The 4th Match between TSM and G2 on Day 5 of the 2017 MSI Group Stage exemplified the most distinct styles from each team. Just a couple days ago, TSM and G2 played a comedic 50-minute match, one that was neither entertaining to watch nor satisfying in terms of the final outcome.

This match, however, saw much improvement from the last one. To sum it up in a single phrase, it was the battle of shield and spear. If one were to only look at the match result, it would seem like G2 successfully came back after fending off TSM’s advances. Upon further examination though, the game becomes much more nuanced than it appears. In this article, we’ll take a look at how TSM gave away the lead despite the seemingly favorable circumstances, as well as how G2 was able to rebound and claim victory against all odds.

▣ Draft: Aggressive TSM and Defensive G2

The two teams’ draft clearly showcased the different strategies they had in mind coming into the game. First off, TSM’s favorite picks are Rumble, Jayce, and Varus. In the previous match against G2, TSM made quite an impression with Rumble and Jayce. TSM intended to outmuscle the opponent in the laning phase and open fire with poking abilities afterwards. To accomplish this task, they took Ivern, who can help with laning via buff control, as well as Varus for raw poking power.

The reason TSM banned LeBlanc, Fizz, Fiora, and Syndra was to give more weight to this strategy. Notice that these champions excel at either laning or splitpushing. Since poke-heavy comps require enemy champions to group together, it was necessary for TSM to ban out champions who could benefit from splitpushing. After G2 banned the double shield duo, Lulu and Karma, TSM responded by banning Tahm Kench to maintain the bot lane balance.

Unfortunately, TSM’s bans didn’t really have much meaningful impact on their opponent because G2, just like TSM, already had a comp and strategy made up before they entered the arena. G2’s weapon of choice was an ADC-oriented comp, which has been proven time and time again to be powerful even in recent tournaments. The reason they went with an unorthodox Nunu was also to supplement Caitlyn’s carry potential. The same can be said about Braum and Gragas who can consistently cover for ADC champions.

It was easy to predict how the game would pan out just by looking at the draft. The question was whether TSM could completely shut down G2 and snowball the game in their favor. They needed to do this before Caitlyn became too much of a threat, otherwise she could carry the game for G2.

▣ Tipping Point: 35 minutes into the game

Unlike the disappointing plays from the previous match, TSM showed up with a completely new game plan. If the last battle was like an exam they didn’t study for, this match was a test they were tutored to pass. From the early to mid game, TSM outplayed G2 in a dominant fashion. It was Svenskeren on Ivern who dictated the flow of the game by consistently checking the enemy jungler’s situation and harassing Trick’s Nunu throughout the game.

In fact, Perkz’s Orianna didn’t get a single buff even though Blue was slain three times. On the other hand, Bjergsen’s Jayce always had two buffs throughout the game, thanks to some help from Ivern. In turn, the mid laning phase shifted heavily in favor of TSM. With this momentum, TSM made quick work of the outer turret, which limited Caitlyn’s roaming ability. Although this type of aggressive playstyle was lacking in the previous match, TSM proved that they were up to the task.

G2’s response was exceptional too. Even though it seemed like G2 was being manhandled by TSM in the early to mid game, it wasn’t because G2 played objectively worse than TSM did. TSM’s comp largely consisted of aggressive champions with little to no legroom for backup plans. Aside from Ivern, who didn’t need to stack up attack damage and went for more defense and utility, the rest of the TSM players chose to go all out on aggressive item builds. It’s not an exaggeration to say that TSM divided the ratio between attack and defense to 8-2. This is understandable given TSM’s strategy, which aimed to break through the opponent’s defense. The downside is that TSM would eventually lose momentum over G2, whose balance between attack and defense is more stable. Since G2 was counting on that tipping point, all they could do was hold out and wait for the right moment.

It’s worth examining Gragas’ play specifically. In the previous match, Expect’s Gragas was unfashionably dismantled. In this match though, he kept his own against the enemy Rumble and reduced the time that TSM had a free reign over the match. At most, TSM had 35 minutes to make something happen. Sadly for TSM, Perkz’s Orianna miraculously caught up on items and Zven continued to grow to be a real threat. The 35-minute mark is when G2’s main damage dealers acquired at least three core items. After that point on, TSM was no longer able to hold against the damage output from G2’s DPS.

TSM had been dominant for a whole 35 minutes against G2, but they weren’t able to make it inside their base. If TSM was able to destroy G2’s inhibitor before that and continue pushing G2 backward, it might have been a different story. But TSM once again made the same mistake they made 2 days ago- they remained too confident in their advantage, causing them to stop snowballing.

The critical factor for their loss was the moment right after TSM killed the dragon about 29 minutes in. Right then, TSM chose to recall to their base to rearm, and G2 seized the chance to kill the Baron. 30 minutes after the match began, the global gold gap between two teams wasn’t even more than 3k gold. That was too little to say that one outplayed the other. At this point, my coworker, an ex-pro gamer, commented, “If TSM fails to kill Orianna fast, G2 will win this match, although they don’t have any way to do that.”

▲ TSM lets G2 take the Baron, thinking they won the game.

▣ Hefty price to pay for missing the chance to close

Looking at the game up till that point, one might wonder if TSM was certain to lose or not. If you actually look at the match, TSM won in several teamfights against G2 afterwards, and managed to widen the global gold gap. In spite of all that, they could not make it beyond G2’s defenses. The game had drawn out to 40 minutes, and while TSM may have been able to win teamfights, they could not get any closer to victory.

The reason for that was PerkZ’s Orianna. For those who have seen the match, Zven seems to be the player that contributed most to the team victory for G2, but personally, I would have picked PerkZ’s Orianna as the main reason they were able to win. PerkZ showed good gameplay through the whole match, but that wasn’t all; the reason I assert that PerkZ was the MVP of this match is because he never died after the his first death in the very early phase of the game.

As I mentioned above, Orianna continued to farm under immense pressure until she had enough burst damage. At that moment, Orianna already had the ability to burst down TSM with one single skill combo. Most of TSM members were powerful, but didn’t have enough tankiness to hold out against a burst attack. Orianna became a major threat that could halt all of their attacks.

If Orianna had died in just one teamfight, TSM would have gained a chance to grasp victory. An ADC shines when there are teamfights taking place, but not when poking from a distance. On the other hand, it’s a different story for Orianna, who can make many different plays in and out of teamfights. PerkZ played carefully, keeping from danger as he continued to farm throughout the game, which bought G2 the precious time they needed in order to win against TSM.

The price TSM paid for letting the game carry on was harsh. Just as TSM had feared, Caitlyn farmed steadily and eventually became powerful enough to carry the game. WildTurtle’s Varus had full build, so there might not seem to be a big difference. But even if both ADCs had full items, the gap between Zven and WildTurtle was huge (Apart from how WildTurtle seemed to be off in this tournament)

G2’s composition was set to support Caitlyn. Gragas, who can get opponent aggro on himself and knock them sideways to start a fight; Nunu, who can grant his teammates bonus attack speed; Orianna, who is a very intimidating damage dealer; and lastly Braum, who can create a barrier that intercepts skills. Even if the ADCs on both teams were at full build, WildTurtle is just one of three dealers TSM has, but Zven is literally the main player of G2. At the moment the game ended, no one on G2 had any items related to attack except Orianna and Caitlyn. They all chose to focus on supporting these two damage dealers.

▣ Strategy against strategy: Time decided the winner

In the end, TSM could not break G2’s well-balanced composition. It was a pitiful sight, compared to how they were leading the game overwhelmingly in the early-mid phase. Although TSM had many chances to go for victory, they lost those chances and never got them back. TSM gave up all the chances and victories they had, and was finally eliminated from MSI after their rematch with Flash Wolves.

▲ The last fight. The game ended as G2 has planned.

This match was a fairly professional one without any silly mistakes, but there were moments when the game could be turned around. It wasn’t about luck at all- it was more about G2 simply carrying out their strategy better than their opponent did.

This directly shows how there are many variable factors that can influence who ends up obtaining victory. Competition between two strategies is influenced by several factors. Sometimes it could be about how certain champions are better than others, and sometimes it could be about their build. In this match, it was ‘time’ that greatly influenced the game. And it was G2 that succeeded in winning with time on their side.