Team WE kicked off Week 3, Day 1 of the League of Legends Pro League in style with a 2-0 sweep of I May on Thursday in Shanghai.
Team WE (3-1, 7-3 match record) picked a strong late-game teamfighting composition for Game 1, but I May's midgame pick comp managed to eventually snag a modest gold lead. After picking up first blood and first tower gold, IM held a 1,300-gold lead by the 18-minute mark on the back of team-wide picks, but Team WE bided its time. Sensing the game slowly slipping out of its hands, I May attempted to rush a Baron kill at 32 minutes, but "Son of Baron" himself, WE jungler Xiang "Condi" Ren-Jie, came up with a huge steal as Jarvan IV, leading the WE charge as it took the ensuing fight 4-for-0. Suddenly ahead 5,500 gold at 34 minutes, WE rocketed ahead further, using the Baron buff to swarm IM and take down its defenses. Condi led the charge for WE, posting a 1/0/8 KDA (kills/deaths/assists) for 91 percent kill participation, as WE took a 4-for-0 teamfight in I May's base on the back of a triple kill for AD carry Jin "Mystic" Seong-jun's Caitlyn, securing a comeback Game 1 win in 37 minutes.
The bravery of I May (0-4, 1-8 match record) in not banning Zac on red side was admirable, but allowing Condi to pick it after WE first picked Mystic's Caitlyn proved to be a crucial mistake. Condi was an absolute monster on the blob brawler, picking up first blood at 10 minutes to snowball WE's bot lane. All of WE's lanes held significant leads throughout the early game, empowering the team's incredibly strong pick composition while I May's late-game split pushing composition was blasted before it even had a chance to perform. Condi showed why Zac is the power pick in the jungle, initiating tower dives from miles away and locking up IM members for as long as three uninterrupted seconds of crowd control to give WE a huge lead. I May prevented WE from getting a perfect game at the 20-minute mark with a kill and a tower, but WE's 7,000-gold lead wouldn't dissipate. WE methodically rotated around the map and took down IM's structures before winning a final 4-for-0 fight at 32 minutes to close out a dominant 2-0 sweep.
I May will hope to recover against Snake Esports on Saturday at 5 a.m. ET, while Team WE prepares for a clash of titans against EDward Gaming on Saturday at 8 a.m. ET.