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
Top Esports beats Team WE in the LPL, qualifies for MSI 2026
Wasif Ahmed
Against all odds, Top Esports faced Team WE in the LPL upper bracket final. Both teams fought over a spot for the Mid-Season Invitational that everyone expected Anyone’s Legend, Bilibili Gaming, or JD Gaming to claim. In the end, TES paused WE’s Cinderella story as they beat them 3-0. Before this series, World Elite had defeated two LPL powerhouses in BLG and AL. Against TES, though, they suddenly lost all ...
League of Legends
G2 Esports complete comeback against Karmine Corp to win LEC Spring 2026
Hannan Mundia
After a fairly smooth split, G2 Esports emerged victorious in the 2026 LEC Spring split grand final by making a comeback against Karmine Corp. The 2026 LEC Spring split has finally concluded. With spots at MSI and the Esports World Cup on the line, every professional European team gave it their all to get as far as they could. While most teams fell quickly, Karmine Corp and G2 Esports managed ...
Esports Betting
G2 Esports vs Karmine Corp 2026 LEC Spring: Best odds, picks
Hannan Mundia
The 2026 LEC Spring split is about to conclude, with G2 Esports and Karmine Corp facing off one last time to see which team qualifies for the Esports World Cup. While both teams have done well to make it to this LEC split’s grand final, only one team can be crowned the victor. With a direct ticket to the EWC on the line, there’s a strong chance that G2’s dominating ...
Esports Betting
MKOI vs Karmine Corp 2026 LEC Spring betting preview: Best odds and picks
Hannan Mundia
Two LEC spots are open for this year’s Mid-Season Invitational, and MKOI will battle against Karmine Corp to determine which team grabs it. The ongoing LEC Spring split is almost done, and only three teams remain. While G2 Esports has already established itself as the strongest so far with a guaranteed spot in the grand final, Movistar KOI and Karmine Corp will battle it out on the big stage for ...
League of Legends
LCK 2026 Road to MSI: Teams, format, and schedule
Hannan Mundia
With the LCK 2026 Rounds 1-2 complete, the qualified teams will battle it out in Road to MSI. With two spots for the 2026 Mid-Season Invitational and one spot for the 2026 Esports World Cup on the line, here’s everything to know about the LCK 2026 Road to MSI. Six teams have qualified for Road to MSI, but only two MSI spots are available for this region. While powerhouse teams ...
Esports Betting
KT Rolster vs T1 2026 LCK Season Rounds 1-2: Best odds and picks
Hannan Mundia
KT Rolster and T1 will face off in the last week of 2026 LCK Rounds 1-2 to potentially improve their starting position at Road to MSI. KT Rolster and T1 have both had their moment to shine in the ongoing 2026 LCK split. With one week remaining, the two teams will battle against each other for a chance at acquiring second place and starting with a significant advantage in the ...
Esports Betting
EWC officially heads to Paris for 2026 as early reports confirmed
Michael Hassall
The Esports World Cup 2026 will take place in Paris, France from July later this year as per an new announcement by the EWC organizers, the Esports Foundation. Revealed in a post on their official social media, and an accompanying release and blog post, the announcement confirmed earlier speculation that the event would move location due to the “regional situation” around Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Here’s the info: The Esports World ...