JULY 5, 2016

Great contributions to teamfights in sweep

Name: Heo "Huni" Seung-Hoon

Team: Immortals

Update: Huni finished Immortals' series sweep of Apex Gaming on Saturday with a 5/3/11 KDA.

Analysis: Huni played Ryze in both games against Apex Gaming. Game 1 was his best, as he finished with a 4/1/6 KDA. Immortals kept the tempo of the game very fast; they were sieging a tier three turret just eight minutes into the game. Huni's only death came when he got picked off for first blood by an Enchanted Crystal Arrow and Explosive Cask combo. The early death didn't stop him from becoming a beast in teamfights later, as he finished with the second most damage dealt to champions and second highest kill participation. Game 2 didn't go as well for him since he finished with less kills and more deaths than Game 1. However, he still had good contributions to teamfights, finishing with the second most damage dealt to champions for Immortals. Huni's stats have been down from his Spring Split numbers, but he could easily turn things around in the second half of the Summer Split.

Great map coverage on Rek'Sai throughout series

Name: Kim "Reignover" Yeu-Jin

Team: Immortals

Update: Reignover finished Immortals' series sweep of Apex Gaming on Saturday with a 3/0/15 KDA.

Analysis: Reignover was great in the series, as he finished without a death and an 86 percent kill participation. He played Rek'Sai in both games, which helped Immortals keep suffocating pressure on Apex Gaming as they dominated their way to two under 30 minute victories. He didn't get Immortals first blood in either game, but they were faster at rotating across the map and got their lead by knocking down a lot more turrets than Apex Gaming. Reignover and Immortals' did great at controlling the neutral objectives as well and didn't give up any Dragon or Baron buffs to Apex Gaming in the series. Rek'Sai fits Immortals' fast tempo play style perfectly and teams may try to take the champion away from Reignover in future series.

Damage carries Immortals in series sweep

Name: Eugene "Pobelter" Park

Team: Immortals

Update: Pobelter ended Immortals' sweep of Apex Gaming with a 5/2/10 KDA.

Analysis: Pobelter was able to gain a slight gold advantage over Keane in the laning phase of Game 1. He made fairly equal trades in lane, but had a much bigger impact on teamfights, as he finished with the more damage dealt to champions on Immortals. Viktor has been one of Pobelter's best champions this split and he showed why in Game 1, which is probably why Apex Gaming took it out of his hands in Game 2 by picking Viktor for themselves. He countered by picking Zilean and it worked out well for him. He didn't have as much kill potential in teamfights, but still managed to deal the most damage to champions for Immortals. Mid laners have had a more important roles on teams so far this split and Pobelter has really stepped up to the plate for Immortals. He has the third best KDA among North American mid laners and leads them in assists.

Finished sweep of Apex Gaming without a death

Name: Jason "WildTurtle" Tran

Team: Immortals

Update: WildTurtle earned a 5/0/11 KDA in Immortals' series sweep of Apex Gaming.

Analysis: WildTurtle was one of two Immortals' to finish the series against Apex Gaming without a death. In Game 1, he had a solid performance on Sivir. He didn't have to do much laning, as the game started out with lane swaps. WildTurtle was safe in teamfights, dealing out damage and assisting, but not overextending. In Game 2, he was able to be more of a force in teamfights on Ashe. He had great Enchanted Crystal Arrows to get picks, as he finished with 100 percent kill participation. Immortals kept the pressure on Apex Gaming throughout the series, besting them in under 30 minutes both games. Often they got the better of Apex Gaming in lane swaps, taking down turrets fast and pushing for a second turret while only losing one. WildTurtle hasn't kept up with his stats from the Spring Split and currently has the third most kills and second most assists among North American AD Carries. He has plenty of time to improve on those stats in the second half of the Summer Split.

Another solid performance in series sweep

Name: Adrian "Adrian" Ma

Team: Immortals

Update: Adrian earned a 3/4/15 KDA in Immortals' series sweep of Apex Gaming.

Analysis: Adrian had a solid Game 1 on Soraka, finishing with a 1/2/8 KDA. He and Immortals were much faster in lane swaps and were able to dictate a fast pace in Game 1. Adrian had some great Equinoxes to lockdown kills for Immortals in teamfights, as well as great heals to sustain teammates. In Game 2, Apex Gaming banned Soraka and Adrian opted to play on Nami. He and WildTurtle were great at chaining crowd control with teammates and it helped Immortals get picks throughout Game 2. Immortals duo lane finished Game 2 with 100 percent kill participation. Immortals kept a fast pace in Game 2 and bested Apex Gaming in under 30 minutes. Adrian had a great Spring split and hasn't kept pace so far during the Summer, but still has the second-most assists among North American supports.

Struggles to make impact in Game 2 en route to being swept

Name: Jeon "Ray" Ji-won

Team: Apex Gaming

Update: Ray earned a 3/7/2 KDA in Apex Gaming's series loss to Immortals.

Analysis: Ray finished Game 1 with 100 percent kill participation, but Apex Gaming only managed to put up four kills. Immortals set the tempo of the games with lane swaps to start and kept Apex Gaming on the defensive. In Game 2, Ray got punished early by WildTurtle and played passively after. He had some opportunities to ambush WildTurtle later and opted not to. He finished Game 2 with a lowly 1/4/0 KDA. Ray is at or near the top of a lot of stats for North American top laners, as he is second in kills and kill participation and has the highest CS. However, he also has the most deaths.

First blood not enough to slow or stop Immortals

Name: Lee "ShrimP" Byeong-hoon

Team: Apex Gaming

Update: ShrimP finished Apex Gaming's series loss to Immortals with a 2/5/4 KDA.

Analysis: ShrimP got Apex Gaming first blood in both games of the series, but it didn't help them get an advantage over Immortals. They were slow during the lane swaps, as Immortals were able to pick up an extra turret during the trades. ShrimP made solid contributions in teamfights, as he participated in all but three of Apex Gamings kills in the series. They only managed to get nine kills, though, so that isn't saying much. ShrimP isn't having a great first half in the Summer split; he has the most deaths and highest CS of North American.

Holds his own in lane, but can't make an impact late

Name: Lae-Young "Keane" Jang

Team: Apex Gaming

Update: Keane ended Apex Gaming's series loss to Immortals with a 2/5/3 KDA.

Analysis: Keane held his ground during the laning phase of games during the series, but wasn't able to make a huge impact on teamfights. He led Apex Gaming in damage dealt to champions throughout the series, but wasn't able to pick up many kills or assists. There weren't many kills for Apex Gaming as they only put up nine the whole series. Keane participated in just over half of them, though. There were high hopes for Apex Gaming coming into the split, but they haven't been able to put together great performances against the top tier teams.

100 percent kill participation throughout series loss

Name: Apollo "Apollo" Price

Team: Apex Gaming

Update: Apollo earned a 2/2/7 KDA in Apex Gaming's series loss to Immortals.

Analysis: Apollo had 100 percent kill participation in Game 1, but finished without a kill. He had a great Enchanted Crystal Arrow to help catch Huni for first blood, but didn't have many other snipes the rest of the game. Apollo had 100 percent kill participation again in Game 2 where he finished with a 2/0/3 KDA on Jhin. Immortals were able to keep map pressure on Apex Gaming throughout the series as they finished each game in under 30 minutes. Apex Gaming was slow during lane swaps, which let Immortals take an extra turret during some of the trades. Apollo isn't having too great of a split, but currently has the third most assists among North American AD Carries.

Can't slow down Immortals fast tempo in series loss

Name: Alex "Xpecial" Chu

Team: Apex Gaming

Update: Xpecial earned a 0/2/7 KDA in Apex Gaming's series loss to Immortals.

Analysis: Xpecial had a decent series despite his low KDA. His seven assists in the series was good enough for a 77 percent kill participation. In Game 1 he had some good Tidal Waves and Aqua Prisons on Nami, but not in the late game teamfights when Immortals were pushing to win. Game 2 wasn't any better for Xpecial, he and teammates got some picks on Immortals in the mid game, but couldn't stop them late. Apex Gaming were slow at matching Immortals during lane swaps throughout the series. The slow swaps gave Immortals a chance to take an extra turret during some trades and pulling further ahead of Apex. Once Immortals had a lead, there was little Apex Gaming could do to stop them.

Poor positioning gives away free kills

Name: Bora "YellOwStaR" Kim

Team: Fnatic

Update: YellOwStaR ended Fnatic's sweep to GIANTS with a combined 0/6/6 KDA.

Analysis: In Game 1, YellOwStaR used Nami and was unable to make plays. He was killed to give away first blood and his positioning in this game was poor, often being caught out to give away kills. With Fnatic trailing, he was unable to really set up plays, often forced to use his ultimate to disengage. In Game 2, he used Bard and was able to have a little more success. He did create a few plays using Tempered Fate to assist Fnatic in diving turrets, but it was far too little. With his team behind from the early stages yet again, he couldn't effectively make plays to turn the momentum.

Unable to carry Fnatic

Name: Martin "Rekkles" Larsson

Team: Fnatic

Update: Rekkles ended Friday's loss to GIANTS with a combined 3/4/3 KDA.

Analysis: Rekkles used Jhin in Game 1 and was unable to carry. Fnatic were dominated early and Rekkles never reached a point where he could effect this game. He was able to pick up two kills, but lacked the ability to take over the game by utilizing Jhin's range against GIANTS. In Game 2, Rekkles used Sivir and again struggled to do much. Fnatic were again crushed early and Rekkles lone kill came by catching Hustlin out of position.

Uncharacteristically awful against GIANTS

Name: Fabian "Febiven" Diepstraten

Team: Fnatic

Update: Febiven had a combined 2/7/1 KDA Friday, as Fnatic were swept by GIANTS Gaming.

Analysis: Febiven struggled in Game 1 on Cassiopeia. Fnatic were dominated in the early stages and Febiven never scaled to become a threat at any point in the game. He was dominated in lane by NighT and was only able to muster one assist to four deaths in Game 1. In Game 2, he used Ryze and found a little more success, but not much. He was killed early by a gank from Maxlore and fell behind in lane once again. Febiven was able to pick up two kills in Game 2, but it was far too little as Fnatic were dominated.

Dominated by Maxlore in the jungle

Name: Lee "Spirit" Da-yoon

Team: Fnatic

Update: Spirit finished Fnatic's Friday sweep by GIANTS with a combined 1/6/3 KDA.

Analysis: Spirit struggled in Game 1 as Elise. He was unable to do much of anything early, as Fnatic fell behind quickly and never recovered. He couldn't provide burst damage in teamfights and showed poor pathing and gank timings, ending the game with only one assist. In Game 2, he played Olaf and again struggled. He was solo killed by Maxlore to give away first blood and again had no impact in the early stages of the game. His one kill came during a four-man dive on SmittyJ, but he lacked any teamfight impact. Fnatic were dominated in this series and Spirit's lack of pressure was a big reason why.

Poor series on Gnar

Name: Yeong-Jin "Gamsu" Noh

Team: Fnatic

Update: Gamsu ended Fnatic's sweep to GIANTS with a combined 2/5/4 KDA.

Analysis: Gamsu played two games as Gnar and struggled with his team in each. He was unable to really frontline, as Fnatic fell behind from the early stages of both games. His lack of tankiness in teamfights allowed GIANTS to cut through Fnatic and he was unable to utilize his ultimate to set up kills for Fnatic to try and mount a comeback. It was a poor series overall for the Fnatic top laner, as he managed just one kill in each game and four assists for the entire series.

Nearly unkillable as playmaker for GIANTS

Name: Morgan "Hustlin" Granberg

Team: Giants Gaming

Update: Hustlin ended GIANTS sweep of Fnatic with a combined 1/1/22 KDA.

Analysis: In Game 1, Hustlin used Braum and was unkillable. He was excellent throughout the game, including early when he picked up an assist on first blood. He was able to effectively use Concussive Blows and Glacial fissure to set up kills throughout the game. In Game 2, Hustlin used Nami and was again successful. He was able to use Aqua Prison and his ultimate to set up kills and although he died once, he was able to successfully reach 10 assists. His double digit assist total in both games helped him lead the series.

Carries GIANTS to sweep of Fnatic

Name: Seung-ik "SONSTAR" Son

Team: Giants Gaming

Update: SONSTAR was unkillable as GIANTS upset Fnatic, ending the series with a 10/0/10 KDA.

Analysis: SONSTAR continued his hot run of form against Fnatic on Friday. In Game 1, he used Ashe to good effect, picking up first blood by catching YellOwStaR out of position. He was able to use Ashe's kit effectively, slowing members of Fnatic with his auto attacks and volley, while dealing big damage when activating Ranger's Focus. His double kill in the final teamfight helped GIANTS end the game. In Game 2, he used Jhin and enjoyed similar results. He was able to use Jhin's range to pick up kills, while rooting members of Fnatic with Deadly Flourish. His double kill in the mid game gave GIANTS a huge lead that Fnatic could not overcome.

Unkillable in GIANTS sweep of Fnatic

Name: Na "NighT" Gun-woo

Team: Giants Gaming

Update: NighT helped carry GIANTS to a huge sweep of Fnatic with a combined 9/0/11 KDA.

Analysis: NighT used Viktor in both games and dealt a ton of damage with the mage. In Game 1, he picked up four kills and seven assists, using his burst damage to help GIANTS dominate teamfights. He flanked well during the first teamfight, using Chaos Storm on multiple members at once to chunk down Fnatic's health bars and picking up one kill. His double kill in the final teamfight helped GIANTS end the game. In Game 2, it was much of the same. He once again dealt huge damage in the mid and late game as GIANTS took a huge lead. His double kill in the final teamfight of this game helped GIANTS pick up the sweep.

Excellent in upset over Fnatic

Name: Nubar "Maxlore" Sarafian

Team: Giants Gaming

Update: Maxlore led GIANTS from the jungle during their Friday sweep of Fnatic with a combined 7/3/14 KDA.

Analysis: In Game 1, Maxlore used Nidalee to help carry from the jungle. His pathing was excellent, picking up an assist on first blood and three kills early, one during a 3-vs-3 in the bottom lane and one on Spirit, catching the Fnatic jungler out of position. His third kill onto Yellowstar continued his snowball as he had a massive effect on the game. In Game 2, he used Rek'Sai and again helped GIANTS dominate. He solo killed Spirit in the jungle for first blood and picked up a second kill, ganking Febiven in the mid lane. From there he became an excellent front line presence for GIANTS, using his unburrow to set up kills as GIANTS crushed Fnatic.

Terrific use of Swain in upset victory

Name: Lennart "Smittyj" Warkus

Team: Giants Gaming

Update: SmittyJ helped GIANTS to an upset sweep of Fnatic with a combined 1/4/9 KDA.

Analysis: SmittyJ played two Swain games in the series and was able to sustain his way to victory. In Game 1, he picked up his only kill of the series after securing the Baron. His main focus in the series was to pump out area-of-effect damage using Swain's spell rotation and ultimate to sustain in teamfights. He was able to help whittle down Fnatic health bars for NighT and SONSTAR to pick up kills and was mostly unkillable, especially in Game 1. While watching Swain turn on his ultimate and run into the middle of teams isn't the most exciting thing in the world, it was just what GIANTS needed from their top laner Friday.

Rejoins Longzhu starting lineup

Name: Kim "Frozen" Tae-il

Team: Longzhu

Update: Longzhu announced that Frozen would be rejoining the starting roster after being benched earlier in the season, as announced by the Kespa League of Legends Facebook.

Analysis: Longzhu had a rather poor Spring Split and opted to make a change to it's lineup as a result. After carefully deciding, the team opted to bench Frozen in favor of Coco. Seemingly regretting this decision, the team has opted to bring Frozen back to the starting lineup following an extremely poor start to the Summer Split. The team hopes that Frozen will be able to bring new found life to the team and improve their record during the second half of the split.

Moves to starting position for remainder of Summer Split

Name: Lee "Flame" Ho-Jong

Team: Longzhu

Update: After being benched from Longzhu's starting lineup earlier in the split, the team has announced that Flame will return to the active lineup.

Analysis: Although Longzhu made changes to their roster, they have not seen changes in their play. Constantly riddled with mistakes, the team has opted to make yet another roster swap in their search for favorable results. After benching Flame, they have decided to move him back to a starter position in hopes to keep the team out of the bottom half of the standings. It is unclear whether he will be able to do so, but Flame now has the task of exceeding the performances set forth by Expession; something that shouldn't be too difficult to do.

Strong Game 2 not enough to force Game 3

Name: Terry "Big" Chuong

Team: Echo Fox

Update: Big ended Echo Fox's series loss to NRG eSports on Sunday with a 3/5/13 KDA.

Analysis: Big played solid on Nami early in Game 1, but wasn't much of an impact late. NRG had much better macro plays that allowed them to dominate turrets and neutral objectives. After they got their second Baron buff of the game, there wasn't much Echo Fox could do to stop them from finishing. In Game 2, Big was much more of a threat throughout the match on Zyra, as he finished with a 3/2/9 KDA. He had 100 percent kill participation and dealt more damage to champions than his AD Carry, Keith. However, Echo Fox lost the match when they entered into the base race at the end of the game. They didn't have the minion waves to match NRG and were prevented from backing by GBM and KiWiKiD, which bought enough time for the rest of NRG to finish the game.

Series lost in base race during Game 2

Name: Yuri "Keith" Jew

Team: Echo Fox

Update: Keith finished Echo Fox's series loss to NRG eSports on Sunday with a 6/5/7 KDA.

Analysis: Keith played a fairly clean Game 1, as he finished with a 2/1/3 KDA on Jhin. However, he used Captive Audience more for a fight initiator instead of using it to finish off targets. He was more productive on Ezreal in Game 2, but also had more deaths, finishing with a 4/4/4 KDA. After Echo Fox got a pick on KiWiKiD late, NRG started a base race. Echo Fox decided to go along with the race instead of backing to fight. NRG was much quicker and by the time Echo Fox realized it, it was too late to stop them.

Mediocre performance in 0-2 loss

Name: Henrik "Froggen" Hansen

Team: Echo Fox

Update: Froggen earned a 7/5/7 KDA in Echo Fox's series loss to NRG eSports on Sunday.

Analysis: Froggen made early plays in Game 1 with Twisted Fates' Destiny. The early roam from lane allowed GBM to farm his way to a gold lead that Froggen didn't come back from. Echo Fox fell behind in gold as a team because of slow rotations and lane swaps and couldn't come back after NRG got their second Baron buff of the game. In Game 2, Echo Fox ran a team composition that was attack damage heavy, as Froggen played Varus to go along with an attack damage jungler and AD carry. On paper it seems like a great composition to enter a base race with, but Echo Fox lost the race in Game 2. Froggen had some early mistakes like getting caught way out of position to give up first blood, but was solid besides that. He is always one of Echo Fox's carries, but more players on the team will need to step up for them to climb out of last place.

Improved his play in Game 2, not enough to force a Game 3

Name: Anthony "Hard" Barkhovtsev

Team: Echo Fox

Update: Hard ended Echo Fox's series loss to NRG eSports on Sunday with a 1/3/9 KDA.

Analysis: Hard had a poor performance in Game 1 of the series, as he finished with a 0/3/2 KDA on Gragas. He just couldn't find great engages and was taken down quickly in most of the skirmishes. In a smite fight over Baron late, NRG managed to build a bigger lead in turrets and gold than Echo Fox were able to recover from. Hard played much better on Rek'Sai in Game 2 as he finished with a1/0/7 KDA. While he got enough tank items to last longer in and contribute to teamfights, it wasn't enough to prevent Echo Fox from losing the base race at the end of the match. NRG eSports was able to win said race by sending GBM and KiWiKiD to delay Echo Fox. Hard isn't having a great split stat wise so far, but it's difficult to put up good stats while playing on a last place team.

Sloppy lane swaps against NRG eSports

Name: Park "kfo" Jeong-hun

Team: Echo Fox

Update: kfo earned a 1/7/3 KDA in Echo Fox's series loss to NRG eSports on Sunday.

Analysis: kfo had a pretty rough series against NRG eSports. In Game 1, he finished with a paltry 0/4/0 KDA on Ryze. He pushed out too far after lane swaps and was caught easily by Santorin and Quas. While it wasn't a huge setback, he still wasn't able to recover from. In Game 2, he was able to make better contributions to teamfights, but was caught pushing lane too far into NRG's territory. Quas again snowballed a small lead over kfo and was great at getting picks on Echo Fox the entire game. However, Echo Fox lost the game when they opted to go along with the base race initiated by NRG. kfo and Echo Fox haven't looked great during lane swaps so far this split.

Mediocre in series sweep

Name: Alan "KiWiKiD" Nguyen

Team: NRG eSports

Update: KiWiKiD earned a 0/7/17 KDA in NRG eSports sweep of Echo Fox on Sunday.

Analysis: KiWiKiD played Karma in both games of the series. Game 1 was his cleanest game as he finished with a 0/2/10 KDA. His two deaths weren't meaningless as they came with assists. He had a lot more deaths in Game 2 of the series where he was caught out more and sacrificed himself during the base race that ended the match. KiWiKiD hasn't had a great Summer Split so far; he has one of the lowest KDA's among North American supports.

Solid series to start off second half of the Summer Split

Name: Oh "Ohq" Gyu-min

Team: NRG eSports

Update: Ohq finished NRG eSports sweep of Echo Fox on Sunday with a 7/2/8 KDA.

Analysis: Ohq had a great Game 1 on Lucian, finishing with a 6/1/2 KDA. He picked up an early double kill to get a gold lead that grew for the rest of the game. His only death came as NRG eSports was in Echo Fox's base and destroying their Nexus. He didn't have the same kill production in Game 2 on Sivir, but still finished with a solid 1/1/6 KDA. His only death could've been avoided if he stuck with his team instead of roaming solo in Echo Fox's jungle. It didn't affect the outcome, as he was alive when both teams opted to base race. NRG came out on top thanks to GBM and KiWiKiD sacrificed themselves to slow down Echo Fox. Ohq hasn't had a great split since he has one of the lowest KDA's among North American AD Carries. Week 6 isn't going to get any easier for NRG eSports as they face off against Apex Gaming and Cloud9.

Solid series sweep on Viktor

Name: Lee "GBM" Chang-suk

Team: NRG eSports

Update: GBM ended NRG eSports sweep of Echo Fox on Sunday with a 7/5/9 KDA.

Analysis: GBM fell behind in the laning phase of Game 1 as Froggen roamed early on Twisted Fate to pick up first blood. However, NRG eSports picked up the pace in the middle of the game and built a team gold advantage by taking down towers and neutral objectives. GBM was great in teamfights, picking up kills and assists as he tore through Echo Fox on his way to being top damage dealer on NRG eSports. In Game 2, he was top damage dealer again, but had a lot more deaths. Both teams were fairly equal throughout Game 2 and opted to base race to end the match. GBM was sent back to delay Echo Fox's push and sacrificed himself to buy time the rest of NRG to finish off the Nexus. GBM hasn't had a great first half to the Summer split, as he has one of the lowest KDAs among North American mid laners. However, if NRG eSports gets back on the winning path, his stats could recover in the second half.

Great play on jungle tanks in sweep of Echo Fox

Name: Lucas "Santorin" Tao Kilmer Larsen

Team: NRG eSports

Update: Santorin earned a 3/2/18 KDA in NRG eSports sweep of Echo Fox on Sunday.

Analysis: Santorin had a great Game 1 against Echo Fox as he finished with a 3/0/11 KDA on Rek'Sai. He was everywhere that he needed to be, always helping out in teamfights which earned him 100 percent kill participation. In Game 2, he made some good plays early to help snowball Quas' gold lead. NRG and Echo Fox were pretty evenly matched in a game came down to a base race. Echo Fox had a numbers advantage, but Santorin and Ohq faked them out by starting their backing animations to bait them into stopping their push. It bought enough time for GBM and KiWiKiD to actually go back and sacrifice themselves when they engaged Echo Fox to prevent them from backing. Santorin has really been playing great for NRG eSports so far this split. He has the least amount of deaths among North American junglers who have played in at least 24 games and highest kill participation.

Shows versatility in series sweep of Echo Fox

Name: Diego "Quas" Ruiz

Team: NRG eSports

Update: Quas earned a 8/3/11 KDA in NRG eSports series sweep of Echo Fox on Sunday.

Analysis: Quas showed versatility in the series against Echo Fox, playing well on tank and carry top laners. In Game 1, he finished with a 2/2/8 KDA on Maokai. He was great at being a frontline distraction in teamfights. In Game 2, he played a great split pushing top laner, Jax, and finished with a 6/1/3 KDA. Quas made a good teleport play to cut off Froggen's escape, earning him first blood. He got a few more kills early which helped him secure a gold lead over kfo which slowly grew as the game went on. The game came down to a base race that NRG eSports won by faking out Echo Fox with the backing animation and sacrificing GBM and KiWiKiD to slow down their push.

JULY 4, 2016

Signs with Fnatic as sub

Name: Giedrius "DoubleG" Dagys

Team: Fnatic

Update: DoubleG has been signed by Fnatic to be a substitute, reports Daniel Rosen of theScore.

Analysis: DoubleG was last seen playing in the NA Challenger Series Spring Split with Dream Team. He only started in one series for the team before packing up shop. The extent of his EU League of Legends experience is limited to playing for a couple EU Challenger hopefuls that did not end up qualifying for the Series. It is unclear how much playing time DoubleG will get moving forward.

JULY 3, 2016

Solid Game 1 performance unable to carry team to series win

Name: Jung "Impact" Eon-yeong

Team: Cloud9

Update: Impact put up a 6/4/13 KDA in Cloud9's 1-2 series loss to Team Liquid on Friday.

Analysis: Impact had an almost perfect Game 1, participating in nine out of ten kills and never dying. His Shen play was the nail in the coffin for Team Liquid, who had placed all of their hopes on Lourlo's Fiora getting ahead and accomplishing a split push. Impact rotated better through the lane swap, however, getting an experience lead that put him briefly at a three level advantage. He proceeded to push Lourlo around in lane, growing his lead, and eventually killed him 1-vs-1 when Lourlo overstepped his boundaries. This led directly into Impact having the freedom to ultimate up top and not only save Sneaky but win an entire teamfight that Lourlo couldn't participate in. He also secured his team a huge win when he snuck around to the flank of TL as they were sieging and got a four-man taunt. His performance fell apart in Game 2 when he could not create the same lane advantage over Lourlo's Trundle. His Shen's late game fell apart because he couldn't stop TL's split push, and the pressure left them losing their entire base all at once. Game 3 had a similar pattern. Impact individually defeated Lourlo in the lane. He got an early kill on the Shen off a gank and was heavily out-farming him. The issue was that Lourlo was teleporting into teamfights and finding assists and kills not just for himself, but for all of Team Liquid. C9 could no longer support themselves off of just an Irelia who ended up with three of the team's four kills. Impact, despite losing to Lourlo overall, was a large part of all of Cloud9's successes, ending with an 82.6 percent kill participation.

Unable to turn tide in losing series

Name: William "Meteos" Hartman

Team: Cloud9

Update: Cloud9's jungler Meteos ended with a 4/5/10 KDA on Friday.

Analysis: Meteos had a decent series, ending with a 2.5 KDA ratio and a 61 percent kill participation. The low kill participation percentage came mainly from Game 1, which was only seconds away from beating the record for latest first blood. Despite that, Meteos found ways to help in the later stages of the match, always present in teamfights and helping to secure the Baron. It ended as a clean, low-kill win. It was Game 2 where Meteos began to falter. He was still present in teamfights, but all he managed to contribute was damage versus the engage and CC that Dardoch continually used to lock up C9. Meteos did manage to get the miracle Baron steal that kept C9 afloat for as long as they did, and he had a stellar performance in the teamfight where TL made the mistake of trying to fight 4-vs-5, but his play wasn't enough to turn the game around. In Game 3, Meteos showed a bit of technical prowess, as his kill in the bottom lane was thanks to a timely use of his flash and body slam, but ultimately his play was sloppy. He picked Gragas for the displacement, but never managed to land the barrel on priority targets, usually getting the tanky Rek'sai which accomplished little in the teamfight. He was constantly being invaded upon by Dardoch, and although he managed to secure most of his camps, it speaks to a larger lack of pressure.

Uneven performance in series loss

Name: Nicolaj "Jensen" Jensen

Team: Cloud9

Update: Jensen earned a 4/10/12 KDA in the 1-2 series loss to Team Liquid on Friday.

Analysis: We have come to expect a high level of play from Jensen after this recent winning streak with C9, but by the end of Friday's series his play had fallen apart. He ended with a KDA ratio of only 1.6 and a kill participation of 70 percent. He ended with the most deaths of anyone on his team, going down five times in both of C9's losses. Game 1, Jensen started off strong, playing to his usual high standard. He was ganked several times but never went down due to his ability to dodge skillshots perfectly and judge exactly where he had to be. And he was very sure in his abilities, going forward to almost solo out Matt under turret, and immediately chaining his CC on the stuns when diving midlane. His damage was the main force that carried C9 to victory. Game 2 was where it started going downhill. Although he still demonstrated his ability to get out of danger, avoiding a four-man gank without even blowing a summoner, the focus that TL put on him eventually wore him down and he gave up first blood. Despite being on Twisted Fate, Jensen could not unbalance teamfights because TL was almost always there first. Jensen was continually caught and bursted out, usually before a fight began giving Liquid their early Dragon control. Even in the teamfights that Cloud9 managed to win, such as the 4-vs-5 in mid lane, it was at the expense of Jensen's life because Liquid could burst him out so easily. In Game 3 this focus was only exacerbated, as Jensen ended with a 0.4 KDA ratio and could barely contribute to any kind of teamfight C9 managed to find. His usual precise play fell apart as he found himself constantly caught out of position or away from his team.

Gives away loss in Game 3 thanks to sloppy performance

Name: Zachary "Sneaky" Scuderi

Team: Cloud9

Update: Sneaky ended Friday's loss with a 8/9/9 KDA.

Analysis: Sneaky got off to a great start in the series, winding up with his favorite Ashe pick. His opposition Fabbbyyy was unable to get involved in any fights thanks to the fact that Sneaky was a bother, routinely landing arrow after arrow, getting picks and setting up plays. As usual, C9 was always there to back him up, collapsing as soon as Sneaky hit his ultimate and chaining huge amounts of CC on to whoever happened to be caught. Sneaky also knew how to follow up on his teammates, securing a huge teamfight win with an arrow directly into Impact's four-man taunt. Sneaky had an impressive solo play, 1-vs-1 killing Fenix's Zilean in the top lane and converting it into another kill on Matt. The final play succeeded because of Impact coming in as well as the rest of C9, but it was Sneaky's quick fingers and on point mechanics that gave them the opening. Game 2, however, quickly started to fall apart for Sneaky, who, to his credit still managed to maintain a 100 kill participation percentage despite the loss. The painful loss in Game 3 was, however, arguably Sneaky's fault. He walked into Liquid's jungle alone pre-minions spawning and died to Fabbbyyy. Then he and Bunny Fufuu proceeded to die over and over to multiple ganks by Dardoch and Lourlo. He was so far behind in the end that there was almost nothing he could do or contribute, even his wave clear against the siege was blocked by Matt's Braum. With their mid lane and AD carry so far behind, there was nothing Cloud9 could do against Liquid's onslaught.

Miserable timing contributes to series loss

Name: Michael "Bunny FuFuu" Kurylo

Team: Cloud9

Update: Bunny Fufuu ended with a combined 0/3/8 KDA from Game 1 and Game 3 during Friday's series loss to Team Liquid.

Analysis: Bunny Fufuu has been very impressive recently with his ability to land skillshots and time CC layering, but in Friday's series he seemed to be struggle. His Bard play in Game 1 was decent, as his ultimate was mainly used for disengaging. He had a couple of solid ultimate uses, tower diving mid lane second tier, for instance, but then seemed to just focus on piling up ridiculous amounts of CC, rather than C9's usual careful layering. It was enough to win teamfights, however, and eventually the game. When Bunny came back in for Game 3 he pulled out Bard, and his timing on Bard seemed to be even worse than it had been on Braum. While his ultimates were well placed, often catching two or more members of Liquid the issue was in his follow up. Bunny mistimed his binding consistently, leaving him unable to continue chaining down the enemies he caught in his ultimate and rendering it almost useless. Teamfights that Cloud9 should have had the upper hand on fell apart because they simply could not coordinate their abilities like a team the way they had in Game 1. Bunny was unable to save Sneaky from the constant ganking in Game 3, usually going down himself as well. His mechanics were simply not up to the level seen in his recent victories.

Lone Game 2 performance not enough to turn around series

Name: Andy "Smoothie" Ta

Team: Cloud9

Update: Smoothie finished the Game 2 loss to Team Liquid with a 1/2/8 KDA.

Analysis: Smoothie, despite the loss, had a very solid performance on Friday. He came out with not only a 4.5 KDA but also a 100 percent kill participation for the game. His Magical Journey out of the early fight near bottom lane saved every one of his teammates who were on the verge of death. His binding on Lourlo after he was hit by Sneaky's arrow gave them the time to secure the kill, and his second binding gave them the time to disengage before the second half of the fight. His ultimates were almost always used to try and interrupt Fabbbyyy's damage, and considering the accuracy on his Curtain Call's, it was likely that Smoothie saved his team from a disadvantageous start to a fight. Smoothie couldn't always protect his team, however, as his Magical Journey gave Fabbbyyy an easy shot at fleeing targets and Smoothie himself was picked off trying to escape a Baron fight. Despite Smoothie's strong play, he wasn't able to help Cloud9 take the game back, it just allowed them to hold on longer to a losing matchup.

Terrific performance in Game 3 secures series win

Name: Samson "Lourlo" Jackson

Team: Team Liquid

Update: Lourlo ended Team Liquid's 2-1 series win with a 3/7/16 KDA.

Analysis: Lourlo had a bumpy start to the series, but his team continued to prioritize him and eventually he helped lead them to victory. Game 1 Lourlo picked Fiora confidently, despite the fact that Impact was on Shen, and the results were disastrous. Lourlo fell behind heavily in both farm and experience, and was pushed around early in lane. He tried to push up and be aggressive, counter-jungling despite being behind in levels, and Impact solo-killed him. This mistake set the pace of the game. Lourlo was unable to split push because of Impact, and he could barely teleport into fights because he was either chunked out by Shen or had wasted his ultimate just trying to stay alive. Team Liquid had put almost all of their win condition on Lourlo, and with their poor teamfight they were easily rolled over and destroyed by C9. The series turned around in Game 2 Lourlo however. Team Liquid still gave him priority, first picking the Trundle to give him a favorable lane matchup. This time Lourlo did not fall behind, as he was able to push Impact around a bit in the 1-vs-1, but he still made some early mistakes. He overestimated his abilities, trying to tank for a teamfight before he had the stats to succeed and dying quickly, and later trying to solo kill Sneaky and being picked off when Smoothie came in from behind. He was also caught out by an Ashe arrow and killed, giving Cloud9 a teamfight that was almost enough for them to come back. It was Game 3 where Lourlo really shined, playing Shen as the last pick counter to Impact's Irelia. Lourlo fell behind early, going down in farm and dying to Meteos' ganking, but it was his global pressure that set his performance apart from the first two games. He was everywhere, picking up kills and assists in the top lane and finding teamfights in mid. It furthered Impact's farm lead, but Lourlo quickly caught up and surpassed him in gold until he was so tanky that he could ignore Impact completely and split push successfully for his team, destroying Cloud9's base all in one fell swoop.

Destructive performance gives team series win

Name: Joshua "Dardoch" Hartnett

Team: Team Liquid

Update: Dardoch posted a 9/3/20 KDA in Team Liquid's series win against Cloud9 on Friday.

Analysis: Dardoch was a monster on Friday, finishing the series with a 9.7 KDA and an 88 percent kill participation. His Game 1 was a bit of a flop, the extended lane swap meant very little room for ganking, and he was unable to steal the Baron away from Cloud9. Usually he wasn't involved in fights until the very end, and during the one he was involved in, he tried to unburrow two Cloud9 members that were still in his own Bard's Tempered Fate. That breakdown in communication kept them from achieving anything more than the initial pick off kill. Dardoch picked up after that, with an exceptional mechanical performance on Gragas in a game that ended up being remade due to a bug, but it was the beginning of his rise. He continued showing those skills in the real Game 2, helping his mid laner get first blood, interrupting Bard just before he could take the Magical Journey, knocking up two enemies and keeping them in place for Fabbbyyy and the rest of TL to secure multiple kills. He no longer suffered from being on the outside of teamfights, in fact he was faster at collapsing than C9's team, which was designed to collapse. He was Liquid's tank and often their engage and, despite having a Baron stolen out from under him, brought TL to a decisive victory. Game 3 this trend continued. Dardoch ended with the best scoreline on his team, posting a deathless game and a KDA ratio of 17. He saw his opportunity to help snowball Fabbbyyy after Sneaky gave up a free early kill and he took it, getting early kills on both Sneaky and Bunny Fufuu, as well as a clean near-ace from a well set up tower dive. Dardoch coordinated well with Lourlo, bringing him into the middle of fights before knocking every one up and giving Fabbbyyy and Fenix time and space to take everyone down. With Dardoch keeping Sneaky down early, it was an easy win for Team Liquid.

Positive performance in series win

Name: Kim "Fenix" Jae-hoon

Team: Team Liquid

Update: Fenix ended Team Liquid's winning series on Friday with a 16/6/10 KDA.

Analysis: Fenix helped bring his team to one of the first series upset in NA this Summer. He finished with a 4.3 KDA ratio and a kill participation of 79 percent. His Game 1 on Zilean was unimpressive, despite earning the only kill for his team early on, he couldn't turn it into anything further. He later over-confidently tried to duel Sneaky and ended up not only dying, but luring in Matt to die too. He failed to execute the Bard and Zilean combo properly, either missing the bombs while Cloud9 was frozen or simply not being in range to capitalize upon Matt finding an enemy. Game 2, however, he came out swinging, picking up first blood on Jensen through repeated ganks on the mid lane. He kept the lane pushing in his favor, keeping Jensen from having the map pressure Twisted Fate is supposed to provide. In fact, Fenix's teleports several times gave him a better entrance into a team fight than Jensen had. He had some missteps, such as leaving his team mid lane while he went to clear top, giving Cloud9 a chance for a pick. It was also Fenix's hubris that made him think he could handle Meteos on the outside of the Baron pit alone, a move that gave a Baron steal to C9. Game 3, however, Fenix stepped up again, making even fewer mistakes and finishing with a 13 KDA ratio. He bullied Jensen around in lane, and later on caught him out again and again to delete him before teamfights. Even just walking up from mid lane Fenix had a huge impact, roaming top to help his team secure four kills on the back half of what looked like a losing teamfight. These early advantages were already the nail in C9's coffin, as TL didn't give them any space to get back into the game.

Deadly accurate with ultimate in series win

Name: Jovani "fabbbyyy" Guillen

Team: Team Liquid

Update: Fabbbyyy finished with a 4/3/18 KDA in Team Liquid's win over Cloud9 on Friday.

Analysis: Fabbbyyy had a fantastic series, finishing with a 7.3 KDA and a 67 percent kill participation. His Game 1 with Sivir was dismal, but not entirely his fault. He was completely unable to get into fights, and so his damage was lost, which certainly did not help TL with their already weaker teamfight composition. It was Game 2 and Game 3 where Fabbbyyy switched on to the long range Jhin that everything clicked together. Fabbbyyy played an excellent Jhin in multiple ways, but the ability that has to be brought up first is his ultimate accuracy. Equally good at starting teamfights as finishing them off, Fabbbyyy picked people off in Magical Journey's, he found and slowed Sneaky for the rest of his team, he stopped Baron attempts and secured towers. Fabbbyyy's positioning was also top tier. As soon as he wasn't on Sivir who relies on getting up close and personal, he found his niche, always over a jungle wall or so far back that he wasn't drawing any of the fire. He only died once in Game 3 when his team abandoned him to start a fight and Impact's Irelia managed to find him around the side. Most of Smoothie's Bard ultimates in Game 2 were spent just to try and keep Fabbbyyy from dealing damage for a little bit, either cancelling his ultimate or just attempting to push him off. Fabbbyyy demolished Sneaky in Game 3 after killing him before minions spawned and he coordinated with Dardoch to press that advantage as far as it could go. Locking down opponents with his snares and his slows, Fabbbyyy's Jhin play was a crucial component of Team Liquid's victory over Cloud9.

Excellent in support capacity in win

Name: Matthew "Matt" Elento

Team: Team Liquid

Update: Matt secured a 1/4/24 KDA as Team Liquid defeated Cloud9 2-1 on Friday.

Analysis: Matt finished strong on Friday with a 6.25 KDA ratio and a 76 percent kill participation. He had trouble on Bard in Game 1, failing to combo his ultimate with Zilean's double bombs even once. He also had poor communication with his team, catching two in his ultimate just as Dardoch was going in to knock them up and thereby wasting the CC that could have netted them kills. Matt also died the most on his team, and was not even involved in their one kill. Coming out of Game 1, however, Matt followed suit with the rest of Team Liquid and stepped up. In Game 2 his Karma pick gave Team Liquid the move speed to counter Cloud9's collapse, and they were often in a fight even faster than the team with both Twisted Fate and Shen. Matt's bindings were also crucial, locking enemies down for Fabbbyyy's damage or flashing forward to catch Sneaky and keep him from disengaging. In Game 3, Matt helped Fabbbyyy get the early first blood on Sneaky, and then doubled up the lane dominance from there. He confidently dove the turret, taking four hits before leaving in order to get Fenix two kills on the other side. His shield was more practical utility, helping the siege by keeping Sneaky from wave clearing. In the end it was the unrelenting pressure of all of Team Liquid that brought down Cloud9 and ended their win streak.

Unable to disrupt TSM in loss

Name: Derek "zig" Shao

Team: Phoenix1

Update: zig finished Phoenix1's series loss on Saturday with a 1/8/7 KDA.

Analysis: There were very low expectations for zig and Phoenix1 coming into their series on Saturday. Considering that TSM has an 8-0 record while P1 is 0-8, Zig's KDA ratio of 1 is not surprising. Game 1 saw a little bit of hope, however, for the beaten down P1. In the initial lane swap, Phoenix was not nearly as far behind TSM as most teams usually are. They kept up with the tempo enough that they forced TSM into more commitment for the early Dragon. They used their speed to collapse on an over-aggressive Hauntzer and kill him for first blood. This gave zig the lane he needed as he started to push it in aggressively towards Hauntzer, picking up several more kills on his lane opponent. He outdueled TSM's top laner, and he coordinated well enough with the rest of his team that TSM wasn't able to get big objectives off the map. The issue was that zig and Inori also weren't gaining any map advantage from the kills, and so when zig joined his team in a teleport fight bottom side, they simply weren't strong enough to beat TSM's superior teamfighting skills. In Game 2, P1 no longer came out even from the lane swaps, as some careful greed from Hauntzer gave him extra experience and the ability to safely farm under turret against the duo lane while zig was both zoned off and occasionally killed by a gank. This lack of farm trapped him in the top lane, unable to teleport in for most of the early fights, and the lack of gold made him unable to tank the brunt of TSM's damage. He did come out of the series with an 80 percent kill participation, and hopefully an idea of what to improve upon going into the second half of the split.

Struggled mightily in loss

Name: Rami "Inori" Charagh

Team: Phoenix1

Update: Inori finished with a measly 3/6/3 KDA in the team's 0-2 loss to Team SoloMid on Saturday.

Analysis: Inori, who had been unable to start for weeks thanks to ongoing visa issues, was able to get off to a strong start on Elise. Coming out of the lane swaps, he saw that Hauntzer was over confident and desperate to pick up the CS that he normally gets when TSM wins the tempo game. Together with Mash and Gate, Inori picked up an easy first blood, zoning Svenskeren out of his blue side jungle at the same time and slashing the momentum his Nidalee had built. He made good calls, revisiting Hauntzer for another kill, this time helping zig, and after a disastrous fight in bottom lane he went back to the well again, further punishing Hauntzer's poor play. However, Inori failed to capitalize on anything from these kills. He never pushed down the top tier two tower even though they had plenty of time after the kills, and when he rotated for the Rift Herald his communication with zig was off and he was forced to take the buff himself. P1 suffered from their inability to out teamfight TSM, as even when Inori found Svenskeren and surrounded him in the jungle TSM's collapse turned it into an unfavorable trade. In Game 2, Inori had a very poor showing on Rek'sai. He tried to invade Svenskeren's jungle when his team was pushing down top turret and ended up not only being pushed off by TSM's bot lane, but also leaving Gate behind to give up first blood. Again in the mid game teamfights he failed to land his knock up because of his predictable engage that was easily flashed away from. Besides his mechanical failings, Inori's team communication broke down, leading him to go in when Pirean had just blown his cooldowns, getting both of them killed in the process.

Major factor in ninth straight series loss

Name: Choi "Pirean" Jun-Sik

Team: Phoenix1

Update: Phoenix1 lost their ninth straight series on Saturday with Pirean ending with a 2/8/3 KDA.

Analysis: Pirean had one of the worst KDA ratios on his entire team at .625, and only a 50 percent kill participation. Mid lane was very quiet at the beginning of Game 1 as opposed to the action in the side lanes, but Pirean was able to keep up with Bjergsen in farm and trades. It was in the major fight down bottom lane where things really started to go wrong. Pirean and zig both teleported in guaranteeing P1 the numbers advantage, but they were all locked down by one of Bjergsen's double bombs, in addition to him saving Doublelift's life with his ultimate. The lack of respect coming out of Pirean for the matched teleport ruined the play for them, giving over a 4-for-0 kill advantage when they should have been able to take the fight. After that Pirean seemed to grow a little bit desperate, wanting to make a big play that would get them back into the game. Almost all of P1's aggression was countered by TSM converging and their ability to win teamfights, however. Despite using Karma, he was often not grouped together with his team and was caught out too far up in bottom lane and killed by Doublelift. Game 2 his mechanics seemed to slip a little bit. He had good setup for ganks on Bjergsen, but simply could not land his chains to convert the damage. Even when he did have fancy feet, it was too late, and his team was not in position to gain anything off of the time Pirean bought them.

Barely able to factor into series loss

Name: Brandon "Mash" Phan

Team: Phoenix1

Update: Mash finished with a 3/3/3 KDA in Phoenix1's series loss to Team SoloMid on Saturday.

Analysis: Mash finished with a relatively good KDA ratio of two, but only a 60 percent kill participation. In Game 1, Phoenix1 managed a rare positive start versus TSM as they were able to match their opposition's lane swap tempo. This gave P1 the ability to keep the map pressure even, cut off Svenskeren's Nidalee domination of both sides of the jungle, and even get Mash first blood onto an over-aggressive Hauntzer who was pushed up for farm. Early gold right after he had bought a Cull was a solid beginning, and P1 looked to continue that with an aggressive double teleport to the bot lane. An aggressive double teleport to the bottom lane appeared to put Phoenix1 in good position to secure a major teamfight victory, but they had not anticipated Bjergsen also teleporting in and saving his AD Carry as well as completely zeroing out Mash with a well placed double bomb. This fight, which ended in a kill and some assists for Doublelift, completely negated whatever lead Mash had found in the early game. He quickly lost his turret, lost Dragon control, and lost the superior damage in teamfights. Tie that in with his questionable mechanical play and he ended up not even being able to take Bjergsen out cleanly in a 1-vs-1. Game 2 all came down to a lack of initiative. Mash was already losing out due to a very clever delayed lane swap from TSM that denied a great deal of farm. Mash's first Ashe arrow ended badly, leaving Gate all alone in what was supposed to be an aggressive position but instead left him out for TSM to descend upon. After that, there were a few more arrows, most of which hit Biofrost but secured a couple of kills. The issue was that Mash was never firing them. He wasn't looking for initiations or picks, probably because he was too afraid of TSM's power, and so his Ashe went to waste and P1 had no hope of getting back in the game after only eleven minutes.

Dreadful performance in series loss

Name: Austin "Gate" Yu

Team: Phoenix1

Update: In Phoenix1's last series of the first half of the Summer Split, in which they lost 0-2 to TSM, Gate finished with a 1/7/4 KDA.

Analysis: Gate had a very sloppy series, finishing with a .71 KDA ratio and a 50 percent kill participation. He had a few good plays, helping Mash secure first blood on an over-extended Hauntzer, and killing Hauntzer top with zig, but his performance in teamfights was just abysmal. His Bard ultimate was not just ineffective; on multiple occasions it saved the enemy it was meant to lock down. When Bjergsen was caught in mid it gave him the time to wait for his team to arrive and the Trundle pillar to disappear. Gate also showed poor communication with his team, laying down Tempered Fate when another member of his team was about to land a skillshot on the enemy. His play on Braum in Game 2 was mechanically better, though Braum has less chance to actively hurt his own team with his abilities than Bard does. Gate was finding himself consistently caught out, sometimes through his own fault and sometimes because he was ready to back up a teammate that then bailed because it was no longer a good play. Some of Gate's trouble in the match against TSM was the inconsistency and poor cohesion of the entirety of Phoenix1, but a good deal of it was his own poor mechanics and teamwork.

Aggressiveness exploited despite series win

Name: Kevin "Hauntzer" Yarnell

Team: Team SoloMid

Update: Hauntzer finished Saturday's win over Phoenix1 with a 6/6/8 KDA.

Analysis: Hauntzer is better than the performance he had against Phoenix1 on Saturday. The only explanation is the overconfidence that comes with being the best team in the league facing the worst team, and overconfidence is something that has plagued TSM and especially Hauntzer in the past. TSM is used to playing an intensely aggressive game, where Hauntzer gets ahead in the lane swap because of tempo and all three lanes win and snowball the game. P1 surprised everyone by managing to keep up with TSM's tempo in the swap, and keep Hauntzer from getting the farm he's accustomed to. Because of that, instead of adjusting his play and reverting to a safer, more defensive style where he waits at the turret, Hauntzer pushed up way too far to reach the minion wave and was punished for his hubris. He gave over first blood to Mash and map pressure to P1 and didn't even learn from his lesson, pushing too far out in his lane again and again giving four free kills over to P1. Even though Hauntzer brought his scoreline back up through his usual excellent play in teamfights, it didn't dismiss the fact that Game 1 was not the stomp it should have been. Game 2, Hauntzer again made risky decisions, sticking around for more CS than the traditional lane swap, but he played it much more carefully and ended up with a lead. He extended that lead when the rest of his team zoned off zig and killed him a couple of times. Although Hauntzer didn't end up being involved with the rest of the map for the majority of the game, he kept up the pressure on zig, keeping him from becoming a meaningful tank. Hauntzer is a brilliant top laner, but his confidence can at times get the best of him, as seen in Game 1.

Helps poke down Vitality on way to victory

Name: Mihael "Mikyx" Mehle

Team: Splyce

Update: Mikyx ended Splyce's sweep of Vitality with a combined 3/6/10 KDA.

Analysis: In Game 1, Mikyx used Karma. Things started off rough, as Mikyx was killed during two separate ganks in the bottom lane. Those were his only two deaths of the game though, as he was able to help Splyce take a close Game 1. He poked down Vitality with Inner Flame and was able to effectively speed up his teammates for engages while using his shields to keep them safe when they sieged. In Game 2, Mikyx used Bard and was able to effectively set up kills. After another close early and mid game, his Tempered Fate and Cosmic Binding combination in the late game allowed Splyce to win teamfights. This was a well played series from Mikyx and Splyce as they upset Vitality in excellent fashion.

Kobbe pops off once again on Caitlyn

Name: Kasper "Kobbe" Kobberup

Team: Splyce

Update: Kobbe used Caitlyn to end Friday's sweep of Vitality with a combined 7/1/9 KDA.

Analysis: Kobbe was given his best performing marksman in both games against Vitality and he made it count. He picked up his first kill in Game 1 catching kaSing out of position and then took it slow until the final teamfight. In said fight he picked up a quadra kill to help Splyce close out the victory without dying. In Game 2, he lacked the kill upside, ending with only two, but still dealt massive damage for Splyce. He picked up a double kill after Vitality secured Baron, preventing his opponents from utilizing the buff to it's full potential. While he had a low kill total, his eight assists in Game 2 were more than his support's assist total.

Uses the power of Shurima to lead Splyce to sweep

Name: Chres "Sencux" Laursen

Team: Splyce

Update: Sencux finished Friday with a combined 5/3/12 KDA as Splyce swept Vitality.

Analysis: Sencux showed off some good Azir mechanics on Friday. His use of the Shurima Shuffle usage was on full display. In Game 1 he picked up two kills, but scaled nicely into the mid game. His poke damage when Splyce sieged with Baron buff in the late game heavily chunked down Vitality to either get them away from objectives or set up kills for his teammates. In Game 2, he was able to kill Nukeduck early and pick up a kill in the first teamfight of the game. This allowed Sencux to scale quickly once again and his kill in the final teamfight helped Splyce take the series.

Overconfidence likely reason for middling KDA

Name: Dennis "Svenskeren" Johnsen

Team: Team SoloMid

Update: Svenskeren finished TSM's series win over Phoenix1 on Saturday with a 4/2/12 KDA.

Analysis: Svenskeren had a strong series, finishing with a KDA ratio of eight, but not as strong as we usually see from him. He ended with a kill participation of only 48 percent, and despite playing on Nidalee in Game 1 he did not have the complete control over the enemy jungle that we are accustomed to seeing from him. It took a while for TSM to get enough map pressure to leave deep wards in P1's jungle, and the majority of the ganking was against TSM rather than from Sven. The game started off poorly when he was unable to get past Inori to save Hauntzer, and that move sacrificed his blue side jungle, negating the leash TSM had given him. He found his way back into the game after a big teamfight bottom lane, coming in at the end to cut off P1's escape route into the jungle and give Hauntzer and Doublelift two more easy kills. After this, Svenskeren was able to get a bit back into his old swing of things, playing around Bjergsen's winning lane and trying to snowball everywhere that wasn't Hauntzer's mess. Still, Sven's play was sloppy and overconfident; he got caught out several times trying to ward past the river and the play was only salvaged because TSM committed to collapsing and outfought P1 even with a numbers disadvantage. Game 2 was a complete turnaround as Svenskeren was back on pointe, helping his duo lane pick up a couple of kills on zig and playing forward aggressively. He had an incredible fight in the jungle where he caught multiple fleeing members of P1 in the jungle with one body slam and helped his team pick up several more kills. Svenskeren's mechanics were as precise as ever, but if it hadn't been for the teamfighting ability of TSM, Game 1 might have gone a lot worse for him.

Maintains high performance on Rek'Sai

Name: Jonas "Trashy" Andersen

Team: Splyce

Update: Trashy ended Splyce's upset sweep of Vitality with a combined 1/3/10 KDA.

Analysis: Trashy maintained his recent success on Rek'Sai in Game 1. Vitality took control of the early game, but a clutch Baron steal gave Splyce the pushing power they needed to turn the tide. He was able to use his Unburrow to set up kills in the late game and finished with six assists while not dying. In Game 2, Trashy used Elise and had decent success. He missed some cocoons throughout the game, but also landed them when he needed to. He was killed to give away first blood, but was able to provide good crowd control late while his burst damage helped Splyce win teamfights.

Strong series continues good run of form

Name: Martin "Wunder" Hansen

Team: Splyce

Update: Wunder ended Splyce's sweep of Vitality with a combined 4/2/10 KDA.

Analysis: Wunder used Trundle in Game 1 and played well despite a rough start. He was solo killed in a close 1-vs-1 against Cabochard to give away first blood. He didn't let it affect him too much, however, and transitioned into teamfights excellently. He used Subjugate throughout the game to steal resistances from Vitality members and used his pillar to stop his enemies from disengaging as Splyce took the upper hand in the mid game, finishing with a team high 7 assists. Wunder used Irelia in Game 2 and was unkillable. He got off to a slow start, but picked up his first kill after Vitality secured the Baron as Splyce won the ensuing teamfight. He was a monster late, diving onto the back line to chunk down Vitality carries and ended the game by picking up a double kill in the final teamfight.

Plays well despite series sweep

Name: Raymond "KaSing" Tsang

Team: Vitality

Update: kaSing ended Vitality's Friday sweep to Splyce with a 2/5/9 combined KDA.

Analysis: kaSing used Braum in Game 1 and had limited impact. He was able to pick up two assists early, during two separate gank plays by Vitality, using his ultimate to knock up members of Splyce for kills. He was unable to really set up plays in the late game as Vitality fell off. In Game 2, kaSing used Morgana and showed excellent Dark Binding accuracy. He aggressively used his flash to land pinpoint bindings, but also sniped members of Splyce from range setting up kills. Vitality again got off to a good start, but struggled in the mid and late game to close out the win, ending the day by being swept.

Another stellar performance in series win

Name: Soren "Bjergsen" Bjerg

Team: Team SoloMid

Update: Bjergsen ended his ninth consecutive series victory on Saturday with an 11/1/17 KDA.

Analysis: Bjergsen continues to impress with his stellar play on a wide variety of mid lane champions. Despite five bans on mid lane champions in Game 2, Bjergsen still excelled, earning a KDA ratio of 28 and a kill participation of 85 percent. In Game 1 the rest of TSM looked a little shaky, suffering from the overconfidence of facing the lowest ranked team in NA, but Bjergsen was as consistent as ever. He turned the game around single-handedly, teleporting into the bottom lane to counter a double teleport play from P1, and arrived not only just in time to save Doublelift's life, but also landed a double bomb on all four members of P1. Mash died immediately and everyone else was chunked out and scattered, the deadly play by the opposition falling apart. Bjergsen picked up a triple kill on the backside, with the last kill going over to Doublelift. Bjergsen held his team together on multiple occasions, teleporting in later that game just in time to save Doublelift again, helping his AD Carry finish with a deathless record. In the Baron pit, Bjergsen's Zilean ulted Svenskeren, giving TSM the time to take down zig before Sven came back up to smite Baron. On the back end of the play Bjergsen converted more kills, knowing when he had to back away from the damage, but still coordinating perfectly with his team to send bombs forward on other members and find enemies to kill. Game 2, Bjergsen was similarly everywhere, getting early ganks on zig with his Twisted Fate ultimate. He never let Pirean get the lane dominance P1 was relying on him to get, staying alive through ganks and avoiding Leblanc's skillshots. In the end it was just another very clean, mechanically impressive game for Bjergsen.

Limited impact as Vitality are swept

Name: Park "Police" Hyeong-gi

Team: Vitality

Update: Police ended Vitality's sweep to Splyce with a combined 5/4/7 KDA.

Analysis: In Game 1, Police used Sivir, but lacked major impact. He was able to pick up an assist during a 4-vs-3 fight early in the bottom lane and grabbed his first kill with help from Shook in a 3-vs-2 fight. He picked up his only other kill during the second teamfight, but lacked the late game impact Vitality needed to close the game. In Game 2, he used Jhin and effectively used the champion's range. He was able to set up kills with his Deadly Flourish and used Curtain Call to both slow and snipe down members of Splyce. Police lacked a major carry impact in either game as Vitality were beaten 2-0.

Mostly anonymous against Splyce

Name: Erlend "Nukeduck" Holm

Team: Vitality

Update: Nukeduck finished Friday's sweep at the hands of Splyce with a combined 3/5/6 KDA.

Analysis: Nukeduck played Viktor in Game 1 and struggled. He managed no kills and only two assists as Vitality lost Game 1. Overall, he was un-impactful, lacking the burst damage Vitality needed to turn teamfights. In Game 2, he played a little better on Karma. He showed excellent use of his flash and shields early in the game to avoid what looked like a certain death, turning with the help of Shook to pick up an assist on first blood. He was able to pick up a kill onto Sencux during a five man turret dive in the mid lane and a second kill in the second teamfight of the game. He used Inner Flame to poke down members of Splyce, but fell victim to a late game teamfight loss as Vitality were swept.

Good overall skill shot accuracy in series

Name: Ilyas "Shook" Hartsema

Team: Vitality

Update: Shook ended Friday with a combined 2/3/10 KDA as Vitality were swept by Splyce.

Analysis: Shook used Elise in Game 1 and played well despite losing. He picked up two early assists and use good cocoon accuracy to set up the kills. He picked up his lone kill in the game's first teamfight and fell off as Vitality lost the game. In Game 2, he played well as Rek'sai. He had an excellent counter gank early in the mid lane, helping Nukeduck escape what looked to be certain death and turn it around to pick up first blood. He was able to use his Unburrow well throughout the game to set up kills, but once again Vitality fell victim to a late game teamfight loss and were swept by Splyce.

Unable to carry from the top lane

Name: Lucas "Cabochard" Simon-Meslet

Team: Vitality

Update: Cabochard finished Vitality's sweep to Splyce with a combined 3/3/6 KDA.

Analysis: Cabochard attempted to carry Vitality in Game 1 on Olaf. He got off to a good start, solo killing Wunder to pick up first blood and using his teleport to flank in the bottom lane to secure another kill. Vitality got out to a lead in Game 1, but lost control in the mid game. Cabo fell off as well, rushing into the back line of Splyce, but unable to pick up another kill after the early stages. In Game 2, Cabochard played Gragas. This was another close game, and Cabochard was able to set up four kills using his Bodyslam and Explosive Cask. He picked up his lone kill using his ultimate to snipe a low health Mikyx. Cabochard had low overall impact in this series and will need to be better if Vitality are to progress.

Posts unreal KDA in series win

Name: Yiliang "Doublelift" Peng

Team: Team SoloMid

Update: Doublelift ended Saturday with a 12/0/15 KDA versus Phoenix1.

Analysis: Doublelift finished with a KDA of 27 and a kill participation of 82 percent against Phoenix1. While it was not the strongest performance from Doublelift this split, it was still two more impressive Lucian games to add to his record. His deathless performance was in large part thanks to Bjergsen's Zilean in Game 1. In the big teamfight down bottom, Doublelift had been blown up before it even began, but Bjergsen arrived from mid lane just in the nick of time to save his life and turn the entire fight around. Doublelift used the advantage from that fight to push hard in the bottom lane, which almost got him into trouble, but Biofrost was there to bail him out, as well as Svenskeren on occasion. Doublelift has a very good eye for when to go all in, and he cracks down on an opportunity the second he spots it. This led him to diving on Inori when he peeked into their Baron bait and the rest of TSM backed him up so quickly that Inori's Elise was not even able to Rappel before she died. This led TSM to the Baron buff that eventual gave them the Game 1 victory. In Game 2, Doublelift was even more on point. He started off strong with a very tricky delayed lane swap, cutting P1 off in the middle of trying to take down bottom tower and setting both Mash and zig behind in CS. It opened zig up for several ganks by both Bjergsen and Sven, furthering Doublelift's lead over Mash. After that, it was just more of Doublelift's solid mechanics, giving him the confidence to flash forward into P1's fleeing team and pick up more and more kills, finishing Game 2 in a resounding manner and in under 30 minutes.

Plays support role beautifully in series win

Name: Vincent "Biofrost" Wang

Team: Team SoloMid

Update: Biofrost ended TSM's 2-0 series win against Phoenix1 with a 0/1/24 KDA.

Analysis: Biofrost continued his strong play coming into Week 5 of the Summer Split, finishing TSM's series against P1 wtih a 24 KDA ratio and 73 percent kill participation. In Game 1 his Braum was mainly there to protect Doublelift, and he was always around when Doublelift was pushing far up the bottom lane, warding up the jungle and making sure that he couldn't be flanked. He also worked as protection for the rest of the team, putting up his shield as they sieged turrets and using his ultimate to disengage the entirety of P1 when they were trying to chase them up the lane. Game 2 Biofrost again put together a solid performance, helping Doublelift score multiple kills with his speed up. He made some questionable moves, such as maneuvering into the Ashe arrow barreling down the lane, despite having plenty of time to avoid. He also walked with Svenskeren into a death brush and gave over two free kills to Phoenix. Despite those couple of misplays, Biofrost overall was a very valuable player, and hopefully will continue his performance going into the second half of the split.

JULY 2, 2016

Vizicsacsi: Up-and-down series in 1-1 split with Schalke on Friday

Name: Kiss "Vizicsacsi" Tamas

Team: Unicorns of Love

Update: Vizicsacsi finished 4/6/8 in Unicorns of Love's win over Schalke, with almost all of his positive stats coming in the first game.

Analysis: Vizicsacsi experienced some serious highs and lows in the series against Schalke, driving his team to victory in Game 1 and barely showing up in the stat line in Game 2. In the first game, Viziscasci took Shen with the first pick and never looked back. He snagged an early kill with a bottom lane gank, built up to be an unstoppable tanking machine, and then helped completely turn the Baron fight at 23 minutes that decided the game. In Game 2, Schalke adjusted with by banning out Shen, leaving Vizicsacsi to take Trundle up against Steve's Gnar. This proved to be a regrettable choice, as Viziscasci made some aggressive gambles that didn't pay off, including a 1-vs-1 dive against Gnar in the bot lane where Viziscasci was thrown into his own pillar and stunned for the kill.

Move: Stuns and struggles on Rek'Sai in 1-1 split with Schalke

Name: Kang "Move" Min-Su

Team: Unicorns of Love

Update: Move had a 3/4/8 KDA in the series split against Schalke, with a great first game and a rough second.

Analysis: Move leaned on Rek'Sai for both games of the series against Schalke, but only managed to find real success in the first game. In Game 1, Move had the advantage of Viziscasci's Shen in the top lane, and their combined tankiness and disruption was enough to swing a number of teamfights in the Unicorns favor to give them a fairly easy win. In Game 2, with Viziscasci falling behind on Trundle, Move was left as the only real frontliner and CC for his team and consistently struggled to make an impact. Move's Game 2 may have been best exemplified by a late Baron fight, where he took a lot of care to set himself up for a perfect burrow into a Smite, only to get knocked out by Fox's Azir the moment he entered into the pit. It wasn't so much that Move played poorly in Game 2, but it does seem that he struggled more as the sole engage for his squad.

Exileh: Plays fantastic on Viktor as Unicorns of Love split series with Schalke 1-1 on Friday

Name: Fabian "Exileh" Schubert

Team: Unicorns of Love

Update: Exileh finished Unicorns of Love's match against Schalke with a 9/3/4 after a dominating Viktor performance in UOL's Game 1 win.

Analysis: Exileh's Game 1 Viktor play looked phenomenal, as he took the inventor up against Fox's Cassiopeia and completely dominated. Exileh was consistently sniping out the squishier members of Schalke in teamfights, as well as using his ultimate to both disrupt his clumped-up opposition and chase down injured opponents for kills. In Game 2, however, Unicorns of Love made two key banning decisions: choosing to ban out Viktor rather than risk Schalke taking him with the first pick, and not banning out Azir. Fox snatched up the Azir early, pushing Exileh onto LeBlanc. The game started off well for Exileh as he started off with two early kills, but a series of positioning mistakes led to Exileh dying in a few unnecessary spots. Meanwhile, Fox's Azir was controlling the game with both damage and CC, and Exileh struggled to live long enough to pick anyone off in the late game teamfights. All these factors added up to a Game 2 loss for Unicorns of Love to split the series with Schalke.

Veritas: Play on Caitlyn stays quiet as Unicorns of Love split series with Schalke 1-1 on Friday

Name: Kim "Veritas" Kyoung-min

Team: Unicorns of Love

Update: Veritas couldn't seem to find the kills, finishing the match against Schalke with a 1/4/8 KDA.

Analysis: Veritas failed to impress in either of UoL's games against Schalke, though he also rarely got himself into trouble. In Game 1, with the rest of his team racking up kills, Veritas finished just 1/2/7, only managing to snag a kill with the Nexus mostly secured. The Unicorns did not need much from their ADC in this game, but the fact remains that Veritas was largely a non-factor in the win. In Game 2, Veritas went back to Caitlyn and found similarly unexciting results, going just 0/2/1 in a game where Unicorns of Love were never particularly close. Veritas looked even worse by comparison in this game, as the opposing ADC MrRalleZ had an excellent round on Jhin. In general, Veritas didn't put himself in a lot of undue risk, but also did very little to actually help UoL find the win.

Hylissang: Looks solid on Nami as Unicorns of Love split series with Schalke 1-1 on Friday

Name: Zdravets "Hylissang" Galabov

Team: Unicorns of Love

Update: Hylissang went 0/2/6 for the series against Schalke, including a zero death effort in Game 1.

Analysis: With Schalke banning out Bard in both games, Hylissang leaned on Nami with some mixed results for his team. In Game 1, Hylissang's Nami had the excellent support stat line of 0/0/5. Hylissang used the mermaid to great effect this game, combining his Tidal Wave initiation with a durable frontline of Vizicsacsi's Shen and Move's Rek'Sai to ensure that UoL found the fights they wanted. In Game 2, Hylissang went back to the Nami, but the same plays just didn't seem to arrive. Schalke, and Gilius in particular, did a much better job of avoiding Nami's initiation attempts, and were able to snowball an early lead over UoL into a full game blowout. This game was also influenced by Schalke's choice to ban out Shen, pushing Vizicsacsi onto Trundle, where he had a much worse game and was unable to be the tanky frontliner Hylissang needed to follow up on his CC.

Steve: Gnar looks decent as Schalke splits series with Unicorns of Love 1-1 on Friday

Name: Etienne "Steve" Michels

Team: Schalke 04

Update: Steve managed a 2/4/6 KDA with solid teamfighting in both the win and loss against Unicorns of Love.

Analysis: Steve played a solid pair of Gnar games against the Unicorns of Love, looking much better than his 2/4/6 KDA might suggest. In Game 1, Steve did make the poor decision to hang around near a second tier top lane turret as the entire Unicorns of Love squad closed in on him, resulting in his death as well as the loss of the turret. That engagement helped get Unicorns of Love back into the game, giving them enough of an edge to swing the next Baron fight and eventually take the game. In Game 2, Steve took his Gnar up against Vizicsacsi's Trundle and had a rough start to the lane, falling behind his opponent in CS. Still, Steve was able to play conservatively and counter Vizicsacsi's aggression, including a 1-vs-1 kill where he negated Trundle's turret dive by going Mega Gnar and stunning the troll against his own pillar. Schalke picked the Gnar very early in both games, leaving Steve open to counterpicks both times, but he still played well and held his own no matter how the rest of his team was faring.

Gilius: Looks great on Elise as Schalke splits series with Unicorns of Love 1-1 on Friday

Name: Berk "Gilius" Demir

Team: Schalke 04

Update: Gilius finished the series 3/4/12, including 79 percent kill participation in Schalke's win over Unicorns of Love.

Analysis: Gilius played a pair of excellent Elise games against the Unicorns of Love, though his performance was only enough to earn a 1-1 split. In Game 1, Gilius started off a strong 2/0/2, but then failed to garner another kill or assist as he finished 2/3/2 in Schalke's loss. This game also turned heavily on a failed Baron attempt around the 23 minute mark, but Gilius was largely rendered ineffective by the durable frontline of Vizicsacsi's Shen and Move's Rek'Sai. In Game 2, Gilius had a much better time on the spider queen, finishing 1/1/10 and managing a number of highlight stuns and dodges. Gilius was involved in 79 percent of his team's kills on the second map, with the pick potential of his cocoons combining with Fox's explosive damage to consistently neutralize dangerous targets. Even in Schalke's loss, Gilius looked solid, showing that he is very comfortable taking Elise whenever he is given the opportunity.

Fox: Strong Azir play helps push Schalke back up to a 1-1 tie with Unicorns of Love on Friday

Name: Hampus "Fox" Myhre

Team: Schalke 04

Update: Fox had a 5/2/9 KDA for the series, but most of his highlight plays came in Game 2 on Azir.

Analysis: In Game 1, Unicorns of Love banned out Azir and took Viktor for themselves, leaving Fox to take Cassiopeia as a potential counter. The pick looked to be starting strong, as Fox hung with the Viktor through the lane and even helped his team secure a double kill during a tower dive in the top lane. However, after Exileh started racking up kills around the 20 minute mark, Fax simply fell behind and found his poke and counter engage to be much less effective in teamfights than his opponent's raw damage potential. In Game 2, though, Unicorns of Love chose to change their Azir ban to a Viktor ban, opening the door for Fox to take the Shuriman emperor. The odds looked to be stacked against Fox, with Exileh taking LeBlanc and nabbing two early kills, but it didn't end up mattering. Fox looked spectacular on Azir, finishing 4/0/6 with a number of highlight ultimates, including a key bounce-out on Move's Rek'Sai that prevented him from stealing a late game Baron.

MrRalleZ: Play on Jhin helps Schalke snipe a Game 2 victory in their 1-1 tie with Unicorns of Love on Friday

Name: Rasmus "MrRalleZ" Skinneholm

Team: Schalke 04

Update: MrRalleZ finished 8/4/8, with an underwhelming Game 1 and an astounding Game 2.

Analysis: In Game 1, MrRalleZ took Jhin into the bottom lane and found himself the victim of an early gank. Even though he was able to recover from the brief CS deficit and catch back up to Veritas' Caitlyn, his efforts weren't enough to swing the game in Schalke's favor. After a Baron fight turned into a disaster for Schalke, MrRalleZ and his team found themselves too far behind to compete with their opponents and eventually lost their base. In Game 2, MrRalleZ decided to stick to Jhin, with much brighter results. In spite of a great start for Exileh's LeBlanc, MrRalleZ was able to stay safe and snipe away in teamfights, using his Curtain Call to decimate the opposition on his way to a 7/1/5 KDA. His positioning was also impeccable, managing to stay entirely out of reach of both Exileh's LeBlanc and Unicorn's tanky frontline of Rek'Sai and Trundle.

sprattel: Vision control leads to a 1-1 tie against Unicorns of Love on Friday

Name: Hampus "sprattel" Abrahamsson

Team: Schalke 04

Update: sprattel stuck to Karma for both games, finishing 1/3/15 and looking consistent throughout.

Analysis: sprattel leaned heavily on Karma for the series against Unicorns of Love, but it was really his vision control around Baron that may have had the most impact on the match. In Game 1, Schalke took an early lead before giving some ground back to UoL, then tried to take Baron while they still had a slight advantage. Unfortunately, Schalke failed to eliminate UoL's vision before starting the fight, allowing Vizicsacsi's Shen to jump into the middle of their squad and turn the fight into a rout. UoL was able to convert that lost objective into a big push and eventually the Game 1 win. In Game 2, Schalke had a much bigger early lead, but still managed to almost lose it all with a missed ward in the Baron pit. In this case, sprattel's pink ward couldn't quite spot UoL's last remaining ward, giving Move the sight he needed to potentially dive in and steal the Baron. However, Schalke's Fox was ready with a spot-on Azir ultimate, bouncing Move back out of the pit and securing the objective for Schalke in spite of the vision error. Schalke would go on to win the game on the back of that clutch Baron secure by Fox.

JULY 1, 2016

Bless: Dominant in series upset over SK Telecom

Name: Choi "Bless" Hyeon-woong

Team: Ever

Update: Bless earned an impressive series KDA of 6/1/23 in Ever's 2-1 win over SK Telecom.

Analysis: Throughout the entire series, Bless was the standout member on his team. Boasting an impressive KDA, he was not simply playing for stats, but played to win and that is exactly what he did. He started off Game 1 with an impressive performance. As his team picked up an early first blood, he was able to secure an early farm lead, not worried about snowballing his team. By doing so, it allowed him to scale quickly, finding two early dragons and picking up kills off the back of them. Once Ever was in the lead, he refused to let go which resulted in his team finding even more of an advantage. After securing several Mountain Drakes, the team had an easy time picking up more objectives and using them to close out the game. Bless continued to do well into Game 2, once again finding an early lead for his team. Unfortunately, a teamfight went wrong near dragon resulting SKT finding their way back into the game. Try as he might, Bless could not shut down the comeback as SKT snowballed their way to victory to tie the series. Determined to claim victory in the series, Bless stormed the rift in Game 3 to lead his team to a final victory. Finding yet another early advantage, he caught out members of SKT time and again to utterly demolish his enemy. In the process, he secured tons of objectives, making Bengi look like a rookie. In doing so, he allowed his team the advantage they needed to close out the series and upset SKT.

Crazy: Dominant performance nets victory over SK Telecom

Name: Jah-hee "Crazy" Kim

Team: Ever

Update: Crazy earned a series KDA of 5/5/20 in Ever's series victory over SK Telecom.

Analysis: Although he was up against one of the best top laners in Korea, Crazy was able to perform and bring his team a victory. He started off the series by finding first blood for his marksman just as minions were spawning, putting him in the position he needed to secure victory. After finding an advantage for his bottom lane, he did so for himself as well, doing much better than Duke during lane phase to move into teamfights with an advantage. As a result, he was able to save his team several times with ultimates while becoming nearly unkillable. Participating in 15 out of his team's 17 kills in the game 1 victory, Crazy had an extremely crucial role in the victory. He continued to do well during the second game of the series, but did not find the same results. After finding an early advantage, a poor teamfight gave SKT a way back into the game. The rest of the game saw Ever desperately trying to defend against SKT's objective control to no avail. Falling in a final teamfight, the series was tied 1-1. After the defeat, Crazy tried to carry his team, but simply wasn't able to do so. Thankfully he didn't need to since his team dominated on all fronts. Finding assists with his Trundle pillar, he was able to stay alive and set up kills for his team while becoming an annoyance that SKT had to deal with. In doing so, he allowed his team to close out the game in convincing fashion to secure the series victory 2-1.

Tempt: Outperforms Faker in series victory

Name: Kang "Tempt" Myung-Gu

Team: Ever

Update: Tempt earned a series KDA of 12/4/13 to defeat SKT.

Analysis: Tempt started off the series against SKT with a dominant performance on Vladimir. Finding early kills, he was able to dominate Faker without killing him. Roaming with his team and grouping early, he used Vlad's AoE to his advantage, putting the team at a huge lead. As Faker tried desperately to find an opening for his team, Tempt kept them all down to ensure his team would win fights over and over. In doing so, he allowed his team to close out Game 1 in just 38 minutes with a 15,000 gold lead. Game 2 wasn't as impressive for Tempt. Although his team found a lead once again, a botched dragon fight allowed SKT to mount a comeback. As he was on LeBlanc, it became difficult for him to find an opening as he was unable to one-shot anyone on the enemy team. As a result, the series quickly became tied 1-1. With the loss fresh on his mind, Tempt was determined to claim victory. He did just that, picking Varus into Faker's Karma in Game 3. He showed his expertise on the champion, seemingly landing every arrow and ultimate he shot. Dealing insane amounts of damage, he quickly bullied SKT and gave his team sole control of the map. In doing so, he paved the way to victory and his team followed him down the path. Winning fights back and forth, he allowed Ever to claim multiple dragons bringing them a 39 minute victory. With the win, Ever secured the series victory 2-1.

Strong showing nets series win

Name: Lee "LoKeN" Dong-Wook

Team: Ever

Update: LoKeN finished Ever's series victory over SKT with a combined KDA of 14/3/8.

Analysis: Throughout Ever's series victory over SKT, LoKeN had a strong performance. He started off Game 1 with an impressive showing on Sivir, picking up first blood just as minions were spawning. In doing so, he pushed Bang out of lane early and used his lane to great effect, snowballing to create an advantage for his team. Grouping early, he allowed his team to engage and overrun SKT early. Dying only once in the victory, he was constantly dealing the most damage on his team, paving the way for his team to claim the Game 1 win. He faltered slightly in Game 2 but did not have a bad performance by any means. After his team found an early lead, they took an unfortunate fight near dragon that resulted in SKT coming back. As SKT began steamrolling down the team and Ever's base, LoKeN dealt enough damage to fend them off temporarily. Unfortunately it was not enough to deter the lineup of SKT after they had secured Baron and several dragons. With the series tied 1-1, everything was on the line. When it came down to the final stretch, LoKeN performed amazingly. Earning a near perfect 5/0/3 KDA in the final game, his play was dominant to say the least. After finding yet another early advantage, he was able to translate it into teamfight victories and objectives for his team. Helping the team to secure five dragons and three Barons in the victory, his impact was clear. Earning 4,000 gold more than anyone else in the game, his skill paid off and net him yet another win. With the victory in Game 3, he allowed Ever to close out the series and upset against SKT.

Plays well in tie with H2K

Name: Glenn "Hybrid" Doonenbal

Team: Origen

Update: Hybrid ended Origen's tie against H2K with a combined 1/4/11 KDA.

Analysis: Hybrid used Karma to help Origen to a Game 1 win. He was effective as Origen sieged their way to victory, using Inner Flame to poke down H2K health bars and using his shields and speed boosts to keep Origen in good position to knock down objectives. In Game 2, Hybrid used Thresh and played well. He showed off good mechanics, threading the needle to land Death Sentence throughout the game. He picked up an assist on first blood and although Origen lost the game, Hybrid played well in this split series.

Good positioning in tie with H2K

Name: Enrique "xPeke" Cedeno Martinez

Team: Origen

Update: xPeke ended Origen's tie against H2K with a combined 7/3/6 KDA.

Analysis: xPeke helped lead Origen to a Game 1 win on Lucian. He helped siege with his ultimate and picked up two kills in the final teamfight of the game. Best of all his positioning was good this game, as he wasn't caught out once to give away easy kills, ending with a game high three kills. In Game 2, xPeke again used Lucian and played well. He picked up first blood and a kill in the mid game to allow Origen to pick up Baron. He wasn't able to carry Origen to a win in Game 2, but his good positioning in this series as a whole was a huge step forward in his progression as an AD Carry.

Good skill shot accuracy in split series

Name: Tristan "PowerOfEvil" Schrage

Team: Origen

Update: PowerOfEvil ended Origen's tie against H2K with a combined 4/3/7 KDA.

Analysis: PowerOfEvil showed off excellent accuracy in Game 1 on Varus. He hardly missed any Piercing Arrows, helping Origen siege all game long by chunking down H2K health bars. PoE didn't have a ton of kills, but his poke damage helped Origen siege to a victory. PowerOfEvil used Karma in Game 2. He picked up his first kill during a 3-vs-2 fight in the bottom lane, but struggled as Origen fell behind. He was able to pick up a kill in the mid game that allowed OG to take the Baron, but with multiple members killed after securing the buff.

Inconsistent series on Olaf

Name: Maurice "Amazing" Stuckenschneider

Team: Origen

Update: Amazing ended Origen's tie against H2K with a combined 4/7/6 KDA.

Analysis: Amazing used Olaf to help Origen to a Game 1 win. He picked up an assist on first blood and used his ultimate to charge through H2K's multiple crowd control abilities in the late game to set up kills while Origen sieged. Amazing used Olaf again in Game 2 and had varying success. He was able to pick up kills and threaten the H2K back line in teamfights, but he was also killed repeatedly as Origen fell behind. If anything he proved that he can play Olaf, but that the champion struggles when falling behind.

Good use of Shen in Game 1

Name: Paul "sOAZ" Boyer

Team: Origen

Update: sOAZ ended Origen's tie against H2K with a combined 2/6/7 KDA.

Analysis: sOAZ was able to help OG to a Game 1 win on Shen. He picked up first blood onto Odoamne and used his ultimate to make plays across the map. This was an extremely slow game, but sOAZ split pushed well late aided by the Baron buff to allow Origen to open the base. sOAZ used Trundle in Game 2 and was less effective. Origen was dominated for most of this game, except for one mid game teamfight where sOAZ picked up his lone kill. This allowed Origen to take Baron, but multiple members died in the aftermath to slow their push and comeback.

Provides the water works for H2K

Name: Oskar "VandeR" Bogdan

Team: H2K-Gaming

Update: VandeR ended H2K's tie against Origen with a combined 1/6/13 KDA.

Analysis: VandeR used Nami to set up good damage in Game 1 early on. He landed multiple Aqua Prisons early to help H2K poke down OG and pick up kills. Things went south in the late game however, as he was unable to set up kills and Origen eventually sieged their way to a win. Using Nami again in Game 2, VandeR helped H2K to a win. He was killed to give away first blood and finished with five deaths overall in the game. While he was killed a lot, he also helped H2K in teamfights by landing Aqua Prisons and his Tidal Wave to set up kills, ending with nine assists.

Helps carry Game 2 after poor Game 1

Name: Ales "Freeze" Knezinek

Team: H2K-Gaming

Update: Freeze ended H2K's tie against Origen with a combined 6/2/9 KDA.

Analysis: Freeze was unable to carry H2K in Game 1 on Ezreal. He was mainly anonymous, unable to pick up any kills in the entirety of the game. There wasn't much action in Game 1 as Origen won a slow game. Freeze was much better on Ezreal in Game 2. He picked up multiple kills in the late game as he scaled including a triple kill in the final teamfight to help H2K close the game. Freeze must be more involved for H2K to reach the heights expected of them this split.

Assist heavy Game 2 leads to tie

Name: Yoo "Ryu" Sang-ook

Team: H2K-Gaming

Update: Ryu ended H2K's tie against Origen with a combined 3/4/11 KDA.

Analysis: Ryu was unable to carry H2K in Game 1 on Azir. He picked up a kill in the first teamfight of the game, but was unable to help win late game teamfights as Origen starved out H2K in a slow game. Ryu used Viktor to help H2K win Game 2. He only ended the game with two kills, but his burst damage in teamfights allowed him to pick up a game high 10 assists. While he wasn't picking up the kills, he was able to chunk down multiple members of Origen in fights with his full rotation of spells, allowing other members of H2K to pick up execute kills.

Utilizes the Spider Queen in split series

Name: Marcin "Jankos" Jankowski

Team: H2K-Gaming

Update: Jankos ended H2K's tie against Origen with a combined 9/3/10 KDA.

Analysis: Jankos used Elise to start off well in Game 1. He was able to pick up three kills early, responding well to a gank in the top lane to kill xPeke in the bottom lane. As the game wore on he lost his effectiveness. Origen smothered H2K in the late game and Jankos was unable to set up kills to pull H2K from behind. In Game 2, Jankos dominated on Elise. He picked up a double kill in the mid game and helped H2K dominate teamfights combining his burst damage and cocoon to set up kills, including six for himself. Overall his cocoon accuracy was poor in comparison to his usual games, but when push came to shove Jankos landed the crowd control to help H2K tie the series.

Dominates Game 2 in tie with Origen

Name: Andrei "Odoamne" Pascu

Team: H2K-Gaming

Update: Odoamne ended H2K's tie against Origen with a combined 4/3/15 KDA.

Analysis: Odoamne played Gnar in Game 1, but was unable to help H2K to a win. He was killed early to give away first blood and struggled to set up kills in this slow game. He landed one good three person GNAR in the mid game, but H2K was unable to follow up for kills. Odoamne took Shen in Game 2 and helped H2K dominate. He was killed during a 1-vs-3 turret dive early, but survived long enough to pick up a return kill. He scaled well into the mid game and was nearly unkillable in teamfights, using his ultimate to shield carries and landing his Shadow Dash on multiple Origen members. He even picked up a double kill in the mid game after Origen secured Baron to lessen the effects of the buff.

Sets up the plays for G2

Name: Alfonso "Mithy" Aguirre Rodriguez

Team: G2 Esports

Update: Mithy ended G2's sweep of Fnatic with a combined 1/3/21 KDA.

Analysis: Mithy had a strong Game 1 on Braum. He was able to play the off tank role perfectly for G2 alongside of Expect. He set up multiple kills with his Concussive Blows passive and helped G2 engage with his Glacial Fissure for an easy Game 1 win. In Game 2, Mithy used Bard and again was a playmaker. He was able to set up kills using his Tempered Fate and Cosmic Bindings to lock members of Fnatic in place during teamfights. He also showed good use of Tempered Fate to save his teammates from dangerous situations, often prolonging their lives in the process.

Unkillable in sweep of Fnatic

Name: Jesper "Zven" Svenningsen

Team: G2 Esports

Update: Zven ended G2's sweep of Fnatic with a combined 7/0/14 KDA.

Analysis: Zven carried G2 to a Game 1 win on Jhin. He was able to stay safe throughout the game, dealing damage from long range with his ultimate. He picked up a double kill in the second teamfight of the game and a triple kill in the final teamfight to close out Game 1. Zven played a more utility role on Ashe in Game 2. He picked up an assist on first blood and showed good Enchanted Crystal Arrow accuracy throughout the game to pick up 10 assists. While his two kills was a low total for Game 2, his 12 KDA was excellent.

Steady play helps G2 to sweep

Name: Luka "PerkZ" Perkovic

Team: G2 Esports

Update: Perkz ended G2's sweep of Fnatic with a combined 6/3/12 KDA.

Analysis: Perkz used Zilean to support G2 in Game 1. He was able to pick up three kills in the game, but really helped with Zilean's utility in teamfights. He was able to speed up Trick to engage on the Fnatic backline and used his ultimate to resurrect members of his team to continue fighting. Perkz used Ryze in Game 2 to help G2 dominate Fnatic. He picked up a kill onto Febiven with help from Trick and solo killed Gamsu early. He didn't pick up many kills, but his burst damage chunked down Fnatic for