The Recap: LPL Week 2
Riot·6/24/2014, 12:02:04 AM·0 votes·965 views
With three playoff rematches schedule for Week 2, the LPL was sure to be filled with grudge matches and teams looking to take vengeance. World Elite and OMG split even, which matched their playoff performance, but Invictus Gaming took a game from Edward Gaming, changing their all-time record to 8-1. OMG then 2-0’d iG, finding decisive revenge after being knocked down in the quarterfinals.
LGD and StarHorn Royal Club continued to rise as well, proving they’re both contenders for the dark horse title this split. Meanwhile, YG and WE.A have yet to find a win, and their prospects of escaping the bottom two are looking worse with every loss, as they continue to make more mistakes out of frustration.
When word arrived that StarHorn Royal Club would be receiving Korean players from the KT organization, most of the buzz surrounded the oft-talked about inSec. Most expected Zero to perform respectably, but few expected him to outshine his fellow transfer - which is exactly what he did this week. With the highest kill participation on his team at 73.5%, Zero was fundamental in picking the right fights in both SHRC’s games against Young Glory. The new Uzi-Zero dream team is expected to go toe-to-toe with some of the best bot lanes in China starting next week when SHRC faces WE proper.
Cool
Few of LPL’s visual delights can match Cool’s assassin play. When he’s in top form, he drifts around the map, seamlessly collecting kills and bolstering the bounty on his head. While Cool still isn’t giving us the same satisfying shivers as he did last season, he managed to show up Zzitai on Zed, which is a definite step in the right direction. OMG’s first victory against iG this week was all about Cool’s beautiful Leblanc distortions. We’ll have to see if his Deceiver play continues to improve in the weeks to come.
san
Of the two teams that found three wins this week, OMG faced the steepest competition, so it goes without saying that more than just Cool must have offered up an outstanding performance. Kog’Maw has been played several times in this split of LPL since his debut in the playoffs, and each time with miserable results.
That is, until san picked him up last week. Kog’Maw became the center of OMG’s composition, and he proved himself worth the effort. San’s nimble movements kept him behind Drug’s Braum, and even when he didn’t have protection, his orb-walking saw him to safety. San receives a lot of mixed reviews as a player, but this week he spat void ooze in the faces of his naysayers.
It was clear from the puzzled expressions of both casters and Invictus Gaming members that OMG’s champion select—complete with a Sion ban—was expected to flop. The wave clear from Soraka and Braum should have slowed down OMG, but Drug and Gogoing went for the early plays. Though they weren’t perfectly executed, it was OMG’s persistence that set iG on the back foot and gave san the space to ramp up and utilize the tools his team provided. Is jungle Braum ban-worthy? We’ll find out next week when OMG faces LGD Gaming.
Whether the transfer of captainship from AhrI to Yuzhe has been extremely disorienting for the team or the expectations were simply blown out of proportion, few predicted LGD Gaming would so handily best World Elite Academy this week. This especially comes as a disappointment as LGD is experiencing growing pains of their own; this week they saw changes not just to their mid and AD carry, but to their top laner as well. While LGD’s new additions look like improvements, however, WE.A can’t seem to find their stride, and the amount of mistakes seem to multiply with each loss. We’re beginning to question if there’s a team outside Young Glory that WE.A might take a win from in their current state.
GAMES OF THE WEEK
OMG vs World Elite 1 This was a week for shattering season records, and it began with OMG and World Elite smashing the longest average 2014 LPL game time out of the park from fifty eight minutes to sixty eight. Back and forth plays on both sides created tension, and though Drug played the map well, he seemed uncomfortable on Rengar, and it looked like WE’s jungle targeting in ban phase would prove fruitful. OMG’s team composition wasn’t designed to pull out a long win of this kind, but their coordination allowed them to capitalize on a Baron steal for the eventual victory. Edward Gaming vs Invictus Gaming 2 Prior to this week, Edward Gaming’s record against Invictus Gaming was immaculate, taking four regular season victories and a clean playoff finals sweep. In the first game between these two teams in 2014 LPL Summer, things changed. NaMei’s Corki experienced some instability in liftoff, while Kid proved exactly why he’s often considered iG’s most consistent player. While iG couldn’t carry the momentum of their win to sweep the set, it’s safe to say they can now dust off their shoulders; iG is no longer the only 2014 LPL Spring Playoff team to have failed to take a win from EDG. OMG vs Invictus Gaming 2 A combination of two things made OMG so devastating in the 2013 season: Drug’s innovative jungle play and Cool’s deadly assassin roam. The final game of LPL this week saw the first competitive jungle Braum in the five major leagues played by OMG’s Drug. To accompany Drug as he made aggressive plays across the map on his unorthodox pick, Cool locked in Zed, a fan favorite from when he played mid in Season Three. To add to OMG’s tried-and-true formula, san pulled out the Kog’Maw, and OMG’s composition heavily invested in his success with the addition of a Soraka in the top lane. San didn’t disappoint, positioning effectively behind his team and predicting enemy movements to keep himself safe and continue kiting. OMG’s unique composition gave Kog’Maw his first win in LPL Season Four.TOP PERFORMERS OF THE WEEK
Zero
When word arrived that StarHorn Royal Club would be receiving Korean players from the KT organization, most of the buzz surrounded the oft-talked about inSec. Most expected Zero to perform respectably, but few expected him to outshine his fellow transfer - which is exactly what he did this week. With the highest kill participation on his team at 73.5%, Zero was fundamental in picking the right fights in both SHRC’s games against Young Glory. The new Uzi-Zero dream team is expected to go toe-to-toe with some of the best bot lanes in China starting next week when SHRC faces WE proper.
Cool
Few of LPL’s visual delights can match Cool’s assassin play. When he’s in top form, he drifts around the map, seamlessly collecting kills and bolstering the bounty on his head. While Cool still isn’t giving us the same satisfying shivers as he did last season, he managed to show up Zzitai on Zed, which is a definite step in the right direction. OMG’s first victory against iG this week was all about Cool’s beautiful Leblanc distortions. We’ll have to see if his Deceiver play continues to improve in the weeks to come.
san
Of the two teams that found three wins this week, OMG faced the steepest competition, so it goes without saying that more than just Cool must have offered up an outstanding performance. Kog’Maw has been played several times in this split of LPL since his debut in the playoffs, and each time with miserable results.
That is, until san picked him up last week. Kog’Maw became the center of OMG’s composition, and he proved himself worth the effort. San’s nimble movements kept him behind Drug’s Braum, and even when he didn’t have protection, his orb-walking saw him to safety. San receives a lot of mixed reviews as a player, but this week he spat void ooze in the faces of his naysayers.
SURPRISE OF THE WEEK
Drug jungles Braum
It was clear from the puzzled expressions of both casters and Invictus Gaming members that OMG’s champion select—complete with a Sion ban—was expected to flop. The wave clear from Soraka and Braum should have slowed down OMG, but Drug and Gogoing went for the early plays. Though they weren’t perfectly executed, it was OMG’s persistence that set iG on the back foot and gave san the space to ramp up and utilize the tools his team provided. Is jungle Braum ban-worthy? We’ll find out next week when OMG faces LGD Gaming.
DISAPPOINTMENT OF THE WEEK
World Elite Academy bested by LGD’s new roster
Whether the transfer of captainship from AhrI to Yuzhe has been extremely disorienting for the team or the expectations were simply blown out of proportion, few predicted LGD Gaming would so handily best World Elite Academy this week. This especially comes as a disappointment as LGD is experiencing growing pains of their own; this week they saw changes not just to their mid and AD carry, but to their top laner as well. While LGD’s new additions look like improvements, however, WE.A can’t seem to find their stride, and the amount of mistakes seem to multiply with each loss. We’re beginning to question if there’s a team outside Young Glory that WE.A might take a win from in their current state.
and 
double assassins, and WE picked 4 counter champions. Finally, the result is different from Najin shield