Game of the Day: Copenhagen Wolves versus Elements (EU LCS Spring Split - Week 7 Day 1)

By Helmight

            Five dragons were taken by both teams, two Barons fell, and Elements and the Copenhagen Wolves only had three towers between themselves when all was said and done. In a 67-minute epic, the Copenhagen Wolves managed to outlast Elements and pull victory out of the jaws of the defeat in dramatic fashion.

            Elements should have had the game won at the 60 minute mark. The Wolves were down two inhibitors, and Elements had picked up both Baron and their fifth dragon of the game. With the power of both lategame buffs and the threat of super minions taking the Nexus, Elements were in a prime position to siege up in the toplane and force a 4v5 under tower to end the game. A spirited resistance by the Wolves wasn’t enough to preserve their remaining inhibitor, but they’d stalled long enough for their own super minions to grab an Elements Nexus tower. With the Wolves’ other inhibitors respawning, Elements chose to go for another dragon to close out the game with.

            Instead, Airwaks managed to throw himself into the dragon pit at just the right time to Smite steal it out from under Shook’s nose and give the Wolves the five-dragon buff. Suddenly at a massive teamfight disadvantage and without anywhere to retreat to, Elements were slaughtered in the ensuing fight. Even with five members dead, Elements had a chance to win the game when a massive wave of super minions arrived in the Wolves’ base from the top lane, but a timely Void Rush by Airwaks was enough to save the exposed Nexus from danger. With the minions thwarted and their team dead, Elements were forced to watch as Soren and Freeze marched into their base and tanked down the remaining Nexus tower to secure victory.

            Neither team made any huge mistakes, but Elements is definitely guilty of playing too passively. A midgame teamfight gave them a three-man advantage and a perfect opportunity to grab an inhibitor or Baron Nashor, but Elements consoled themselves instead with just an inhibitor tower. Shook also seemed too hesitant to act, choosing to farm the jungle instead of aiding his team during the early game. Wickd therefore was left without help and took a lot longer to scale into the super tank that Elements needed to fight back against Copenhagen.

            The Wolves’ jungler meanwhile had no such problem. Airwaks was everywhere, seemingly all at once. His ganks in the early game gave Copenhagen a gold lead and a map advantage that facilitated their eventual 1-3-1 splitpushing strategy. Airwaks also showed that Void Rush is useful for more than just farming. A clutch ult at the end of the game allowed him to save the Nexus while the Wolves pushed in for win, but Airwaks also used Void Rush offensively to set up flanks on Elements. Though his 2/2/14 score would say otherwise, make no mistake – the Wolves couldn’t have won without him.

             The victory puts the Wolves at fourth place along with Gambit Gaming, leaving them in perfect position to make a run at playoffs this spring. Elements meanwhile continue their slide, landing in a tie for seventh with ROCCAT. 

Copenhagen Wolves (W)					Elements (L)
Kills	Turrets		Gold		Kills	Turrets			Gold
20	9		111.6k		14	11			104.9k
Lineup
Position	Player		Champion	K/D/A	Position		Player			Champion	K/D/A
Top	YoungBuck		Kennen	5/5/6	Top	Wickd				Gnar	1/6/4
Jungle	Airwaks		Rek’Sai	2/2/14	Jungle	Shook				Nidalee	1/4/4
Mid	Soren		Zed	6/2/4	Mid	Froggen				Orianna	2/4/8
ADC	Freeze		Kalista	6/3/8	ADC	Rekkles				Corki	9/1/2
Support	Unlimited		Lulu	1/2/17	Support	Krepo				Morgana	1/5/6
Bans
Irelia		Ahri	Lissandra		Draven			Cassiopeia	Jarvan IV

For stats, builds, and other information, check out the match history. In the meantime, let us know what you thought of the game below!