Week 7 of the League of Legends European Championship has three teams tied up for first place. The teams? Origen (OG), Fnatic (FNC), and G2 Esports (G2). Each with their own history, play style, and method of execution. Each team with different drafts and attitude to the game. There is no doubt that these three teams will make it to playoffs and to the Mid-Season Invitational Series this year.
Starting on March 6th, the first tiebreaker match between Origen and G2. OG and G2 had a clear focus in this match, win but don’t throw away the game trying to. Both teams were playing to keep a player alive and strong while looking for objectives that allow them a big lead to roll over the opposite team and guarantee a victory and first place.
Walking into this match-up, the history of their previous bout proved that G2 was the leader. Last time in Week 2, G2 brought out Soraka on Martin “Wunder” Hansen, so G2 gave up their top lane advantage. But they traded that for the healing onto Luka “PERKZ” Perkovic and Rasmus “Caps” Winther and their LeBlanc and Senna. Team fights usually went to G2 for the most part due to the capability for any of G2 to walk into a fight and then be healed enough to escape with reasonable health. What was important to keep in mind is that G2 was out-drafted, but OG was out-played, showing that G2’s strength does not rely on draft.
Courtesy of @LEC on Twitter
Just like last time, Dragons win games for G2. They pushed up the lanes far with LeBlanc; as per usual Marcin “Jankos” Jankowski always focuses on getting first Dragon. The buffs they receive, and the Dragon Soul really does help the team come back to fights fast enough. For G2 to win, they need more than just their champs to win. They had two supports, but still needed additional buffs to gain a safe victory.
This game put a ton of pressure onto both teams. Both teams have lost three games, but G2 showed a crack in their loss shield. They lost to teams that they seemed better than, like FC Schalke 04. OG only lost to teams with a similar strength level, such as G2, Fnatic, and Misfits Gaming.
Screengrab via Riot Games
This time around the game did not come down to when will G2 get their lead. Both teams recognized each other’s win strategy, and it was a back and forth game. G2 needed to push in the lanes to the base so that, like MAD Lions, they can siege the Inhibitors and keep OG busy protecting base. OG was focused on eliminating the G2 players so that they can gain objectives and inhibit G2 from getting towers down.
Watch the game, OG makes frequent plays to take out PERKZ and Caps. After a 2 v 3 fight in bot lane, with G2 winning, Andrei “Xerxe” Dragomir goes for Rift Herald, trying to win something even after a loss. Jankos then goes for Infernal Dragon. What is great to see is that even if either team takes a loss, they know what they can do to recover from it. Which made it hard for either team to gain a lead.
If Mihael “Mikyx” Mehle dies and loses bot tower, G2 setups for a jungle battle. If OG wins a team fight they start pushing up top lane. To counter, G2 hard push for bot lane tier 2 tower. Both teams were hungry for fights and knew exactly what to do to come back, whether it’s a tower that needs to go down or a new item for PERKZ.
Courtesy of @origengg
In other games OG relies on very intelligent and crazy plays made by Erlend “Nukeduck” Vatevik Holm. The team has Nukeduck out perform their opponent’s mid laner and win that lane. Then Nukeduck roams the map and supports his teammates, eventually getting to a point where Nukeduck will be a strong playmaker. In this game too, Nukeduck and Xerxe were focused on taking out PERKZ so that Ekko cannot get strong.
During the fights Nukeduck targeted the back line of G2 to prevent them from making their plays, unfortunately, the front line of G2 is strong enough to take out OG by themselves. Nukeduck had the lowest amount of kill participation, even though Orianna’s ultimate was the key for OG winning team fights and preventing G2 from winning.
G2 ended up winning, but it was not easy. By 25 minutes, the teams had an equal amount of gold, kills, and towers. G2 did have three Dragons though. But the fight after 25 minutes changed the game.
Screengrab via Riot Games
It looks like OG was trying their best to make perfect plays to keep up with G2. In the team fight that carried out, PERKZ came from behind to collapse on OG.
It looked like OG could have a chance to take out PERKZ quickly and get a lead, but a misplaced Orianna ball gave G2 the chance to continue the fight and take out OG one by one and then get the Dragon Soul and Baron Buff.
Screengrab via Riot Games
And then, as G2 escaped the post-Baron engage by OG, Wunder makes an impeccable Showstopper and reduces two of OG’s players to low health. G2 then motion themselves to chase OG. A noble sacrifice by Wunder allows G2 to use their Baron Buff and push in all three lanes to the base.
OG only get one shot at this. They become desperate, trying to get a pick on one of the members of G2, to prevent them from engaging. OG went to contest for Elder Dragon, a reasonable objective for them to come back into the game. G2 on the other hand only left four members to play around with OG. While Ekko went into OG’s base via top lane and went to fight Barney “Alphari” Morris in a 1 v 1.
Screengrab via Riot Games
PERKZ loses against Alphari, but the rest of G2 eliminate the Origen dragon push force, letting them simply walk into Origen’s base and get an Ace on Origen and finish the game.
With this victory, G2 Esports is placed at second on the board. Origen is placed at third place. Fnatic won their game against SK Gaming, giving them 10 wins and three losses and the first place spot. On March 7th, G2 will faced FNC to decide who will take the top spot.
Courtesy of @G2Esports
For more on G2 Esports content or other LoL esports content, check out Mani’s other articles here. Find Mani on Twitter.
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