League of Legends: Counter Logic Gaming Vs. Clutch Gaming | 3rd Place Match Recap

Game One

Clutch Gaming (“CG”) started the match with a strong game one victory. The series started out with plenty of action, a full team fight with a one for one trade. CG then took advantage of their man advantage to catch Ruin rotating from the play for a free kill and soon after the Cloud Drake. Counter Logic Gaming (“CLG”) challenged CG’s Rift Herald, but CG instead took two kills and an Infernal Drake. At 13 minutes in the game, CG took the Rift Herald then immediately used it mid lane to get a massive gold lead from the plates. They closed out the first 15 minutes with another kill and a 3k gold lead. CG soon after took the first tower in the bot lane. CLG attempted to contest CG at the dragon, resulting in another 2 kills for CG and an Infernal Drake.

CLG looked like they could finally get an advantage in a two against one fight, but Damonte managed to take down Wiggily before going down. CLG started to show life with a 1-1 fight and a subsequent pick on an out of position Vulcan. Both sides managed to find a pick, but CG managed to flank CLG and get a 3-1 advantage and moved to the Baron Nashor. CLG challenged CG and managed to push them off it but lost a member in the process. CG attempted the Baron once more but lost four members for one and soon after the Baron. CG found a quick 2-1 team fight victory as well as the mi lane turret. CLG attempted to punish them on the backend of the play, but CG managed to turn the fight for a three for one victory and the Baron. CG finished the game soon after, taking the bot and top inhibitors before a five for one fight and the nexus.

QUICK STATS:

• Time: 35:53
• Kills: 11-24
• Turrets: 3-11
• Gold: 59.8k-70.7k
• Dragons: 1-4
• Barons: 1-1

Game Two

CG refused to let up the tempo and crushed CLG. The game started off with a massive 2v2 outplay by Cody Sun and Vulcan for a free kill. CG continued the fast tempo outplays by return bot for a decisive 3v3 win resulting in another unanswered kill. They soon after made a three man play for a kill and the Infernal Dragon. CLG pushed back and took the Rift Herald, but Damonte showed up and destroyed CLG in a team fight with Qiyana ultimate for three more kills. CLG tried to dive Huni top lane, but Huni won the fight with Wiggily for two more kills. With a 4k gold lead to CG, the game looked decided.  CLG finally managed to pick up a response in a 1-1 trade when Damonte tower dove PowerOfEvil and Ruin teleported for the revenge kill. Clutch soon took the first tower in the top lane.

CG cemented their lead with some quick picks on CLGs’ members, another Infernal Dragon, and three more towers. When the game looked hopeless for CLG, their star player Wiggily found Huni for a pick. Unfortunately, CG responded in time and found four kills in response. Finding a fight in the enemy jungle, CG took a fight. CLG finally found a mark with their shots, losing 4 for 3 but getting a crucial 1000 gold shutdown from Cody Sun on Stixxay. CLG attempted an engage onto Lira but missed the mark. After a quick counter engage, CG got two more kills, the Baron Nashor and the top lane inhibitor. The final fight came after CG took the mid and bot lane inhibitors, a crushing five for one victory to close out the second game.

QUICK STATS:

• Time: 29:02
• Kills: 27-6
• Turrets: 11-0
• Gold: 61.1k
• Dragons: 3-0
• Barons: 1-0

Game Three

CLG struck back and took their first game to keep themselves in the series. CG started the game strong with a gank top lane for an early first blood. The play resulted in CLG lane swapping their top and mid laners. Both sides swapped back and forth before a massive 4v4 fight that resulted in no kills broke out. CG attempted to force a kill top side, but PowerOfEvil managed to counter the play for a kill on Huni and the Mountain Drake for CLG. CLG took the Rift Herald, but CG wasn’t willing to let them get away for free. A close fight broke out, with CG barely winning it three for two. CLG used the Rift Herald top, but CG kept contending CLG at all points. The two sides fought, with CLG losing out by a slim margin again in the 2 for 3 fight.

CG pressured the dragon and managed to turn for another kill, beginning to build a 1k gold lead. The dragon was started up again but this time CLG managed to get two kills, the dragon, and the first tower in the mid lane.CG managed to stabilize the game with a quick 2-1 fight and followed up with a Mountain Drake into mid tower. CLG struck back with a clutch Baron Nashor rush and then picked off two kills. On the spawn of the Baron, CLG forced for two more kills and took the Baron. Soon after, CLG took all inhibitor towers and crushed CG in a 5 for 0 final fight to take their first game.

QUICK STATS:

• Time: 33:11
• Kills: 19-10
• Turrets: 11-2
• Gold: 64.8k-52.0k
• Dragons: 3-1
• Barons: 2-0

Game Four  

CLG took the second step to a victory in convincing fashion. CLG mixed up the game by starting it with a solo lane swap again. The first kill of the game was set up by Damonte’s signature Qiyana with Lira coming in after to clean it up. CG cleaned up another kill and a Cloud Drake by using their superior vision control. They continued with their early tempo and took the Rift Herald and managed to use it for plates. CLG managed to even the game up soon after with two quick picks, their own Cloud Drake and taking the first tower top lane. CLG continued to take full control of the game with two more kills in the bot side after Huni tried to fight PowerOfEvil.

CG finally found a chance to strike back and killed off PowerOfEvil in a 2v1 fight. Damonte failed to assassinate Biofrost and went down in the process. CLG used the opportunity to attempt a Baron bait but failed to pick up any kills. Luckily for them, they picked two mid and took Baron for only two deaths. Towers meant nothing to CLG as they dove CG for three more kills and the mid lane inhibitor. The remainder of the game CLG took down CG methodically and picked up 3 more kills before closing through mid.

QUICK STATS:

• Time: 33:37
• Kills: 5-13
• Turrets: 3-9
• Gold: 53.3k-61.7k
• Dragons: 2-2
• Barons: 0-1

Game Five

The swapping didn’t stop for this game, with multiple lane swaps occurring in the early game. CLG kept their tempo up and found an early game kill by diving Huni top with three. They followed this up by four-man diving Damonte mid for a second kill. Soon after they managed to take the Infernal Drake and a pick on Vulcan on their way out. Four more kills fell to CLG in the mid lane. CLG then picked up the first three towers of the game, one in each lane.

Remaining completely unanswered, CLG got another two picks in the bot lane and the enemy jungle. CLG cracked the CG base without the Baron, picking up another kill in the process and giving them a total of 7 towers to 0 in only 21 minutes. Sneaking a Baron only two minutes later, CLG engaged a fight mid lane, took two more free kills and forced through the mid lane inhibitor. CLG went bot and closed out, but failed to get the perfect game, trading one death for four in the final fight.

QUICK STATS:

• Time: 25:53
• Kills: 15-1
• Turrets: 11-0
• Gold: 51.1k-38.3k
• Dragons: 3-0
• Barons: 1-0

Watch the LCS here at ESTNN TV. For more information on the tournament, teams, standings, and players, visit www.lolesports.com. Stay tuned here at ESTNN and follow us on Twitter and Facebook for more League of Legends news, articles, opinions and more.

Images via LoL Esports.

Featured image via LoL Esports Flickr.