It happened: the League of Legends Season 4 World Championship–the biggest World Championship in eSports ever. Thousands of spectators crowded into the arena, Imagine Dragons waited in the wings, and hundreds (if not thousands) of pounds of fireworks stood by.The stadium, electric. The fans, ecstatic. The players, ready.
The stadium–intimidating.
In case you missed it (or you haven’t browsed Reddit in the past twenty-four hours), here is a complete recap of the event.
GAME 1
Draft
Bans:
SHR
Alistar
Zilean
Rumble
SSW
Rengar
Lee Sin
Lucian
Picks:
SHR
Cola: Ryze
InSec: Kha’zix
Corn: Orianna
Uzi: Tristana
Zero: Janna
SSW
Looper: Maokai
DanDy: Jarvan IV
PawN: Jayce
Imp: Twitch
Mata: Thresh
Bans are universal for both teams–a smart move for everyone. DanDy quickly locked Twitch in for Imp, and Corn took Janna from Mata. In all, Star Horn Royal Club drafted a roster armed for a strong late game. Samsung White, like always, prepared for an aggressive early game.
A view from the preview show. Uzi looks confident. Maybe too confident.
DanDy scored first blood at 1:28 in a level one exchange near the mid. Jayce made an aggressive move into White territory, and White countered. The result: 0-2 SSW. Imp and Mata pushed hard against Uzi and Zero in the top lane, but they gained no ground. Dandy killed Corn at 5:20, extending White’s lead. Pawn survived the exchange with only a sliver of health left.
From there, Samsung White began to control the map, laying great ward coverage, managing the jungle, and pushing the lanes. A commentator called them “the fastest team in the world.” Star Horn Royal looked uncomfortable.
DanDy killed Cola and PawN killed Corn at 9:10. 0-4 SSW. White killed the dragon at 12:02, and Uzi downed a turret at 14:02. About thirty seconds later, PawN killed InSec, and Looped killed Uzi. Imp destroyed another turret. 0-6 SSW. Now White had a large experience, gold, and turret advantage, and SHR began to backpedal.
PawN killed InSec at 16:08, killing spree. Corn killed Mata, Cola fell, and Dandy went on a rampage. 1-9 SSW.
PawN killed Cola at 20:10, resulting in a rampage; and a SHR turret and inhibitor fell. Samsung White defeated the Baron at 22:12, and PawN destroyed a mid turret at 22:40. Samsung White pushed Royal’s base. Imp killed Corn at 23:45, PawN became godlike, and the Nexus fell at 24:28. The final score was 1-16 SSW.
Imp looked great in the first match. His 9.15 KDA destroyed Uzi’s KDA. In the battle for best AD Carry in the world, Imp was dominating.
The match, according to Doublelift.
Draft
Bans:
SHR
Lucian
Lee Sin
Maokai
SSW
Alistar
Zilean
Ryze
Picks:
SHR
Cola: Dr. Mundo
InSec: Kha’zix
Corn: Jayce
Uzi: Corki
Zero: Thresh
SSW
Looper: Rumble
DanDy: Rengar
PawN: Talon
Imp: Twitch
Mata: Janna
Since there was no ban on Rengar, Looper picked him up. DanDy picked Twitch for Imp, and InSec stole Jayce from Pawn. Zero drafted Dr. Mundo again. After a few strong performances with Mundo against OMG, Zero felt comfortable using him in game two of the finals. All in all, SHR tried to build a more aggressive roster for game two. White looked as strong and confident as ever, though.
Wards went down for both teams at the start of the match. SHR pulled together in an attempt to initiate an exchange. White didn’t fall for it; instead, they used SHR’s grouping to farm the bottom lane. Although they were slightly less aggressive at the beginning of game two, SSW maintained excellent ward control. Royal Club, on the other hand, moved quickly into White territory and tried to prompt attacks. They were very aggressive–showing glimpses of their gameplay against OMG. White gained enough gold to give them an early power spike. Royal Club pushed Imp back at 7:00, allowing Uzi and Zero to free farm.
First blood came in the bottom jungle just before 10:00. Almost everyone died. When the dust settled, only Looper remained. 5-4 SSW.
SHR killed a dragon at 11:54, giving them a slight gold lead. Cola killed PawN, and an exchange in the top lane resulted in 7-5 SSW. Looper was on fire; he was 4-0-3 at 12:30. At 13:00 Imp killed Zero. Uzi escaped. 8-5 SSW. The exchange gave White a slight gold advantage. Imp killed Corn at 14:33, and DanDy killed Corn a couple minutes later. Corn pursued PawN, but he failed to commit to the kill. Mata downed InSec at 17:02, extending the lead to 11-5 SSW. Imp died at 17:31.
With no turrets remaining at 24:00, SHR retreated back into their base. Samsung White killed a dragon uncontested at 24:52. White aced SHR at 27:02. Royal Club was in trouble. When they respawned, PawN killed InSec, neutralizing him for the rest of the match. Uzi fell near 29:00, Imp gained a double kill, and Looper became godlike. The Nexus fell at 29:12 with a final score of 26-8 SSW.
And, with that, White maintained the fastest average victory time in tournament history. At that point, they looked unstoppable. They virtually were.
Really?
Draft
Bans:
SHR
Alistar
Jayce
Zilean
SSW
Rengar
Lee Sin
Lucian
Picks:
SHR
Cola: Maokai
InSec:
Corn: Ryze
Uzi: Tristana
Zero: Braum
SSW
Looper: Singed
DanDy: Jarvan IV
PawN: Fizz
Imp: Twitch
Mata: Thresh
Star Horn Royal Club had tried two strategies so far against Samsung White; both of them had failed. Going into the third match, everyone in SHR looked broken. Uzi, in particular, looked broken. He fought tears. The team slumped in their chairs. Their only hope was to extend the clock and make them play the long game. White had a habit of showboating with big leads, and they had paid dearly for their arrogance in the past.
Jayce was banned early. Zero showed Braum, but he chose Rammus. InSec appeared to pull his pick randomly from a hat. Looper drafted Singed.
Uzi after game 2. He looked down, but not defeated. Yet.
SSW placed great ward cover, once again. Nothing happened for over five minutes. SHR bid their time.
Imp claimed first blood on Corn at 7:52. White looked as strong as always, despite a slump in tempo. SHR was building momentum, however. PawN and DanDy both died at 9:40. SHR gained the lead for the first time in the match: 2-1 SHR. They also gained a slight gold advantage at 10:10 when they killed the first dragon. Cola killed Looper at 12:50, and Cola fell at 14:29. Pawn killed Corn. Royal Club was maintaining their lead, but White refused to lie down. 4-3 SHR.
In a big exchange at about 17:00, White claimed the second dragon and continued to close the gap on SHR. 8-6 SHR. SHR kept their gold lead, but it dwindled.
Corn killed PawN at 23:10, and SHR killed another dragon at 23:24. SHR picked up several more kills, slowly stretching their lead. At 30:00, SHR was winning 13-7.
Uzi downed an inhibitor at 33:14, and, with that, White began to backpedal. SHR defeated two more inhibitors at 35:00, Corn, Imp, Zero, Uzi, and InSec fell in a major exchange near the top inhibitor turret. If they hadn’t gained a large gold lead, White would have stage a comeback. 14-11 SHR. A the bottom two inhibitors respawned, and Royal Club struggled to destroy them again. Cola downed the mid inhibitor again at 37:15; InSec and Imp died shortly after it fell. Uzi finished a triple kill for SHR, and Corn killed Mata. Ace. The Nexus fell at 38:27.
The end score was less a victory for Royal Club and more a breath of air for White. Game four was a bloodbath.
Draft
Bans:
SHR
Alistar
Jayce
Zilean
SSW
Lucian
Lee Sin
Maokai
Picks:
SHR
Cola: Ryze
InSec: Pantheon
Corn: Lulu
Uzi: Tristana
Braum
SSW
Looper: Kassadin
DanDy: Rengar
PawN: Orianna
Imp: Corki
Mata: Janna
Samsung White banned Lucian right off the bat, blocking Uzi from getting him. DanDy picked up Corki for Imp. Pawn got Janna for Mata, and Royal Club drafted Ryze once again. The problem with Ryze, though, is his inability to play aggressively in the early game. He is a late game carry. Against White, there is no late game. It was a poor decision for SHR. InSec picked up Pantheon. Pantheon was a major factor in Royal Club’s victory over OMG. SHR was banking on using him to fill the early game gap created by Ryze. Too little, too late. SSW’s roster looked flawless.
Pantheon: good move or bad move?
Uzi committed first blood against Imp in an early exchange. InSec killed DanDy less than a second later. 0-2 SHR at 4:50 with a slight gold lead.
DanDy picked up the Boots of Mobility about a minute later. At 8:40, Mata, Uzi, and InSec fell. 3-3, tie. White defeated a dragon at 9:09. Corn lingered around the dragon, but he failed to steal it. A big exchange at 11:30 ended in a double kill for Looper. 5-4 SSW.
At 16:00, White began to pull away. DanDy killed Cola and Corn, PawN killed Uzi, and Imp rounded out the ace. They killed a dragon a few seconds later uncontested. White now possessed a 6k gold lead, and Star Horn Royal Club was bleeding turrets and ganks. DanDy went on a rampage at 18:00, PawN went on a killing spree shortly after a double kill, and Imp destroyed a turret. 13-4 SSW.
White destroyed another turret at 19:35, and they began pushing deep into enemy territory. Pawn killed InSec at 20:00; DanDy assisted. Imp killed Zero at 20:28, and the middle inhibitor fell at 20:42. Royal Club was in trouble.
DanDy became unstoppable at 22:40, and Imp and Looper went on killing sprees. 19-5 SSW. The Nexus fell uncontested at 22:54.
And, with that, Samsung White won the League of Legends World Championship. The crowd exploded, and fireworks boomed. Uzi welled up again, but he held his tears. He looked shocked. White dropped their tournament jackets and climbed the champions’ podium. The lights dimmed. They lifted the trophy together, shaking. They were the best team in the world. They were the best team in the history of League of Legends.
Samsung White with the championship trophy.
Thanks for riding along with me while I covered the tournament this year. It was a fun ride. Thanks to our Editor, Shannon Doyle and the staff for putting up with me, and thanks to MMOGames for giving me a home.
Until next year, stay tuned to MMOGames for all your MMO and MOBA news. And find more eSports coverage coming in the future as we expand.
