The Recap: LPL Week 4
Riot·3/17/2014, 11:25:41 PM·0 votes·701 views
OMG came out on the other side of their six-game gauntlet looking stronger and more versatile than ever—and still undefeated. LGD won a series against Royal Club; Positive Energy proved capable of a comeback against Energy Pacemaker, and EP also fell to Edward Gaming this week.
Not only did Styz find a pentakill and a quadrakill in LGD's series against Royal Club, but he remained solid against OMG. His smart plays included faking out the enemy duo lane by using an Ezreal Mystic Shot to pretend to check a bush his jungler occupied and stealing two dragons with Trueshot Barrage. OMG gave up banning Caitlyn when Styz proved himself just as capable with Ezreal.
Gogoing
It's hard to argue with the amount of MVP points OMG's top laner racked up this week. While he's been somewhat of an afterthought to OMG's star duo lane, he all but solo carried at least two games this weekend on his Renekton. Even when san fell behind NaMei, he was there to 3v1 and help his team remain undefeated.
bigpomelo
Certain naysayers have questioned moving bigpomelo to the jungle when Lovelin performed so well last summer, but he quelled many voices this weekend. He fueled Renekton in the top lane, secured a majority of OMG's dragons, and sniped a handful of rebellious enemy AD carries. Expect Kha'Zix to join the untenable list of must bans against OMG.
After the first couple weeks, OMG looked shaky. They had difficulty closing their series against Royal Club, who went down with the merest of struggles to World Elite. This week, they faced the rising Edward Gaming and LGD Gaming and managed to force both teams to surrender at 20 minutes in the second game. Not only have they proven themselves capable of taking long games with solid coordination, but they have been able to adapt to new teams and find their weaknesses for a quick close. Barring a Fnatic-style skid, LPL appears to once again belong to OMG this season.
After one of the most exciting games of the week in which NaMei and Fzzf became the first bottom lane to decimate OMG's san and Allen, Edward Gaming chose to go for a 2v1 lane swap strategy that caused them to fall behind. In the first game of the series, EDG were looking like they would be the first team to come back and send OMG to their knees, as they typically perform better in the second games of their sets. Instead, at around twenty minutes with a ten thousand gold deficit, Edward Gaming huddled on their fountain and looked for an opportunity to surrender.
For more updates on 2014 LPL Spring, check out lolesports.com.
GAMES OF THE WEEK
Edward Gaming vs OMG Game 1 - Get the VoD here Allen has been looking stronger than ever with mage picks in the support role, and he and san had yet to lose lane until this week. NaMei and Fzzf amassed a sizeable farm and kill lead, allowing ClearLove to pick up the first dragon for a change. But the jungler's divergence from his preferred top lane focus became a problem as bigpomelo and Gogoing managed to snowball off kills on Koro1. As a pair, they extended their influence to mid lane, and both solo lanes went in OMG's favor. Still, NaMei and Fzzf may have put up one of their best performances, making this game well worth watching. Positive Energy vs Energy Pacemaker Game 2 - Get the VoD here Energy Pacemaker rallied for a comeback after a devastating loss in Game 1. They began behind early, but k4ne led the charge, farming and positioning well in fights so that his team could come back. However, what one team can do, so can another, and Positive Energy found footing in a bottom lane fight and slowly worked their way back into the game. LGD Gaming vs OMG Game 2 - Get the VoD here LGD Gaming has taken to the fast-paced style OMG pioneered, and as OMG favored slower farm-fests this split, LGD challenged them to meet their aggression. Both teams caught each other out frequently, but as the game wound to a midpoint, OMG took decisive control, abusing pressure put forth by bigpomelo out-rotating Quan. Regardless of the victor, this game is the perfect example of what makes Chinese League of Legends engrossing: action so constant you'll miss it if you turn away.BIG PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Styz
Not only did Styz find a pentakill and a quadrakill in LGD's series against Royal Club, but he remained solid against OMG. His smart plays included faking out the enemy duo lane by using an Ezreal Mystic Shot to pretend to check a bush his jungler occupied and stealing two dragons with Trueshot Barrage. OMG gave up banning Caitlyn when Styz proved himself just as capable with Ezreal.
Gogoing
It's hard to argue with the amount of MVP points OMG's top laner racked up this week. While he's been somewhat of an afterthought to OMG's star duo lane, he all but solo carried at least two games this weekend on his Renekton. Even when san fell behind NaMei, he was there to 3v1 and help his team remain undefeated.
bigpomelo
Certain naysayers have questioned moving bigpomelo to the jungle when Lovelin performed so well last summer, but he quelled many voices this weekend. He fueled Renekton in the top lane, secured a majority of OMG's dragons, and sniped a handful of rebellious enemy AD carries. Expect Kha'Zix to join the untenable list of must bans against OMG.
SURPRISE OF THE WEEK
OMG remains undefeated
After the first couple weeks, OMG looked shaky. They had difficulty closing their series against Royal Club, who went down with the merest of struggles to World Elite. This week, they faced the rising Edward Gaming and LGD Gaming and managed to force both teams to surrender at 20 minutes in the second game. Not only have they proven themselves capable of taking long games with solid coordination, but they have been able to adapt to new teams and find their weaknesses for a quick close. Barring a Fnatic-style skid, LPL appears to once again belong to OMG this season.
DISAPPOINTMENT OF THE WEEK
Edward Gaming surrenders at 20
After one of the most exciting games of the week in which NaMei and Fzzf became the first bottom lane to decimate OMG's san and Allen, Edward Gaming chose to go for a 2v1 lane swap strategy that caused them to fall behind. In the first game of the series, EDG were looking like they would be the first team to come back and send OMG to their knees, as they typically perform better in the second games of their sets. Instead, at around twenty minutes with a ten thousand gold deficit, Edward Gaming huddled on their fountain and looked for an opportunity to surrender.
For more updates on 2014 LPL Spring, check out lolesports.com.
