Nova League quaifier victors emerge

The week began with ahq taking a page out of the Azubu Taipei Assassin's handbook against one of their competitors for slot three, YouCantStopMe.  They ran smite on support Sona with marksman MrAlbis in the mid lane.  Westdoor played Jax in the bottom lane.  This innovative strategy worked just a effectively for them as it did against them, and they came out with a win.  They continued to make a good case for themselves with a second win against Energy Peacemaker.Fearless, but HK Attitude went 1/1 this week, tying their score with ahq's, and their superior head-to-head record got them the last slot into GPL for the region.  Either way, YouCantStopMe were, despite the name, was unable to get into GPL.

 

就說姊姊好可愛 seemed like they might be able to grab one of the last slots in LNL, with a win over GIA on the first day, but their loss to HK Attitude Mage put them out of the running for both leagues.

 

In arguably the most exciting match of the week, TPA continued to run their triple smite and dive composition, using Orianna on bebe when Nidalee was snatched away.  This time, they played against their sister team, Azubu Taipei Snipers, and gave them their only loss of the tournament.  TPA are looking unstoppable with this strategy, and its execution improves every time.

 

Also notably, after a nearly victory-less tournament, Ozone grabbed their second win off GIA, but their sudden increase in momentum was not enough to land them a slot in either GPL or LNL.

 

In terms of champion picks, Shyvana was selected nearly every match, garnering one ban, and only one defeat.  She appears to be gaining momentum in the top lane when Renekton is picked and in the jungle to counter Lee Sin, so it will be interesting to see if this continues into LNL now that the qualifiers have finished.

 

The only question remaining, then, for Garena Premier League and Taiwan, Macau, and Hong Kong's Nova League is whether or not the slots up for grabs will increase.  With Gamania Bears disbanded, it seems likely that HK Attitude Mage, placing eighth in the qualifiers, will find their way into the Nova League.  But whether Garena will include ahq in GPL or give the last slot to a different region remains to be seen.  It would be a shame, after ahq's success in Spring GPL, if they didn't return for the winter league.

 

Final tournament standings: