game 1 on a high note, losing first blood but picking up a 2-for-1 in that same fight to earn an early gold lead. After a chaotic and scrappy mid game where Newbee (3-7, 10-16 match record) couldn't gain any ground on OMG's gold lead, OMG rushed a Baron kill at 29 minutes, giving it the edge it needed to crack open Newbee's base. With AD carry Han "S1mLz" Jin's Ziggs dealing a game-high 23,900 damage to enemy champions, OMG had all the tools it needed to take the win home, picking up a clean 5-for-0 ace after securing a four-stacked Elder Dragon en route to a 41-minute win.
After a meandering performance in Game 1, Newbee bounced back in Game 2 after an early skirmish over practically nothing at two minutes went 3-for-3, sending four people to the bottom lane to pick up two kills. Newbee AD carry Lin "Lwx" Wei-Xiang had a big time performance as Ezreal, picking up a triple kill in the top lane to solidify a 4,000-gold lead for NB. Picking up a quadra kill at 24 minutes as NB secured a Baron kill, Lwx was popping off too hard for OMG to handle, dealing a massive 28,800 damage while earning a 10/3/4 KDA (kills/deaths/assists) for 70 percent kill participation in Newbee's 31-minute Game 2 win.
In the biggest fiesta of the series, Newbee was in control early thanks to mid laner Yu "Cool" Jia-Jun's Twisted Fate, picking up early kills with uses of Destiny/Gate to roam across the map. Newbee tried too hard to push its lead, however, resulting in a 4-for-0 teamfight win for OMG at 17 minutes. Picking up three Mountain Drakes and a Baron kill by the 30-minute mark, OMG rocketed ahead of Newbee thanks to S1mLz, whose Jhin play helped OMG rise above the chaos storm of Newbee. Securing a charged up Elder Dragon, second Baron buff, and several inhibitor kills throughout an extended late game, S1mLz's flawless 12/0/13 KDA for 83 percent kill participation put OMG too far ahead to fail as he picked up a quadra kill in a final 5-for-0 ace to give the Dark Lords of the LPL the 46-minute win.
OMG face stiff competition in Team WE on Saturday at 1 a.m ET, followed by Newbee, who square off against LGD Gaming right afterwards at 4 a.m ET.
