ThunderTalk Gaming finally ended their winless streak against Anyone’s Legends with a series victory in Week 5.
TT quickly established an early lead after engaging in a team fight 8 minutes into the match, followed by sealing off their victory with an unexpected Baron win at half time.
Weibo Gaming has plenty to prove this offseason, winning their namesake Weibo Cup as well as defeating top teams such as Top Esports and FunPlus Phoenix.
Team Role
Top Esports will look to rebound after their disappointing showing against Royal Never Give Up in the previous round, hoping to enter the playoff race and enter their first head-to-head meeting against TT, owned by TT Yuyin and previously known as Dominus Esports – it promises to be an intense contest between two formidable opponents! This match will also mark their initial encounter as rival teams.
TT have had an impressive showing at the Horizon Cup so far. They currently share first place with Da Kun Gaming despite needing to use substitute players due to visa issues; Wenchao “feibai” Peng moved from mid laner to baron lane while Tianhua “Z” Zhou switched from baron to mid, neither move affecting their performance significantly so far.
Team Members
Though their team name might seem whimsical, they actually boast an impressive roster. Formerly known as Dominus Esports, this roster boasts experienced players from big teams in the past. Although some gaps exist in both jungle and mid lane roles for this squad to fill, with some key additions this team should be able to compete against some of the league’s premier squads in 2018.
Team Secret began their first match with an impressive start, winning Game 1 easily with Robert “Trebor” Mansilungan on Lee Sin dominating his lane with early game ganks and Baron-winning dives, while mid laner Eleazar “Azar” Salle on Darius proved himself as a formidable opponent by picking off Chinese cores throughout the match.
Kennen’s character, played by Xiaohu, stood out on this team. As an excellent roaming support player who regularly used his ultimate to take down champions with ease and disrupt team fights with ease, Xiaohu’s presence was always noticeable on this squad.
Team Schedule
This week started slowly, but the weekend produced some thrilling matches. FPX toppled Ultra Prime while Team WE earned their maiden victory against LGD Gaming. RNG overcame TT Gaming to claim both games against them; Bat was named best player with his Rakan and Kennen play, while Xiaohu proved himself by dominating teamfights on his way around the map and taking down its roster with ease.
Later that night, Top Esports made short work of Bilibili Gaming and demonstrated they can compete against top teams. Victory Five will try for another victory against EDward Gaming; it should be an entertaining contest, though no clear victor can be predicted; Scout and Rookie appear to be in good form so their odds appear favorable to take out this match.
Team Rankings
JD Gaming, EDG, KONE and Team Pai have already secured their spots in Grand Finals; while ACT, LGD and Four Angry Men look set for strong performances this season.
Edward Gaming has come out swinging after their one loss in Week 3. Mid laner Doinb has shown consistent Galio control while jungler Gao “FoFo” Tian-Liang’s objective control have put this team unstoppable.
LNG Esports have also had an impressive run this split, yet their game against FPX this week served as a reminder that there remains room for improvement. Top laner Hu ‘Ale’ Giale is performing admirably on Orianna while Bot lane assistance would come in handy.
Rare Atom had another eventful week that was slightly unexpected for this top-tier squad. Although the enigmas have experienced some rough patches recently, they managed to turn it all around thanks to FoFo’s outstanding start.
