Group Stage Day 5: Faith Gone in a Flash
Week 2 of the 2015 World Championships kicked off with an entire day of Group A. With KOO Tigers and Counter Logic Gaming in the lead at 2 wins and 1 loss and KOO completely dismantling CLG in their last bout, it seemed the likely scenario that it would be the Korean squad claiming first place, with CLG edging out in second over the the yoe Flash Wolves and paiN Gaming.
At least that’s what most people believed. Until the Flash Wolves happened.
Awaken the Sleeping Tiger
Don’t be fooled by KOO’s preppy outfits and penchant for cutesy poses.
After a surprising loss to the Flash Wolves in Week 1, KOO Tigers seemed to have snapped into high gear. No longer did they rely on late game scaling comps. Instead, they picked more heavy engage champions, with one Kennen and Ashe comp, a reliance on clean up with Song “Smeb” Kyung-ho on Darius and even a Mordekaiser pick for Kim “PraY” Jong-in.
They derailed the NA faith train by dismantling CLG twice. First picking on Eugene “Pobelter” Park and then capitalizing on some key mistakes by the Rush Hour bottom lane in their second game. The Tigers were also merciless in removing paiN from the tournament, ending 15k gold over the Brazilians.
Just when it seemed that KOO’s momentum had reached critical mass, however… Taiwan had something to say.
The Flashy Plays
Maple was a big factor in securing the Flash Wolves’ #1 spot in Group A.
If there was ever a team to show major improvement in this tournament thus far, it would be the Flash Wolves. From their first game with Ha “Kkramer” Jong-Hoon where they seemed a little hesitant in their play, they’ve been constantly getting into their own groove of finding comfort picks and drafting excellent team compositions.
This was no more apparent than when they beat CLG, taking Yiliang “Doublelift” Peng’s Jinx away from him and picking Morgana for Hu “SwordArt” Shuo-Jie. Dark Binding after Dark Binding stopped CLG in their tracks as Huang “Maple” Yi-Tang assassinated people left and right with Leblanc.
They even managed to get a similar composition up against KOO, and then proceeded to do the unthinkable. They crushed the Korean #2 seed with a 13k gold lead, being up over 10 kills by the end of it. Maple’s Leblanc once again became a terror to deal with, ending the game at 12/1/8.
Flash Wolves may not have had much hype surrounding them going into this tournament, but it’s clear that they are a team that understands how to gain significant advantages at champ select, which could prove invaluable for them moving into the Knockout Stage.
With a strong core of a playmaking support paired with highly mechanical mid and jungler positions, the Flash Wolves may be a bigger threat than many have given them credit for.
Running Out of Faith
CLG went back to their old ways this week as they failed to win a single game. After crushing losses to KOO and the Wolves, CLG wasn’t even able to pull their mentality together enough to beat paiN Gaming, who punished Doublelift’s Vayne pick with a swift Draven counter on Felipe “brTT” Gonçalves. The Brazilians got the drop on North America’s #1 team with the strong global presence of Twisted Fate, Gangplank’s Cannon Barrage, and Draven.
From winning their first two games, CLG end at an abysmal 2-4. It seems like all the faith CLG had accumulated was used up during the North American playoffs and on getting Jake “Xmithie” Puchero to Worlds despite VISA issues.
But there are still things to celebrate for the team. It’s the first time CLG ever made first place in the NA LCS. It’s even the first playoff run for their mid laner, Pobelter. To improve this much over the span of one year is still an achievement.
Speaking of achievement, paiN Gaming are now officially the best Wildcard team to ever attend a World Championship, as they won more than one game of their own accord. This speaks to the growth of South America as a region, and there’s no doubt that the experience they’ve gained at the tournament will contribute greatly to the level of play in Brazil.
It’s also worth noting that though they were eliminated, paiN gaming ended on a high note as brTT proposed to his girlfriend after the games concluded, and she said yes! Now that’s one way to turn a bad game around.
Hungry for more Worlds action? Check out our results page for the latest updates on the groups.
Subscribe to INQUIRER PLUS to get access to The Philippine Daily Inquirer & other 70+ titles, share up to 5 gadgets, listen to the news, download as early as 4am & share articles on social media. Call 896 6000.
