MVP blocked Afreeca Freecs from locking in a playoff spot, winning 2-1 to close out Week 9, Day 2 of League Champions Korea on Wednesday in Seoul, South Korea.
MVP (6-11, 13-27 match record) and Afreeca Freecs (9-8, 25-21 match record) both drafted similar teamfighting compositions to kick off Game 1. In the first 20 minutes, Afreeca managed to accrue kills and build a 5,100 gold lead. Eventually, it slowed the game's pace down and took down Baron near 28 minutes to mark the beginning of the end for MVP. Afreeca methodically pushed lane after lane to break inhibitors, paving the way for the ace and game victory that followed at the 34-minute mark.
Game 2 was about the same for both teams, except MVP led and Afreeca lagged behind. MVP had a sizable 3,400 gold lead going by 20 minutes, and a Baron soon after only sent Afreeca reeling further down. Staunch defense and stalling by Afreeca through two Baron buffs just wasn't enough to force an error on the side of MVP. The young team managed to wipe Afreeca off the map as it sailed to a Game 2 victory to even the series.
Afreeca and MVP showed confidence in team compositions, drafting in similar fashion. With this map victory locking Afreeca into the playoffs, MVP looked to play spoiler as the team picked up where it left off in Game 2. Strong early game play by MVP snowballed it into the mid and late game, making it all too easy to win teamfights. Two easy Barons led to a game and series victory for the team that has struggled since showing some promise at Rift Rivals.
MVP will finish off its split against Ever8 Winners on Saturday at 4 a.m ET, while Afreeca Freecs will have its playoff bid decided against Jin Air Green Wings on Saturday at 7 a.m ET.