The second day of the League of Legends World Championship came to a close and now all teams of the Play-In stage have made an appearance. With a half dozen games to discuss, let’s take a look at how the tournament is progressing.
Day 2 Recap
Following a whole day of Group C and D games, it was time for the teams from Group A and B to take to the stage. Six matches took place yesterday and much like with Group C and D, we have some clear favorites in the tournament.
EDward Gaming vs Infinity eSports
The day was opened with a short and terribly one-sided game between EDward Gaming and Infinity eSports. EDG mercilessly tramped over Infinity, with the result of the match becoming clear just after the 10-minute mark.
From the get-go, EDG pressed the attack. Even before the match was 3 minutes in, EDG’s Scout scored first blood against Infinity’s mid-laner Cotopaco, who was playing Lulu. The Lulu choice is certainly controversial and it did prove to be a liability for the rest of the game since Cotopaco had the highest number of deaths in the matchup at 6.
Scout solo kills @cotopaco for First Blood in Mid Lane! #Worlds2018 pic.twitter.com/alGCNvrVxH
— LoL Esports (@lolesports) October 2, 2018
A team fight in the mid-game saw Infinity lose three members, while EDG picked up a Dragon kill and their advantage only snowballed from there. Similarly, another team fight resulted in three more kills for EDG and a Baron takedown. After that, the Chinese team pushed mid lane and brought the game to a close only 25 minutes in. The final score was 20 – 2 in terms of champion kills, in favor of EDG.
G2 Esports vs SuperMassive eSports
Luckily for viewers, the second match of the day was much more contested and made for better entertainment than the first. Though both teams played relatively passively, it was a question of which team can exploit the poor positioning of the other. It was more a war of attrition than a open conflict.
The First Blood King strikes first at #Worlds2018:
First Blood for @G2Jankos' Olaf! pic.twitter.com/iiSYbhwH9g
— LoL Esports (@lolesports) October 2, 2018
Although G2 had the economic advantage early on, the Turkish team quickly closed the game half-way through the match, taking down four towers in a 5-minute window. After that, all that was required from SuperMassive was to maintain some form of aggression and they were able to capitalize on the G2’s weak position. Ultimately, the game came to a close following a Baron kill and a large push from SuperMassive, who took the win after 31 minutes of play.
Dire Wolves vs Infinity eSports
Following their defeat at the hands of EDG, Infinity were more than willing to make up for the lost game. Their matchup versus Dire Wolves looked promising at first. An early gank from SolidSnake in the top lane and a kill by Cotopaco in the middle soon after secured the early-game advantage of Infinity.
Despite that, the mid-game saw a push from DW in the top lane and the first tower fell just shy of the 17-minute mark. Although Infinity were able to trade that tower and the subsequent one, Dire Wolves managed to take down Baron and that is when the pendulum swung in their direction. Following the Baron kill, Dire Wolves went on a rampage, heavily pushing all three lanes. Already 30 minutes in, Infinity were on the defensive, but it was not a fight that they could win. Ultimately, Dire Wolves came out on top and set Infinity eSports on the road to elimination.
Ascension Gaming vs SuperMassive eSports
The second match in Group B saw the debut of Ascension Gaming in the tournament against SuperMassive eSports. With SuperMassive fresh off their victory against G2, one would have assumed that they would take the advantage early on in the match and just have it snowball from there. However, it was not like that at all. In fact, the game was quite static and uneventful in the first few minutes, with neither team taking the economic advantage over the other.
Six minutes though, Ascension Gaming pulled off a double-kill on the Jungler and Support of SuperMassive and gained a slight gold advantage. That was followed up by a Dragon kill and a tower takedown, in addition to a couple of player ganks. Despite that, the game was relatively tame up until the 18-minute mark, when SuperMassive took down their opponent’s bottom lane players. After that, the gold gap was practically nonexistent and SuperMassive was able to capitalize on that, taking down three towers and a Baron. With the Baron buff active, the Turkish team came down hard on AG, killing four of them and relieving them of two towers. Not long after that they pushed into the enemy base and concluded the game. As a result of this match, SuperMassive is the current leader in Group B with a record of 2-0.
Make that 2-0: @supmass remain undefeated as they also take down @ascgamingth! #Worlds2018 #SUPWIN🦉 pic.twitter.com/jLo9V9qyvd
— LoL Esports (@lolesports) October 2, 2018
Dire Wolves vs EDward Gaming
The final game of Group A and the penultimate match of the second game, Dire Wolves met with EDward Gaming, having both beaten Infinity eSports in their previous games. As far as static games are concerned, this one fits the definition well. Up until 10 minutes in, nothing really happened and it could have been anyone’s game. But after that, Scout managed to take down DR’s top laner BioPanther, which led to the loss of a tower. But that was immediately traded with the bottom tower of EDG.
Both teams kept trading towers and raking gold when in the 21st minute EDG took a Baron kill and proceeded to remove three of DW’s players from the field. With the map firmly in their control, EDG pushed mid and bot lane heavily, taking down three towers until DW could recover. After another aggressive attack on mid, EDG destroyed an inhibitor and simply let the game stew for a while. Once Baron was up again, a team fight ensued in which DW lost four players. With only UDYSOF’s Trundle left to defend the base against Darius and Kai’Sa, the game quickly came to a close, with EDG as the decisive winners. In light of this game, EDward Gaming is the leader in Group A, holding a record of 2-0.
WHAT AN ENDING:@EDG_Edward take down @DireWolves and go 2-0! #Worlds2018 pic.twitter.com/2Sh6K7wP8x
— LoL Esports (@lolesports) October 2, 2018
Ascension Gaming vs G2 Esports
The final match of the day came from Ascension Gaming and G2, competing for the second place in Group B. Both having lost against SuperMassive, it was vital for both teams to claim victory. Unfortunately for AG, that was not meant to be.
Early on, things looked quite passive, with neither team looking for an aggressive push. In fact, the game quite even-sided for half of its duration, despite some trades and a Dragon kill from AG. Over the next few minutes, the two teams traded two towers and small engagements saw both getting player kills. Despite the passivity, G2 was slowly but surely gaining a slight gold advantage. The showdown came in the 21st minute at the Baron pit. The team fight saw G2 massacre their opponent, taking down all five of them. That cemented their advantage and ultimately won them the game, even if it dragged on for five more minutes.
.@G2Jankos STEALS THE BARON! #Worlds2018 pic.twitter.com/iY2XyujXY7
— LoL Esports (@lolesports) October 2, 2018
Results
With the second day concluded and six matches played, Groups A and B have the following results:
Group A:
- EDward Gaming: 2-0
- Dire Wolves: 1-1
- Infinity eSports: 0-2
Group B:
- SuperMassive eSports: 2-0
- G2 Esports: 1-1
- Ascension Gaming: 0-2
The #Worlds2018 Play-In Group Stage standings after day 2! pic.twitter.com/nRiGz8RRhn
— LoL Esports (@lolesports) October 2, 2018
