G2 vs Schalke 04: The battle for Worlds.

Will Europe’s Third Seed be The Old Guard or a New Contender?

Today saw g2defeat Splyce in a tight five game series. Despite Splyce claiming a 2-1 lead it was the surprise return of mages in the bottom lane that won the day for g2. Hjarnan’s Heimerdinger turned the series from the Perkz show, into a convincing team effort, with g2securing back to back wins in Games 4 and 5. With this victory g2took another step closer to the World Championship and stepped into the arena with Schalke Logo. 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 g2step up their game and end Schalke Logo 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 Schalke Logo. This shouldn’t be a shock to anyone after g2 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 g2 to win this series?

Win Conditions: g2

In order to book their spot at the World Championship g2 need a number of things to happen.

  1. g2need 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 g2more play making ability around the map. It will also shut down one of the two major carries on Schalke Logo.
  2. Jankos must have the same level of impact he did on the Olaf and Skarner picks, creating early advantages for his solo laners.
  3. 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 g2vs Splyce series, even though Perkz was more dominant and consistent; because I firmly believe that Splyce would be facing Schalke Logo if Hjarnan’s Heimer hand’t thrown spanner into the works.
  4. 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. 
  5. Get the strong solo lanes ahead.

Win Conditions: Schalke Logo

  1. 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.
  2. Amazing must demonstrate the same ability to control early game Jungler’s and protect his lanes as he did against fnatic and Vitality. The solo lanes will be an important focus for g2.  Schalke Logo cannot afford to let Perkz or Wunder run rampant.
  3.  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 g2 down.
  4. Control the pace of the game. Today Splyce proved that if controlled and forced to enter the late game, g2struggled. Losing fights when ahead and making poor Macro decisions that cost them games.
  5.  Do not draft three losing lanes. It is important Schalke Logo maintain at least one point of power on the map. If they draft three scaling lanes, I would expect g2to 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 Schalke Logo should hold the advantage.

Summation:

While not an exhaustive list, these Win Conditions represent the best ways for both g2and Schalke Logo to win this series in my opinion. However I do not expect Schalke Logo to give Hjarnan the Heimerdinger. This will force g2to play a standard ADC Bot Lane and in the games Hjarnan played ADC’s, g2 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

Author: Varda Yavanna

My personal blog, expect some gaming news, book reviews, excerpts of my writing etc...

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