Reigning world champion Invictus Gaming closed 2018 with a win at the Demacia Cup, defeating Topsports Gaming in four games.
Despite its struggle to earn an LPL title, IG closed its year with a domestic victory under its belt. The road to the finals was not easy for the champions. In the fourth round, IG was upset by TOP and was forced to play in the loser’s bracket against Suning. After beating Suning, IG earned a rematch with TOP in the grand final.
In game one, IG started the action in the bottom lane with an early first blood. The aggression from IG was not enough to stop TOP’s Bai “369” Jia-Hao from scaling. The Chinese top laner showed an outstanding performance on Jax that, combined with good team fighting and objective control, gave the victory to TOP.
It became clear that 369 was the key player for TOP, and the underdogs responded by focusing on the top lane in game two. IG’s Lee “Duke” Ho-seong couldn’t accomplish much as his opponent received support from both mid and the jungle. Instead, IG decided to better focus its efforts on a successful bottom lane.
TOP secured two barons and the numbers were in their favor until IG carry Yu “JackeyLove” Wen-Bo turned the game around. The bottom laner was well positioned in every team fight. His aggressive plays seemed to take TOP by surprise, leading to a win for IG.
IG kept the momentum going in the third set. Better team fights and a baron buff at just 24 minutes gave IG its second victory.
Facing match point, 369 returned to Jax hoping for a repeat of his earlier performance. The top laner found good picks, but the IG squad was quick to rotate and stem 369’s growth. Duke and JackeyLove took over the game as it progressed, with help from mid laner Song “Rookie” Eui-jin.
IG secured a baron at 23 minutes and after a dramatic series of team fights, the team managed to destroy the enemy base and earn the title Demacia Cup title.
Both teams will meet again in the 2019 LPL Spring Split, starting on January 14.
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