The Recap: EU Challenger Series 2 Semifinals
Riot·3/25/2014, 5:01:37 PM·1 votes·501 views
After two lopsided series’ and just three games played, we have our final two teams in the second EU Challenger Series. Judging from the caliber of play shown this week, the finals will be one heck of a series.
NiP boasts a formidable résumé. With three members of the team coming from the Lemondogs' roster, who placed 1st in the EU Season 3 Summer Regular Season, 2nd in the Summer Playoffs, and 9th-10th in the World Championships, this squad boasts multiple threats on any given day. Though, when it came right down to it, the star this week was Freeze, going a combined 7-1-11. A member of NiP for nearly a year (the longest of any current member), Freeze showcased his continued value to the squad, and will likely remain a vital part of NiP’s success in the future.
Trundle is the quintessential anti-tank. When the enemy brings out a big, bad bruiser, it’s hard not to reach for the troll. Unfortunately, as Taylor Cocke pointed out in Time to Troll: Trundle in the LCS, the Rift’s resident pillar-princess isn't perfect. His full strength comes from fighting the biggest, baddest enemies around, but shut him down with a mobile jungler like Vi, or reduce the effectiveness of his ultimate with a damage-oriented laner like Irelia, and Trundle becomes far less effective.
This in mind, Babunia's success on Trundle against Never g1ve up seems a little surprising, since NGU had all the components to shut him down. Morsu rushed a trinity force on Irelia, meaning there was little investment into health, armor, or magic resist for Babunia's Subjugate to steal. Stir in the CC and mobility of Vi, and, on paper, NGU should have stopped Babunia in his tracks. (Or, at the very least, prevented him from taking the first turret of the game.) Yet, Babunia finished the match 8/1/9, hitting a home run with the Lil’ Slugger.
Be sure to catch the remaining EU CS 2 action on Thursday, March 27th, and Friday, March 28th, directly following the EU LCS. For more information on bracketing, scheduling, and more, head over to the EU Challenger Series page.
Gilean splits his time between feeding bot, writing about esports, and feeding mid. If you’d like to receive tips on how to feed harder, you can follow him @HHGilean
Departed vs. Never g1ve up
EU teams just can't catch a break. Lemondogs lost their spot in the EU LCS due to technicalities, Ninjas in Pyjamas begrudgingly forfeited game 2 of their series last week, essentially throwing their 1-0 advantage out the window, and, this week, Never g1ve up (NGU) sullenly went down 0-1 before playing their first match. Due to technical difficulties, NGU were forced to forfeit their first game against Departed. A loss in the first match always damages a team’s momentum, but a loss due to a forfeit is downright soul-crushing. Add in the fact that Departed were already heavily favored by fans, and it’ easy to see how NGU must have struggled moving forward. In the following full game, Departed made easy work of NGU during the laning phase, destroying all of NGU's first-tier turrets while giving up none of their own. Even though NGU would rise to a mid-game rally, Departed only gave up two turrets throughout the entire series. Departed’s early advantage continued to snowball, becoming an unstoppable avalanche that led straight to the Nexus.Reason Gaming vs. Ninjas in Pyjamas
While the series between Reason Gaming (RG) and Ninjas in Pyjamas (NiP) played out sans forfeiture, it was just as one-sided as the previous.. NiP’s wealth of competitive experience generated a visible advantage over RG throughout the series. The second game particularly highlighted this matchup’s theme, with NiP working much like a locomotive, building momentum slowly and steadily. What began as a small gold lead in the early game grew into a healthy lead by mid game, and by late game, NiP's item advantage granted superior map control. While they held on for nearly forty minutes, the ticking clock was no comfort to Reason Gaming, as NiP commandingly closed out the game.Overachievers of the Week
niQ 760 Though everyone on Departed performed well this week, niQ played with particular flair. In a fusion of luck and skill, niQ launched a blind Mega Inferno Bomb into the enemy jungle, claiming the golems and nearly finishing off Lasanga in the process (at 22:03 in the VOD above). In conjunction with this spectacular play, niQ remained brilliant throughout the series. Freeze
NiP boasts a formidable résumé. With three members of the team coming from the Lemondogs' roster, who placed 1st in the EU Season 3 Summer Regular Season, 2nd in the Summer Playoffs, and 9th-10th in the World Championships, this squad boasts multiple threats on any given day. Though, when it came right down to it, the star this week was Freeze, going a combined 7-1-11. A member of NiP for nearly a year (the longest of any current member), Freeze showcased his continued value to the squad, and will likely remain a vital part of NiP’s success in the future.
Surprises of the Week
Trundle Trolls the Top Lane
Trundle is the quintessential anti-tank. When the enemy brings out a big, bad bruiser, it’s hard not to reach for the troll. Unfortunately, as Taylor Cocke pointed out in Time to Troll: Trundle in the LCS, the Rift’s resident pillar-princess isn't perfect. His full strength comes from fighting the biggest, baddest enemies around, but shut him down with a mobile jungler like Vi, or reduce the effectiveness of his ultimate with a damage-oriented laner like Irelia, and Trundle becomes far less effective.
This in mind, Babunia's success on Trundle against Never g1ve up seems a little surprising, since NGU had all the components to shut him down. Morsu rushed a trinity force on Irelia, meaning there was little investment into health, armor, or magic resist for Babunia's Subjugate to steal. Stir in the CC and mobility of Vi, and, on paper, NGU should have stopped Babunia in his tracks. (Or, at the very least, prevented him from taking the first turret of the game.) Yet, Babunia finished the match 8/1/9, hitting a home run with the Lil’ Slugger.
Be sure to catch the remaining EU CS 2 action on Thursday, March 27th, and Friday, March 28th, directly following the EU LCS. For more information on bracketing, scheduling, and more, head over to the EU Challenger Series page.
Gilean splits his time between feeding bot, writing about esports, and feeding mid. If you’d like to receive tips on how to feed harder, you can follow him @HHGilean