LPL Summer Preview: The Game for EDG’s Throne
Riot·6/12/2014, 8:13:47 PM·0 votes·393 views
Edward Gaming didn’t pull an upset. Despite OMG’s regular season record of 25-3 in 2014 LPL Spring, The International Esports Tournament revealed a weakness in OMG’s strategy that every team facing them going forward could easily have exploited. Invictus Gaming, the only team to hold an even record with OMG during the split, took the team down in the Playoffs, and Edward Gaming, still yet to lose a game to iG, 3-0’d them in turn.
EDG’s victory in the playoffs wasn’t an upset, but their dominating first appearance on the scene certainly was, and the strides they took to improve throughout the 2014 LPL Spring Split are shocking. During the regular season, EDG may have won every game against iG, but they never did so before 40 minutes. In the Playoffs, they forced iG into a 26 minute surrender.
Going into LPL Summer, EDG is the team with targets on their backs. They have strong rivalries with all three of the playoff teams from LPL Spring, and the rising opposition is ready to add a few sharks to already infested waters. As fans begin to cheer on EDG, originally known as a “team of traitors,” the question is whether any of their opponents can take them down.
It’s no secret that relations between EDG and fan favorites World Elite and iG aren’t the smoothest. EDG’s owner reportedly built the team to contest iG’s rising dominance in the offseason before 2014 LPL Spring. With a standing 7-0 LPL record against iG, it’s safe to say the team has delivered so far, but iG will definitely be looking to change that.
Their new top laner, YoungSu, might not be an instant fix, but if he can help iG punish EDG for their blooming camp-the-bottom lane strategy, he’ll instantly win the hearts of PDD loyalists. EDG’s new fast-paced games are still just that: new. Meanwhile, iG’s illuSion has been camping forcing early fights since he joined the team. If any team can find holes in EDG’s early game, it’s iG, and they’ll get their chance in Week Two.
Signs of steeper grudges softening between WE and EDG are cropping up. The team captains, Ming “ClearLove” Kai and Gao “WeiXiao” Xuecheng have been spotted queueing together. At the start of the Spring split, the ill will was too thick for WE and EDG join forces as sister teams, but now they stand as the only teams from last split without any roster changes.
While WE’s showing in the Playoffs was extremely hit-or-miss, it revealed the effects of new coach Hiro’s influence on their team compositions. A little more time has given WE a chance to patch some of the flaws, making the last match of the first round in Week Five a much-anticipated faceoff between “frenemies.”
There isn’t necessarily any bad blood between OMG and EDG, but you can expect OMG isn’t happy about EDG exposing their weaknesses in the finals of IET. EDG’s strategy to focus Hu “xiyang” Bin in champion select and in the laning phase saw xiyang sent to play as starting mid laner on OMG’s recently relegated sister team, Positive Energy, while Yu “Cool” Jia-Jun returns to the throne. OMG and EDG’s match this weekend will settle who the real reigning titans are: the Spring Split Leaders, or the Spring Split Playoff Champions.
Meanwhile, World Elite Academy has been nipping at their sister team’s heels since they bested them at G League semifinals in January. This weekend, they finally have a chance to show up WE again, and everyone is wondering just how strong these LSPL leaders really are. WE.A could be the next EDG, but after they were 2-0’d handily by them at IET, they would certainly have to upset expectations to do it.
Avoiding giving EDG direct access to World’s is the goal, and with so many competitors nipping at their heels, they cannot allow their ticket to Regionals to allow them to grow complacent. With Korean coaches joining the fray, this could be the split where Chinese strategy catches up with their talent pool. Any team missing the growth spurt will lose a plane ride to Seoul.
The first best-of-two between Invictus Gaming and Young Glory begins on June 14th at 1:00am PDT.
FIERCE RIVALRIES
It’s no secret that relations between EDG and fan favorites World Elite and iG aren’t the smoothest. EDG’s owner reportedly built the team to contest iG’s rising dominance in the offseason before 2014 LPL Spring. With a standing 7-0 LPL record against iG, it’s safe to say the team has delivered so far, but iG will definitely be looking to change that.
Their new top laner, YoungSu, might not be an instant fix, but if he can help iG punish EDG for their blooming camp-the-bottom lane strategy, he’ll instantly win the hearts of PDD loyalists. EDG’s new fast-paced games are still just that: new. Meanwhile, iG’s illuSion has been camping forcing early fights since he joined the team. If any team can find holes in EDG’s early game, it’s iG, and they’ll get their chance in Week Two.
Signs of steeper grudges softening between WE and EDG are cropping up. The team captains, Ming “ClearLove” Kai and Gao “WeiXiao” Xuecheng have been spotted queueing together. At the start of the Spring split, the ill will was too thick for WE and EDG join forces as sister teams, but now they stand as the only teams from last split without any roster changes.
While WE’s showing in the Playoffs was extremely hit-or-miss, it revealed the effects of new coach Hiro’s influence on their team compositions. A little more time has given WE a chance to patch some of the flaws, making the last match of the first round in Week Five a much-anticipated faceoff between “frenemies.”
There isn’t necessarily any bad blood between OMG and EDG, but you can expect OMG isn’t happy about EDG exposing their weaknesses in the finals of IET. EDG’s strategy to focus Hu “xiyang” Bin in champion select and in the laning phase saw xiyang sent to play as starting mid laner on OMG’s recently relegated sister team, Positive Energy, while Yu “Cool” Jia-Jun returns to the throne. OMG and EDG’s match this weekend will settle who the real reigning titans are: the Spring Split Leaders, or the Spring Split Playoff Champions.
UNDERDOGS
A battle of colossi is nothing without the threat of a usurper, and LPL Summer has at least two contenders for the role. StarHorn Royal Club has already played a best-of-three against Young Glory in the Demacia Cup on Monday. Their deep early wards were effective, allowing them to swiftly 2-0 YG. Though SHRC placed sixth in LPL Spring, barely avoiding relegation, their new lineup is brimming with strong talent, and if they can work out their communication, they might rise to the top once again.
Meanwhile, World Elite Academy has been nipping at their sister team’s heels since they bested them at G League semifinals in January. This weekend, they finally have a chance to show up WE again, and everyone is wondering just how strong these LSPL leaders really are. WE.A could be the next EDG, but after they were 2-0’d handily by them at IET, they would certainly have to upset expectations to do it.
EYES ON THE PRIZE
Every participant of LPL knows what’s at stake: a chance to represent their country in Seoul, South Korea at the Season Four World Championships. This year, China is granted three slots. For having placed first and second in the LPL Spring Playoffs, EDG and iG have earned guaranteed spots at Regionals. Should EDG win playoffs again, they’ll attend World’s as China’s coveted first seed. If they should be unsettled from their seat of power, a best-of-three against Summer’s winner will decide first seed. From there, a knockout tournament between iG, the loser of the first place faceoff, and top seeds from LPL Summer will decide the last two spots.
Avoiding giving EDG direct access to World’s is the goal, and with so many competitors nipping at their heels, they cannot allow their ticket to Regionals to allow them to grow complacent. With Korean coaches joining the fray, this could be the split where Chinese strategy catches up with their talent pool. Any team missing the growth spurt will lose a plane ride to Seoul.
The first best-of-two between Invictus Gaming and Young Glory begins on June 14th at 1:00am PDT.