The Breakdown - LGD Gaming vs OMG
Riot·3/28/2014, 8:46:49 PM·0 votes·647 views
Until their brush with Invictus Gaming, OMG remained the only undefeated team in LPL. So far this season, they've come out with AD carry centric compositions and early jungle plays. LGD Gaming tried to match their strategy and won bottom lane fights, but OMG demonstrated how a game that seems close in gold, turrets, kills, and dragons can still be very one-sided.
A perception of Chinese League of Legends players is that have a much riskier play-style than those of other regions, but there's a great deal of strategy and control that goes into making aggressive plays work. OMG stands out, even above the second and third place team in LPL, because they're able take some measure of insurance to protect themselves against the costs of aggressive play.
In the first game against LGD Gaming and OMG, both teams strove to keep a fast tempo. The difference was that OMG could maintain control and make a game that was almost completely even by the numbers for the first thirty 37, look one-sided. Any advantages they gained, they maintained and extended, and their understanding of vision control nearly completely out-classed LGD Gaming's.
LGD's composition relies primarily upon gathering the opposition to deal AoE damage with Quan's Lee Sin and Pyl's Thresh providing the ability to make a catch or a pick as needed. The combination of Ziggs and Ezreal also provides long range wave clear, and Ezreal was one of the safest choices for Styz against bigpomelo's Kha'Zix with Caitlyn banned and Lucian snatched up early by OMG.
OMG's choice relies on a scattering effect from Morgana's Soul Shackles, Lulu's Wild Growth, and Renekton's Dominus to force LGD to spread and allow Kha'Zix to pick them off in isolation. This was also Morgana's first appearance in LPL, and it's likely LGD did not expect OMG's last pick and the disruptive force it provides.
Having seen Styz and Pyl place their wards, however, bigpomelo lingered around top lane to search for opportunities instead. As Quan's Lee Sin made the first gank attempt in the bottom lane, bigpomelo was able to make his move on Star's Shyvana without fear of a counter. Quan's gank blew a flash, but bigpomelo's granted First Blood and set the Renekton time bomb in motion.
This early victory would prove to be a big factor in the late game. Shyvana is expected to fall behind Renekton early, but compounded with the First Blood dive that caused Star to also lose minions, Gogoing was able to rush Tiamat for wave clear and extra damage, and Star was forced to build full tank.
With trust in his teammate to continue to press the top lane advantage in his stead, bigpomelo focused on stabilizing bottom lane and drew Quan's attention with him. Though LGD Gaming was able to win this bottom battle, Gogoing was left unchecked. Besides proxying the minion wave, he escorted xiyang to invade LGD Gaming's blue buff, which spread the lead to mid lane.
As Gogoing continued to amass his lead over Star, his threat became so powerful that more and more members of LGD Gaming were pulled to the top lane to secure their blue buff; Quan was often forced to smite it away, leaving his mid laner without the benefits.
The larger ramification, however, was that Styz was left in the bottom lane alone when LGD gathered in the top jungle, vulnerable to being picked off by the remaining members of OMG. Since Styz had the largest presence for LGD, this served to cripple the entire team.
LGD Gaming even weighed their ability to make mid to late game plays off Gogoing's presence. When they made their most decisive move in mid lane and acquired a turret and gold lead, they did so immediately after Star had vision of Gogoing backing in the top lane. LGD rotated mid and took out xiyang and Allen just as Gogoing made his way back to his first tier tower.
As this acquisition ushered in the late game, Gogoing began to make himself known outside the top jungle. He was able to position to zone LGD off objectives, as the thought of entering a fight when LGD's front line was so far behind OMG's would seem untenable.
Gogoing's position at the top of the screen discourages LGD's approach and yields a free dragon for OMG.
In the one instance where LGD Gaming was able to catch Gogoing out, his tankiness made it difficult for the team to eradicate him. By the time he finally went down, the rest of his team had gathered around him, and bigpomelo was able to pick up another kill in response. This made it clear that a 5v5 fight, which LGD Gaming had designed their composition around, would be out of the question, and they were forced into a pushing and farming fest to prepare for late game where they hoped Star would have more impact.
In the later stages of the game, OMG used wards to get picks on a split LGD team or go for objectives in situations that might otherwise be risky: such as a solo push on mid turret by xiyang.
OMG's solo pushes proved less risky than LGD's due to proper ward coverage.
Warding became a true asset, however, around Baron. With both teams at somewhat of a stalemate in terms of gold and turrets, LGD and OMG looked to Baron for an extra lift. OMG were able to ward Baron more safely and more thoroughly, however, and this wasn't just because of Gogoing's top lane presence.
Very few popular support champions have mobility already built into their kits, which is one reason why a Talisman of the Ascension can be a valuable item outside of teamfights. Morgana has the added benefit of her Black Shield. OMG chose support Morgana as their last pick, and she can pop a quick Black Shield to protect herself from getting caught out by a Death Sentence or Sonic Wave, then use Talisman's active to get to safety. Thus, Morgana had a much safer time warding the jungle than Pyl's Thresh, who got caught out almost as frequently as Styz. This also made her ideal to accompany Gogoing on the front line, as Allen could turn any attempted engage.
That is not to say that LGD did not have glimmers of warding brilliance. They won most of their bottom lane fights as a result of wards in OMG's blue side tribush, and their greatest play around Baron area came when Quan approached the back of Baron pit ahead of his team and stood on one of OMG's wards as bait. The rest of the team waited as bigpomelo leapt from the pit into their waiting grasp. Unfortunately, at this point OMG had amassed such a large gold lead, that LGD was barely able to split even in the resulting fight.
LGD Gaming could not sustain OMG's vision tussles for long, and it would prove their undoing. After forcing OMG to back off from a fight by dealing damage to Allen, LGD made a desperate play for Baron in full vision of OMG. Bigpomelo was able to steal the buff, and OMG aced LGD Gaming without losing a member.
Had LGD Gaming not surrendered, OMG would have rallied to take their base.
LGD Gaming made a point of targeting OMG's bottom lane, and anyone who had been keeping up with LPL until that point would call that a solid strategy. Gogoing showed how tanks can still carry games as his mere presence dissuaded LGD Gaming from attempting to execute their composition.
Vision and Disengage
OMG consistently had vision of key choke points, allowing them to find picks. They also made good use of the Morgana pick once Allen built Talisman of Ascension, constantly sending him out as a scout capable of escaping dicey situations, which made him much safer than LGD's Pyl.
Too Many Eggs in Styz's Basket
While Styz definitely shone as brightly as Gogoing at times, he also consistently got caught without a chaperone. Of LGD's early game kills, the only other ones went onto Quan, and late game Lee Sin is nowhere near on par with late game Kha'Zix. If Quan and Styz had shared the wealth as well as Gogoing, the outcome may have been different.
FULL YOLO
At 2014 IEM Katowice, when asked about his struggles in lane against the Taipei Assassins' Morning, Gambit Gaming's Alex Ich attributed his difficulties to Morning's aggressive play. Though Morning is not Chinese, Alex made the comment "Chinese people, they play full yolo, and I don't expect someone like Ziggs to throw all the skills and have no escapes and be not afraid of jungler at all."
A perception of Chinese League of Legends players is that have a much riskier play-style than those of other regions, but there's a great deal of strategy and control that goes into making aggressive plays work. OMG stands out, even above the second and third place team in LPL, because they're able take some measure of insurance to protect themselves against the costs of aggressive play.
In the first game against LGD Gaming and OMG, both teams strove to keep a fast tempo. The difference was that OMG could maintain control and make a game that was almost completely even by the numbers for the first thirty 37, look one-sided. Any advantages they gained, they maintained and extended, and their understanding of vision control nearly completely out-classed LGD Gaming's.
ASSEMBLING THE TEAM
Bans & Picks- LGD bans: Leblanc, Gragas, Annie
- OMG bans: Kassadin, Elise, Caitlyn
- LGD picks: Shyvana, Lee Sin, Ziggs, Ezreal, Thresh
- OMG picks: Renekton, Kha'Zix, Lulu, Lucian, Morgana
LGD's composition relies primarily upon gathering the opposition to deal AoE damage with Quan's Lee Sin and Pyl's Thresh providing the ability to make a catch or a pick as needed. The combination of Ziggs and Ezreal also provides long range wave clear, and Ezreal was one of the safest choices for Styz against bigpomelo's Kha'Zix with Caitlyn banned and Lucian snatched up early by OMG.
OMG's choice relies on a scattering effect from Morgana's Soul Shackles, Lulu's Wild Growth, and Renekton's Dominus to force LGD to spread and allow Kha'Zix to pick them off in isolation. This was also Morgana's first appearance in LPL, and it's likely LGD did not expect OMG's last pick and the disruptive force it provides.
THE CROCODILE SWALLOWS THE WATCH
Considering the success of OMG's duo lane this split, LGD most likely believed they had to win bottom lane to win the game, and both Styz and Pyl placed their warding trinkets in OMG's blue buff area. This allowed them to shove out the lane early and acquire level two quickly without pressure from bigpomelo, and it mitigated the threat of Morgana's Dark Binding, which they were not accustomed to playing against.
Having seen Styz and Pyl place their wards, however, bigpomelo lingered around top lane to search for opportunities instead. As Quan's Lee Sin made the first gank attempt in the bottom lane, bigpomelo was able to make his move on Star's Shyvana without fear of a counter. Quan's gank blew a flash, but bigpomelo's granted First Blood and set the Renekton time bomb in motion.
This early victory would prove to be a big factor in the late game. Shyvana is expected to fall behind Renekton early, but compounded with the First Blood dive that caused Star to also lose minions, Gogoing was able to rush Tiamat for wave clear and extra damage, and Star was forced to build full tank.
JUST A TANK
We've seen Star come back into a game with a two level deficit against Invictus Gaming and end up carrying his team. Gogoing, however, made a huge effort to prevent this. He managed to exert so much presence in the top lane that its effects could be felt even on the other side of the map, despite Styz, Pyl, and Quan finding victories. This didn't come in a traditional "carry" capacity. The only offensive item Gogoing built was the Tiamat rush, which allowed him to clear waves more effectively to free up his attention to make plays elsewhere.
With trust in his teammate to continue to press the top lane advantage in his stead, bigpomelo focused on stabilizing bottom lane and drew Quan's attention with him. Though LGD Gaming was able to win this bottom battle, Gogoing was left unchecked. Besides proxying the minion wave, he escorted xiyang to invade LGD Gaming's blue buff, which spread the lead to mid lane.
As Gogoing continued to amass his lead over Star, his threat became so powerful that more and more members of LGD Gaming were pulled to the top lane to secure their blue buff; Quan was often forced to smite it away, leaving his mid laner without the benefits.
The larger ramification, however, was that Styz was left in the bottom lane alone when LGD gathered in the top jungle, vulnerable to being picked off by the remaining members of OMG. Since Styz had the largest presence for LGD, this served to cripple the entire team.
LGD Gaming even weighed their ability to make mid to late game plays off Gogoing's presence. When they made their most decisive move in mid lane and acquired a turret and gold lead, they did so immediately after Star had vision of Gogoing backing in the top lane. LGD rotated mid and took out xiyang and Allen just as Gogoing made his way back to his first tier tower.
As this acquisition ushered in the late game, Gogoing began to make himself known outside the top jungle. He was able to position to zone LGD off objectives, as the thought of entering a fight when LGD's front line was so far behind OMG's would seem untenable.
Gogoing's position at the top of the screen discourages LGD's approach and yields a free dragon for OMG.
In the one instance where LGD Gaming was able to catch Gogoing out, his tankiness made it difficult for the team to eradicate him. By the time he finally went down, the rest of his team had gathered around him, and bigpomelo was able to pick up another kill in response. This made it clear that a 5v5 fight, which LGD Gaming had designed their composition around, would be out of the question, and they were forced into a pushing and farming fest to prepare for late game where they hoped Star would have more impact.
INSURANCE POLICY
In LPL, teams have struggled to find optimal warding locations in games with longer laning phases. Used to grouping early, many Chinese teams fail to ward properly when split. In this game, OMG's warding outpaced LGD's. Even in the early game when OMG had little to no lead, they were able to place wards that covered LGD's jungle entrances or in key locations to make plays. LGD placed wards primarily in their bottom red side jungle, where they already had a strong advantage and OMG was unlikely to invade.
OMG's solo pushes proved less risky than LGD's due to proper ward coverage.
Warding became a true asset, however, around Baron. With both teams at somewhat of a stalemate in terms of gold and turrets, LGD and OMG looked to Baron for an extra lift. OMG were able to ward Baron more safely and more thoroughly, however, and this wasn't just because of Gogoing's top lane presence.
Very few popular support champions have mobility already built into their kits, which is one reason why a Talisman of the Ascension can be a valuable item outside of teamfights. Morgana has the added benefit of her Black Shield. OMG chose support Morgana as their last pick, and she can pop a quick Black Shield to protect herself from getting caught out by a Death Sentence or Sonic Wave, then use Talisman's active to get to safety. Thus, Morgana had a much safer time warding the jungle than Pyl's Thresh, who got caught out almost as frequently as Styz. This also made her ideal to accompany Gogoing on the front line, as Allen could turn any attempted engage.
That is not to say that LGD did not have glimmers of warding brilliance. They won most of their bottom lane fights as a result of wards in OMG's blue side tribush, and their greatest play around Baron area came when Quan approached the back of Baron pit ahead of his team and stood on one of OMG's wards as bait. The rest of the team waited as bigpomelo leapt from the pit into their waiting grasp. Unfortunately, at this point OMG had amassed such a large gold lead, that LGD was barely able to split even in the resulting fight.
LGD Gaming could not sustain OMG's vision tussles for long, and it would prove their undoing. After forcing OMG to back off from a fight by dealing damage to Allen, LGD made a desperate play for Baron in full vision of OMG. Bigpomelo was able to steal the buff, and OMG aced LGD Gaming without losing a member.
Had LGD Gaming not surrendered, OMG would have rallied to take their base.
WRAPPING UP THE MATCH
Gogoing
LGD Gaming made a point of targeting OMG's bottom lane, and anyone who had been keeping up with LPL until that point would call that a solid strategy. Gogoing showed how tanks can still carry games as his mere presence dissuaded LGD Gaming from attempting to execute their composition.
Vision and Disengage
OMG consistently had vision of key choke points, allowing them to find picks. They also made good use of the Morgana pick once Allen built Talisman of Ascension, constantly sending him out as a scout capable of escaping dicey situations, which made him much safer than LGD's Pyl.
Too Many Eggs in Styz's Basket
While Styz definitely shone as brightly as Gogoing at times, he also consistently got caught without a chaperone. Of LGD's early game kills, the only other ones went onto Quan, and late game Lee Sin is nowhere near on par with late game Kha'Zix. If Quan and Styz had shared the wealth as well as Gogoing, the outcome may have been different.