LoL Analysis: 2016 NALCS, TL vs REN (Week 5, Day 2)

Renegades are in a bit of disarray. Their shot calling was subpar in their loss to Echo Fox on Saturday and really need Crumbz to step up. Crumbz has been good helping all his lanes, but I wonder if he should just spend all his time on one lane to try to snowball. The casters mentioned focusing on bot, but I actually think REN have a better chance trying to take down Lourlo with aggressive ganks with a Jungler like Nidalee/Elise. The problem is Dardoch is such a strong fighter as well. Team Liquid have really coalesced around their jungler, though they continue to lose pressure in the top lane. Still, I don’t really see how REN win this.

Picks and Bans – The Casters talked about how REN can’t fall behind facing Ezreal and Corki, but I’m a bit concerned with the TL draft. I’m a huge fan of Thresh; Thresh’s have saved me so many times in solo queue. But despite having the Ezreal, they don’t really have peel for late-game teamfights, so they’ll have to do work before Malphite gets big. As for Renegades, they don’t have great laners outside of Kalista and their win condition is to win objective-based fights in the midgame. But, I kind of like their draft - when you're struggling with macro coordination, sometimes its easier to roam as 5 and force fights at places of your picking. That, of course, requires a different (and finer) level of coordination, but with this comp, that may work.


16:30 – REN are really focusing on the midlane after Fenix got a solo kill on AlexIch early. I really question if this is what they should be doing – I think the LeBlanc should be roaming out instead. This is the second time Crumbz has hidden in the bush and he gets seen, allowing TL to collapse on Freeze and Hakuho. They get 2 for nothing as the Thresh and Graves ults are well timed. This lets Dardoch spend even more time in the REN jungle. Another midlane gank from Crumbz at 20:15 is similarly timid.

22:45 – Crumbz misses a cocoon on Dardoch while Flaresz TPs in and REN lose another fight. Dardoch did preemptively juke, but the cocoon was not close. Crumbz looks lost right now.

28:30 – REN are able to push TL off the turret and blow up Dardoch. But Piglet and Fenix are untouched the whole time and return a kill. Then Crumbz misses another cocoon on Fenix, has no more cooldowns, tunnels for a kill anyway and is easily executed by the two remaining carries.

There’s not much more to say about this game. TL had too much power and played patiently around Dragon and Baron to win. Renegades have some serious soul searching to do, most of all for their captain Crumbz. He showed in some good places but did not execute. TL need wins wherever they can get them and got a good showing from Dardoch and Fenix.