Edward Gaming swept Royal Never Give Up 2-0 on Sunday in the highly anticipated matchup to close out Week 4 in the League of Legends Pro League in Shanghai.
Edward Gaming (4-2, 9-4 match record) and Royal Never Give Up (4-3, 9-7 match record) both went with the popular teamfighting/hybrid pick team compositions for the opening game of the series. RNG started out with a minor gold lead in the early game by finding first blood, but a 3-for-0 teamfight victory for EDG put it ahead. EDG had spectacular objective control, taking three straight Drakes, but things took a turn for the worse when RNG managed to steal Baron near the 25-minute mark. EDG weren't fazed, however, and simply slowed the game down to maintain its control. It then forced a Baron at the 33-minute mark and came away with a near ace and the Baron. EDG slowly choked out RNG with relentless wave-push, and it was the Baron-empowered minions that destroyed the RNG Nexus 42 minutes in.
EDG drafted an odd composition in Game 2 that featured a mix of teamfighting and pick, topped off with a hyper carry, while Royal drafted another hybrid composition. The game started off with constant fighting in the bot lane, which netted five kills for RNG in the first 10 minutes for an early advantage. RNG and EDG then went back-and-forth, but it was EDG who came out on top through well-played skirmishes and picks, while RNG simply focused on objectives. RNG continued to play on its back foot, but it managed to buy time by picking off an EDG member here and there. After too long of simply trying to prolong defeat, RNG eventually succumbed to the pressure when EDG decided it had enough and ended the game with an ace at the 40-minute mark.
EDG will return to Chinese play against Newbee on Friday, July 14 at 5 a.m ET, while RNG will play the very next game against Invictus Gaming on Friday, July 14 at 8 a.m. ET.