League of Legends Worlds Play-In Day 4 Recap: Group A

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October 5, 2018 0

The first round of the Play-In stage has come to an end and with the final games of Group A over and done with, we now have a clear picture of how the second round will progress. But before that can happen, let’s take a look back at yesterday’s games and see how events unfolded.

Play-In Day 4: Group A matches

The fourth day of the Play-In was quite eventful for Group A, as we saw one team being eliminated and another making a shocking comeback into the tournament.

Infinity eSports vs EDward Gaming


Infinity eSports had a rough start in the World Championship finishing their first day with a record of 2 losses and no victories. The second day saw them go up against the undisputed leader of Group A – EDward Gaming. The Chinese team had a field day the last time, beating both other opponents in Group A. With this in mind, it did not look like Infinity would have a good time but in the world of eSports, nothing is set in stone.

The game began exactly as one would expect, with EDward taking the early advantage. An early gank in the mid lane and a takedown of Infinity’s bottom players saw EDG quickly rack up gold. A small-scale team fight a few minutes later did result in Infinity killing off three of EDG’s members, though at the cost of two of their own. Still, the game was very much in favor of EDG.

At around the 15-minute mark EDG took down four Infinity members and it looked like the South America team was done for. From that point on, the Chinese had the run of the map, destroying towers and pushing deeper into Infinity territory. With 25 minutes in, everyone thought that the game would go to EDG but Infinity shocked the world when they killed the Baron and scored an Ace, which dealt a crippling blow to the Chinese team.

It was quickly followed with a push from Infinity which resulted in a quad kill and the destruction of multiple towers. In a surprising turn of events, Infinity pushed all the way into EDG’s base and took down the enemy Nexus, securing the win against the undefeated team.

Infinity eSports vs Dire Wolves

Hot off their victory against EDG, Infinity eSports took the stage versus Dire Wolves. DW experienced some misfortune in the recent past, with their jungler and team captain Shernfire being suspended from the first two games of the World Championship. With his return, one would have expected the Chinese team to gain a better foothold in the tournament. Yet still, Infinity surpassed all expectations and came out ahead.

The first 10 minutes of the match were mostly uneventful. Both teams traded champion kills but nothing too serious. Of course, that would all come to an end in the 12th minute when Infinity killed off four DW players and took down a tower. This firmly pushed the gold advantage in their favor and it only grew from there.

Dire Wolves sought to even the balance but in the following team fight, both teams lost three players and the status quo remained. The follow up was somewhat stale and nothing much happened, with the exception of the occasional gank and tower kill. At 25 minutes in, Dire Wolves pulled off a triple kill and it looked like they might turn the game around. The gold gap was closing but Infinity were not out of it yet. The SA team again showed what they are capable of when they killed Baron and three of DW’s members at no cost to themselves. This was followed up with an aggressive push into DW’s base resulting in the destruction of multiple towers and an inhibitor.

The final team fight was a sight to behold. Infinity pushed heavily into their opponent’s base and started the engagement. All five of Dire Wolves players were killed, while only a single Infinity member fell. This cemented the game for Infinity and it was a resounding victory.

EDward Gaming vs Dire Wolves


At this point in the series, Dire Wolves were not in a good position. Having lost their match versus Infinity, they were on the road for elimination. A victory in their next game would give them a chance to remain in the tournament. But they were up against EDward Gaming to whom they had lost on the first day. It was an uphill battle and winning would be difficult.

The match was stale for the first few minutes, though killing Shernfire’s Kindred put a dent in DW’s jungling potential. By the 9th minute, nothing significant had happened, but EDG were slowly and steadily achieving the gold advantage. A double-kill and a Dragon takedown at around the 10th minute only pushed the lead in favor of EDG. This was followed up with several champion trades and a tower destruction by EDG.

Dire Wolves were put on the slow burner and while they would not be defeated outright, they could not gain any headway either. EDG were in control of the map and were not leaving their opponent any room the breather. Another dragon kill and three towers destructions later, EDG started a team fight, resulting in the deaths of DW’s mid laner, jungler and support. With only a Sion and a Lucian left, there was not much that DW could do. EDG exploited this weakness to take down the Baron and after that, they heavily pushed into DW’s base. The decisive team fight ended with all of five Dire Wolves being killed and EDG snatching the victory.

The difference in resources at the end was staggering. EDG was leading with a 17.5k gold difference and 18 champion kills against DW’s mere 2.

Results

With these matches came the end of the first Play-In round and now the second is ready to commence. Dire Wolves were defeated in both games, leaving them with a 1-3 record and out of the tournament. As a result, Infinity eSports and EDward Gaming will advance to the second round where they will play against G2 Esports and DetonatioN FocusMe, respectively, in order to qualify for the Group Stage.

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