In the first game of Korea’s Super League playoffs, former TNL teammates battled for a spot in the winners’ finals.
L5 once again went the distance, yet this time triumphed 3-2 over MVP Miracle. Although MVP Miracle took early control of the series going up 2-1, L5 unleashed Sgt. Hammer. With the surprise pick, L5 won the last two games and the series.
After failing to make it to the Summer Global Championships, former Super League champions Team No Limit (TNL) / Team DK disbanded. With TNL’s dissolution, two former members Noblesse and sCsC formed L5. Conversely, two other members CrazyMoving and Sniper joined MVP Miracle. Despite forming less than three months ago, both teams have shown great potential as both notched victories over the summer champions Tempo Storm.
In group A of the tournament, MVP Miracle secured the #1 seed over Tempo Storm. L5, on the other hand, emerged as the #2 seed of group B after losing in a very close series against MVP Black. As a result, former TNL teammates faced off for the first time since TNL split.
In game 1 on Infernal Shrines, MVP Miracle committed to an early Kerrigan pick and rounded out their composition with Kael’thas and Raynor. However, they let L5’s Noblesse play his signature hero, Muradin. L5 controlled the game with swifter lane rotations, constantly killing Miracle’s Raynor. With the early advantage, L5 never let go of their lead and cruised to victory.
MVP Miracle rebounded in game 2 on Tomb of the Spider Queen. After the game 1 loss, MVP Miracle adjusted their draft strategy by denying L5 from taking Muradin or E.T.C. Their decision proved fruitful as MVP Miracle prevailed in game 2, tying the series 1-1.
With the series tied 1-1, MVP Miracle selected Cursed Hollow as the map. Miracle once again denied L5 from taking Muradin. In response, L5 drafted considerable ranged damage with Li-Ming and Lunara, while MVP Miracle drafted Tyrael and Arthas. MVP Miracle controlled the team fights by combining Tyrael’s Judgment and Arthas’s Howling Blast to constantly kill L5’s Brightwing. At the end of the game, Miracle’s Zagara landed a three-person Devouring Maw, allowing MVP Miracle to eliminate the entire L5 team and thus win the game.
After losing the previous two games, L5 reached into their bag of tricks with a surprise Sgt. Hammer pick.
In game 4 on Towers of Doom, L5 first picked Illidan, encouraging MVP Miracle to draft a lineup to counter him. After MVP Miracle took the bait, L5 selected Sgt. Hammer. Without any means to isolate Sgt. Hammer, MVP Miracle crumbled under the siege tank’s ranged pressure. Like their series against MVP Black, L5 would once again play in a fifth game.
The last two times L5 played in a decisive final game, they lost. However, they would not suffer the same fate for a third time. In the fifth map, Dragon Shire, L5 once again selected Sgt. Hammer. And, once again, MVP Miracle had no answer. MVP Miracle drafted Muradin, Zagara, Li-Ming, Thrall, and Kharazim. Conversely, L5 complemented Sgt. Hammer with Tyrael, Falstad, Johanna, and Brightwing. L5 constantly killed Miracle’s Thrall during their lane rotations. With their calculated yet rapid rotations, L5 controlled the map and thus the Dragon Knights. Eventually, they won the decisive game and thus the series.
With the loss, MVP Miracle fell to the lower bracket of the playoffs. The victors L5 moved into the winners’ finals. They will play the winner of Tempo Storm vs. MVP Black in a rematch of the Summer Global Championship finals. Tune in to OGN Global on Sunday, September 11 at 11:00 CEST to watch the rematch between Tempo Storm and MVP Black.
You can view the most current results of Super League here.
Follow us on Twitter @GosuGamersHotS and on Facebook for more competitive Heroes of the Storm news and coverage from around the world.
