It may have taken a bit longer than expected, but G2 Esports still locked up the 2-0 sweep Saturday over Mysterious Monkeys to open up Week 5, Day 3 of the European League of Legends Championship Series in Berlin.
Mysterious Monkeys didn't seem afraid to challenge the teamfighting prowess of G2 (3-3, 9-7 match record), drafting a team composition stocked with high-damage champions. Even with G2 jungler Kim "Trick" Gang-yun engaging in fights all throughout the map with his Kha'Zix, Mysterious Monkeys managed to keep the deficit to a minimum.
Sensing a chance to reverse its fortunes, Monkeys opted for a risky Baron maneuver, but the move ultimately backfired. AD carry Soler "Yuuki" Florent mistimed his use of Rend with his Kalista, allowing Trick to steal the Baron. This put the control completely in G2's hand, and with the buff in hand, AD carry Jesper "Zven" Svenningsen continued shredding through Monkeys with his Twitch on his way to a 9/0/4 KDA (kills/deaths/assists) that allowed G2 to march right in for a 33-minute win.
Game 2 soured early on for Mysterious Monkeys (1-6, 2-12 match record), who were never able to deal with G2's pressure despite opting for a teamfight-focused composition. In truth, an engage near the 10-minute mark that saw G2 walk away with three kills was all the Spring Split champions would need to whittle away the rest of the contest.
Leading the pack was mid laner Luka "Perkz" Perković's Orianna, who completely dominated the mid lane to the tune of an 8/1/7 KDA by game's end. By the time G2 had decided to go for Baron at 23 minutes, it had already amassed a 5,000-gold lead with complete control over the map. One small overextension shortly after securing that Baron gave Monkeys a small respite, but nothing large enough to flip the game. G2 simply kept securing picks in every lane until taking one last clean ace at the 38-minute mark around the Elder Dragon to fully open Monkey's base for the 38-minute win.
G2 face a difficult matchup against Splyce on Friday, July 14, at 11 a.m. ET. Monkeys will look for its second win against ROCCAT on Saturday, July 15, at 2 p.m. ET.