Currently, the VCS Hoàng Hôn 2023 has begun its first matches of the playoffs. After the first two playoff matches, Saigon Buffalo and Team Secret have been confirmed as the teams advancing in the winners’ bracket.
Notably, in the match CES – TS, the team nicknamed “Hidden Teachings” fell behind 2-0 after the first two games. However, they mounted a comeback to secure their advancement. In game five, a very unusual item build was recorded from player Hiro02, who had been moved from the Top Lane to the Mid Lane to replace Artifact. Specifically, Hiro02 used LeBlanc and built both the Trinity Force and the Statikk Shiv.
In fact, apart from Hiro02, no one else would typically build this duo of items for LeBlanc. The reason is that Trinity Force leans towards enhancing attack power while the Statikk Shiv boosts magic power. Building both would waste time and gold on items that cater to specific directions. Not to mention, both the Shiv and the Force are quite expensive. Unless in a dominant game or intentionally experimenting, players in crucial professional matches would not typically opt for both items.
However, Hiro02 indeed surprised everyone with his item build. Even the international community was astounded, with some stating: “I thought he was going to throw the game when I saw both Trinity Force and Statikk Shiv on LeBlanc”. Molecule, an international League of Legends analyst, also acknowledged that Hiro02’s minion count by the 31st minute made Chovy envious (at that point, Hiro02 had amassed 402 minion kills).
Clearly, Hiro02’s choice to build both items likely stemmed from the specific conditions of the match. First, the Wind Dragon map helped TS avoid unnecessary fights at the Dragon pit, especially since they also had a Mountain Dragon. Additionally, with the strong damage from Trinity Force and the Hammer of the Dawn, Hiro02’s LeBlanc had no trouble demolishing CES’s Nexus, securing the victory for TS.
Of course, Hiro02’s item build was situational and suited the playstyle that TS chose based on the match’s developments. But for now, TS succeeded with that strategy and they have every chance to go far in this playoffs.