Counter Logic Gaming destroys OpTic Gaming in 2019 LCS Summer Playoffs

Counter Logic Gaming destroyed OpTic Gaming in the 2019 LCS Summer Playoffs.

What was expected to be a competitive series was instead a blowout as CLG obliterated OpTic in the quarterfinals. The victory puts CLG just two series away from becoming the LCS champions, and earns them a trip to Detroit.

Four barons and one elder dragon can’t beat CLG

OpTic had game one in the bag.

The players were on their comfort picks, they had map control, objectives control, and vision in the right spots. The beginning of the game wasn’t especially action-packed, but everything was lining up in their favor.

Then the first baron spawn came.

While CLG committed to a dragon, OpTic snuck up and took the baron. In any other game that buff would’ve been enough to seal a victory but instead, OpTic couldn’t even get near CLG’s base.

Time went on and OpTic caught CLG jungler Raymond “Wiggily” Griffin out of position and turned that kill into another baron. CLG responded by picking off mid laner Lee “Crown” Min-ho, which stifled OpTic’s push. With the better late game lineup, CLG began stalling for time in hopes of out-scaling OpTic.

The wave clear from Trevor “Stixxay” Hayes on Sivir and Tristan “PowerOfEvil” Schrage on Azir kept CLG alive. Eventually, the time came for CLG to get an objective of their own. Wiggily flashed in to catch Noh “Arrow” Dong-hyeon and William “Meteos” Hartman, while the rest of CLG rushed to the elder drake and stopped OpTic’s push one more time.

Despite that, OpTic secured the fourth baron of the game and continued their siege, but never went for the win. The team hesitated and were forced to retreat after giving up kills, but managed to add an elder dragon on top of the baron buff.

Despite those advantages, CLG hit the item spike points necessary to turn the tide. Despite all their power-ups a properly kitted Stixxay proved to be too much for OpTic, which allowed CLG to take the first win.

OpTic puts its trust on Arrow

Arrow locked in Draven for the second game of the series and found the necessary resources to get an early lead. Meteos focused his efforts on the bottom lane and protected Arrow from Wiggily and PowerOfEvil. CLG decided to leave Stixxay and Vincent “Biofrost” Wang on their own and look for advantages somewhere else.

The first big fight came when the solo laners and junglers clashed in the river. OpTic got one, but CLG walked away with three kills, turret pressure, and one dragon.

OpTic never truly recovered from that stumble. Despite a solid early game from Arrow, the team failed to play around him once the laning phase was over.

Kim “Ruin” Hyeong-min shut down Niship “Dhokla” Doshi on Aatrox, despite it being his best champion of the regular season. CLG took the baron buff and gave OpTic a quick lesson in how to use it by making a confident push to advance to match point.

CLG wins the mental game

CLG started game three with a cheeky invade at level one, which paid off with first blood on Arrow.

That sneaky play seemed to break what little spirit OpTic had left. The players made one mistake after the other, engaged in unnecessary fights, and looked hopeless on the rift.

Stixxay and Biofrost were the stars of the game. The duo on Caitlyn and Morgana were precise with their bindings and traps. They completely destroyed Arrow and Terry “Big” Chuong in the laning phase and helped CLG take over the map. Crown attempted to split push but he was forced back every time CLG forced a team fight.

After 28 futile minutes, OpTic tapped out and gave CLG the final win.

This game marks the end of the season for OpTic Gaming. The team has no championship points from the spring, which locks them out of the regional finals. They will return in 2020, likely with a new identity.

As for CLG, they are moving to semifinals where they will face Cloud9. Yesterday’s winners, Clutch Gaming, will play against Team Liquid.