Today saw 
defeat 
in a tight five game series. Despite 
claiming a 2-1 lead it was the surprise return of mages in the bottom lane that won the day for 
. Hjarnan’s Heimerdinger turned the series from the Perkz show, into a convincing team effort, with securing back to back wins in Games 4 and 5. With this victory took another step closer to the World Championship and stepped into the arena with 
. As with all of matches in gauntlet so far this series has the potential to be hotly contested. However only one team can advance to be Europe’s third seed at the world championship. Will step up their game and end hopes of making their first world championship, or are the four time European Champions going to take an early vacation as a new contender steps onto the international stage?
Prediction:
My prediction is a 3-1 or 3-0 for . This shouldn’t be a shock to anyone after scraped into the final round of the Gauntlet. However as a viewer I am hoping for a close series, so what needs to happen for to win this series?
Win Conditions: 
In order to book their spot at the World Championship need a number of things to happen.
- need Perkz to have a strong series against Nukeduck in the mid-lane. If Perkz can repeat the dominance he displayed today, then this will allow more play making ability around the map. It will also shut down one of the two major carries on
. - Jankos must have the same level of impact he did on the Olaf and Skarner picks, creating early advantages for his solo laners.
- If possible put Hjarnan on the Heimerdinger. On this pick he went from being a liability, to a primary play-maker. He was my MVP after the vs series, even though Perkz was more dominant and consistent; because I firmly believe that would be facing if Hjarnan’s Heimer hand’t thrown spanner into the works.
- Even if the Hiemer is banned, Hjarnan must have a stronger performance in the Bottom Lane. Dying 2v2 against Upset and Vander will be much more detrimental than it was against Kobbe and Kasing.
- Get the strong solo lanes ahead.
Win Conditions: 
- Give Upset a comfortable scaling marksman with which he can carry team-fights in the mid to late game. As their star player it is important he is comfortable. He’s had issues with nerves in the past and this will be the most pressured series he has played in his career.
- Amazing must demonstrate the same ability to control early game Jungler’s and protect his lanes as he did against
and 
. The solo lanes will be an important focus for . cannot afford to let Perkz or Wunder run rampant. - Nukeduck goes even or beats Perkz. We saw in today’s series that Perkz on Akali and Irelia could destroy team-fights and win games. Banning these champions or securing match ups Nukeduck can win or go even in will be essential to slowing down.
- Control the pace of the game. Today proved that if controlled and forced to enter the late game, struggled. Losing fights when ahead and making poor Macro decisions that cost them games.
- Do not draft three losing lanes. It is important maintain at least one point of power on the map. If they draft three scaling lanes, I would expect to win that game. By ensuring they have at least one point of power early game, they increase their chances of ensuring an even mid to late game in which should hold the advantage.
Summation:
While not an exhaustive list, these Win Conditions represent the best ways for both and to win this series in my opinion. However I do not expect to give Hjarnan the Heimerdinger. This will force to play a standard ADC Bot Lane and in the games Hjarnan played ADC’s, were heavily reliant on Perkz to over perform as the rest of the team were shambolic at best.
Who do you think is going to win this series and why? Are you excited for the World Championship? Let me know in the comments section below.
Written by Hugh Mccormick
Hugh Mccormick 