Clutch Gaming secured a spot in the Knockout Stage after a victory over Mammoth Esports in the 2019 League of Legends World Championship.
Clutch found the victory they needed to make it to the Knockout Stage. Earlier in the day, Clutch fell for the second time against Unicorns of Love. The defeat put Clutch’s place in the next round at risk, but the North American team came out on top of a do-or-die game.
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Clutch’s Worlds run has not been as smooth as people were expecting. The team qualified for the event after defeating formidable opponents in the LCS, so expectations were high.
In the early game, Mammoth scouted Nam “Lira” Tae-yoo and got a clear idea of his pathing. Clutch’s solo laners supported Lira and provided support whenever he wanted to get control of the river. The game was very slow-paced, with first blood not coming until 15 minutes.
The game wasn’t be as aggressive as others that have taken place in the League World Championship to this point. Clutch was focused on getting objectives, and the team stayed disciplined as they worked towards them.
Thoughout the game, Mammoth made many costly mistakes that Clutch was able to punish. At 20 minutes, that included an ace that Clutch was able to turn into a Baron buff. Clutch began to siege but Mammoth wasn’t in a position to defend the base, let alone repel an attack.
Heo “Huni” Seung-hoon was the star of the game on Ryze. The top laner was given the unenviable task of balancing his offensive plays with defensive efforts, but he managed to do a brilliant job of it. Clutch followed Huni’s lead and the team committed to one last fight. Clutch aced Mammoth again and it was game over.
Clutch, Mammoth, and Unicorns of Love must fight in a tiebreaker at the end of the day. The seeding was based on game duration.
Mammoth and Unicorns of Love will play first to determine the third seed. The winner will go to face Clutch in the second round to decide the final standings of Group A.
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