League of Legends Worlds Analysis, Group Stage - EDG vs. AHQ Tie-Breaker

Edward Gaming vs. AHQ E-sports Club Tiebreaker

Standard Lanes

Bans

Fizz Zilean

Twisted Fate Alistar

Thresh Ryze

Picks

1. Maokai 2. Zed

3. Lucian 2. Lee Sin

3. Braum 4. Rumble

5. Rengar 4. Jinx

5. Kassadin 6. Leona

Lane Match-ups – Edward Gaming

Top -

Maokai will be able to bully Rumble early and will be extremely safe. Will not be able to kill Rumble early though. Must build early MR to outlast Rumble's all in damage as it grows, especially when Rumble gets his double Mpen items. Needs Rengar to gank for the kill, great CC on both and enough damage. Needs to be wary of the counter gank, as Rumble/Lee Sin damage will be much higher.

Mid -

Kassadin will have a hard time early in lane against Zed, however as Kassadin will be going to lane with a ton of sustain, he should be able to farm well enough. Will be pushed back by Zed, but should be able to use his AA empowerment to get CS under turret. Expect a fairly passive lane until 6, but even then Kassadin should be very safe against Zed, Rift Walking away if Zed tries to go all-in. Kassadin should look to get his CS and scale up, and do his Kassadin thing and use his mobility advantage to move around the map.

Bot -

Far superior duo lane. EDG need to make sure that they find the 2v2 lane. Lucian/Braum will decimate Jinx/Leona. Lucian is 5x the bully Jinx could ever be and Braum/Leona do somewhat of the same thing in lane with Braum able to do damage w/o commitment. Find this lane, destroy it.

Jungle -

Rengar should farm up, get his 6 and then make plays. He will be weaker than Lee Sin early, by a little bit and there is not much in terms of gank opportunity aside from top lane, which can be turned around by a counter-gank. Best for Rengar to farm and let his lanes do their thing, keeping an eye out for special chances if they should arise.

Lane Match-ups – AHQ E-sports Club

Top -

Rumble can attempt to bully Maokai early, but should not have too much success. Maokai will heal a lot from his passive due to Rumble's spell spamming. Rumble does win the all-in trades at the early levels, but since he lacks sustain Maokai will come out on top over time, this does however, mean that Maokai does not have kill threat on Rumble unless Rumble is significantly lower on HP. Once Rumble is able to get his double Mpen items (Sorcerer's Boots and Haunting Guise) he will have kill potential on Maoki, especially so if Maoki does not get early MR. Very vulnerable to a gank, but very high damage output if Lee Sin is there for the counter-gank.

Mid -

Zed will have a bit of a null match-up against Kassadin, going equal on farm in the early game and being unlikely to kill Kassadin once level 6 hits. Zed will have to find a way to circumvent Kassadin and make plays elsewhere. This match-up will be all about who can have the most map presence, not who can dominate the lane.

Bot -

Entirely inferior and picked into EDG's duo lane. MUST get away from it and find the 2v1 lane. Under no circumstances should AHQ's duo lane end up against EDG's lane until ultimates come into play, at the very least. Jinx is easily bullied by Lucian early on and Braum/Leona provide the same power, with Braum able to harass from range. Avoid avoid AVOID the duo lane.

Jungle -

Plan for the lane swap, make it happen. Control the strong side of the jungle and deny Rengar access so that his ganks will be more predictable. Gank opportunities are mostly none existent unless a lane is already low. Look for these, but otherwise farm and protect from Rengar.

Team Composition/Strategy – Edward Gaming

*Win Condition – Generate small skirmishes early and take advantage of Rengar's ability to find picks and Kassadin's mobility. Turn an even match or a lead into strong 5v5 fights and roll through AHQ's team.

EDG have drafted a very brawl-centric team composition with a mobility focused mid-game and a heavy team-fight late game. Lucian and Braum will be a ton of power to the early-mid game and EDG should use that to bully during this time. Kassadin and Rengar will offer great jungle skirmish potential with their mobility and pick potential. Kassadin and Maokai will scale into extremely strong late game power. EDG just have to go even or take a small lead and they should be able to force skirmishes and bully down objectives in an almost brute force method early on and continue to grow a lead on well scaling champions. FIND THE 2v2 LANE.

Team Composition/Strategy – AHQ E-sports Club

*Win Condition – NONE.

It's only a half-joke. The team AHQ has drafted is quite bad, especially picking Lee Sin, Zed, and Jinx which only won them the last game against AHQ because of AHQ's mistakes. These were not successful champions for AHQ nor did they properly play them so I'm not sure why they expect them to this time around. On top of that, they have picked a support who has very little to offer Jinx, essentially kneecapping an already weak in lane ADC.

*Actual Win Condition – Run 2v1 lanes until ultimates or first items come out. Use the power spike of Rumble at Dragon during the dip of Kassadin and Maokai.

AHQ has to avoid the 2v2 lane or else they might as well be play man down. There is nothing their lane should be able to do against Lucian/Braum and so they need to avoid it like the plague. Find the 2v1 lane and just deal with it. Farm up and get to your team ultimates and maybe wait until first items come out, then EDG has to throw all of their eggs into Dragon fights and getting their gold lead there. Honestly without a large gold lead, this team composition has almost no chance of winning.

Game Notes -

AHQ's duo lane is completely pushed back as the inferior lane along with the potential pressure from Rengar as both teams traded blue buffs.

Rumble goes too aggressive slightly too early, losing a gank opportunity.

Lee Sin gets a good gank on bot lane, burning Lucian's summoners, however AHQ's duo must back after, low on mana and hp. Return to lane even father behind.

Great play by Maokai saves him from a turret dive by Rumble.

Lee Sin does dash in when Rumble gets the slow on Maokai, does not know there is a ward.

Jinx goes to ward, but unfortunately goes too far through their blue jungle and gets caught by Rengar who is already there. EDG then take the dragon, and bot turret.

AHQ respond and 3 man gank Maokai. EDG return to bot lane after dragon and take another kill on Jinx and a kill onto Leona. AHQ's bottom lane is insanely behind.

EDG move to pressure AHQ's top jungle and turret, but are backed off when Zed 1v1's Lucian, who for some reason EDG left alone in the mid-lane to fight Zed. This does slow down EDG for a bit and lets Jinx get some much needed CS.

Zed gets caught out in the river, gives EDG the opportunity to take top.

EDG get Dragon, just being so far ahead but this time Zed does take top in response.

EDG make a good rotate to catch out Rumble, but Rumble is able to turn it around and gets 1 for 1 trade, killing Kassadin in a 3v1. AHQ collapse with EDG ultimates down and with Lucian, their most fed member, no where near the fight. AHQ end up getting 3 kills for Rumbles death.

EDG try again to make a play in AHQ's top Jungle, but their dive attempt is shut down by Rumble and Leona. AHQ go 4 for 1 even when 5k gold behind. EDG are doing the one thing they should not do, dive into AHQ in small areas and without their full team, letting Rumble and Leona create massive damage.

AHQ are still ahead by a good 3.5k even after 2 solid team mistakes. That's how far behind AHQ were from the Bot lane power.

One thing to note, that is even while losing these fights, Maokai and Kassadin do have Rod of Ages that will continue to stack.

EDG slow down their play, realized they are going too deep and start to take a more steady approach to the match. AHQ are still too far behind and have not reached the point where Jinx evens out and cannot make their own moves.

AHQ pressure mid when Maokai is top and Lucian is bottom, but are unable to put any real pressure even when just against Kassadin and Braum.

EDG do again push too deep but they play it much better, getting a kill. They escape and split up, which does get Kassadin killed.

With Rumble and Zed ultimate down, EDG find a 4v4 team-fight in middle and get 2 kills for 0, with nothing to stop Lucian he is able to wreak havoc in this. EDG take mid T2 after.

EDG back to an 8k gold lead, just need to control the map and continue to grow a lead and scale Kassadin and Maokai into the late game. Jungle wards and Baron baits can lead to picks for EDG's mobile team.

*Note that all members of EDG have a Negatron Cloak or Negatron Cloak item, realizing that Rumble is causing them the most problems so far.

EDG force AHQ into a Baron fight, playing the 50/50 smite war. It does come out with EDG on top, taking Baron and only giving up 1 kill for the Ace. EDG take mid inhibitor. This was a dangerous Baron force. EDG would have most likely taken the team-fight win, but there was no guarantee on the Baron. If AHQ had gotten the Baron, then EDG would have lost more members. This does however, open up the game for EDG who now have mid down and a massive gold lead.

At this point, EDG just need to do more map control, clear waves and dragon, then move on to AHQ's base and brute force it down.

Which they do, EDG brute force down the bottom inhibitor turret. The damage from the turret and the need to kill it do cause them to go 4 for 4 with Lucian able to take both mid and bottom inhibitor after the fight.

End Game Notes -

How to lose in champion select the game.

EDG made a lot of mistakes, playing into the only way AHQ could fight back. Lucky for them they were already so far ahead.

Zed did well and so did Rumble for AHQ, but their bot lane was just destroyed this match and it made it so AHQ could do nothing but be defensive all game.

What AHQ E-sports Club should have done -

Redo their entire champion select. AHQ essentially lost the previous match against EDG using Zed/Jinx/Lee Sin and Rumble/Leona do even less with these champions than Thresh and Kayle do. There is 0 team synergy in this composition and 0 synergy in their bottom lane. They really just needed an actual strategy and an entirely different composition.

AHQ could have played Janna or Nami, pulled out Syndra in mid lane and that would have been huge. Find the 2v1 lane, fast push and then move to mid and take it down fast as well then use the pick potential and power spike of Rumble to control dragon. Honestly I can't stress how they needed to change their champion choices, especially Jinx/Leona.

With the champions they had, they NEEDED to get the 2v1 lane. It was absolutely essential for them to dodge the 2v2 lane and AHQ made 0 attempt to do so and it really just, lost them the game from level 1. Even if they had gotten the 2v1 lane, they needed a gold lead and would have had to make strong plays mid-game with Rumble to take dragon gold and get a lead. Their team was just not one that could fight from behind, or even when at similar gold.

League of Legends Worlds Analysis, Group Stage - EDG vs. AHQ Game #2

AHQ E-Sports Club vs. Edward Gaming Game #2

2v1 Lanes, AHQ Top

Bans

Alistar Fizz

Zilean Twisted Fate

Ryze Maokai

Picks

1. Zed 2. Lucian

3. Lee Sin 2. Khazix

3. Thresh 4. Janna

5. Jinx 4. Lulu

5. Kayle 6. Jayce

Lane Match-ups – AHQ E-Sports Club

Top -

Even lane up top, Kayle just has to dodge Lulu's poke and sustain when he gets hit. Farm should go even as Kayle keeps the lane in the middle with his AoE ranged attack. As the lane progress, the fight shall remain even, with Kayle creep up ahead of Lulu in the later stages. However by that point the laning phase will be over. Must beware of getting too poked by Lulu. If she gets ahead she can really bully out Kayle.

Mid -

A bit of a volatile match for Zed. He is fighting against a ranged champion who can poke and who is also very strong in trades and all-in fights. It will be hard for Zed to harass Jayce, but should be able to keep up in farm. The lane will change once Zed gets his ultimate, as he will now have kill pressure, however Jayce's ability to fight back is really strong still, especially if he nabs Exhaust as a summoner. Zed will need good shadow play to keep on Jayce against his knock-back. This lane will require more work from Zed.

Bot -

A weaker lane than EDG, Jinx has a tough time in the first few levels as she does not truly have a skill at level 1. Thresh will be able to provide protection and deterrence at level 1. Jinx will be able to scale up her rockets and that will keep her able to farm later on, but the lane will only continue to grow in EDG's control. As with most Jinx lanes, it would be beneficial to do a lane swap.

Jungle -

Lee Sin against Khazix. Farm farm farm, try to find opportunities to gank, but expect most of your time to be spent in the jungle or trying to counter-gank each other. Level 6 will allow Lee Sin to solid gank ability, able to create enough distance for his lanes to put out the high damage they have.

Lane Match-ups – Edward Gaming

Top-

A very solid even match-up for Lulu in the top lane. She can both farm and harass with safety, but will need to avoid trades or all-in's until she is ahead in HP. Lulu does not need to fear Kayle by herself, as a quick slow and speed-up will get her away from any fight. Trying to kill Kayle will be just as difficult though, as she holds the same defensive advantages. Mainly focus on farming, and try to whittle down Kayle as much as possible without putting yourself into a bad spot. Be wary of ganks from Lee Sin, as the double slows will create enough time for them to deal the needed damage to kill Lulu.

Mid -

Jayce is at the advantage in this lane. He has range and poke over Zed, while still be really strong in the all-in's or the damage trades. Jayce should look to farm and keep the lane pushed, try to deny Zed farm by getting him low and forcing him to back. Build up your tear and damage and move into the mid game siege with your team. It would be advised to bring exhaust, as this will be a huge deterrent when Zed reaches level 6 and should win the fights in this situation. When exhaust is down, a good knock-back should keep Zed from being able to deal enough damage to get the kill.

Bot -

EDG have the stronger lane and need to look to use it from the start. Bully Jinx at level 1 and continue to do so throughout the lane. As the second creep wave comes in, make sure to fast push for the level 2, as this is the only chance AHQ's duo has to take an advantage. Other than that, bully Jinx and keep her down as much as possible. Save dash for Thresh hooks and make sure Janna is ready to stop a Lee Sin gank.

Jungle -

Another farm jungle. Khazix will look to get to the mid to late portions of the game where he out-scales Lee Sin. Early on, look for ganks against pushed lanes, and potentially an early dive against Kayle. Other than that, not too many opportunities can be forced.

Team Composition/Strategy – AHQ E-sports Club

*Win Condition – Scale into the late game and overwhelm EDG. Use Zed in the meantime to split-push and draw the game out. Look for potential skirmishes in the jungles around mid with Zed and Lee Sin once level 6 comes into play.

AHQ have a very late scaling team composition. Jinx and Kayle are very late game hyper-carries, able to deal out tons of damage and chase the enemy team down. With very little lock-down on EDG's side, Jinx will be free to pump out damage during Kayle's Intervention. Getting to this point will take awhile however, as Jinx and Kayle take awhile to truly get their gears cranking. Zed and Lee Sin can make plays in the mid-game to stretch out the game, looking for picks and skirmishes in the jungle areas for 2v2 and maybe 3v3s. If AHQ can survive, they will be able to overrun EDG's team.

Team Composition/Strategy – Edward Gaming

*Win Condition – Use the mid-game power of their team to generate a lead. Siege with Jayce, and keep AHQ defending their towers. Control objectives with poke and general team power and push against AHQ whenever Dragon/Baron are down.

EDG have a strong early and mid-game team. Jayce and Lucian especially will be strong from the start and in the mid-game. Even though they will scale well into late, they will be a bit weaker than Jinx and Kayle. If EDG can generate a lead early on, through lane pressure and dragons, then around the 15 minute mark when the first completed items come in, they can start to apply group pressure to turrets, pushing AHQ away with Jayce and Khazix poke while whittling away at towers with Lucian and Jayce. Forcing AHQ into these tower defenses as 5 will benefit EDG by pushing before the late game can occur and by keeping Zed from being able to assassinate anyone. Solid early game to mid-game tower sieging should win EDG the game.

Game Notes -

AHQ rush level 2 in the bottom lane and EDG do not back off, Lucian has to burn his flash.

Kayle defends against a tower dive well, keeping both summoners.

AHQ's bot lane starts to fall behind as Jinx is not the best in trades.

Kayle does back off and burn his TP to get back to lane, due to the pressure that Khazix's gank had put on him.

Thresh lands a hook onto Janna and gets good harassment. Note that Khazix does not jump in when this happens, but rather sneaks into the bush and waits. AHQ do not expect this. It does earn Khazix First Blood, but AHQ are able to get a kill in return.

Khazix is trying to counter-jungle when Jayce is returning to lane from shop. Very dangerous and it gets him killed.

Jayce getting damage onto Zed throughout the lane phase allows EDG to take the dragon, their mid and bot lane being stronger.

EDG take Dragon, knowing their strength, and then take mid. AHQ let it go, knowing they can't fight it.

Thresh gets a great hook and burns Lucian's flash, but flashes in himself, gains nothing and loses most of his HP, forcing AHQ back and giving EDG the top turret, the final outer.

AHQ do a great job of turning on the heat when they hit their mid-game spike, rotating around the map to take the outer turrets within 5 minutes.

EDG back off mid turret to shop. They had a huge wave top and should have rotated to get the top turret or at least a good amount of damage onto it.

EDG stop pushing and let the game drag on for a good 4-5 minutes where nothing happens except a dragon take. EDG should be pushing, they can't let AHQ scale up. Kayle has gotten a Hurricane and Jinx a Static Shiv during this time, really upping the wave clear ability of AHQ.

EDG are able to take an easy Baron, spending a good amount of time clearing and denying vision from AHQ.

After Baron, EDG do start the siege again, pushing against middle inhibitor turret. Zed was top during this, but recalls for the defense. I feel he could have taken top and put pressure on EDG that way, however his presence in base may have deterred a dive, though I do not think EDG would want to dive, especially into Hurricane Kayle.

It took EDG an entire Baron to take down the inhibitor turret, Zed would have had a long time to push top and EDG would have been forced to make either a dive or a recall.

When EDG back off, AHQ do rush and take the mid T1 turret, a good move since they know/expect EDG members to recall after the long push.

AHQ make a sneaky 5 man push on the bot lane, catch EDG off guard. Nets them a kill and the bot T2 turret. Jayce pushes mid, while EDG delays AHQ. Jayce gets the inhibitor while AHQ is delayed by the rest of EDG. AHQ tried really hard to make a play, but they stayed around too long against a team with a large lead and come out behind in the total trade.

EDG show once again that they are bad at closing games out. They spend way too much time not pushing and AHQ are continuing to scale-up. Even though EDG have a 10k gold lead, the power gap is getting smaller and smaller.

EDG seem to only want to push with Baron.

Lucian is up alone doing damage to AHQ's turret, and gets caught by a Thresh hook. Thresh did a great job of predicting the dash, Lucian dashed back, but to the side of Thresh instead of away and AHQ get the fight they want and earn 3 kills for nothing, breaking the siege and taking mid T2 turret.

AHQ have delayed long enough that their team has scaled past EDG.

Thresh gets another hook onto Lucian, and it lets AHQ take another great fight, getting 3 kill for 0. AHQ rush mid and win the game.

Item Notes -

Kayle grabs a Negatron Cloak after Hurricane. I would have much preferred to see that money spent on damage or on armor if he wanted some early defenses. Lulu is not a high source of damage on EDG's team.

Janna does not pick up a Mikael's and it really hurts when Thresh gets his hooks.

End Game Notes -

There's really only one thing to say really about this game. EDG took too long to put the pressure onto AHQ and AHQ were able to out-scale and find the right picks onto EDG. There were several 5 minute long periods where EDG were not using their poke/tower siege composition to create advantages that AHQ could not overcome. Essentially, EDG wasted time and lost the game.

EDG's Janna also never gets Mikael's. Would have been amazing to stop the hooks that Thresh did get and could have saved EDG from losing.

AHQ on the other hand, though they did a great job defending against the sieges, they did nothing to stop them. They did not put pressure elsewhere on the map to draw AHQ away, and they did not put heavy pressure on a lane early to create a weak spot in EDG.

What EDG should have done -

Just a light first note, EDG could have picked Caitlyn or Kog'maw for easier turret damage, creating the faster pushes, however they wanted Lucian for the mid-game control and that did work well for them.

As noted before, Janna picking up Mikael's could have kept them from losing when Lucian got hooked, however there are stronger problems that EDG made.

The biggest thing EDG could have changed, was using their time better. EDG waste a ton of time this match, sometimes in blocks of 5 whole minutes where they are not using their siege composition against AHQ. This allows AHQ to spend time generating gold in the mid-game and letting them scale and make the pushes harder. EDG should have been constantly pushing and keeping AHQ on the defensive and reducing their ability to generate gold. If EDG had pushed harder, gotten 2 inhibitors down, then there would not have been much AHQ could have ton. Open inhibitors would have been easy to take with Baron, and then pushing the third lane is a simple task.

There was an opportunity for AHQ to swing top, get a free turret or at least lots of damage. Every second mattered and AHQ wasted too many of them.

League of Legends Worlds Analysis, Group Stage - EDG vs. AHQ Game #1

Edward Gaming vs. AHQ E-sports Club Game #1

2v1 Lanes, AHQ Top

Bans

Fizz Ryze

Lee Sin Zilean

Twisted Fate Alistar

Picks

1. Maokai 2. Lucian

3. Rengar 2. Khazix

3. Zed 4. Talon

5. Twitch 4. Nidalee

5. Thresh 6. Blitzcrank

Lane Match-ups – Edward Gaming

Top -

Maokai should have a safe time top. This lane is fairly passive. Nidalee will try to harass with auto attacks and spears but Maokai will be able to sustain as long as he does not get hit by spears and hunted by Nidalee. Maokai should not attempt to harass Nidalee, just farm safely and only fight if Nidalee tries to go all-in. Danger point will be when Nidalee picks up Trinity Force, but Maokai should have started scaling his Rod of Ages at this point.

Mid -

A very volatile match-up, if either champion gets ahead the lane will shift heavily into their favor. Zed should get as much poke as possible. At level 2 Zed could have the all-in potential and use it to push Talon out of lane or at least away from the creeps. At level 6 the match-up becomes a game of chicken with their ultimates, whoever uses theirs first most likely losing the fight. Any damage brought in by the junglers will help shift this match-up.

Bot -

I want to say that the lane is somewhat even, EDG having the better support in Thresh but with AHQ having the bully potential in Lucian. As long as Twitch is able to avoid getting grabbed, EDG should have a slight edge in this match-up, however getting grabbed may just spell disaster for EDG's duo lane. Get farm safely, try to trade as best as possible with Lucian, and dodge hooks. Thresh will need to play a big role in harassment, as him getting hooked can still let Twitch trade with Lucian.

Jungle -

Rengar will go even with Khazix on farm, if they both focus only on that. However the gank potential from Rengar can be stronger, granted his goes in with his Snare up. Rengar should look for early plays with Maokai, and then switch into bot lane plays once his ultimate is online.

Lane Match-ups – AHQ E-sports Club

Top -

Nidalee has a nice safe lane against Maokai. She will be able to harass him, out-sustain him if they fight trades (until she is out of mana), and will have kill potential if she can land a spear and Hunt Maokai. Will have her highest pressure point as soon as she picks up Trinity Force. Must be aware of early Rengar ganks. Being pushed up too far around level 2-4 could result in her getting caught by the CC and slow of Maokai/Rengar.

Mid -

A very volatile match. This lane will swing very heavily from the first kill/forced back on. Talon must respect that Zed will take an early lead at level 2, and accept it. From level 3 on, the match-up will be a bit of a toss up. Zed will have the greater poke potential as well as being able to trade evenly with Talon. Creep damage will be on Zed's side, as Talon must go onto Zed to get down his harassment, while Zed does not. Early help from Khazix can really shift this match-up. Level 6 will be a game of chicken, whoever uses their ultimate first and tries to fight will most likely lose. Talon however, can combo Zed and then ultimate out. Dealing some damage and fast clearing the wave before moving elsewhere.

Bot -

An even lane, sort of. I really find Blitzcrank to be inferior to Thresh in most ways, however Lucian is a bigger bully than Twitch. Blitzcrank will have to stop Thresh from harassing Lucian too much while Lucian gets the trade damage onto Twitch. A solid hook from Blitzcrank onto Twitch can turn the lane completely, but a hook onto Thresh could proved deadly for Lucian. All in all a tense lane that really rests on the hook of Blitzcrank.

Jungle -

Khazix should really just farm. There is not too much for him to do in these lanes. Look for one that is pushed and gank from behind, but do not waste too much time. Get quick farm, and then a ward or two to try and mirror Rengar and be ready to provide counter-gank opportunities.

Team Composition/Strategy – Edward Gaming

*Win Condition – Create small skirmishes and quick picks around the map during the early to mid game and turn that into a winning lead.

EDG have a good team for getting picks and winning small skirmishes in the mid-game. Rengar/Twitch can stealth in to get picks while Zed is able to finish off the caught champion with ease. As long as EDG goes even in lanes, once the first items come out for Twitch/Rengar, EDG can start looking for kills in the jungle or by sneaking into lanes with stealth. EDG must then take this lead and use it push down AHQ, who cannot split-push against EDG if they are behind.

Team Composition/Strategy – AHQ E-sports Club

*Win Condition – Make it out of lanes with the ability to split-push. Dismantle EDG with 1-3-1 split-push.

AHQ want to pull off a 1-3-1 split-push composition. There composition is a little weak for this, as their 3 man lane has weak wave clear/disengage. Nidalee and Talon, however, are really strong as split-pushers and if they can get ahead in lane can completely control the game. AHQ must get these two lanes ahead and unless they can get both of them ahead, their team will fall hard against EDG. Rengar makes it really hard to split-push as 1-4, and Zed/Maokai being good split-pushers themselves, if AHQ cannot get ahead early, they will lose and lose hard.

Game Notes -

Good read by Talon knowing Zed's aggression was a tell for Twitch being mid.

AHQ send their duo top, moving Blitzcrank bottom and leaving Lucian against Maokai top when they see the lanes. Later on they switch them to standard lanes.

Khazix sits on a ward, could have gone in right away. Trading his time for Maokai's time.

Rengar waits top for a gank, many chances to try to catch the snare but wants the perfect engage, however Lucian reads Rengar being there by Maokai's play.

Nidalee almost kills Maokai in a 1v1. Both burn flash.

Talon behind quite a bit in CS.

Blitzcrank gets a hook onto Twitch, however it was not the right play. AHQ's duo had level 7/6 to both level 5's in bot lane. Blitzcrank had the positioning to run up to Twitch and punch him, saving his hook for catching Twitch after lantern or flash. Was a good play, and almost got the kill though.

Khazix ganks a pushed Maokai and AHQ take first blood.

AHQ having burned their flashes when Blitzcrank got a hook, are now very vulnerable for the Rengar gank. Twitch having stayed, is able to help out with the gank and EDG get 2 kills and then take dragon.

Zed gets a solo kill on middle.

EDG get another kill on Lucian, Rengar being in position to gank as soon as they get back, wards having been cleared during the dragon take.

EDG make a great read on a gank incoming top, and are there to counter it with 4 members.

EDG now have a lead, it is going to be really difficult for AHQ to get their split-push composition going.

EDG start making the skirmish plays they need in AHQ's jungle, extending their lead.

A hook from Blitzcrank allows AHQ to collapse and get several kills, Zed gets their bot turret though.

Blitzcrank tries again to hook, instead of just getting the knock-up punch and then hook. Loses AHQ a kill and potentially the dragon.

AHQ do good poke around dragon, but decide to go in against EDG who is ahead, and Talon not being in range for the start of the fight. AHQ essentially kill themselves, giving EDG a 4 for 1 and dragon.

EDG are so far ahead right now, AHQ cannot fight them with their weaker team-fight champions. Meanwhile, Zed can split-push and defeat Talon or Nidalee in the split.

AHQ cannot do anything at this point, other than try to ignore EDG and play the map, staying away from AHQ's team.

EDG are playing the slow, starve game. They know there is nothing AHQ can do to comeback and that EDG's team will only grow stronger as the game progresses, even if the gold lead shrinks. EDG will take it slow, get objectives and try to get picks while they wait to end the game.

EDG could take the game quicker, by forcing down towers and AHQ's base, however there is no real rush for this. The counter point though, is that AHQ could commit themselves to the split-push and just stay away from EDG as they try to bait baron.

The slow play and vision control of AHQ's top jungle eventually pay off in EDG getting picks and kills and then baron. It did take 3 Rengar ultimates though before it happened.

Item Notes -

Talon fully builds Hydra. This is not optimal for Talon. Tiamat is enough followed by even higher damage from building BF Sword into IE or Pick-axe/Long Sword into Last Whisper.

End Game Notes -

EDG take way too long to close out this game. But AHQ do nothing in this time.

AHQ, having lost the game early, need to recognize this and do everything they can to put EDG on the back foot. Go hard in the split-push and trade objectives, do everything you can to split up EDG and try to find an advantage in their mistakes.

What AHQ should have done -

They had to win early, plain and simple. They opted into a 1-3-1 split-push composition and in these compositions you have to get ahead, and you have to use your split-push. If you get behind, there is nothing you can do in a team-fight. You have to sacrifice the team-fight and get what you can elsewhere. A few misplays by Blitzcrank and AHQ fighting when they did not need to at dragon solidified their loss.

In picks/bans it felt like AHQ went in without a solid plan and just happened to get Nidalee and then made a shallow plan around that. If you are going to go with a 1-3-1 split-push, your 3 man team needs poke/wave clear/disengage. Corki, Nami, Janna are huge for this and are much better picks for the duo lane in this composition. I would have loved to see Corki picked up and then pressure First or Second dragon while Nidalee does her magic on top lane.

On a complete composition change. I dislike seeing teams play the split-push game against Zed. Zed is just, really strong in this situation. When Zed fights another split-push assassin, he almost always comes out on top, however when a team opts away from this and plays a different style of composition, say siege or protect compositions, it really shuts Zed down.