Before the match between Suning and LNG Esports, SN Bin confidently stated in a press conference that his team was in a better mental state than their opponents, and SN was confident of a victory in this confrontation.
And indeed, as SN began to activate their “late season” potential, LNG’s earlier momentum was once again interrupted by previous defeats. Ultimately, SN’s claim came true, as LNG fell to SN after a very dramatic match.
Suning continues to prove they are a tough opponent for LNG Esports, as they took the lead in game 1 with a perfect game plan. Bin was ramped up early, and SN easily crushed their opponents when this player secured Camille. SofM surprised everyone by bringing out Zac – a champion he frequently uses in his recent ranked climb.
However, LNG also showed that they are not an easy team to bully, establishing a balanced game in game 2. When SN couldn’t gain an early advantage, they found themselves completely helpless against LNG’s team composition, which favored team fights.
Moving into game 3, the anxiety of a disastrous loss continued to keep SN fans on edge. LNG made incredibly agile movements in the early game, causing SofM’s Kha’Zix to lag significantly in power progression after being taken down twice.
However, for the captain of SN, even controlling a low-damage assassin was not a problem. With a very annoying shielding and poke composition, SN quickly deployed their map control strategy. SofM was “pressing the entire field” to control vision thanks to Kha’Zix’s mobility, while Bin completely deterred LNG with precise Speed Gate + Thunder Clap combos, dealing a large amount of damage to LNG members before fights.
As a result, LNG could not maintain their aggressive pace any longer and had to accept a standoff against SN. The slow pace caused the match to drag on until the 51st minute, and with the incredible vision score that SofM provided (297 points, surpassing all other players and even higher than… Tarzan’s CS), SN seized all major buffs on the map, including Baron, Elder Dragon combined with the Dragon Soul.
It can be said that this was a match where SN faced many difficulties, but once again, the improvements in the ban/pick phase, as well as the flexible adaptations of the players helped them secure yet another impressive and crucial victory in the race for the top spots.