LPL Spring Playoffs Preview
Riot·5/23/2014, 12:21:45 AM·0 votes·1,032 views
LPL teams took a break to prepare before All Stars, and with International Esports Tournament results and Invictus Gaming and World Elite’s upswings, matches on the horizon are looking surprisingly close. To make things more interesting, Tencent decided to include blind pick in the final games of a series during the playoffs, which should make matches more exciting and tougher to predict. Now, it all comes down to what weaknesses the opposition can exploit. The LPL Spring Playoff Title is on the line.
Mid laner Zzitai’s versatility has aided Invictus Gaming against OMG on more than one occasion. Add to that the fact that illuSion’s jungle pressure often gives iG the edge in the early game, and it’s obvious how iG managed to take more games off OMG than any other team in LPL. Granted, OMG has a much better grasp of the late game than iG, and the new understanding of vision control OMG picked up from All-Star will minimize early and late game pick opportunities. Although, iG has a strong formula for success in this matchup if they can replicate it.
Saturday, May 24, 3:00AM PST: Edward Gaming vs World Elite
At the end of LPL, the grudge match between World Elite and Edward Gaming was widely anticipated. Accounts of conflict between the teams has sparked aggressive loyalty in the Chinese fan base, but Edward Gaming’s unconventional picks like Sejuani jungle and AD carry Jayce in the second game of the set led to disappointment among their fans. It seems likely, however, that EDG was suppressing strategies for the real best of three grudge match to take place in the playoffs.
Both teams have a tendency to stall out, and when the teams have faced off in serious matches, the games have gone past the fifty minute mark. When games go that long, though, EDG has had a bit more success with making late game calls throughout LPL, which gave them an advantage over WE in the past. As Ruo has developed as a jungler, however, WE’s early game decision-making has improved, and when EDG loses, they lose early. The question is whether WE’s new Korean coach Hiro can give them the insight and the motivation to make changes in time for their faceoff against EDG in the semifinals.
Unless xiyang and the rest of OMG has adopted a method of countering mid lane pressure in both the laning and picks and bans phases, there’s no reason EDG won’t find success by reproducing that same strategy. Though xiyang came in first in MVP points during the regular season, EDG’s U came in second, and he’s perhaps best-equipped to handle xiyang’s untapped 1v1 power. Then, if it falls on san’s shoulders to carry, he’ll have to contend with the power of NaMei on what appears to be his new favorite champion, Jinx.
If World Elite faces OMG, either by besting EDG and meeting them in the finals, or losing out and meeting them in the third place round, they can also provide viewers with a close series. WE is the only team to have taken a game from OMG in both LPL and at IET, and they’ve lately warmed to creative champion picks for an extra unpredictability factor. Add in the fact that rumors suggest WE’s coach is looking for fresh blood, the team’s desperation can serve as excellent motivation to make a run for the LPL Spring title.
SEMIFINALS
Saturday, May 24, 1:00AM PST: OMG vs Invictus Gaming The weekend rolls out with a best-of-three between the fourth and first seed of LPL: Invictus Gaming and OMG. After looking at OMG's (25-3) record in the regular season and iG's (14-14), one might expect OMG to be far ahead. However, two of OMG’s three losses were at iG’s hands, and iG was the only team to break even with OMG all split.
Mid laner Zzitai’s versatility has aided Invictus Gaming against OMG on more than one occasion. Add to that the fact that illuSion’s jungle pressure often gives iG the edge in the early game, and it’s obvious how iG managed to take more games off OMG than any other team in LPL. Granted, OMG has a much better grasp of the late game than iG, and the new understanding of vision control OMG picked up from All-Star will minimize early and late game pick opportunities. Although, iG has a strong formula for success in this matchup if they can replicate it.
Saturday, May 24, 3:00AM PST: Edward Gaming vs World Elite
At the end of LPL, the grudge match between World Elite and Edward Gaming was widely anticipated. Accounts of conflict between the teams has sparked aggressive loyalty in the Chinese fan base, but Edward Gaming’s unconventional picks like Sejuani jungle and AD carry Jayce in the second game of the set led to disappointment among their fans. It seems likely, however, that EDG was suppressing strategies for the real best of three grudge match to take place in the playoffs.
Both teams have a tendency to stall out, and when the teams have faced off in serious matches, the games have gone past the fifty minute mark. When games go that long, though, EDG has had a bit more success with making late game calls throughout LPL, which gave them an advantage over WE in the past. As Ruo has developed as a jungler, however, WE’s early game decision-making has improved, and when EDG loses, they lose early. The question is whether WE’s new Korean coach Hiro can give them the insight and the motivation to make changes in time for their faceoff against EDG in the semifinals.
THE DUST SETTLES SUNDAY
Though OMG and Edward Gaming are favored to advance to the finals, the semifinals should be close, with big opportunities for upsets. That said, if OMG and EDG do meet in the best-of-five finals, it’s worth noting that Edward Gaming recently defeated OMG in a best-of-three at the International Esports Tournament. Despite failing to win a single game against OMG throughout the regular LPL season, EDG dropped OMG 2-0 at IET by banning out mid lane picks against xiyang and piling on the pressure - a strategy not that different from the strategy employed by SK Telecom T1 K to defeat OMG at All-Stars.
Unless xiyang and the rest of OMG has adopted a method of countering mid lane pressure in both the laning and picks and bans phases, there’s no reason EDG won’t find success by reproducing that same strategy. Though xiyang came in first in MVP points during the regular season, EDG’s U came in second, and he’s perhaps best-equipped to handle xiyang’s untapped 1v1 power. Then, if it falls on san’s shoulders to carry, he’ll have to contend with the power of NaMei on what appears to be his new favorite champion, Jinx.
OTHER POSSIBILITIES
If OMG and Edward Gaming face off in the finals, third place will be between WE and iG. While it will be exciting to watch another clash of the old rivals, it’s impossible to count out either WE or iG making an appearance in the finals. Of the potential final matchups, the only instance where one team has not defeated the other at least once is in the case of iG vs EDG. PDD and the rest of iG still have yet to take a game from the rising Chinese titans, but games have been close every time, with EDG managing to narrowly come back from a 10k gold deficit in their last match.
If World Elite faces OMG, either by besting EDG and meeting them in the finals, or losing out and meeting them in the third place round, they can also provide viewers with a close series. WE is the only team to have taken a game from OMG in both LPL and at IET, and they’ve lately warmed to creative champion picks for an extra unpredictability factor. Add in the fact that rumors suggest WE’s coach is looking for fresh blood, the team’s desperation can serve as excellent motivation to make a run for the LPL Spring title.
