Clutch Gaming beats FlyQuest in LCS regional qualifiers to face CLG

William Davis Published 07/09/2019

Popular underdog Clutch Gaming defeated FlyQuest in round one of the LCS regional qualifier.

Clutch is not slowing down in the race to the 2019 League of Legends World Championship.

The team took a decisive victory over FlyQuest and are set to face Counter Logic Gaming in a hotly anticipated rematch. The series was far from perfect as both Clutch and FlyQuest made mistakes, but in the end Clutch proved to be the more adaptable team.

Clutch Gaming thrives in the chaos

The regional qualifier started with the longest game of the season.

The early game was a messy one as Omran “V1per” Shoura struggled in the match versus Heo “Huni” Seung-hoon, both junglers made mistakes, and each side seemed to have communication issues.

Clutch happened to get the better of that chaotic start and enjoyed early map control, but FlyQuest’s better late-game lineup kept them in a decent position.

Things got more tense as the clock ticked on. Both teams hesitated to commit to fights, and nobody seemed to want to throw the first punch. Finally, Sun “Cody Sun” Li-Yu stepped in to fight Jason “WildTurtle” Tran, FlyQuest turned the fight around and took the third baron of the game. The buff allowed them to push, but it wasn’t enough to end the game.

The back-and-forth match would be decided around the third elder dragon. FlyQuest was confident they could get it so the squad committed to it, but Huni found a flank behind the pit and split FlyQuest’s attention. A scramble ensued and FlyQuest was in a caught in a corner. Cody Sun dove the backline and it was game over for FlyQuest.

The notorious P.O.B has entered the chat

FlyQuest hit back in game two. The first set was enough to tilt even the best players, and yet FlyQuest kept their cool and jumped into game two with a fresh mindset.

The early game was slower and more organized. Clutch was first in the rotations, hoping to push the tempo of the game. Their proactive plan was punished by FlyQuest as the team found the flanks to score kills and gold.

Clutch continued to commit to bad team fights and FlyQuest was more than happy to get an advantage. Eugene “Pobelter” Park on Corki snowballed out of control and quickly became the strongest hero on the server. No one on Clutch’s side was able to respond, so the mid laner worked the side lanes

FlyQuest was in the driver’s seat, but the team didn’t rush to victory. Instead, they built their advantage and grabbed two barons before making the push for the nexus.

Clutch Gaming takes it slow

Game three started with an explosive team fight in the bottom lane. Three minutes into the match, the scoreboard had six kills. When the dust settled, Clutch had a gold advantage that encouraged them to keep looking for fights. FlyQuest took a step back and let Clutch run wild on the map.

The early kills turned into control over the neutral objectives. This time around, Clutch played the map rather than simply trying to get kills. This slower approach proved to be deadly, with FlyQuest slowly ceding each lane.

Clutch took one baron, broke the base, and continued to siege. FlyQuest was desperate and went for one final team fight. It was ultimately for naught, as Clutch destroyed the nexus and advanced to match point.

FlyQuest vs. Clutch comes down to one play

Clutch took things slow in game four, farming and pressuring the objectives. First blood didn’t come until 15 minutes, the latest this season, when Huni and Nam “Lira” Tae-yoo cornered Pobelter.

Clutch had firm control of the map and while FlyQuest still found occasional kills, it wasn’t enough to steal control of the game. Cody Sun had an outstanding performance on Ezreal, continuing what has been a great summer for the bot laner.

FlyQuest found a small window to get the baron buff and that play would be their demise. Clutch took the enemies out one by one in the river, scoring an ace. Victorius, Clutch marched through the mid lane to get the nexus and secure the series.

Clutch Gaming moves to round two where they will face Counter Logic Gaming.

William Davis

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