The Recap: LPL Week 7
Riot·4/7/2014, 9:46:14 PM·0 votes·981 views
If Week 6 was a repeat of history, Week 7 was a week of upsets. The first day started off harmless enough with Energy Pacemaker and Invictus Gaming squeezing out another draw and OMG defeating Royal Club. But after RC defeated Positive Energy again on Saturday, iG found their first 2-0 against LGD Gaming, exposing further cracks in one of LPL's new teams. Then on Sunday, after EDG came out on top against EP, World Elite surprised many with aggressive play-making and split their series 1-1 against OMG.
Invictus Gaming had their best week of the split, and given the AD carry focus in the LPL meta, it's unsurprising that Kid was a big part of their success. He capitalized well on smart picks by his support, Kitties, and managed to keep himself well-positioned even when the rest of his team abandoned him to dive the back lines. In addition, his laning granted iG early dragon kills which they covet above almost all else. For those who have watched iG and seen Kid shine even when the rest of his team struggled, it felt like his hard work finally paid off.
kmi
Many have said that Uzi far and away out-classes other members of his team, but to agree would be to overlook one of the strongest junglers in LPL. Though OMG nearly flattened Royal Club, Kmi's fast plays against Positive Energy on both Lee Sin and Jarvan IV—a champion normally banned against him—helped Uzi control his lane and smash through the series. The essential 2-0 keeps the team in sixth place for now, just above relegation, and with kmi's smart play-making, some may wonder how successful RC's roster could have been in Season 3 with kmi in Lucky's place.
suk1M
Some of the other mid laners in LPL have referred to suk1M as one of the best mids in China. So far, his performances have been mixed, but this week he stood out as a prominent carry in both of World Elite's games. His play on Syndra and Yasuo impressed after notable failures on both champions throughout the rest of the season. In Sunday's games, World Elite seemed to finally "click" as a team, and suk1M stood dead center.
After being the favorites to take the 2014 LPL Spring, Invictus Gaming has exhibited lackluster performances. Though their games are always interesting, their unpredictability makes them look like both the best team in LPL and the worst. This week showed marked improvements in their late game coordination, allowing them to nearly 2-0 Energy Pacemaker and then to actually 2-0 LGD Gaming. One can hope that from here on out, everything is looking up for iG, but if their track record is any indication, there's no way of guessing how next week will treat them.
Every success means failure elsewhere in competitive League of Legends, and LGD Gaming experienced their second lost set in a row, setting their losing streak at four games. With a roster full of individual talent, it's disheartening to see LGD fall to teams they defeated handily earlier this split. For a team dependent on getting a selection of champion picks, Riven's nerf hitting the Chinese servers has been a blow to LGD, as opposing teams now can target members of the team besides Star. A regroup is in order if LGD wants to regain third place from WE's clutches and avoid dropping below iG.
For more updates on 2014 LPL Spring, check out lolesports.com.
GAMES OF THE WEEK
Invictus Gaming vs Energy Pacemaker Game 1 - Get the VOD here While neither team played this game perfectly, both teams provided unexpected turns in flow. With both teams placing a vice grip on early game dragon control, it came down to which team could rally to take the late game. IG showed the first glimmers of teamfight coordination while playing from behind perhaps all split and nearly managed a comeback, but EP's final Baron play won them the game. Invictus Gaming vs LGD Gaming Game 1 - Get the VOD here It seemed extremely likely that iG would lose this game after falling behind early, considering they had yet to make a successful comeback this split. Kitties found successful picks however, and Zzitai's Ziggs's Mega Inferno Bombs were game-changing. LGD Gaming's individual performances were put the ultimate test against iG's superior coordination, and the latter team found the momentum to carry this win into their first 2-0 victory this split. OMG vs World Elite Game 2 - Get the VOD here OMG's loss count doubled this week when World Elite gave them their second draw of the split. WE were able to make the early game plays they lacked earlier this season and carry the game into a team phase where both they and OMG excelled. In addition, sukiM fans will be happy to see that he learned to use Yasuo effectively after his disappointing performance on the champion at the IEM World Championships, and WeiXiao brought flashes of nostalgia from early Season 3 when he managed to outplay Allen and san in lane.BIG PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Kid
Invictus Gaming had their best week of the split, and given the AD carry focus in the LPL meta, it's unsurprising that Kid was a big part of their success. He capitalized well on smart picks by his support, Kitties, and managed to keep himself well-positioned even when the rest of his team abandoned him to dive the back lines. In addition, his laning granted iG early dragon kills which they covet above almost all else. For those who have watched iG and seen Kid shine even when the rest of his team struggled, it felt like his hard work finally paid off.
kmi
Many have said that Uzi far and away out-classes other members of his team, but to agree would be to overlook one of the strongest junglers in LPL. Though OMG nearly flattened Royal Club, Kmi's fast plays against Positive Energy on both Lee Sin and Jarvan IV—a champion normally banned against him—helped Uzi control his lane and smash through the series. The essential 2-0 keeps the team in sixth place for now, just above relegation, and with kmi's smart play-making, some may wonder how successful RC's roster could have been in Season 3 with kmi in Lucky's place.
suk1M
Some of the other mid laners in LPL have referred to suk1M as one of the best mids in China. So far, his performances have been mixed, but this week he stood out as a prominent carry in both of World Elite's games. His play on Syndra and Yasuo impressed after notable failures on both champions throughout the rest of the season. In Sunday's games, World Elite seemed to finally "click" as a team, and suk1M stood dead center.
SURPRISE OF THE WEEK
Invictus Gaming's first 2-0
After being the favorites to take the 2014 LPL Spring, Invictus Gaming has exhibited lackluster performances. Though their games are always interesting, their unpredictability makes them look like both the best team in LPL and the worst. This week showed marked improvements in their late game coordination, allowing them to nearly 2-0 Energy Pacemaker and then to actually 2-0 LGD Gaming. One can hope that from here on out, everything is looking up for iG, but if their track record is any indication, there's no way of guessing how next week will treat them.
DISAPPOINTMENT OF THE WEEK
LGD Gaming's loss streak continues
Every success means failure elsewhere in competitive League of Legends, and LGD Gaming experienced their second lost set in a row, setting their losing streak at four games. With a roster full of individual talent, it's disheartening to see LGD fall to teams they defeated handily earlier this split. For a team dependent on getting a selection of champion picks, Riven's nerf hitting the Chinese servers has been a blow to LGD, as opposing teams now can target members of the team besides Star. A regroup is in order if LGD wants to regain third place from WE's clutches and avoid dropping below iG.
For more updates on 2014 LPL Spring, check out lolesports.com.
