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Noah Waltzer 7y

Vici Gaming wrests control of early game from Invictus Gaming

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Invictus Gaming started Week 7, Day 1 of the League of Legends Pro League with a win, but it was Vici Gaming that took the 2-1 series home on Thursday in Shanghai.

Invictus Gaming (5-5, 14-11 match record) took control of Game 1 early on as mid laner Song "Rookie" Eui-jin's Jayce picked up first blood around three minutes with help from jungler Ge "KidKid" Yan's Elise. Kid made the top half of the map a nightmare for Vici Gaming (3-7, 8-16 match record), camping the top lane to get iG top laner Lee "Duke" Ho-seong's Renekton ahead with several early kills. After Rookie and Duke turned a 2-vs-4 into a 4-for-0 teamfight victory for iG, the Invictus snowball couldn't be stopped, surging to a 6,600-gold lead at 22 minutes. Securing several kills and a Baron buff at the 26-minute mark off of Rookie's 22,600 damage dealt to enemy champions and 5/1/8 KDA (kills/deaths/assists), Invictus Gaming made a statement with a dominant Game 1 win in just under 29 minutes.

While KidKid got iG rolling early in Game 2 with a first blood kill in the top lane at five minutes, Vici Gaming ended up holding a gold lead heading into the mid game thanks to their superior objective control. Invictus Gaming eventually picked up a 2-for-0 fight at 29 minutes that led to a Baron attempt; however, VG mid laner Lee "Easyhoon" Ji-hoon secured a Baron steal as Syndra, swinging momentum in Vici's favor. While it took two Mountain Drakes, an Elder Dragon and a second Baron Buff, Vici Gaming eventually closed out a sloppy Game 2 win in 39 minutes to force Game 3.

Tired of KidKid dictating the early game, Vici Gaming's top laner Zhu "Loong" Xiao-Long's Shen began VG's Game 3 snowball with a Stand United-assisted four-man dive in the bot lane that netted two kills. Maintaining control into the mid game, Vici Gaming dominated the objective game, securing two Ocean Drakes and an Infernal Drake while sieging down iG's towers with impunity. After a 4-for-0 went in Vici's favor at 21 minutes to give them an early Baron buff, the game was all but over as Vici Gaming forced iG into making crucial mistakes. VG capitalized on the opportunities with Loong, who earned a flawless 3/0/8 KDA for 92 percent kill participation. Baiting Invictus Gaming to the Baron pit around 29 minutes, Vici Gaming found a 4-for-0 in an extended fight that spanned from the Baron pit to iG's base as Vici Gaming picked up a big series win in just under 30 minutes.

Invictus Gaming will next hit the Rift when they take on Game Talents on Saturday at 7 a.m ET, while Vici Gaming have a tough task ahead of them as they square off against Royal Never Give Up on Sunday at 6 a.m ET.

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