bbq Olivers picked up its first win of the 2017 League of Legends Champions Korea summer split with a scrappy 2-1 series over Ever8 Winners on Wednesday in Seoul, South Korea.
In this battle of low-tier teams, Ever8 (1-4, 4-8 match record) drafted a lethal pick composition that got rolling early on with first blood and first tower gold around 12 minutes in. EEW certainly wasn't unstoppable, as several mistakes gave bbq Olivers free kills, but EEW's objective control more than made up for it. EEW used the threat of a Baron in the mid-game to bait bbq into countless deaths while securing a 25-minute Baron to pad its lead. Two Mountain Drakes, a Cloud Drake, and an Infernal Drake gave EEW the buffs needed to secure a second Baron at 33 minutes and effectively put the game to rest. EEW AD carry Kim "Deul" Deul's Ashe was untouchable in teamfights, posting a 5/0/6 KDA (kills/deaths/assists) as EEW steamrolled bbq in 34 minutes.
After a disappointing Game 1 performance, bbq Olivers (1-4, 4-9 match record) had a dream draft phase, picking up the hotly contested Galio for mid laner Kang "Tempt" Myung-gu and giving AD carry Jang "Ghost" Yong-jun Twitch. Ghost was huge for bbq early on, as the quad-tank front line allowed him to stay safe while pumping out massive damage. Earning a 3,000-gold lead at 20 minutes, bbq looked to close the game with a 26-minute Baron, but EEW turned the tides by stealing the Baron. The buff allowed EEW to claw back into the game with a 4-for-1 teamfight at 35 minutes on the back of Deul's Kalista, earning its first gold lead of the game. In the end, Ghost couldn't be denied as he carried a massive 5-for-2 late game teamfight, giving bbq a hard-fought 47-minute win.
Surging into Game 3, bbq Oliver's superior draft not only led winning matchups in every lane, but also granted great tools to deal with EEW's pick composition. With Tempt's Taliyah getting ahead early on, bbq out-rotated EEW with ease, picking on EEW top laner Kwon "Helper" Yeong-jae's Shen for several kills. After taking several towers and a 24-minute Baron, bbq Olivers secured a 7,400-gold lead and never looked back. EEW tried its best to stop the bbq push, but the unorthodox Taric pick for support Eun "Totoro" Jong-seop denied several potential kills with well placed Dazzles and Cosmic Radiances, helping bbq take all of Ever8's inhibitors before 30 minutes. With the snowball in full effect, bbq picked up its first series win of the split with a 31-minute thumping of Ever8.
bbq Olivers will try to maintain its momentum when it faces Jin Air Green Wings on Saturday at 7 a.m. ET, while Ever8 Winners brace for a tough match against Samsung GALAXY at 7 a.m. ET on Sunday.