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It's been a very mixed bag coming into worlds with performances ranging from utter domination to running around like headless chicken. Groups A and B are done for now, and while some predictions held, others fell woefully short.
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Virtus.pro recovered after recent failure at PGL Open CIS Qualifier by taking their spot in ESL One Hamburg Major, beating Effect, Na`Vi and Team Spirit while losing only one game.
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Natus Vincere have decided to withdraw from WCA 2017 Phase II Closed Qualifiers to focus on other competitions, as well as to arrage VISA for RodjER.
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The Korean team recently signed by Immortals have qualified to the PGL Open Bucharest Minor, taking down The Dire lead by Peter "ppd" Dager.
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Both teams are playing a lot more passively this time around, not wanting to give advantage to the opposition via reckless play. High risk / high reward is out, and instead, we see careful lane pushes mid, turn into a roam toward bot, for a perfectly executed gank.
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In all seriousness, you shouldn't be reading about this match, you should be watching it. There are no levels of strategic play. No lesson to be learned, just kill, after kill, after kill on dive after dive.
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At this rate, if DW have any hope of staying in the tournament, they need to play a very different game, than whatever this was.
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Cloud9's last game of the day vs Dire Wolves starts off like most good thrillers. With a kill. After a bit of banter in the in-game lobby between the two teams, as well as a reverse match from toplaners Impact and Chippy, the table is set for more beef between C9 and DW.
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So it finally happened. Every year, World's will bring us something that will screw over Solo Que for the foreseeable future, and that something comes at us, courtesy of Team WE's jungler, "Condi" . Ezreal in the jungle.
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Game one on day two of the 2017 World Championship started with a bang. Not even the metaphorical kind. Team oNe eSports were desperate to show Cloud9that they should be paid more respect than their last encounter suggested and were fully prepared to bring the aggression to show them.
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Perfect World Masters Minor has followed up with Closed Qualifiers format and invited teams list. Notably absent from it are Virtus.pro, Evil Geniuses, Team Liquid and OG.
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Game six starts with a bit of draft shuffle, as both teams try to pick and bait their junglers, with LG Dire Wolves Jarvan being countered by Jax top, only to pull a Rumble and flex into the jungle, which in turn is countered by Team oNe eSports as they pick Fiora and then also flex Jax into the jungle.
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WE enter game four of the day with a heavy focus on the pick and bans. As Gambit Gaming lock in an early Cho'Gath, Team WE instantly answer with Kog'Maw, countering the mountain of hitpoints in their first pick.
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Game four of the day has more pick ban focus than many of the others. Cloud9 went to great lengths to not give away the composition, by picking two flex picks amongst their first three, but it didn't seem like Dire Wolves cared.
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Game three is over, and it was quite the surprise. A lot of eyes were on Gambit going into this, as many expected this to be a resurgence of the Gambit of old, but as Lyon Gaming showed us against Team WE in game one, they're not to be trifled with.
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Right off the bat, this attitude carries into the game. With constant pressure all over the map, it's rare to see a midlaner being pushed into his own jungle, just to try and avoid the enemy laner, but this is what Jensen forced Brucer to do, all the same.
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2017 Worlds
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ELEAGUE
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