Vortex Gaming

The 2024 LoL World Championship Play-In Stage Day 1 matches were held on the 25th at the Riot Games Arena in Berlin, Germany. The opening match between Mad Lions Koi (LEC) and Viking Esports (VCS) ended with a 2-0 victory for Mad Lions.

In set 1, Viking Esports attempted a daring dive at the bottom lane and caught Nautilus. Mad Lions' Ksante joined the bottom lane with Teleport and managed to catch Camille. Mad Lions heavily pressured the top lane, blocking vision and catching Poppy, allowing 'Elyoya's' Nidalee to secure a kill.

Then, Mad Lions also took the lead in the fight at the Rift Herald, securing one kill. Viking overcame the unfavorable situation through combat. They pinned down the deeply invading opponent in the bottom lane with Camille's ultimate, catching Nautilus and Ksante.

Mad Lions was clearly ahead in overall macro, but Viking was not to be trifled with in combat. Viking lost the dragon fight but succeeded in a sneaky Baron attempt, significantly closing the gold gap. However, in the final dragon fight, Mad Lions defeated their opponents and destroyed the Nexus, taking their first win.

In the early game of set 2, Mad started off by catching Jarvan IV of who entered their red buff, and then suppressed 'Kati's' Orianna in the mid lane, showing a good start. Mad persistently harassed 'Gury's' Jarvan IV's pathing, catching Jarvan IV again while he was taking Gromp, creating an environment for 'Elyoya' to dominate the jungle.

Mad quickly picked up the pace and continued to score points through top lane pressure. Viking also retaliated with 2 kills in the bottom lane, but the gap was already quite large. Afterwards, Mad used the Rift Herald in the mid lane to destroy the first tower and opened a fight, achieving a great victory.

Viking tried to make a comeback through combat, but it didn't go as planned, and Mad continued to widen the gap, smoothly defeating their opponents and taking a 2-0 victory.

Webzine InvenKim Hong-je Reporter
2024-09-25