A series of table-defining battles are brewing in the Oceanic Pro League this weekend. Lucky we have our analysts on hand to break down just who is going to emerge victorious on Summoner’s Rift these Friday and Saturday evenings.
Our prediction analysts Emma “ammeplays” Van Ber Brug, Bernadette “Nadette” Wong, and Harry “hispanicatd” Taylor break down the biggest fixtures of the upcoming week, including a top-half clash between Avant Gaming and super-team Mammoth, a seventh-vs-eighth fixture involving Gravitas and Legacy Esports, and the battle of two champions in the Bombers and Dire Wolves.
Emma’s Feature Match of the Week: Avant Gaming vs Mammoth
Mammoth are having a monster of a split so far, with an 80 percent winrate on an 8-2 record at the halfway point of the split. Avant Gaming are just one win behind them, with a 7-3 record. Last weekend saw Mammoth taking home the 2-0 record, and Avant adding a 1-1 to their record.
These two teams are explosive, with dominating players across the board, which helps them secure their victories and their spots at the top of the standings. The last time these teams faced off in split 2, Ryan ‘Chippys’ Short absolutely dominated the map as Camille, accumulating a score of 9-0-2 as well as the fabled pentakill. Mammoth unfortunately were completely run over by Chippys Camille, and only managed 2 kills in the game.
This matchup is hard to predict due to the volatile nature of both teams and their ability to take small wins and transform them into victories. With a head to head record of 4-3 in Avants favour, it’s going to be up to the experienced Mammoth lineup to break even. I think that Mammoth have learnt from their previous match and will be able to pull out the win this week.
In their last game, Mammoth gave Chippys Camille, which is a champion that he’s very comfortable on, and it showed in their game. I believe with a smart draft and forcing him onto a champion that doesn’t output boatloads of damage, they will be in a better position heading into the game. I believe that the draft of these games are the deciders. If Mammoth can grab a strong jungler for Leo ‘Babip’ Romer and exert pressure against Miru, they will be in a good position to also pressure top and middle lanes.
Both Calvin ‘k1ng’ Truong and Mitchell ‘Destiny’ Shaw are veterans of the bot lane, playing ADC and Support respectively. This experienced duo are facing off against Vincent ‘Gunkrab’ Lin and Ryan ‘Aladoric’ Richardson, who aren’t as experienced as the Mammoth duo, but are definitely not to be underestimated in the bottom lane. With consistent top performances recently, the Mammoth botlane are looking to exert strong pressure to allow the top lane some freedom to try and keep Chippys down.
I believe that Mammoth will take this win through their strong ability to adapt and learn from previous games. ALthough the meta is constantly shifting, the Mammoth lineup are consistent performers. With every match win and loss edging these teams closer to the famed gauntlet, it’s time for teams to get serious and claim every victory they can.
Nadette’s Feature Match of the Week: Gravitas vs Legacy
This Saturday marks the second meeting between Gravitas and Legacy this split, pitting the bottom of the ladder against one another. One of Gravitas’ two wins of the split has been against Legacy, and as they clash once again, the question lies in whether or not they’ll be able to go for the 2-0. In this match, I believe that the result can be replicated in their favour, should they be able to perform to the same level as previously.
Last weekend was winless for both teams, with Gravitas dropping games against Mammoth and the Chiefs leaving them at 2-8 while Legacy saw defeat at the hands of Order and Avant Gaming, giving them a score 1-9.
The last meeting between the Professional League’s new addition and the veteran organisation saw Gravitas winning by a landslide, with a final score of 15-2, with dominant performances shown from all across the Rift, particularly in mid laner Harry “Haeri” Kang on Azir and bot laner Julian “Raid” Skordos on Sivir.
At the moment, while both teams have shown to be struggling against the rest of the League, Gravitas have shown themselves on more occasions, also snagging a win against the Dire Wolves earlier in the split.
The results of this split have been far from ideal for both teams, however, if Gravitas are able to show consistency in this matchup, victory is easily achievable.
Harry’s Feature Match of the Week: Dire Wolves vs Bombers
This Saturday evening we will see the Dire Wolves and the Bombers clash in what could become a gauntlet defining clash in the race towards positioning for the OPL postseason. Coming into week 6 we find both squads in a tie for 4th place at a 5-5 record, as both teams continue to string out 1-1 weeks after 1-1 weeks.
The last time they met saw Robert “Katsurii” Gouv have a breakout performance on Caitlyn, where he saw himself go 8/0/2 and a game-winning pentakill to lead the dire wolves to victory in a close affair. Since then, both teams have taken a number of wins against teams both above and below them in the ladder, but are still chasing an elusive 2-0 week.
This lane to watch should be the bot lane. Both teams brought in new bot laner’s for split 2 and both have proven that they have the potential to carry when needed. The Bombers bot laner Carlo “Looch” La Civita has shown his prowess on both mages and more traditional ADCs at times this split and Katsurii has shown his strength on ADCs. With both sides flanked by top supports in Jake “Rogue” Sharwood and Jong-seop “Totoro” Eun or Ian “Corporal” Pearse for the Bombers and the wolves respectively, getting a lead in this matchup should allow that pairing and their team to be able to dictate the map and set themselves up for victory.
This contest will be a closely fought battle, but I ultimately see it going to the Bombers, who have been able to show they are able to consistently trade punches with opponents above them in the standings and should therefore be able to clutch the victory.
Week 6 of the Oceanic Pro League begins this Friday at 4pm. Watch live on the new RiotGamesOCE Twitch channel, find more information and the full fixtures schedule at oce.lolesports.com.
Follow @ammeplays, @NadetteOCE, and @hispanicatd_ on Twitter.
