Both teams are already qualified for the Grand Finals, but pride, and 5 SteelSeries packages are on the line. With KD's new lineup consisting of Loda, Akke and kay`as the newcomers, they want to show everyone they're back and better than ever.
Game 1: Match ID 12845251
Empr picks up Chronos and Flint for their carry needs, played by phe´V aka violation_ and Scandal. KD goes The Dark Lady and Valkyrie, played by kay´ and SemiJew.
It looks like trilaning is the plan, as Nymph/Hellbringer/Chronos vs Glacius/Witch Slayer/The Dark Lady.
Empr sends four people top immediately trying for an early bloodlust but a great slow from Loda, playing Glacius, stop everyone in their tracks, letting everyone escape.
Empr throws KD for a loop however, going with Hag/Hellbringer/Nymph top, having Chronos solo bot alone. Possibly the sheer surprise catches KD off their guard, so they manage getting a bloodlust kill and a followup kill.
The weird lineup might be just to stop Dark Lady's farm instead of actually trying to get any farm from themselves. Chronos in a solo lane will obviously get the level advantage, and going up against a solo Valkyrie, it's not going to be that hard to get his farm going, especially with an Iron Shield stopping a lot of that harassment. In fact, violation_ is the top farmer in the game at the 6 minute mark.
Meanwhile Scandal's Flint is going up mid against Mag1X's Thunderbringer, which Mag1X is handily winning in terms of creep stats.
The beginning early game is characterized completely by the anti-trilane trilane, as they manage to take out the support players 5 times, getting a 5-0 lead doing very well. However, an invisibility rune for Thunderbringer leads to a great gank taking out Empr's all three players, and doing the same thing shortly after, bringing the score back up to 5-6.
The ganks makes a huge difference, and The Dark Lady starts getting her farm back up, and it all steamrolls from that point. Dark Lady is so horribly powerful, especially against squishy heroes like Nymphora, Wretched Hag and Hellbringer.
This game could probably be subtitled "Why Power Supply Is The Best Item in the Game" as well over half a dozen times a lot of heroes escape with sub-50 health thanks to clutch usage of the Power Supply.
KD just has too big an advantage after a while, and Empr concede at the 25 minute mark.
Empr picks up Chronos and Flint for their carry needs, played by phe´V aka violation_ and Scandal. KD goes The Dark Lady and Valkyrie, played by kay´ and SemiJew.
It looks like trilaning is the plan, as Nymph/Hellbringer/Chronos vs Glacius/Witch Slayer/The Dark Lady.
Empr sends four people top immediately trying for an early bloodlust but a great slow from Loda, playing Glacius, stop everyone in their tracks, letting everyone escape.
Empr throws KD for a loop however, going with Hag/Hellbringer/Nymph top, having Chronos solo bot alone. Possibly the sheer surprise catches KD off their guard, so they manage getting a bloodlust kill and a followup kill.
The weird lineup might be just to stop Dark Lady's farm instead of actually trying to get any farm from themselves. Chronos in a solo lane will obviously get the level advantage, and going up against a solo Valkyrie, it's not going to be that hard to get his farm going, especially with an Iron Shield stopping a lot of that harassment. In fact, violation_ is the top farmer in the game at the 6 minute mark.
Meanwhile Scandal's Flint is going up mid against Mag1X's Thunderbringer, which Mag1X is handily winning in terms of creep stats.
The beginning early game is characterized completely by the anti-trilane trilane, as they manage to take out the support players 5 times, getting a 5-0 lead doing very well. However, an invisibility rune for Thunderbringer leads to a great gank taking out Empr's all three players, and doing the same thing shortly after, bringing the score back up to 5-6.
The ganks makes a huge difference, and The Dark Lady starts getting her farm back up, and it all steamrolls from that point. Dark Lady is so horribly powerful, especially against squishy heroes like Nymphora, Wretched Hag and Hellbringer.
This game could probably be subtitled "Why Power Supply Is The Best Item in the Game" as well over half a dozen times a lot of heroes escape with sub-50 health thanks to clutch usage of the Power Supply.
KD just has too big an advantage after a while, and Empr concede at the 25 minute mark.
Game 2: Match ID 12849364
This time around, KD picks up Nymphora and Chronos, played by SemiJew and kay´. And Empr picks Dark Lady for a little switcharoo - Scandal wanting to replicate the success KD had with her last game. violation_ plays Devourer, something I'm looking forward to seeing. Ever since the buff from last patch, he's been picked a lot more in pub games, usually to great effect. Striders, Chalice and his ultimate buff all works in his advantage, interesting to see what a player of violation_'s caliber can do.
We end up seeing SemiJew's Nymphora solo top against violation_'s Devourer, Voodoo JesteR/Slither/Dark Lady bottom against Chronos/Glacius. Tempest is jungling, and Mag1X's Engineer is going mid against uniqFazer's Valkyrie.
Devourer munches on Nymphora for the Bloodlust kill, with a hook and a Decay spelling her death.
The early game has a fair amount of kills, Empr leading the way with 5-3 at the 12 minutes mark, but KD is ahead in tower kills, having gotten 2. They would have gotten 3 but uniQFazer got a brilliant deny, alone against three heroes and a bunch of elementals.
KD tries a push at the 14 minute mark and a massive teamfight starts, and while they do land a decent Chronofield and a good Tempest ultimate, they are just too spread out, and they end up losing their entire team, only picking off Voodoo Jester.
Empr has a strong lead, sitting at 17.8 at the 21 minute mark. TDL can easily 1v1 Chronos, with her Runed Axe, Ghost Marchers and other basic items, farming at 420 g/m.
Loda is proving to be a lifesaver, portaling around with his Portal Key, getting clutch stuns and a good ultimate or two, but Empr is a juggernaut at this point, Valkyrie and Dark Lady working together to take out so many of KD's heroes. After a teamfight that goes to their advantage, Empr goes to take out Kongor, and that spells the end of KD, they have nothing that can stop The Dark Lady right now.
KD is getting kills on other heroes, but The Dark Lady is farming 490 gold per minute, and is just getting more and more lethal by the minute. As she g ets her Champion of Newerth streak and reaches 580 g/m, KD concedes, evening it out to 1-1.
This time around, KD picks up Nymphora and Chronos, played by SemiJew and kay´. And Empr picks Dark Lady for a little switcharoo - Scandal wanting to replicate the success KD had with her last game. violation_ plays Devourer, something I'm looking forward to seeing. Ever since the buff from last patch, he's been picked a lot more in pub games, usually to great effect. Striders, Chalice and his ultimate buff all works in his advantage, interesting to see what a player of violation_'s caliber can do.
We end up seeing SemiJew's Nymphora solo top against violation_'s Devourer, Voodoo JesteR/Slither/Dark Lady bottom against Chronos/Glacius. Tempest is jungling, and Mag1X's Engineer is going mid against uniqFazer's Valkyrie.
Devourer munches on Nymphora for the Bloodlust kill, with a hook and a Decay spelling her death.
The early game has a fair amount of kills, Empr leading the way with 5-3 at the 12 minutes mark, but KD is ahead in tower kills, having gotten 2. They would have gotten 3 but uniQFazer got a brilliant deny, alone against three heroes and a bunch of elementals.
KD tries a push at the 14 minute mark and a massive teamfight starts, and while they do land a decent Chronofield and a good Tempest ultimate, they are just too spread out, and they end up losing their entire team, only picking off Voodoo Jester.
Empr has a strong lead, sitting at 17.8 at the 21 minute mark. TDL can easily 1v1 Chronos, with her Runed Axe, Ghost Marchers and other basic items, farming at 420 g/m.
Loda is proving to be a lifesaver, portaling around with his Portal Key, getting clutch stuns and a good ultimate or two, but Empr is a juggernaut at this point, Valkyrie and Dark Lady working together to take out so many of KD's heroes. After a teamfight that goes to their advantage, Empr goes to take out Kongor, and that spells the end of KD, they have nothing that can stop The Dark Lady right now.
KD is getting kills on other heroes, but The Dark Lady is farming 490 gold per minute, and is just getting more and more lethal by the minute. As she g ets her Champion of Newerth streak and reaches 580 g/m, KD concedes, evening it out to 1-1.
Game 3: Match ID 12855898
Phe´V aka violation_ comes with the surprise choice - Blood Hunter! BH is pretty much the best counter hero in the game against Doctor Repulsor, not only that, he will make Madman's Stalk useless once he's low. Other than that, the trilane with Chronos is obvious, as is the Panda trilane, and Madman soloing, ferrying a bottle.
30 seconds in the game Empr tries to get a gank on Doctor Repulsor, catching him between tower 1 and 2, but fails, missing both an arrow and a Graveyard stun.
Empr puts their trilane mid, up against Doctor solo, leaving Blood Hunter solo bot against Glacius, slither and Madman, but it doesn't last for long, people keep moving around all the time. Few players stay in one lane for long.
The bloodlust kill comes on Blood Hunter down bottom, Slither, Glacius and Madman picking him off near the outpost. Shortly after they repeat it, giving KD a 2-0 lead in kills.
The unique lane setups lead to a strong gold/minute for Chronos and Pandamonium both, one having a lane solo and the other being in a trilane.
The early game belongs to KD, getting 8-3 in kills in the first 15 minutes. Panda and Repulsor is getting great farm, while Chronos is almost catching up with his.
Empr are definitely fighting from beneath, never really getting back in the game. At 27 minutes in, KD leads with 17000 gold and 15000 experience. Chronos and Blood Hunter is level 12, up against a level 17 Doctor and a 15 Panda.
Play of the game goes to UniQFazer, getting chased in his own base by Madman, but manages to juke him back and forth back and forth hiding behind one single tree - then turns around to arrow Madman when he tries to teleport back, killing him.
KD is wreaking havoc in the Empr base, and not a single one of KD's towers are down. Eventually, Empr finally gets a kill on Loda's Doctor, then concedes. KD wins 2-1.
Phe´V aka violation_ comes with the surprise choice - Blood Hunter! BH is pretty much the best counter hero in the game against Doctor Repulsor, not only that, he will make Madman's Stalk useless once he's low. Other than that, the trilane with Chronos is obvious, as is the Panda trilane, and Madman soloing, ferrying a bottle.
30 seconds in the game Empr tries to get a gank on Doctor Repulsor, catching him between tower 1 and 2, but fails, missing both an arrow and a Graveyard stun.
Empr puts their trilane mid, up against Doctor solo, leaving Blood Hunter solo bot against Glacius, slither and Madman, but it doesn't last for long, people keep moving around all the time. Few players stay in one lane for long.
The bloodlust kill comes on Blood Hunter down bottom, Slither, Glacius and Madman picking him off near the outpost. Shortly after they repeat it, giving KD a 2-0 lead in kills.
The unique lane setups lead to a strong gold/minute for Chronos and Pandamonium both, one having a lane solo and the other being in a trilane.
The early game belongs to KD, getting 8-3 in kills in the first 15 minutes. Panda and Repulsor is getting great farm, while Chronos is almost catching up with his.
Empr are definitely fighting from beneath, never really getting back in the game. At 27 minutes in, KD leads with 17000 gold and 15000 experience. Chronos and Blood Hunter is level 12, up against a level 17 Doctor and a 15 Panda.
Play of the game goes to UniQFazer, getting chased in his own base by Madman, but manages to juke him back and forth back and forth hiding behind one single tree - then turns around to arrow Madman when he tries to teleport back, killing him.
KD is wreaking havoc in the Empr base, and not a single one of KD's towers are down. Eventually, Empr finally gets a kill on Loda's Doctor, then concedes. KD wins 2-1.
KD Gaming walks away with the victory, proving that their new team is as good as or better than the old one. The Grand Finals should prove to be interesting, as just about every top team there is will fight for the $10,000 grand prize.
Links
HonCast - Game 1
HonCast - Game 2
HonCast - Game 3
