Welcome to the Week 2 of OPL Recap, where I’ll be breaking down the games played this week in the OPL super quickly just in case you don’t have time to watch them. There will be two Recaps for every week of play, so be sure to tune in Saturday and Sunday for updates. Now, sit back and enjoy OPL Recap!
Chiefs Esports Club v Mammoth
Game 1
The Oceania metagame once again did not disappoint with Raes picking up Ziggs as an AP Carry alongside Destiny, while Mammoth gave Nocturne to Juves, Irelia to Remind as well as a Vladimir/Tahm Kench botlane for Mash and Cuden. The early game went the way of the Chiefs after the botlane duos rotated top and ry0ma demonstrated his skill with Yasuo in order to pick up First Blood onto Remind.
Towers and kills kept going in favour of the Chiefs, and by 15 minutes, Chiefs were 6k gold ahead, with their kill count going to 6-1 after ry0ma outplayed a gank from Juves and Remind to pick up a kill onto Mammoth’s midlaner.. The timer had snuck past 20 minutes and the Chiefs had attempted Baron before peeling off to trade 4 kills for 1 to leave only Cuden alive. With a brief reset, Chiefs went for Baron again, and the risky play was stifled with the trade of flashes between Destiny and Remind. Mammoth kept attempting to make plays and were punished time and time again.
However, Mammoth caught a perfect fight at 27 minutes and cleanly aced the Chiefs to completely undo their gold deficit and then the game stalled until 35 minutes and an equal gold count. A brutal, messy fight looked like it went the way of Mammoth, but a unwillingness to immediately go for Baron proved Mammoth’s undoing as the delay in them slaying the big purple worm allowed Chiefs to take the Elder Drake. Destiny unleashed onto Mammoth with a perfect Rakan ulti to ace Mammoth and take the game.
Game 2
The Chiefs wasted no time in attempting to continue their unbeaten run as ry0ma, this time on Zoe, picked up First Blood onto Remind’s Malzahar. They kept the game quiet though, the only other objective being picked up before 10 minutes being a Mountain Drake. Mammoth bided their time, springing onto Raes to pick up their first kill of the game as well as first turret before the Chiefs took their own seconds later. Over the course of the next few minutes, the Chiefs seized their opportunities to kill three members of Mammoth and establish a minor gold lead.
Attempting to recreate the speed of their wins last week, the Chiefs won a massive teamfight in the midlane at 19:30 into the game, trading 4 kills for nothing as they pushed into Mammoth’s base, taking the midlane inhibitor to boot. Allowed the opportunity to reset, both teams began the Baron dance, and then the Chiefs pounced and picked off Juves and turned to the Baron, securing it with a trade onto Destiny. Pushing through the botlane, the Chiefs blew up Remind and Cuden and opened up onto the Nexus turrets. The very risky play paid off, as Swip3rR and Destiny fell, but not soon enough for Mammoth to save the game and Chiefs walked away with sole control of first place in the OPL.
Legacy Esports v Bombers
Game 1
The champion select for this series was just as spicy, with Lulu ADC for Legacy and the new champion Pyke being picked up for Rosey on the side of Bombers. After being bullied in lane, Sleeping survived a dive from Only and Mimic to pick up First Blood on his Gangplank. Minutes later, Bombers pulled off a spectacular skirmish in Legacy’s blue-side jungle to pick up 3 kills, and that advantage led to two Infernal Drakes. By 20 minutes, Bombers were 4k gold ahead but a brawl in the midlane threatened to lessen that.
But it was not to be, Bombers caught another brilliant fight to restore their gold lead and bag themselves a third Infernal Drake as well as an Ocean. After 15 minutes of posturing around the Baron, Legacy bit the bullet and went for Baron, successfully taking only for an absolutely filthy Rumble ultimate to hit all 5 members of the team before Decoy flew in on Rakan to set up Looch to wipe Legacy while only losing Seb. With most of Legacy dead, Bombers took their opportunity to charge down the midlane and take the first game of the series.
Game 2
First Blood came a little earlier this time, with Claire’s Vladimir picking up first blood onto Seb’s Nocturne, before Only’s Olaf died alongside Sleeping’s Dr. Mundo. Now with a gold lead, albeit a minor one, Legacy took the first Cloud Drake just past 5 minutes into the game and backed it up with the first turret of the game minutes later. Their lead started growing larger and larger and managed to take a massive fight around the Rift Herald to start to bring down the Bombers from their lofty heights.
The Bombers couldn’t catch a break, being slowly worn down again and again. Legacy managed to sneak inside their base at 16 minutes, breaking all the way through the inhibitor from the Tier 2 turret. With 3 Elemental Drakes to their name, as well as a 5 turrets to 0 lead culminating in a 13-9 kill count and 5k gold lead, Legacy were in firm control of this game. And they realised it too, pouncing on an overextension by the Bombers in the botlane to ace the Essendon-based side and force the series to a game 3.
Game 3
The last champion select of Day 1 did not disappoint, as the Bombers picked up Singed for Sleeping in the top lane and Fiddlesticks for Rosey. First Blood went the way of Legacy after Seb overextended outside the Rift Herald pit and Claire picked him off. The game had reached 12 minutes before the next kill came up, this time onto Looch from Claire, but Legacy didn’t stop and had pushed for 3 turrets and four more kills, as well as two Drakes by 20 minutes as they broke their way into the Bombers’ base.
The two Mountain Drakes that Legacy had meant that Baron was no match for them, as they cleanly picked that up before rotating to the toplane to begin their final push. Bombers waited far too long and Legacy swept through them as they killed 4 members of the Bombers to smash open the Nexus and win the AFL Clash 2-1.
That’s all for today, check back in tomorrow for Day 2’s Recap, as we see Avant Gaming go up against Tectonic and the champion Dire Wolves go up against ORDER. As always, you can catch the games on YouTube or on Twitch at 5pm AEST!