IPL5 Qualifier #4: Round of 8: iG vs CLG.Black

Pdd - Top

Favorite Champions - Jarvan IV, Vladimir, Shen, Yorick, Akali

Zz1tai - AP

Favorite Champions - Twisted Fate, Ryze, Viktor, Mordekaiser, Lee Sin

kid - AD

Favorite Champions - Ezreal, Corki, Vayne, Sivir, Kog'Maw

XiaoXiao - Support

Favorite Champions - Sona, Janna, Leona, Soraka, Nunu

illuSioN - Jungle

Favorite Champions - Nocturne, Udyr, Dr. Mundo, Skarner, Shyvana

Key Player:

Having a great showing at the Season Two World Championship, Zz1tai showed himself to be the masterful heart of iG. He will be going up against fellow mechanical genius LiNk. He will most likely get an early lead, which would cause CLG to respond with camping. A new problem he will have to hold his own through.

Sycho Sid - Top

Favorite Champions - Lee Sin, Udyr, Rumble, Irelia, Kennen

LiNk - AP

Favorite Champions -  Nidalee, Twisted Fate, Katarina, Anivia, Ahri

Hoodstomp - AD

Favorite Champions - Graves, Kog'Maw, Corki, Caitlyn, Ezreal

BloodWater - Support

Favorite Champions - Janna, Sona, Alistar, Soraka, Taric

Zuna - Jungle

Favorite Champions - Lee Sin, Nocturne, Dr. Mundo, Riven, Skarner

Key Player:

Sycho Sid will have to pressure his lane as the stronger top laner as the jungler will most likely be focusing on the mid lane. Pdd is no chump, but Sid has the tools to beat him and if he picks the right champion, he will be in a position to carry his team through the mid game.

Matchup Analysis:

It will be interesting to see how motivated or not CLG.Black will be now that their future with CLG.Prime is uncertain. They could be fighting to remain simply CLG's practice squad with no chance at season three for themselves or looking to impress a set of completely new sponsors.

iG had a very respectable outing at the Season Two Playoffs and should be in a great position to resume the momentum they have had in these qualifiers. Their absolute commitment to each other in game is unmatched and could be the key to a victory in today's match.

With the top lane most likely going to Sid in a 1v1 top, conversely the mid lane will go to Zz1tai if the AP's are left to themselves.

In 2v2 situations, 'Bloodstomp" are much more aggressive, while iG won't hesitate to do a four man dive even before their solo laners are level six. With Hoodstomp often being a wildcard and the extreme nature of iG's early game, bottom lane could go either way.

Both jungler have Nocturne, Dr. Mundo, and Skarner in their list of top played champions. Both Zuna and illuSioN are solid players that most likely will not do anything to lose a game for their team. They both can be very aggressive, but only when they know what they can get away with, or in iG's case, if the team calls for it.

iG is much more practiced and focused than CLG.Black coming into this, but if CLG can find the proper motivation heading into these games, it should be a good matchup.

Prediction:

iG 2, CLG.Black 1

VoD(s):

- Joel Maliskas

Source : ign[dot]com

Dignitas wins one of longest games in LoL history to earn spot in final

Game 1

CLG Bans - Skarner, Rumble, Twisted Fate

CLG Picks

• HotshotGG - Shen - Jungle
• Doublelift - Kog-Maw - AD
• Voyboy - Vladimir - Top
• Chauster - Sona - Support
• Bigfatlp - Anivaia - Mid

Dignitas Bans - Olaf, Sivir, Alistar

Dignitas Picks

• IWillDominate - Udyr - Jungle
• Patoy - Nunu - Support
• Crumbzz - Irelia - Top
• ImaQTPie - Ezreal - AD
• Scarra - Gragas - Mid

Bigfatlp picked up first blood, this was followed by a one-for-one trade in botlane after a nice gank by Dignitas and good counter-gank from CLG. This was a very low-kill game, just three at 30 minutes. Dignitas managed to pull a 5k gold lead from farm and Dragons alone. A fantastic fight at Baron, after several minutes of dancing, lead Dignitas to get four of CLG down in exchange for a mere two, allowing them to pick up Baron. With a huge burst of momentum after taking Baron Dignitas pick up two very quick kills and an Inhib. Shen did do his split-pushing thing, but while he took a tower, he got caught and died for it. CLG did a good job defending their base, but Dig slowly chipped away at the remaining Inhib towers, taking a short break to grab the second Baron of the game and then opened up a second Inhib. Dignitas' lead was too much, and after a fantastic fight in CLG's base they took the Nexus and the first game.

The Big Play: The first Baron changed the game from being quite to close, to Dig charging into the lead. With a great engage, Dig forced Anivia to split off from the rest of his team. This was followed by a fantastic Nunu ult which kept the rest of CLG locked down and allowed Dig to clean up and take Baron.

MVP: This is almost arbitrary as all of Dignitas played fantastically well. However, the one fight that Dig won, which decided the rest of the game, was facilitated by Patoy and his fantastic zoning. MVP goes to him.

Game 2

Dignitas Bans - Olaf, Sivir, Malphite

Dignitas Picks

• IWillDominate - Alistar - Jungle
• Patoy - Janna - Support
• Scarra - Gragas - Mid
• Crumbzz - Nidalee - Top
• ImAQTPie - Caitlyn - AD

CLG Bans - Shen, Skarner, Twisted Fate

CLG Picks

• Doublelift - Kog'Maw - AD
• Voyboy - Rumble - Top
• Bigfatlp - Orianna - Mid
• HotshotGG - Cho'Gath - Jungle
• Chauster - Sona - Support

Dignitas chose a poke-comp for game two, which is not seen very often in high level play. With Gragas, AP Nidalee and Caitlyn, they had some of the best pokers available. First blood went to CLG after a nice tower dive on crumbzz but Dig picked up a kill onto Bigfatlp less than 10 seconds later. Dignitas took the first tower in botlane and followed up with the first Dragon, giving them a small lead. Hotshotgg got caught ward-clearing by Scarra and Dominate, losing Oracles and allowing Dig to push down their second tower of the game. Dig gave a blue buff to Nidalee and with her javelins they started to push out. Dig took the second tower in midlane but a nice play from CLG allowed them to kill Patoy and pick up their first Dragon. CLG tried for a Baron but Dig managed to stop them, but did lose three people for two in the fight. Dig's poke and some crazy burst from Gragas allowed them to take the first Inhib of the game. CLG stalled the game out until their Inhib eventually re-spawned, though they had lost another inhib turret in the meantime and Dig had stretched their lead to nearly 10,000g. Nevertheless CLG was making a great show of defending... until HotshotGG got caught by Scarra again and died. CLG won a 4v5 at Baron however, which allowed them to pick up Baron and a few more kills. This brought them right back into the game. CLG laid siege to Dig's towers, but it was very slow going as Dig had good wave-clear. Doublelift's amazing mechanical skill allowed CLG to win a fight in midlane and take another Baron. However, while they were doing Baron qtpie went in and took out 2 of CLG's Inhibs.

Dig seiged down another CLG Inhib tower, despite the Baron buff, but CLG had a great engage immediately after. They killed most of Dignitas and took their first inhib of the game. As the longest game of the tournament so far ground on, Dig managed to take one Nexus tower and all three Inhibs down. The gold gap at 70 minutes was a mere 2000, both teams breaking 100,000g. The game was on a knife edge, Dignitas had the most structures down and were somewhat ahead due to this, but even the smallest mistake would allow Doublelift to cut through the whole team like a hot knife through butter. A crazy extended fight inside CLG's base allowed Dig to slowly, painfully, poke down the remaining Nexus turret and eventually take the win. This was one of the longest games in competitive League history and Dignitas won it.

The Big Play: If you wrote about every amazing play that CLG and Dignitas made in this game it would be longer than this entire article- the skill shown by both teams was truly mind-blowing. However, if one action was to be singled out, it would qtpie going for CLG's Inhibs after they had won a team fight and were getting Baron. Without the problems this caused for CLG it was quite possible that they would have been able to push for a win.

MVP: Everyone. On both teams. Every single player stepped up and did at least one amazing thing, most did more amazing things than would happen in five normal games. While that is the truest answer, it is also somewhat of a cop-out. Therefore, I will give this MVP to qtpie; Partly for taking those two vital Inhibs, but mostly for his positioning. Facing off in team fights vs a Kog'Maw and as much CC as CLG had, he played out of his skin to stay alive and keep firing. But I will reiterate- every player in this match was a star.

What a great set of games. Including arguably the closest game of the year- and unquestionably one of the longest- this set is the stand-out of the Regionals so far. While Dignitas did manage a 2-0 victory, which might make it look one sided, nothing could be further from the truth. These teams play on the same level, and that level is insane.

Written by Jaszon 'Lightblind' Alexzander

Source : ign[dot]com