The Summit 5 upper bracket finals did not go as most would have predicted. What it did accomplish is highlighting Wings Gaming as a formidable up and coming Chinese power house.
Game One:
The series kicked off with a run-at-you style of game play, both teams choosing high aggression in the laning to mid-game phases, and trading ganks. Zhang ‘Innocence’ Liping was a nuisance on his Riki, being involved in the first five Wings Gaming kills as they took an early five to nil kill count. OG responded in kind with more early aggression, utilizing an unusual carry Centuar Warrunner pick for Johan ‘n0tail’ Sundstein to quell the confrontational Wings mentality. The result was 20 kills at just the 13 minute mark.
From this moment on, the game took a turn to a more team fight oriented philosophy. At 17 minutes into the game OG attempted to sneak in Roshan. Wings Gaming sniffed this out and began converging on the Roshan pit. With Chronosphere at his disposal, Chu 'Shadow-' Zeyu leaped in with time walk and disrupted OG’s team fight, splitting them apart. Trying what he could to salvage the fight and Roshan, Centuar bought back after falling early in the fray. It was all for nought as Li ‘iceice’ Peng was able to lock down the Centuar under his serpent wards. It was a die back. Wings walked away ahead but beaten and battered. With major cooldowns unavailable OG returned moments later and took roshan.
Game one dragged on for some time as both teams appeared to be more concerned with taking momentum via kills rather than objectives. After several considerable skirmishes and clutch Faceless Void chronospheres, Wings took to the roshan pit once again and claimed aegis uncontested, thus setting up their late game romp.
The game’s first march on high ground began at 37 minutes with Wings Gaming eyeing a game one victory. After a critical Io save on Amer ‘Miracle-' Barkawi’s Invoker, OG continued the team fight, with Chronosphere on cooldown, overextending away from their high ground and essentially getting wiped. The GG’s (good game) were called a bit after and Wings secured their one-nil series lead.
Game Two:
Game two between the hyper aggressive chieftains was more of the same. OG adopted a four protect one line up leaning heavily on an in-your-face Anti Mage carry. Innocence was up to his usual tricks, roaming on his Lion throughout the dire jungle. Eventually he would stumble upon an unhealthy Batrider controlled by David ‘Moonmeander’ Tan who frequently retreats to the jungle. It was an easy first blood that would set the tone for Wings commanding the early game and acquiring an effortless 16 minute Naga Siren radiance.
The game trickled along as any Naga Siren game would. Wing’s lead was slowly increasing as Naga was absorbing farm across the map. OG was simply waiting for Wings to make a mistake. At the 23 minute mark, their prayers were answered and an opening revealed itself. Wings was intent on claiming the dire’s final tier one tower, expecting OG to concede. They scrambled towards the tower and engaged on Axe. An attempt to flank OG from the Naga swiftly devolved into bad positioning as the hero was isolated on either side of the tower from the rest of the team. Chain deaths concluded in three Wings cores falling and all OG heroes standing. The team fight translated into an aegis for Antimage.
As the late game approached OG made their presence felt and continued their comeback finding key pick offs with immaculate initiations from Andreas ‘Cr1t’ Nielsen on his signature Earth Spirit. One of these events kick-started a chain feed sequence that once again resulted in multiple dead heroes for Wings and an aegis for OG. The comeback seemed on the verge of completion until it dawned upon the viewers that any aegis push attempt was stalled by Naga illusion split push.
The fatal moment came just after 40 minutes when Wings smoked four heroes and journeyed to the dire’s secret shop. The location of Wings was unknown to Antimage as he ventured a bit too far away from back up and got Axe berserker called and killed himself upon blade mail. This time the chain deaths found itself in Wings’ favor and following a die back from Antimage the GG’s came out.
Wings Gaming are the first to advance to the Grand Finals at the Summit 5 and await the champions of the lower bracket.
