The surging DAN Gaming took down Invictus Gaming on Saturday in a dominant 2-0 sweep to kick off Week 3, Day 3 of the League of Legends Pro League in Shanghai.
When DAN Gaming (4-2, 8-2 match record) entered the Rift in Game 1, it made the fact that it wasn't intimidated by IG's Korean superstars in Song "Rookie Eui-jin and Lee "Duke" Ho-seong abundantly clear. From the get-go DAN's decisiveness proved to give an edge. Spotting IG jungler Ghao Zhen "Ning" Ning with the assistance of Rookie going for an early game red invade, DAN collapsed and took the first two kills of the game. DAN continued its blistering pace by taking objectives across the top half of the map while IG struggled to take its first turret. Perhaps IG's biggest mistake was prioritizing giving the tank of Galio to Rookie in the mid lane in a matchup where his team could probably better use him as a damage dealer, or possibly allowing Joeng "Karin" Soo Jong to take Zac as he looked spectacular on the pick, securing easy teamfight wins for DAN. In the end it was a one-sided affair as DAN broke IG's Nexus with a huge 22-to-4 kill lead, taking Game 1 in 32 minutes.
Early on in Game 2, Invictus (2-3, 5-7 match record) looked like it had a plan to counter DAN's aggressive playstyle, prioritizing vision and keeping track of Karin's Kha'Zix to slow his lane pressure. Up until the midgame, the plan looked effective as IG built a gold and objective lead. However, DAN's mid game power spikes, alongside its communication and confidence, overwhelmed its old-guard opponents. Securing the first Baron of the game immediately after it spawned to slow IG's roll, DAN took full control of the game after a strong IG start after it killed the second Baron. Breaking into Invictus' base, DAN's spectacular team fighting again took center stage, winning the fight with ease and closing out a 2-0 sweep.
DAN's next chance to show off comes Thursday when it faces Royal Never Give Up at 5 a.m. ET, while Invictus Gaming looks to rebound against the struggling JD Gaming at 8 a.m. ET that same day.