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League of Legends: The LCK Week 5 Day 2

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League of Legends: The LCK Week 5 Day 2

The second day of LCK week five action outdid day one as we saw redemption moments everywhere. Day 2 pitted playoff-hopefuls Kingzone against a struggling Jin Air and a strong SANDBOX against 2018 world reps Afreeca.

Kingzone Dragon X vs. Jin Air Greenwings

Game One

Things started well for Deft and crew as the Kingzone bottom laner scored first blood in the 4th minute. The map quickly turned against Jin Air, as Kingzone built a 5k gold lead at 15 minutes. To add insult to injury, every Kingzone player except TusiN had a gold bounty purely from out-farming their opponents. It was a 2018 LCK-style game for Kingzone as their macro tempo was just too quick for Jin Air from the start. The only real team fight came right at the end as Jin Air realized it was now or never. It wasn't one they could have hoped to win though, and their nexus exploded immediately after at 30:36.

Game Two

It was a record day for Jin Air, but definitely not the kind they wanted. It was another tame start to the game for Kingzone, with few kills and insane macro control. An early first turret for Deft unlocked him to be everywhere else. His Tristana was definitely Jin Air’s boogie man in this one.  TusiN and PawN got caught in a 2v4 in the 23rd minute, but Deft arrived and took back control for Kingzone. As Jin Air's base crumbled, Lindarang got a double-kill as consolation. Kingzone ended his Fiora mercifully and then smashed the nexus

Afreeca Freecs vs. SANDBOX Gaming

Game One

The opening moments of game one were tense, as both teams were content to farm and simply push waves back and forth. At ten minutes, though, it was time for the game to get exciting. Joker fell to an early gank from Dread, but a swift teleport from Summit and OnFleek’s arrival allowed SANDBOX to get one back.

As the mid-game progressed, we saw an all too familiar sight: One team vastly ahead in kills (Afreeca) but still losing the macro battle. SANDBOX tried to kill baron in the 29th minute, but Afreeca was there to stop them. SANDBOX killed three of the Freecs and gained confidence in their new-found strength. Three minutes later a team fight in the mid lane went the worst way for Afreeca, and SANDBOX finally got the baron. With baron-buffed minions in every lane, SANDBOX broke open the base and blew up the nexus a mere two minutes later.

Game Two

Afreeca was not afraid, despite SANDBOX's dominance in game one. Ucal was able to execute an excellent roam on the Aurelion Sol, as he joined a three-man collapse on Summit’s Urgot. Although he died to Dove a couple of minutes later, that first kill was enough to start Kiin on the path to total control.

The mid game advantage was constantly traded between SANDBOX and Afreeca, as skirmishes broke out all over the map; objectives, too, were split relatively evenly. Afreeca was patient and was able to punish SANDBOX any time they were out of position. A string of these unanswered picks allowed Afreeca to even the tower and drake score. While SANDBOX was able to steal the baron away, they didn’t get it for free. Afreeca scored two kills in the ensuing fight, buying them much-needed time. The game turned stale as Afreeca went to work stalling for ten minutes against the blue team’s relentless push. Afreeca got their chance in the 42nd minute, where a bad engage in the mid lane gave the Freecs the fight, and then the win.

Game Three

Afreeca looked like they’d finally cracked the code for themselves, and wasted no time in game 3. Aiming got a super early first blood, and Ucal got one of his own shortly after. Summit found his revenge on Kiin, but Afreeca decided that was enough. They returned to their game one bloodlust, but this time they had the maco advantage too. Ucal was once again everywhere on the map, roaming and teleporting with reckless abandon. His team was with him at every moment, so there was no fear of him getting caught. Ucal was a mere spectator though, despite his individual success. Aiming completed three items by 24 minutes to go along with his Kai'sa's six kills. SANDBOX just couldn’t regain their balance and only lasted for 29 minutes because Afreeca wanted them to.

One More Day in LCK Round One

Friday is the final day of LCK Round One, and a strange four-and-a-half weeks is almost over. We’ve seen everyone’s expectations turned on their heads as the new kids have dominated so far. At the bottom end, Jin Air finds itself in an unenviable position. A tweet from the organization’s official twitter exudes the feelings of defeat.

Damwon versus Hanwha Life is the final game of LCK round one. It’s also a chance for Kingzone to gain even more confidence in their LCK playoff hopes. They’ll certainly be rooting for a Damwon 2-0 on Friday night.

Major Castleman
Major has been an avid esports spectator who lives and breathes competitive gaming for several years. He has seen how games evolve over time, loves to think critically about professional gameplay, both to understand it and improve his own. He combines this with four years of professional copywriting to share his ideas and insights with the broader community.