Game of the Week: Team Solo Mid vs Counter Logic Gaming

TSM vs. CLG, one of the most hyped games in NA LCS history, delivered the hype with a jaw dropping 45 minutes game with TSM edging out a victory. With both teams at the top of their game this season, this match showcased how each team utilized the tiniest advantage they could obtain through kills, CS leads, objective control and ward coverage, turning them into better position control on the map.

TSM came out with a slight draft advantage, picking up Ahri, Sivir, and Jarvan, while CLG countered with their own engage comp. consisted of the 100% NA LCS win rate Lissandra and Vi. CLG took control of the game early, picking up multiple early dragons and a Baron, forcing TSM on the back foot and concede control over the objectives. TSM never fell too much behind, however, keeping their composure and taking towers when CLG let their guard down. Ultimately, through multiple team fights that went horribly wrong for CLG (looking at you Link and Doublelift), Bjergsen and Wildturtle survived CLG’s “pile on the carries” tactic, annihilating CLG with their unmatched late game sustained damage, while Dyrus was nigh impossible to take down on his tanky Sion.

Overall, TSM’s win over CLG almost guarantees them a spot at the IEM Katowice tournament, where they can measure their newfound strengths against the best teams from other regions. CLG, on the other hand, needs to reassess their late game team fighting and decision making ability if they wish take back the NA top spot. Unfortunately, Link and Doublelift have not yet silenced the critics that doubted their ability to perform under pressure.

Game of the Week: Copenhagen Wolves vs Fnatic

With most of the games in EU being outright stomps, one of the closer games was Copenhagen Wolves vs Fnatic. CW played against Reignover’s Regar sufficiently, denying him ganks with liberal flashes and forcing his ultimate in engages. In control for most of the game, CW almost let Fnatic come back into it by somehow forgetting how to play against Rengar. Sieging the bottom inhibitor tower of Fnatic, they pushed without pink wards to defend their flank, and Reignover was able to engage through the base gate with his ult and give Fnatic an edge. Still, it wasn’t enough for Fnatic to come back, and CW showed that although Fnatic’s lineup is strong, they still have their issues to sort out.

Game of the Week: SK Telecom T1 vs GE Tiger, Game 3

“MotherFakers act like they forgot about Pray.” The resurgence of Pray and the dominance of GE Tigers continued in LCK this week as the GE Tigers were pushed to a three game set by SKT T1 this week, due in no small part to Faker’s Leblanc.

Game Three was a see-sawing affair as SKT took an early lead with a good team fight at the second dragon. However, the game was turned on its head as Kuro and Pray outplayed SKT in a 2v4 after securing Baron placing the game on a knife edge. Unfortunately for SKT, several of the team’s kills were on Marin and Beng and in the following fights they were caught out and dealt with fairly easily.

Questions may be raised when to Bang’s Sheen lacking Ezreal build, but it appears as if GE Tigers are a cut above in Korea at the moment with a handsome lead at the top of the table.

Game of the Week: OMG vs. King, Game 1

OMG has displayed a simultaneously entertaining and frustrating desire to just "play whatever," drafting incomprehensible teamcomps and relying on sheer individual talent to overwhelm the opposition. Chinese netizens have criticized OMG for too much "zaji" (杂技), or circus tricks, referring to their unorthodox and non-synergistic teamcomps. And yet, OMG sits comfortably at second place on the rankings. If it's not broke, why fix it?

OMG displays yet another "zaji" line-up, bamboozling King with an unconventional Maokai support and Hecarim top, with the in-vogue Nidalee Jungle to boot. King were obviously deceied by OMG's intentions, and OMG managed to get a massive advantage in lane that was converted into a quick 20 minute victory.

Game of the week: Midnight Sun Esports vs Logitech Snipers

Some games are high quality matches with clever play from both sides. Others are lower level yet enjoyable bloodbaths with plenty of fighting. Midnight Sun Esports vs Logitech Snipers is neither. The match defies being tagged a soloQ game as both teams end up stumbling around the map occasionally running into and fighting eachother. A truly unique and bizarre back and forth both teams take plenty of turns to do something which defies logic. It all culminates in an ludicrous baron attempt which brings an unexpectedly sudden end to a truly outlandish match..

Game of the Week: DetonatioN RabbitFive vs. Ozone Rampage

We're gonna be honest. It wasn't a good week for the LJL in terms of high quality games.

DetonatioN FocusMe blew out last-place Salvage Javelin in perhaps the clearest display possible of the skill disparity inherent in the league to kick things off, and then the remaining four teams engaged in two extremely sloppy back and forth games. We're going to recommend DetonatioN RabbitFive versus Ozone Rampage, not for the quality of play, but because through their victory RabbitFive held onto their number 1 ranking in the league. This weekend RF takes on FocusMe twice: first in their LJL regular season match and then in the JCG Grand Championship. It's pretty safe to say that whoever looks stronger this weekend will be the heavy favorite to attend the IWCI, so there's no better time to meet the team.

Game of the Week: paiN Gaming vs KaBuM! Orange

Another week passes in Brazil without significant change in the standings, with many of the top-tier teams facing opponents in the bottom half of the standings. The closest set of games belonged to KaBuM! Black and CNB e-Sports Club, with the former team determined to be the Invictus Gaming of this CBLoL stage by splitting the majority of their sets 1-1.

With so many one-sided matches this week, the criteria in picking a game of the week shifts to which top team showed the most in their victory. This award for week five of CBLoL goes to paiN Gaming. Previously, paiN had looked sloppy in their champion select – relying heavily on selecting Sivir – and uncoordinated in their map movements. This week, in their set against KaBuM! Orange, especially the first game, paiN finally looked synchronized as a unit, using their minion waves properly and controlling the map as a tea.