LoL Analysis: 2016 NALCS, REN vs IMT (Week 6, Day 1)

Immortals are the hottest team in the #NALCS but teams have had some success playing super aggressive, bloody games that feel like solo queue. Renegades are reeling from a bad week 6 in which their shot-calling and teamfight execution were lacking. Can Crumbz rally the team around RF Legendary (back in place of Flaresz)? I don't think so but I'm rooting for an exciting game.

Picks and Bans - Really like the draft from Renegades, especially first-picking the Gragas for Crumbz. Gragas is built for teamfight utility but is also a champion that I feel you kind of need to all-in on. I think that will help him be decisive after a very poor Elise game last week. They follow with even more utility in Orianna and Malphite with Caitlin siege. Waveclear isn't great, but they aren't going to be split pushing against Immortals anyway. IMT feel like they're trying things out picking Rumble for Reignover early and going again with Ekko for Huni. RF will have to play very carefully, but I'm a bit worried that IMT keep playing these power-heavy squishy lineups. They have Soraka but not a lot of peel or CC for WildTurtle.


12:10 - Crumbz starts early! I like it! He doesn't get the barrel on Reignover and loses the blue but I still like the play. Then after he's already on the way out, Huni comes in with a TP that I feel should have been cancelled. Huni keeps going but there isn't enough damage and IMT burn a ton of summoners. This should help RF a lot - I didn't notice it, but after the match the desk showed how RF made a mistake in not pushing the wave.

15:30 - More Crumbz. He understands that the IMT blue side camps are cleared and Crumbz plays up aggressively, allowing his duo lane to pressure the turret (while burning Adrian's flash). Then at 17:00 he doesn't panic when Reignover invades, last hits the camp and then punishes Reignover for First Blood. 10 straight times IMT got first blood, but not today.

19:00 - Really smart from REN. WildTurtle takes the bottom outer turret and REN call for the flank. RF TPs behind IMT and Crumbz is there again. Pobelter and Reignover are late to the party and WildTurtle is melted. With the primary DPS gone, REN get out with a 2 for 1. and top lane pushing. What a great call, but IMT still have a gold and turret lead (and Turtle got a ton of damage on the top lane turret after respawning). Teams have struggled in game after game to turn kills on Immortals into objectives.

21:50 - I'm loving these calls from Renegades. They leave RF alone down bot to die against Huni/Reignover - that's ok, that's a losing lane anyway. Crumbz dives onto WildTurtle in the top lane and while they take a few turret shots, Adrian strangely goes aggressive on Freeze and is headshot. Pobelter then roams up but misses a few long-range skillshots and can't flash from the Shockwave. Still (and this is going to get old) - REN get more kills but IMT are the ones taking the turret (bot lane tier 2). The crowd are chanting Renegades' name but they desperately need to siege with Caitlin.

24:00 - REN have done well to get good vision in the top side, call in another aggressive TP from RF and get a 2 for nothing. But again, they can't quite take down the mid turret (do get Rift Herald). It's very frustrating to see them call so aggressively to get kills and not follow with towers (or Dragon). Kobe noticed that Reignover has spent a lot more time farming and has a 2 level lead on Crumbz. REN do get the mid turret a few minutes later but have allowed IMT to push the side lanes. They want to group, but have to do so in a way that forces IMT to abandon the split push. Ekko is becoming a problem for them. For a good split pusher with TP, that open bot inhib turret is candy. Maybe REN should try rotating AlexIch into a sidelane and keeping the duo + Crumbz in the middle.

32:00 - REN have rotated quickly all game, and IMT are so smart to punish. With all lanes pushed, they send Reignover with WildTurtle and Adrian to the top to threaten the turret, forcing AlexIch to start walking up. This nets Pobelter another free turret, all because of superior wave management. A short while later, Turtle takes the top turret anyway. It's encouraging for them that in all the games they've faced adversity, they have backup strats to fall back on. More importantly, everyone is on the same page and they execute beautifully. They control vision, they control the waves, they have the gold lead. Can Renegades now adapt?

33:15 - So smart. Huni and Pobelter show in lane, but the rest of IMT start Baron. Huni TPs in and Pobelter uses the long-range laser and REN are caught off guard on the other side of the map pressing the bot lane tier 2. It's absolutely insane that a team down 7-1 in kills can sneak an uncontested Baron with Gragas, Malphite and Orianna are on the other side.

35:15 - This is the right call by Renegades - group as 5 and push with superior teamfight. Crumbz sees an opening to pop Adrian but they can't follow with a kill and that leaves the rest of the team in a bad spot. Huni flanks onto AlexIch and the tanks are caught. Hakuho goes down and the chase is on with only orianna as a threat. Alex does get a good Shockwave but can't stop the rest of his team from dying.

37:50 - Again, this isn't a bad call by Renegades - they send all 5 to push down the mid turret. But once they see Huni reach the bot inhib, they have to send someone down. IMT even have Turtle and Adrian pushing on the top. REN are not going to win a base race and need to react, but all they can do is walk all the way from the IMT tier 2 mid back to base.  You just can't do that against these guys. IMT lose a few members but get another inhibitor and a nexus turret. I agree with Kobe - you just can't tunnel on that turret and let IMT take the inhib.

The game is over at that point. I somehow am both a bit disappointed and a bit proud of Immortals' play. They took one in the mouth - Renegades have obviously studied these guys and seen how they can muck the game up with early aggression and kills. At the same time, Immortals do so much so well that they can just fall back on mechanics. Despite being down significantly in kills, they had superior wave pressure, vision, and objective control. Team after team have gone aggressive and mucked up the game; they need teams to push them in the NALCS because when they face Asian and EU teams that put together the complete game like that, they'll need those tools.

For Renegades, after suffering through a tough Week 6, this had to be encouraging, especially for Crumbz. He made the right calls, executed perfectly, and played the Gragas well. This is something to build on for the rest of the Split and should help them in the fight to stay in the LCS.