Unicorns of Love beat Clutch Gaming again in LoL Worlds Play-ins

The third day of League of Legends World Championship 2019 play-in stage featured a compelling rematch between North America’s Clutch Gaming and the CIS region’s Unicorns of Love. Having previously clashed on the tournament’s opening day, where UoL delivered a surprising upset victory, this encounter followed a similar narrative trajectory. The CIS squad demonstrated remarkable consistency by replicating their earlier success against the LCS representatives.

Pro Tip: When analyzing competitive League matches, pay close attention to team momentum patterns. Teams that secure back-to-back victories against the same opponent often exploit fundamental strategic advantages rather than relying on lucky plays.

During the champion selection phase, Unicorns of Love constructed a composition with clear win conditions. Their ban strategy strategically targeted Nam “Lira” Tae-yoo’s comfort pick Skarner, denying CG’s jungler a familiar playmaking tool. The CIS team’s innovative bottom lane selection paired Heimerdinger with Fiddlesticks, creating a synergy-focused duo designed to maximize crowd control setup and burst damage potential.

Common Mistake: Many teams underestimate the value of targeting opponent comfort picks in draft phase. By removing Skarner, UoL forced Lira onto less comfortable champions, reducing his early game impact.

Mechanics Insight: The Heimerdinger-Fiddlesticks combination excels at zone control and teamfight disruption. Fiddlesticks’ Terrify and Crowstorm provide perfect setup for Heimerdinger’s turret-based damage and skillshots.

Despite UoL’s draft advantages, Clutch Gaming opened the match with impressive early aggression. The North American squad effectively neutralized Kirill “AHaHaCiK” Skvortsov’s jungle presence by systematically denying his red and blue buffs, severely hampering his Qiyana’s resource access and map pressure capabilities.

Nam “Lira” Tae-yoo, operating on Lee Sin, secured first blood beneath UoL’s mid lane tower with calculated precision. His continued jungle invasions and lane pressure established CG’s early game dominance, culminating in their first Dragon secure at the eight-minute mark.

Optimization Tip: When facing early game deficits, focus on minimizing losses rather than forcing equalizing plays. UoL demonstrated excellent discipline by conceding early objectives while preserving their late-game scaling potential.

As the match progressed, Clutch Gaming’s confidence in their lead transformed into strategic complacency. Unicorns of Love’s coordinated teamwork became evident during a crucial mid-lane skirmish where they outmaneuvered CG in a two-versus-two engagement. The CIS team further demonstrated their tactical prowess by securing the Rift Herald through effective Kayle-Fiddlesticks combination plays, followed by claiming the second Dragon.

Approximately sixteen minutes into the contest, Edward “Edward” Abgaryan initiated combat under CG’s mid lane tower using Fiddlesticks’ ultimate ability. In an unfortunate development, his game client crashed during the channeling process, necessitating a competitive pause.

Advanced Strategy: Professional teams often use unexpected pauses to recalibrate strategies and discuss adjustments. UoL maintained their composure despite the interruption, returning with renewed focus.

Following the resumption of play, Unicorns of Love exhibited clear map control despite maintaining only marginal gold advantages. The game’s decisive turning point occurred at the twenty-six minute mark when UoL leveraged their composition’s area-of-effect capabilities to decisively win a critical teamfight. This engagement initiated their snowball effect, leading to Baron Nashor secure and the destruction of CG’s top lane inhibitor.

Clutch Gaming faced an impossible dilemma: contest the second Baron attempt or protect their recently restored inhibitor. The empowered Baron buff provided UoL with the necessary combat strength to conclusively end the game, as CG lacked cohesive responses to their opponents’ synergistic playstyle.

Game Mechanics: Compositions with strong AOE damage excel at punishing clustered enemy formations. UoL’s draft perfectly countered CG’s tendency to group tightly during engagements.

Both competing teams face subsequent matches against Australia’s MAMMOTH organization later the same competition day. Should Unicorns of Love emerge victorious in that encounter, they advance to the World Championship knockout stage as their group’s primary seed. Given the current group standings configuration, tiebreaker scenarios remain distinctly possible.

Pro Analysis: Understanding tiebreaker mechanics is crucial for competitive viewing. Teams often employ different strategies in must-win scenarios compared to standard group stage matches. For comprehensive tournament strategies, consult our Complete Guide to competitive gameplay fundamentals.

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