Unicorns of Love vs SK Gaming, Game 5: By the Numbers

38 minutes.

The first 38 minutes were an entirely one sided affair.  It looked as though SK had the last win in the bag--they had the set up for a good 1-3-1 composition (Shyvana and Zed could easily take the solo lanes for effective split pushing), they had the kills (they had 16 kills at 38 minutes, compared to UOL's 7 kills), they had the towers (5 to 3 at the time), and the gold lead (8k).  What led to the shift?  How did Europe's #5 team bring down SK in a best of 5?

If you've read the blog before, you might remember The Unicorn Effect--where we talked about what the Unicorns of Love brought to the table to shake up the LCS.  This was the Unicorns doing exactly what we said, point for point: proving that they deserve a shot at the World Championship.

SK applying a lot of pressure in the split lanes.

1.  The 1-3-1 split push.  A bright note of the first half the game for SK was the effective way in which they executed the 1-3-1 split push.  Before they lost momentum at the inhibitor towers, SK secured objectives and towers like clockwork--rotating and meeting UOL where they could press their advantage.  If it had been another team, another game, another time, perhaps that would have been enough to walk away with a victory.

The fight at dragon that sealed the deal.

2.  Relentless.  If there was one word that characterized the way UOL continued to press team fights, it was relentless.  At the beginning of the game, it could also be considered quite reckless--most of SK's kills were obtained by collapsing on UOL when they decided to commit to chasing down a low health target.  In light of that, that might be the extra step required outside of banning out FORG1VEN to take down SK--keep bugging them until eventually they throw a team fight.

Kikis stuns Fredy against the wall.

3.  Kikis might very well be the most versatile jungler in the world.  There is quite a bit of debate over who is the best jungler in the world (which in many ways would be an impossible question considering the different roles of junglers--whether it be initiators, tanks, assassins, brawlers, or any other role we need them in), but there's a good bit of evidence to prove that Kikis takes the cake for being the most versatile.  He's played over 10 different champions in LCS games, and has proven time and time again that the jungle pool is much deeper than professional players seem to think.  His Gnar jungle this game only further proves his expertise--it would be interesting to see what he could pull out should they head to the Mid Season Invitational.

SK decides to go for Baron and pays dearly for it.

4.  38 Minutes.  The turning point for the game.  All it took was one misplay, one thrown team fight, one Ace, and there was not much that SK could do.  Granted, SK was able to answer back with a heavy push up the bottom that secured an inhibitor, but the 37 minute mark narrowed the gold gap enough to bring UOL back into the game.  A number of factors contributed to the success of UOL in the fight.  Aside from the usual mechanics (positioning, front lines/back lines, how spread out the fight was and it's location), UOL had built up enough items and purchased a Quicksilver Sash for Vardags and a Locket of the Iron Solari for Hylissang that gave the team enough survivability to endure the initial damage spikes from SK.  Beyond that first wave of damage (Zed's Death Mark, Corki's Trinity Force-empowered shots) any further kills would take more investment as the team's damage fizzles out once the fight has moved beyond the explosive stage.  On the other hand, UOL's composition had the initial burst to push threat onto FORG1VEN and nRated (to push them off the back line), but also the sustainable damage that would make sure they'd win any extended trade (Caitlyn's passive, the constant threat that is Mega Gnar).

Hylissang comes in with a flash stun to save Kikis and get a 2 for 1.

5.  Hylissang and Annie.  As we saw last week, Hylissang is absolutely comfortable with skill-shot based champions that leave an enemy exposed (his Morgana and Thresh picks were absolutely on point).  Annie, though, does not have to rely on messy mechanics to secure a stun--all it takes is five abilities.  Perhaps SK thought that it would be safe to have Hylissang on Annie since she's fairly squishy without support items, and even then she can't take much punishment if she's caught out.  Maybe they even though that Lulu's Polymorph could come out faster than Tibbers.  Either way, giving a player who is known for his superb initiation skills a champion who has crazy initiation is asking for painful team fights.

That shockwave.

6.  PowerOfEvil's Shockwave.  All said and done, that shockwave baron steal was ridiculous.  PowerOfEvil's timing was perfect.  There was no way of knowing that Svenskeren would miss the Smite, but all the same that damage was all the contribution that the Unicorns of Love could offer for a steal.  This clutch steal extended the game so the Unicorns could work their way back into the match.