League of Legends World Championship 2015

[Fat Hippo]

TSM is, once again, completely doomed because while they're great in Bo5 series, they basically lose the first game they play against any given team.

Ehh, well I think that might be overly kind to TSM, I haven't analyzed their Bo5's, but they most definitely have some issues they need to overcome (e.g. relying on Bjergsen to carry everyone while telling Dyrus to go fuck off in his lane and get massively behind).

RIP skins in Pepperonis. And now I have to wait a whole week for the rest of Group B games. Pls Fnatic don't let Huni throw anymore, and get out of groups. It's actually still easy-ish to get there as it's only C9 that's ahead.

Yeah, it's gonna be hard to wait for this. I really want Fnatic to get out of this group, and I was so sure they would do it without a hitch. And now, things could go either way. At least Origen is looking good in Group D.

I don't particularly give a shit about Group A. CLG might be doing alright, but I'm not particularly impressed by them overall... though it's not like I or anyone else has a shot in hell of predicting how this tournament will go, apparently.

I'm looking forward to the Group C rematch between EDG and SKT, and I think everyone is curious about it, since EDG and SKT are probably going to meet up again later, and everyone wants to find out more about how those two match up against each other.

 

[Fat Hippo]

So today, the rest of the Group A games will commence, and the two teams that get to go on will be selected. Who do you think will make it?

I suppose the two obvious favorites are CLG and the KOO Tigers, as they are both leading so far with 2 wins and 1 loss. I still think have the Flash Wolves have a chance however to knock out one of the two leading teams. Everyone has had a few additional days to prepare, so who knows if they will bring some new tricks. Despite paiN Gaming winning one round, I would be surprised if they managed to turn it around.

 

[Dango]

So, rest in peace CLG. Let's hope Cloud 9 keeps up the NA hope.

 

[Fat Hippo]

So, rest in peace CLG. Let's hope Cloud 9 keeps up the NA hope.

They will if they keep playing the way they have so far. NA fans can only hope that the 4 day break didn't make whatever magical potion they drank before the tournament wear off.

EDIT: Looks like tomorrow won't be all that exciting. If EDG and SKT don't make it out of the group, I'll eat my hat!

Of course, some people might have said the same thing about LGD before recent events...

 

[McElroy]

And CLG proves they are the second worst team in the tournament. BrTT > Doublelift or actually they all suck. My money's on EDG for today's matches.

EDIT: turns out I'm a greedy idiot, rip

 

[Fat Hippo]

And CLG proves they are the second worst team in the tournament. BrTT > Doublelift or actually they all suck. My money's on EDG for today's matches.

SKT vs EDG is the most exiting thing today. SKT took the first round, can EDG get revenge? And if they don't manage to, will it be a harbinger for the future course of the tournament? If EDG can't take SKT, then who can?

 

[Skin]

And CLG proves they are the second worst team in the tournament. BrTT > Doublelift or actually they all suck. My money's on EDG for today's matches.

SKT vs EDG is the most exiting thing today. SKT took the first round, can EDG get revenge? And if they don't manage to, will it be a harbinger for the future course of the tournament? If EDG can't take SKT, then who can?

It is going to be a great match, but I wouldn't really place any merit on it. I think at this point neither EDG nor SKT want to reveal too much going into the knockout stage, so I won't be surprised if either team holds back at least when it comes to the draft. And in this format, it won't be very telling how well EDG can actually do against SKT. In a Bo5, I would expect it to go to 5 games.

Other than EDG, I think Origen might be the team that could give SKT a run for their money.

 

[Fat Hippo]

It is going to be a great match, but I wouldn't really place any merit on it. I think at this point neither EDG nor SKT want to reveal too much going into the knockout stage, so I won't be surprised if either team holds back at least when it comes to the draft. And in this format, it won't be very telling how well EDG can actually do against SKT. In a Bo5, I would expect it to go to 5 games.

Yeah, that is true.

Other than EDG, I think Origen might be the team that could give SKT a run for their money.

I'd like to believe this, and Origen HAS been very convincing in its games so far. But while I love xPeke as a midlaner, and he was playing out of his mind in the last 3 games, occasionally he just...derps. I simply don't know if Origen has the consistency and discipline that they will need. Though I would LOVE to be proven wrong.

 

[RJ 17]

But while I love xPeke as a midlaner, and he was playing out of his mind in the last 3 games, occasionally he just...derps.

He certainly didn't derp with that Anivia pick last week. Right now Peke's my best hope for seeing more odd-ball champs being played (still have my fingers crossed for a Karthus appearance...with the changes to some of the AP items I still say he'd be pretty viable in a skilled player's hands ).

How about CLG sucking the fat one, eh? Everyone had high hopes for them and they've crashed and burned...hard. Pain Gaming - those scrappy underdogs from Brazil - showed flashes of absolute brilliance in almost all of their games, but as the commentators pointed out: they'll make 4 great calls in a row and then either fail to pull the trigger on the final call that would out-right win, or they straight-up make one horrendous call that knocks them out of the lead in the game. Only considering performances in this tournament: I'd say PNG had more right to be there than CLG...CLG just looked ugly.

Quote the analysts: "CLG is showing the mental fortitude of a bunch of sun-dried tomatoes."

As for today's matches: nothing in particular interests me. Pretty sure it's going to be SKT and EDG coming out of this group. So I'm really looking forward to Saturday when the C9 group plays again. That group, more than any other, seems like the "Anything can happen!" group...which always leads to more interesting games to watch.

 

[Gizen]

Man, I want the weekend matches so badly. Yesterday's games were all the teams I just don't really care about (though I derive some catharsis from CLG crashing and burning, just because I think Doublelift is an asshole), and today's games look super one-sided beyond the SKT/EDG match. I wanna see if Origen and C9 can keep it up. My dream finals is for somehow both of them to take down SKT/EDG and have the finals be the battle of the ridiculous underdog stories. Not likely, but I can dream.

Also,

I'll admit that after what I saw of them during the summer I thought they were a joke of a team that had a tendency to choke. But after that first game I could tell that they had really improved. Don't know what they did to suddenly get this good, but I think it's officially safe to say that they're actually a strong contender in this tournament.

What happened was that Hai came back. He was their midlane and shotcaller originally, but at some point he injured his wrist and his gameplay started to suffer for it. Team morale fell and he retired and they replaced him with Incarnation. That was the team's very first roster change in their entire history, and the entire team pretty much fell apart and went to shit when it happened. Their teamwork was bad and they didn't have any one to call the plays anymore. Then right near the very end of the season, their jungler stepped down so they could drag Hai back onto the team in his stead and they've been picking up steam ever since. He's not that great of a player mechanically, but his shotcalling and ability to strategize is world class, and on top of that he's the one who keeps team morale high and keeps everyone else level-headed. He's pretty much the heart and soul of the team.

Which leaves me wondering what their post-worlds plans are. He still wants to step down and retire properly at some point, but if he does and the whole team just falls apart again, they need a more permanent solution.

EDIT:

Spoiler

And even EDG gets utterly slaughtered by SKT. I do hope that SOMEONE can beat SKT. If Korea just utterly dominates worlds for the 3rd time in a row, I'll be sad, especially since this seemed like it was gonna be the first worlds since 2012 where the other regions really stood a chance.

 

[Fat Hippo]

@RJ 17: To be honest, I've never been very impressed with CLG, even when they were winning. Their games are rarely entertaining to watch, so I'm not the least bit sad that they're gone.

And Peke hasn't derped this Worlds...yet. And I hope he won't, but I just don't quite dare to believe. If he gets at least one epic backdoor, I'll be happy.

@Gizen: Yep, Hai is what brought C9 back. Kinda sad to see Meteos go, as he's actually a very skilled Jungler. But Incarnation is also very good in Mid and they needed Hai SOMEWHERE in the team, so this was probably the best choice. And what happens after Worlds...beats me. I wonder if they're already scouting for someone with shotcalling potential, or grooming someone in the team for it.

Spoiler: How 'bout that EDG vs SKT?

Jesus christ. I mean, that was brutal. Sure, it's possible that EDG is holding back, but are they really willing to let themselves get slaughtered that hard to hide information? If so, they are a damn disciplined squad.

EDIT:

Spoiler: EDG vs BKT

Ooooof, that one actually got a little scary for EDG, almost as if they were tilting after the SKT match. Lucky for them that BKT started throwing teamfights so spectacularly afterwards. A superior team would never have given them such an opportunity.

 

[Skin]

EDG vs SKT

Spoiler

Damn EDG got slaughtered. I think this game was pure outplay by SKT rather than anything else as both drafted fairly standard. Clearlove was basically absent that whole game, and just in general EDG look alot weaker this week compared to the methodical, machine-like dismantlings they performed last week. I still think EDG could take SKT, but not playing like this. They should have 2 weeks to prepare and they were forced to show their hand in order to secure the game against H2K.

 

[RJ 17]

EDIT:

Spoiler: EDG vs BKT

Ooooof, that one actually got a little scary for EDG, almost as if they were tilting after the SKT match. Lucky for them that BKT started throwing teamfights so spectacularly afterwards. A superior team would never have given them such an opportunity.

And that's the thing...

Spoiler: Regarding SKT

Really SKT is the only team thus far that hasn't shown any weakness at all...just soundly destroying everything that comes their way with no "Uh-oh, (x) has a chance to steal this away from them..." EDG, on the other hand, almost got upset by BKT. Looking at group A, those scrappy Pain Gaming underdogs showed signs of true brilliance in a lot of their games, but it was all in their setup and they failed to finish on pretty much everything they tried. As the analysts said: they'd make four good decisions but then one terrible decision that sets them right back behind the other team. Still, they came close to pulling off a number of upsets and even succeeded twice. The point being: even the good teams in Group A have shown signs of weakness.

So as I said: SKT is, so far, the only team that has shown absolute dominance in all of their matches.

Annnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnd they gave me my Karthus!

They even used him exactly how he's supposed to be used: not as a carry mid-laner but more as a utility. That's where he really shines. Sure, it's nice if he gets fed and starts doing obscene amounts of damage, but it's much better to just use him for the zoning potential with that wall and his AoEs. Even his ult was used to push H2K off one of their inhibitor turrets to ensure that the turret went down.

A lot of people have picked SKT to win the whole thing, and after this group stage it's really easy to see why.

 

[Fat Hippo]

EDIT:

Spoiler: EDG vs BKT

Ooooof, that one actually got a little scary for EDG, almost as if they were tilting after the SKT match. Lucky for them that BKT started throwing teamfights so spectacularly afterwards. A superior team would never have given them such an opportunity.

And that's the thing...

Spoiler: Regarding SKT

Really SKT is the only team thus far that hasn't shown any weakness at all...just soundly destroying everything that comes their way with no "Uh-oh, (x) has a chance to steal this away from them..." EDG, on the other hand, almost got upset by BKT. Looking at group A, those scrappy Pain Gaming underdogs showed signs of true brilliance in a lot of their games, but it was all in their setup and they failed to finish on pretty much everything they tried. As the analysts said: they'd make four good decisions but then one terrible decision that sets them right back behind the other team. Still, they came close to pulling off a number of upsets and even succeeded twice. The point being: even the good teams in Group A have shown signs of weakness.

So as I said: SKT is, so far, the only team that has shown absolute dominance in all of their matches.

Annnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnd they gave me my Karthus!

They even used him exactly how he's supposed to be used: not as a carry mid-laner but more as a utility. That's where he really shines. Sure, it's nice if he gets fed and starts doing obscene amounts of damage, but it's much better to just use him for the zoning potential with that wall and his AoEs. Even his ult was used to push H2K off one of their inhibitor turrets to ensure that the turret went down.

A lot of people have picked SKT to win the whole thing, and after this group stage it's really easy to see why.

I think the thing about SKT is that you can't wait for them to make any obvious mistakes, because they basically never do. But they will abuse any mistakes the enemy makes mercilessly. Which means you have to find the tiniest chinks in their armor, and not leave yourself open in a single respect. And while I would love for Origen to beat them, I'm just not sure they're quite on that level. On the topic of Origen...

Spoiler: OG vs TSM

What a slog. If you haven't watched it, don't bother. Typical TSM game: Bjergsen wins the lane, then they do nothing, then they get outplayed in the late game. OG just had to slowly slowly sloooooowwwwllllyyy take it into the late game and tighten their grip. TSM had chances, they just never used 'em. They really need an actual shotcaller, relying on Bjergsen to carry every game only gets you so far.

 

[RJ 17]

Spoiler: OG vs TSM

What a slog. If you haven't watched it, don't bother. Typical TSM game: Bjergsen wins the lane, then they do nothing, then they get outplayed in the late game. OG just had to slowly slowly sloooooowwwwllllyyy take it into the late game and tighten their grip. TSM had chances, they just never used 'em. They really need an actual shotcaller, relying on Bjergsen to carry every game only gets you so far.

Spoiler: Just finished watching it.

A silver lining is that I think TSM looked much better in this game than they did in week 1. This is the only game I've watched from today so far so I don't really know if that pans out or not, but in week 1 they just looked terrible. I really liked the Syndra pick, but you're completely right: they try to ride the Bjergsen train way too much. They should just change the team name to Team Solo Bjergsen...because he's really the only player on their team that seems to be worth a damn at this point. Lustboy had a nice dragon steal, but in the end it was all for naught. Their shotcalling was terrible to let OG get up to 4 dragons pretty much uncontested in the first place. When a team gets to 4 dragons they pretty much control the entire tempo of the game. The slightest hint of going for the 5th means the other team has to go fight for it, which means there can be plenty of baiting and cross-map pressure with a split-push.

Edit: Annnnnnd TSM is out. They did show signs of improvement between week 1 and 2, but it just wasn't enough.

 

[Fat Hippo]

Experience the dreamiest of all LoL midlaners:

 

[RJ 17]

Spoiler: Just finished watching LDG vs OG.

Huh, so that's why LDG was the #1 seed from China. Sooooooo yeah...where the hell was this level of play in the previous 4 games?

That said, I've got a feeling they will - or at least should - wipe the floor with TSM. I'm almost caught up with my replays.

 

[Risingblade]

That Dyrus interview really got to me, I almost broke into tears.

 

[Fat Hippo]

Spoiler: FNC vs C9

That was probably the most relentless early game by anyone I've EVER seen. Reignover just wouldn't let up, pretty much every gank was successful, all lanes pushing simultaneously. Just nuts. I didn't think C9 played that poorly in the beginning, but then things just snowballed and it was pretty much over. I would be happiest if C9 and FNC both made it out of the group, but I'm really happy to see FNC back in old form.

EDIT: This really makes the group interesting as well...C9, FNC and AHQ all still have a shot at this.

EDIT:

Spoiler: FNC vs AHQ

Ooof, this was a real brick-shitter. Everything hinged on that one fight, just balancing on a knife's edge. I honestly don't think Fnatic's draft was good at all, but they managed to pull it off anyway. If AHQ beats C9 and gets through the group stage, prepare to see Tahm Kench and/or Jinx banned every game.

Gaaah, and now I have to watch the tie-breaker between C9 and AHQ, this WC is killing my productivity.

 

[Dango]

Spoiler: FNC vs AHQ

Man, that sucks. I was really rooting for AHQ there. They should've pulled back after getting all 3 inhibs, no reason to rush in like that. Still, I'm gonna root for C9 in the next match, go underdogs.

Spoiler: FNC vs AHQ Post Game Interview

Man, Hai's got some balls, that was hilarious.