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Hour-long delays, dominating early games, chaotic late games, and even a reverse sweep? Thursday's first quarterfinal match between OMG and I May in the League of Legends Pro League Spring Split playoffs had everything, with OMG leading with a 3-2 series win over I May.
After a game-breaking bug caused Game 1 to get remade after nearly three hours of downtime, I May jumped ahead early on the back of jungler Tu "Ben4" Xin-Cheng's Elise, who picked up several early kills to put I May ahead. OMG responded with team-wide roams across the map, but I May still held a lead heading into the mid game. Pulling ahead with a 3-for-0 fight in the mid lane, I May dominated the mid game with unparalleled objective control. OMG started a risky Baron at 23 minutes, which I May punished with a 5-for-1 ace and Baron kill to put the game out of reach for OMG. With AD carry Xie "Jinjiao" Jin-Shan dealing a game-high 22,000 damage as Varus, and support Yun "Road" Han-gil's Thresh picking up a 1/1/10 KDA (kills/deaths/assists), I May cruised to a 31-minute win.
I May then took Game 2 in eerily similar fashion to Game 1. With Road's Thresh securing an early first blood for Ben4's Elise at just four minutes into the game. I May played the pick game beautifully, catching OMG out of position and converting on those kills for unrelenting map control. A 2-for-0 fight at the 26-minute mark gave I May a Baron kill, which it used to great effect, immediately pushing into OMG's base. I May mid laner Kang "Athena" Ha-woon had a brilliant performance as Taliyah throughout Game 2, dealing a game-high 16,500 damage while using his Weaver's Wall to separate OMG in fights, including a wall that kicked off the final 4-for-0 teamfight for I May that featured a triple kill from Jinjiao's Varus as I May took Game 2 in just under 30 minutes.
I May looked like it would make short work of Game 3 as it secured an early kill lead, but OMG, fighting for its playoff life, managed to keep things relatively even with I May's objective pressure. I May secured a 30-minute Baron kill, but was immediately punished as OMG took a 5-for-1 ace to blow the game wide open. OMG mid laner Xie "Icon" Tian-Yu was a monster on Ahri, dealing a game-high 42,200 damage while assassinating key targets in a tumultuous late game. I May went from holding a comfortable gold lead to falling desperately far behind as OMG cracked open its base. With solid shotcalling, two Baron buffs, three Ocean Drakes and an Elder Dragon buff, OMG finally got on the board with a nerve-wracking 51-minute win.
OMG got an early lead in Game 4 as jungler Chen "World6" Yu-Tian's Elise gave first blood to Icon's Zed at just four minutes into the game, beginning a period of scrappy fights throughout the early game. I May appeared to control the game, but a massive push from OMG saw it take down the bottom lane inhibitor at just 20 minutes, throwing I May into panic mode. I May managed to take a 4-for-2 teamfight after OMG took a 25-minute Baron, but OMG immediately responded with a 4-for-1 fight of its own. With the gold even at 65,000 apiece at 35 minutes, OMG managed to finally take a gold lead after Icon picked up a triple kill to punish a greedy I May Baron secure, en route to his 11/5/6 KDA for MVP honors. I May did its best to stay alive in the late game, but a costly Cocoon from World6 cost Jinjiao's Varus his life, turning into a 4-for-0 and near 44-minute win for OMG to force Game 5.
I May had been so on point, so dominant in the early stages of the series, but it simply didn't have enough left in the tank in Game 5. World6's Lee Sin picked up early kills to begin the OMG snowball, staying ahead of I May with relative ease. While Ben4 picked up a couple of kills on Graves to give I May some hope, OMG had built a massive 5,000-gold lead around 21 minutes, completely in control heading into the late game. A big 4-for-2 teamfight at 25 minutes didn't give OMG a Baron kill, but it gave AD carry Han "Smlz" Jin's Kog'Maw the gold he needed to become a late game monster. I May, who played progressively worse as the series went on, crumbled as OMG surged on the back of Smlz's 31,300 damage dealt to enemy champions, completing a miraculous reverse sweep with a Game 5 win in 37 minutes.
I May's Spring Split ends in heartbreak as it is now eliminated from the playoffs, while OMG moves on to the semifinals to face Team WE on Saturday at 2 a.m ET.