Welcome to Snowball’s OPL Team of the Week!
Is the break finally over!? If you’re anything like me you’ve probably forgotten what happened a fortnight ago so let me help you out by recapping Week 4’s Team of the Week!
Tally
James Shute – Order
Finding himself on the Gangplank against an Aatrox, Tally played the match-up as expected, falling behind a little but staying in the contest through gold-generating abilities. Tally is able to play the long game, knowing if he’s able to hold control that the late game carry potential is a string in his bow. Tally quietly achieved in this game, ending 4/0/4 with 300 cs. While he wasn’t quite at the level of one-shotting AD carries, if the game had dragged on for much longer Tally would have been in the prime position to take control of the game.
Tally played Kennen in the second game of the weekend. Order’s top laner moved into a versatile role this game, as his bottom lane fired to a massive start. The pressure on bot allowed Tally to fill multiple roles, building into on-hit Kennen to create pressure in the side lane while capitalising on the big flank potential that Kennen always creates. Alongside that, he was able to provide great peel and a stuns for his ADC. Tally certainly played a supporting role in the second match, but two good consistent performances from the top laner secure him a position in the Team of the Week.
Only
Jordan Middleton – Chiefs Esports Club
Only had his chance to flex his ability on Sejuani in the opening game, securing a kill in the first 2v2 skirmish of the clash with a fadeaway-ultimate (cool guys don’t look at ice explosions). Only had a taste of blood after that, and he followed up the first secure with a second to find himself 2/0 up early in the meeting. The Chiefs jungler was dominant from there, assisting a kill in the bot lane, claiming first dragon, and then collecting Rift Herald ahead of the 20-minute mark. Despite the Chiefs giving up an ace at the next Dragon contest, Only (5/1/11) was able to steer the ship home with the jungler pivotal to the leading side’s victory.
Clearly feeling confident from the first match, Only picked up his league-famous Kindred for the second match. He scored first blood, but was unable to escape after the kill and gave his life in exchange. He snagged the Dragon minutes later for another traded death, before turning the game on its head in the second Baron fight of the game. Mammoth collapsed on Brandon “Swip3rR” Holland, and the Iron Titan seemed destined to fall, until Only dropped Lamb’s Respite for his top laner to turn the fight around, and give Big Swips the chance to land a fight-breaking four-man Gnar ultimate. The Chiefs overturned a major gold deficit from there, and stepped into the title race with a 2-0 weekend.
Claire
Brandon Nguyen – Chiefs Esports Club
Claire was unable to get on the end of many killing blows in Game 1 on Irelia into the enemy Azir. With that said, Claire was instrumental in helping Only build up a massive lead. The Chiefs mid laner was part of the early 2v2 skirmish and secured lane priority early when Only went to search for Aatrox behind enemy lines. Claire helped guide his team home to victory, picking up 10 assists in the process.
At 27 minutes Claire wasn’t having a bad game but he was 0/2/3 and his team was down 7k gold. Thanks to a monstrous Gnar ultimate from big Swips, Claire cleaned up a Baron contest in the 28th minute and helped his team secure the objective. Claire’s Azir had gold in his pocket from there, as well as a Baron buff, which enabled Claire to become a wrecking ball to enemy structures, leaving Mammoth helpless to defend against the Baron-empowered creeps. A Mammoth player taking one step forward meant an Azir soldier spear to the face.
This resulted in two inhibitors picked up off the Baron push. Mammoth made a desperate collapse onto Claire in a top side push. Claire ultimately falls in this collapse but not without taking down three against his name in the process. This exchange allowed the Chiefs to end the game. With two positive performances from the mid laner across the weekend secured Claire the mid lane Team of the Week spot two weeks in a row.
Dream
Ronan Swingler – Order
A very early skirmish in Game 1 on Caitlyn enabled Dream to pick up a kill in a bottom lane exchange two minutes in. The skirmish really sets the tone for the rest of the game. Dream who appeared to be in a feast-or-famine mindset, played very aggressively in a number of risky 1 vs 1’s that almost fell against him, pushing for deep traps and vision that cost him his life. For all these downfalls, however, he found himself in net positive positions. He’s up in kills, plate gold, cs and most importantly for Caitlyn; items. Order are able to secure two Barons and the second Baron is what broke the camel’s back with the siege machine gun that Caitlyn becomes in the late game. Dream was able to stroll down the mid lane and knock down towers, while doing so flashed forward while closing down the enemy posturing aggressively ending up with a triple kill and closing the game.
Dream’s amongst it again early on in game two securing first blood off an invade at 45 seconds. Dream continued to apply the pain off a quick Nautilus hook in the 4th minute, picking up his second kill for the game. 20 minutes approached and Dream was in a great spot, the sole person with two completed items, looking so strong as he went to town on Bombers during a dragon contest. He picked up three kills. Transitioning straight from Dragon, Dream rotated to Baron and shredded it down quickly. Dream was then able to turn his focus onto the Bombers, taking two members off the map and into the death chamber. It is left-right-goodnight at this point for the Bombers, Dream does fall twice giving the Bombers a glimpse of hope, but in the end the 10/2/10 Kai’sa at 30 minutes is too much to handle and takes home the win.
Totoro
Eun Jong-Seop – Dire Wolves
I’ve been seeing all these memes lately about the sort of Lux supports you can expect in your solo-queue games and let me tell you, there are a ton of low ELO players out there (myself included) that would love to have Totoro on Lux in their games. High vision score, not taxing his ADC’s farm, hitting big bindings!? Okay but meme’s aside, Totoro played a fantastic game, peeling for his ADC and hitting big bindings, playing support Lux the way it should be played. His performance was worthy of a win but unfortunately couldn’t get the job done.
Game 2 Totoro decided to take a Saturday afternoon stroll through hook-city. The Dire Wolves support, clear-headed and decisive, landed big hooks in crucial teamfights and won the plaudits of the casting team. His presence on Summoner’s Rift was certainly felt. Totoro was able to get the win he deserved to round out the great showing he had over the weekend, finishing 0/1/19 being involved in 85% of his teams kills.
And there you have it – Round 4’s Team of the Week. Tweet at @snowballesports with the hashtag #TOTW let us know your thoughts on this edition of the best performers of the weekend, and let me know who you think will make next week’s team!
