This year’s League of Legends Worlds Play-Ins has finally wrapped up, with the last two series being played yesterday. The first matchup saw Hong Kong Attitude taking down Isurus Gaming in a fairly close 4-game series. The European third seed Splyce had an even harder time, as they had to play 5 close games against the CIS’ Unicorns of Love. In the end, Splyce were able to overcome their opponents to qualify for the main event. Without further ado, let’s dive into how both series went.
Hong Kong Attitude vs Isurus Gaming
Game 1
Hong Kong Attitude took over very early in game 1. With a combination of great team play and individual CS leads, HK Attitude acquired a large gold lead in the first 20 minutes of the game. After securing baron, HK Attitude won a fight in the baron pit that increased their lead even more. Isurus backed up into their base as HK Attitude convincingly closed out the first game.
Game 2
Isurus Gaming was determined to strike back in the second game. A monstrous performance by Édgar Ali “Seiya” Bracamontes MunguÃa on the Akali kept Isurus’ early lead going throughout the mid-game. HK Attitude had no idea how to deal with him as Isurus tied the series heading into game 3.
Game 3
Isurus Gaming took the early game initiative in game 3. However, HK Attitude kept up and didn’t let them run away with their lead. The game swung in their favor in the mid-game, when Isurus simply weren’t able to match them in fights. However, the momentum once again swung around the 30th minute, this time in Isurus’ favor. They caught off multiple HK Attitude members and secured some objectives. Unfortunately, their failed attempt at contesting the baron led to HK Attitude destroying them in a fight. HK Attitude used the baron and the elder dragon to swiftly finish the game.
Game 4
The last game of this series was a complete stomp from the side of HK Attitude. They took the lead early, and with a team composition that scales heavily, had nothing to lose. Isurus did fight back, but HK Attitude wasn’t going to let this one run away. In under 37 minutes, HK Attitude finished the series in style and qualified for the League of Legends Worlds main event.
Splyce vs Unicorns of Love
Game 1
Splyce started the first game of the series strong, amassing a decent gold lead in the early game. The Unicorns tried hard to acquire some early kills, which resulted in a few failed dives on Tamás “Vizicsacsi” Kiss. It looked as though Splyce would be able to close it out early. The Unicorns caught up in the mid-game, however, closing the gold gap significantly. The momentum swung entirely in their favor after nearly acing Splyce and acquiring baron. This led to them pushing into the enemy base and closing the game out.
Game 2
The second game of this series was very action-heavy in the early game. Both teams traded blows left and right, with Splyce pulling slightly ahead. Splyce had a lead for the entirety of the game, with Andrei “Xerxe” Dragomir coming out huge on the Qiyana. Splyce finished this one-sided game to tie the series.
Game 3
The LEC representatives made an early play at the start of the game that paid off tremendously. Their lead, along with Kasper “Kobbe” Kobberup’s massive damage on Xayah, was enough for them to move to match point after a dominant performance in game 3.
Game 4
The Unicorns of Love weren’t willing to let this series end in four games. They started the game strong, picking up many early kills and objectives. Splyce fought back, but they were once again no match for Qiyana. Lev “Nomanz” Yakshin obliterated his opponent all over the map with no real answer from Splyce. However, Xerxe’s two baron steals brought a glimmer of hope to Splyce fans. This dragged the game out, but it ultimately didn’t matter. The Unicorns managed to finish Splyce off in 42 minutes, bringing the last series of Worlds Play-Ins to silver scrapes.
Game 5
In the last game of this series, both sides knew it was their last chance to qualify for the Worlds main event. Both teams were very active in the early game, with neither team pulling too far ahead in terms of gold. The game was super close for the first 25 minutes, but Splyce managed to gain a notable advantage after securing some kills and objectives. With nothing left to lose, the Unicorns initiated a fight after Marek “Humanoid” Brázda got caught off guard. They even managed to pick off Kobbe in the next fight, but it wasn’t enough. The other Splyce members completely destroyed them even without Kobbe. Subsequently, Splyce broke into the Unicorns’ base, destroyed their nexus, and booked themselves a spot at the Worlds main event.
This concludes the Play-In stage of this year’s League of Legends Worlds. With the main event starting on Oct 12, be sure to stay in touch with Daily Esports for more League of Legends coverage!
