The last two days of the 2014 League of Legends World Championship have been electric. In case you missed it, here is a quick recap of both days.
Samsung Blue defeated Cloud 9 three to one Saturday, but the fight was much closer than the score might suggest. Cloud 9 dominated Samsung Blue in the opening match, Blue retaliated with two decisive victories, and Cloud 9 rallied with a daring comeback.
Cloud 9 was very upbeat going into the match. General Manager Jack Etienne had developed a plan for defeating Samsung Blue, and he looked confident it would work. In a pregame interview, he commented “We have been working for this all year. We are ready for this.” And C9 looked ready. They climbed up to their stations, shook themselves loose, logged in, and prepared for battle. They were fearless. They moved fast in the early game and defeated Samsung Blue in 33:07.
Sneaky dominated the first game. With fifteen kills, seven assists, and no deaths, he was the most dominant player of the first match. He seemed to be everywhere. Despite his earlier blunders, his play with Lucian in this match was world class–comparable to that of Uzi from Star Horn Royal Club or imp from Samsung White. He gained an “unstoppable” around 17:20 and a “legendary” around 32:00; he lead the push for SSB’s Nexus and delivered the final killing blows. He was relentless. The final score was 27-7. It was a wake up call for Samsung Blue.
Blue banned Lucian for the remaining matches, and Sneaky never regained momentum. Cloud 9 was a different team in game two. They had lost their aggression. It was close in the early and mid phases, but Samsung Blue started picking them apart shortly after the twenty minute mark. Between dade’s rampage and Spirit’s killing spree, they shut down Cloud 9 at 22:00. Hai snuck up on SSB’s Nexus at 32:24, but he was ill equipped to do any damage. He fell at 33:51. Samsung Blue then pushed C9’s Nexus and toppled it at 37:30 with a final score of 29-5.
Game 3 was more or less a repeat of game 2. Korea’s number one team continued to assert its dominance over the North Americans, toppling them in 31:33. The final score was 21-10. Samsung dominated the early game. Dade got ahead with Jayce early and rained missiles down on C9 for the remainder of the match. Cloud 9 tried to make a play on the bottom lane in the final few minutes, but it was too little too late. It was Ball’s first competitive loss with Rumbles. They didn’t stand a chance.
With Dade with his best champion, Yasuo, things began to look grim for Cloud 9, but they rallied and almost pulled off one of the greatest comebacks in League of Legends history. Samsung Blue pulled ahead in e early game with a big gold and experience lead. Cloud 9 evened up the score in the mid phase with an ace and a dragon. Sneaky and Balls wre playing the game of their lives. C9 managed to pick up three kills late in the game and pushed for Samsung Blue’s Nexus. They destroyed both Nexus turrets and began to strike the base. Blue pushed back, though, and shoved C9 back across the field into their own territory. Blue kept pressure, destroyed C9’s back and destroyed the Nexus. The game ended at 34:01 with a final score of 26-19.
Even though Cloud 9 is out of the tournament, it is hard to call them a losers. They made it to the quarterfinals and rallied against the top seeded Korean team, eclipsing Team SoloMid’s victory over Samsung White on Friday. All of the North American teams looked impressive this year, but Cloud 9 stands above them all. Hopefully they will learn from this season and build upon their losses. They will be fun to watch next year.
Samsung Blue, on the other hand, still has a few games ahead of them. They will be taking on their sister team Samsung White, a rival match that might determine the outcome of the tournament. White has lost nearly every match to Samsung Blue this year. If the trend continues, the team may walk an easy path to the finals. It should be an exciting match to watch.
The players Star Horn Royal Club had a chip on their shoulders going into the World Championship this year. After losing the finals of the World Championship last year and failing to make the LPL Top Four this year, SHR entered the tournament looking to turn heads. And turn heads they did. They entered the quarterfinals 5-1, and Uzi looked as cool as ever as he rose to his chair and prepared for the first match. Star Horn Royal looked ready.
Edward Gaming also had something to prove going into the quarterfinals. They were 4-3 in the group phase, and they were seeking validation. Both teams had put everything on the line.
NaMei and Fzzt took a risk in the opening minutes with a top laneswap. Royal killed U at approximately 4:00, taking a slight experience advantage. Ed Gaming tried to take a dragon at 11:00, and Star Horn Royal countered, acing and taking the dragon. Near the twenty-one minute mark, Clearlove killed the Baron and died shortly thereafter. Star Horn Royal pushed hard on all lanes. They overtook the middle inhibitor and moved into the enemy base. They aced Ed Gaming again in the final minutes and destroyed the Nexus at about 33:00.
Game two was more of the same from both teams. Star Horn Royal pushed hard, and Edward Gaming fell shortly after the thirty-three minute mark.
Star Horn Royal opened with a laneswap, sending Uzi and Zero to the top lane. Ed Gaming killed two around eight minutes. Ed Gaming took the dragon a few minutes later. Uzi won a duarda kill in a 4-2 exchage. SHR picked up four more kills at 19:00 in a mid lane brawl. Ed Gaming retaliated with three kills. SHR then pushed the mid lane, killed two more EDG players, slew a dragon, and destroyed a turret. Royal pushed further into Ed Gaming’s base picking up kills as they gained ground. They took the Nexus at 33:01.
After two consecutive losses, Edward Gaming appeared to be beaten. But they pushed hard in the opening minutes of the third match. They invaded enemy territory early, taking a red buff and killing a dragon in three minutes. Clearlove killed Cola twice on the top lane, and a skirmish in the bottom killed Zero. Ed Gaming picked up two more kills and a dragon shortly before the twelve minute mark. At 17:00, Star Horn Royal club lost a dragon fight, losing four players in the process. Ed Gaming then pushed for SHR’s base; they fell short. Star Horn Royal aced them and pushed them back into their own territory. Ed pushed again, this time taking an inhibitor and a Nexus turret. As their super minions destroyed the second Nexus turret, Ed Gaming killed the Baron and prepared for another assault. They pushed the Nexus a third time, this time destroying it near the thirty-eight minute mark. It was an incredible rally from Edward Gaming that gave them enough momentum to push forward.
The opening minute of the game were quiet. ClearLove killed three enemies, giving Edward Gaming a slight advantage. At about 16:00, an exchange in the jungle yielded three more kills for Ed Gaming, extending their lead. Star Horn Royal retaliated a few minutes later with two kills. Ed gaming pushed top a couple minutes after that and killed a dragon and a turret, giving them a slight gold lead. Star Horn Royal met them head on shortly thereafter and lost three more kills in the exchange. Ed Gaming took the Baron at 22:00. From there, EDG pushed deep into SHR territory, picking up more kills and toppling both Nexus turrets. They pushed again and won just shy of the twenty-seven minute mark.
Both teams were drained by the fifth game. The series was tied, tensions were high, and both teams looked ready to be done.
It was a long match. Star Horn Royal pushed the top lane in the opening minutes and destroyed their first tournament within three minutes. Ed Gaming took another dragon a few minutes later.
Nothing else happened until about 12:00. ClearLove claimed U, giving Ed Gaming first blood. They took yet another dragon a few minutes later. ClearLove killed Cola at 15:00. Ed Gaming tried to take a dragon at about 20:00 and lost it to Star Horn Royal, receiving two kills in the process. A few minutes later, the teams engaged near the top; Star Horn Royal won the exchange 5-4. They killed another dragon a couple minutes later. Both teams pursued the Baron to no avail for several minutes. At 37:00, Star Horn Royal destroyed a mid-lane turret, killed Koro1, and defeated the Baron. They then took a top turret and began pushing the bottom. They destroyed the bottom inhibitor, aced Ed Gaming, and toppled the Nexus at 41:00.
Ed Gaming played an extraordinary match. After two consecutive losses, they pulled themselves together, fought hard, and nearly won a seat in the semifinals. Like Cloud 9, Ed Gaming should not see the series as a loss. Instead, they should be proud of their work. They played an incredible series that ended in one of the closet, most exciting tie-breakers in the tournament this year. They were incredible.
Star Horn Royal club, thanks to great plays and better leadership, will be playing in the semifinals against an unnamed opponent. Regardless of their opponent, they have a hard road ahead of them. If they can hold themselves together through semifinals, they might be able to right history and claim their international title.
Stay tuned to MMOGames.com for more news about the 2014 LoL World Championships.
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