First Five is a series of analytical articles focused on the picks, bans and early game strategies of various teams throughout the world.
Picks and Bans
Thoughts:
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Three mid lane bans against Pawn seems questionable.
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The Shen/Evenlynn/Kassadin combination is quite strong and bodes ill for QG’s back line.
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Janna is an excellent pick vs. Sivir.
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Kassadin is good against Viktor. He can trade well, not get completely shoved under tower and can easily beat Viktor post-level 6.
Level 1
Early ward placement from both teams.
QG:
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Standard lanes.
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V begins top lane – does not assist Swift in the jungle.
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TnT & TcT leash Swift at Krugs – they do not take any farm or experience.
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Swift continues to his red buff.
EDG
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Standard lanes.
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Clearlove & Koro1 begin at Krugs – Clearlove claims the small one while Koro1 claims the large. They proceed to red buff, where Clearlove receives the gold but equally shares the experience.
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Koro1 then backs and teleports to top lane with a slight experience advantage over V.
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Deft and Meiko take one of the small golems at blue buff.
Early Game
Jungle:
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Swift’s early jungle path: Krugs (leashed), red buff, blue buff, mid lane where he is spotted in the brush, checks EDG’s cleared raptor camp, top scuttle crab, wolves, gromp. He then heads to raptors.
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Clearlove’s early jungle path: Krugs and red buff (with Koro1), raptors, wolves (smite used), bottom scuttle crab, blue buff, gromp, back.
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Upon his first back, Clearlove upgrades to Chilling Smite and purchases two stealth wards and a health potion. He ventures to QG’s red jungle, places the two wards and clears the raptor camp.
- Near QG’s cleared raptor camp, Swift attempts to fight Clearlove and pays with his life, granting first blood to EDG.
Clearlove’s early ward placements.
Bottom Lane:
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Deft and Meiko’s start allows them to claim an early experience advantage and hit level 2 before QG’s bottom lane. This grants EDG’s bottom lane an early 8-10 CS lead and allows them to push the lane to QG’s tower.
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EDG’s bottom lane manages to place deal some early damage to QG’s bottom lane, forcing them to use their health potions quite early. (Deft’s early lane dominance earns him a 40 CS lead over TnT at 15:00.)
Mid Lane:
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Doinb starts Doran’s Ring and expends all of his mana trying to shove the minion wave. Pawn has flask, however, and is able to keep the wave from shoving into his tower.
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Doinb’s lack of mana permits Clearlove to roam freely into QG’s red jungle and claim first blood on Swift.
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Pawn, on Kassadin, survives the early lane with only a minor CS deficit.
Top Lane:
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V accrues a negligible CS lead over Koro1 due to the fact that he went straight to lane.
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Upon V’s first back, he buys a second Doran’s ring, two potions (one mana, one health) and a pink ward.
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V places the pink ward in the top river brush.
Final Thoughts
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Clearlove capitalized on the fact that Swift opted for a gank in the mid lane instead of backing. This allowed him to use Chilling Smite to kill Swift, who had not yet upgraded his machete.
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Taking the small blue golem worked out quite well for EDG. They were able to hit level 2 first, shove them wave in and harass QG’s bottom lane under tower.
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EDG’s team composition featured amazing all-in potential , as well as disengage from Janna to counter Sivir’s On the Hunt.
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Shen’s synergy with both Evelynn and Kassadin allowed for them to easily get to QG’s back line.
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A double jungle start for QG would have been more advantageous; it would have let their bottom lane to take the small krug to match EDG’s small golem start. (While QG didn’t have vision of EDG’s bottom lane executing this start, the absence of all EDG members save Pawn should have hinted to their strategy.) Also, sending V to lane early netted neither himself nor QG any significant advantage.
