Unicorns of Love upsets Clutch Gaming to start LoL Worlds 2019
Unicorns of Love opened the 2019 League of Legends World Championship with a major upset over Clutch Gaming.
The play-in stage kicked off on October 2 with an opening match between Unicorns of Love from the LCL and Clutch Gaming from the LCS. Clutch came into the match as the favorite but Unicorns of Love had another thing in mind.
Unicorns of Love wins with an unexpected pick
In picks and bans, Unicorns of Love surprised with Heimerdinger in the bottom lane. Clutch went for a standard composition, with the small twist of putting jungler Nam “Lira” Tae-yoo on Ekko.
The fight for first blood would set the tone for the rest of the match. Lira and Heo “Huni” Seung-hoon teamed up to get Vladislav “BOSS” Fomin under the turret. The play was unnecessarily aggressive and Unicorns of Love was able to punish both players.
Huni would continue to make costly, over-aggressive plays. Around the rift herald, the top laner went over a wall to chase out the enemy jungler. Huni found himself surrounded by enemies and gave up a kill, forcing Clutch to give up the objective.
Unicorns of Love kept punishing every play from Clutch. The North American team then looked towards securing a dragon. Unicorns of Love erased Clutch inside the pit, took the dragon, and the baron on their way out.
After that baron play, Unicorns of Love had total control of the game and never gave it back. The superior vision control allowed Unicorns of Love to move between lanes and apply as much pressure as possible.
Clutch still tried to go for flanks and find picks, but couldn’t find anything that could swing the game. Sun “Cody Sun” Li-Yu managed to keep Clutch alive and drag out the game.
Unicorns of Love seemed hesitant to push for the win, and were planning to wait a bit longer to secure a third baron. That changed when when they caught Tanner “Damonte” Damonte out of position. That kill was enough for them to go for the win and there was nothing that Clutch could do about it.
Read Also
Esports Betting
These Are Our Betting Tips for the League Championship Series Week 4
Ben Boland
The 2026 LCS Summer Split is in full swing, with the eight North American squads all vying for a chance to represent the region at this year's World Championship. With Worlds being on home soil, there is more than just a ticket to Worlds at stake. Each series in the regular season carries weight, as the standings will determine their seeding and potentially their fate in the playoffs. Week four ...
League of Legends
Caps To Be Announced As Third Inductee in the LoL Hall of Legends
Hannan Mundia
After Faker and Uzi were inducted into the Hall of Legends in 2024 and 2025 respectively, the European League of Legends player Caps will be the next to get the same treatment. League of Legends has been a cornerstone in the professional gaming scene for over a decade. In that time, a handful of players have managed to leave their mark for all future fans and fellow players to learn ...
Esports Betting
MLBB is the most-watched game from the EWC, and it’s hard to see another game beating it
Michael Hassall
The Esports World Cup 2026 has officially passed its midway point and viewership figures for the tournament have surpassed many expectations so far, as per Esports Charts. The viewership tracking site revealed new statistics for the event on Aug. 6, showcasing just how many games had set new records in viewership, including one name leading the way in views: Mobile Legends: Bang Bang. MLBB leads the viewership charts with the ...
League of Legends
LCK 2026 Rounds 3–4 Preview, Schedule, Predictions, and More
Hannan Mundia
2026 LCK Rounds 3-4 are slated to start soon, and this preview highlights the schedule, our expert predictions, and everything else you need to know before watching. The LCK has been upside down recently. Teams that were considered absolute powerhouses are seemingly falling off, while previous underdogs have been causing upset after upset. 2026 LCK Rounds 3-4 are starting soon, and the big question here is which team will reign ...
League of Legends
LEC 2026 Summer split preview, schedule, predictions, and more
Hannan Mundia
The 2026 LEC Summer split will be the deciding split to determine which teams can make it to the World Championship, and this preview aims to highlight everything you need to know about it. It isn’t a stretch to say that the LCK and LCP are the only two competitive League of Legends regions actually pulling their weight currently. The LEC did show potential at the start of the year, ...
League of Legends
How is League of Legends Classic different from the modern version?
Hannan Mundia
League Classic brings the classic League of Legends gameplay and design from when the game first came out, but how is it different from the modern version? The modern League of Legends mode is arguably in its best state in terms of popularity, with a study even reporting that playing LoL can improve brain function. Over a decade of gameplay and multiple marketing tactics by Riot Games have bumped up ...
League of Legends
Best Champions for every role in League of Legends Classic mode
Hannan Mundia
League Classic sees the return of League of Legends Season 3, but which champions were deemed the best during that time? League of Legends has gone through a lot of changes since it first came out. While the map and item-related changes naturally impacted the game's state, so did the many champion nerfs, buffs, and reworks. Multiple champions played completely differently in Season 3 than they do now. Since League ...
