LoL TBT: When EDG nullified Faker’s Leblanc 12-0 in the MSI final

In our last LoL TBT, we remember when Faker premiered from LeBlanc and did the time of Deft surrender in a competitive match. Well, the champion would go on to become one of the main mid laners, and feared by everyone, I mean, almost everyone…

Since that sinister debut, the Faker’s LeBlanc had 12 wins and no defeat. Feared by everyone, she would be chosen again in a five-a-side game. MSI endmass EDG, our protagonist of the time, had a trap ready for her.

Come with me and I’ll tell you everything about Faker’s first (and most memorable) Leblanc defeat in our LoL TBT!

Faker and his T1 moment in 2015

Faker had been going through a somewhat “troubled” moment at T1. Remember Easyhoon, who was the victim of Faker’s first Leblanc? Well, now he was a T1 mid laner and rotated positions during the series, something that was a bit unusual at the time (and still is today).

However, the strategy paid off: T1 was champion of the first split of the LCK 2015 and arrived as one of the favorites for the first edition of the MSI, a “mini-world cup” to warm up the year’s international disputes.

2015 EDG, a Chinese team

EDG had a very strong nucleus with the Chinese clearlove, Considered by many one of the revolutionaries of jungle, Koro1 at the top, and what would become one of the best supports of all time: Meiko.

That year, they decided to complete the team with Korean imports: the mid-laner PawN and or ADC Deft (Deft and Faker always bump into each other). This duo brought an absurd mechanical side together with a macro that was very different from the Korean one due to the Chinese core.

EDG destroyed the server and arrived with force at MSI. Still, eyes were on Faker and his SKT, after all: How can a player be considered the best of all if he is replaced?? There was this strong narrative, which only the MSI 2015 cup could answer.

The meeting of destiny

SKT T1 grew in an absurd way within the competition, even beating EDG in the group stage. In the playoffs, the Korean team had a tough time in the semifinals, against Fnatic from Wood (ex-SKT) e Reignover. The Chinese EDG, on the other hand, just ran over everything and everyone.

The time has come for the grand final: SKT T1 contra EDGthe reunion of Deft e Faker. A duel between PawN e Fakerand we still had the narrative of Clearlove vs Night: Who was the father of jungle?

More than these individual clashes, China wanted to dethrone a trio that had never lost finals together: Night, Faker e Kkoma.

Jogo 1 – Com Easyhoon, a SKT stompa a EDG

The kill score in the first game was 21 x 9 and the difference was 13 thousand gold in advantage for the Korean team. Easyhoon, with his Cassiopeia, was 9/0/8. I remember that, as a spectator, I already thought it was 3×0 SKT apart from the dance. And as always, LoL surprised me.

Game 2 – No Cassiopeia for you! EDG ties the series!

Something that escapes the radar of many is: the Aaron, technician and EDG, did very well in the series. The coach recognized how Cassiopeia’s priority could be problematic, so from now on Easyhoon’s Azir (the mid laner’s trademark) would be banned and the Cassiopeia would be the first pick of EDG.

The bet was a success, and not only was Cassiopeia repeated, but practically all the winning choices from the first game were repeated in EDG’s victory. The only change was to Jinx, who also destroyed the match.

The kill score for the second game was 31 x 13 and the difference was 16 thousand gold advantage for the Chinese team. An even bigger stomp to respond to the beating taken.

It’s worth saying that Wolf, SKT T1’s support, had a horrible game and this will be fundamental going forward.

Game 3 – SKT surrenders! EDG 2×1

And now? What was EDG’s coach Aaron and SKT’s coach Kkoma’s plan? Well, being on the red side, EDG banned Cassiopeia. T1, knowing that it would not give priority to Gragas, decided to prioritize the jungle of game 1, the Rek’Sai.

T1 does a comp in the Protect The ADC style, picking Lulu early and leaving the doubt as to whether she would be Support or Mid (at the time she was flex). So EDG just repeats the picks, but also selecting Nunu who had an absurd Attack Speed ​​buff, and they close the draft with the choice of Azir.

Contextualizing: At the time, Azir and Jinx, if anyone had a little lead, it was a snowball for sure!

Once again, EDG Aaron was right: PawN ruined Easyhoon’s game, making the poor guy finish 0/4/2. The EDG mid laner finished 10/0/8, a spectacular performance that already placed him as the best mid in the series – it was a 28 x 5 in the kill score, and others 16 mil advantage in gold.

Game 4 – The return of the Final Boss, Faker x EDG starts now

EDG returns to the blue side, what now? Insist on Cassiopeia against Faker? Coach Aaron had other plans: banning the champion and two ADC’s. The intention was to make Deft’s life even easier.

SKT responds with a ban on Jinx. What is the Chinese team’s priority? The same as all other games: Maokai. At that time, Maokai had a Team Fight function of mitigating the damage of the entire group, so it was essential for EDG to maintain this choice. Keep this information.

Well, SKT wasn’t stupid or anything either. With an early Azir, they chose the Kassadin match-up, in the style: “if they want to climb… let’s climb even more”. And Kkoma was right.

Faker comes back and makes a match 6/0/12 and all of SKT does an absurd execution, even Wolf, who was bad in the series, does an 0/0/16. It was a 23 x 6 in the kill score, and others 16 mil advantage in gold. GG SKT ties the series and takes the decision to the fifth and final game.

Game 5 – An EDG draft to go down in history

I asked you to keep two things: Maokai da EDG e Wolf’s performances. Well, EDG felt obliged to take risks and avoid some draft standards, such as: letting the Leblanc and the Urgot.

To do this, they would confirm the banning of Kalista and Gragas, after all, Nunu without Jinx (who was banned) wouldn’t do as much in their composition. Here they knew they were going to take Urgot and Leblanc, two champions who lost a lot of life at that time. But there was a plan, pay attention to the draft.

EDG creates the antiburst comp to stop Faker and Bang

It’s a bizarre expression, I know. But Maokai, as I already explained to you, mitigated the damage for everyone. Sivir had protection with her spell shield, while Alistar had (and still has) one of the highest damage reducing ults in the game.

Even Evelynn had an area ult that gave her a shield. The champion’s ability selected an area that dealt damage, and based on the number of champions hit and AP she had, the champion gained a shield – if she sped up her game, it would be a lot of shield.

This way, Urgot and Leblanc’s burst could be stopped. But it still needed some seasoning: the execution.

Perhaps the worst match of SKT Wolf’s life

Very early in the game, EDG opted for a dive over Wolf and MariN. At the time of the inversion, the top played lane together with the support, while the ADC funneled the resource. And it works at the beginning, two kills for EDG and one for SKT support, Wolf.

Later, Wolf goes to check the EDG jungle and ends up being discovered, so in order not to die, he is forced to use Flash. This created a window for the Chinese team to return to the bot a few minutes later to punish this lack of spell from SKT support, getting another kill, in addition to the first tower.

They ended Wolf’s game, and Bang’s as well. Time for EDG to focus on Faker.

Nullifying Faker’s Leblanc 12×0

With Meiko (Alistar) in front and the bot’s tower advantage, the support could now rotate smoothly, and he set up a tent in the mid. Along with their jungler Clearlove, they focused on Faker, who still didn’t die, rotated to the top and still got a kill.

However, in this game, EDG got another tower. SKT started trying desperate attacks in the hope of getting kills and thus creating a snowball, but EDG always managed to exchange these skills. The game was very even, which was terrible for a team with Leblanc and Ugot.

There was no explosion for Faker to kill EDG’s carries

Leblanc at that time was a more selfish type of champion, either she carried it alone, or she sank alone. Notice in the clip below how Faker kills Deft, but practically his entire team dies due to the lack of damage from a mid laner.

Check out this other teamfight, T1 can do a lot of damage, but that’s what’s missing, if Leblanc doesn’t come in and kill, there’s no continuation in the play. Everyone from EDG is left with little health, but they manage to eliminate SKT because they have more resistance and continuous damage:

Hope turns to ruin – Faker dies at the hands of EDG

Faker doesn’t give up on the game, and because he isn’t dying, he does Mejai, which grants more AP the more kills or assists the player has.

Soon after, he gets his third kill, and at that moment everyone thought that SKT was going to step on the accelerator and run over, but it was Faker who stepped on the accelerator more than necessary. The Unkillable Demon King died and lost all of his Mejai stacks.

After that the game was slow, EDG didn’t hit much, but it tanked a lot. There were 2 barons from EDG, who in the 37th minute got the GG and thus closed the series at 3×2. With a KDA of 4/2/3, Faker’s feared Leblanc has been contained for the first time!

EDG’s discipline and attitude on and off Summoner’s Rift was rewarded with the first international title for the Chinese server. And not only that, EDG showed Faker (and the world) that every meta can be countered, every power pick. A lesson that is worthy of TBT.