Match Recap: Chiefs vs Peace - LCO Week 8
This recap proudly presented by Energizer
After a dominant game against Kanga Esports on Monday evening, our table-topping League team was looking to double-up for the week against an equally classy PEACE outfit, who were already looking like our staunchest rivals in the hunt for our first Oceanic title since 2016, having taken our only game off us so far this split.
However, since that loss we’d managed to reel off thirteen wins in a row and had no intention of letting that streak end, especially since a victory here would secure first place in the regular season with a week to go. Additionally, we’d also draw even with the Oceanic record set by our 2019 iteration of the Chiefs by claiming eighteen wins over the course of the split.
Coming into the draft, PEACE placed heavy priority on limiting Raes’ champion pool by banning away four marksman champs, but our veteran in the botlane was more than happy to lock in his Tristana to match up against Chayon’s Kai’Sa. The rest of our draft was focused on setting him to succeed, with Tally picking up Zilean to ensure a second roll of the dice if a teamfight went awry.
A quiet early game was interrupted when Dragku on Nautilus flashed into the face of the recalling Kai’Sa, locking Chayon down long enough for Raes to score the first kill of the game. A few traded kills accompanied the game slowing down again until we came with a two kill advantage in an explosive fight outside the Drake Pit, with an important kill going onto Topoon’s Gnar. With that lead, he was quickly able to solokill Thien’s Camille and snowball that lead even harder.
Topoon didn’t hesitate a few minutes later to pounce on an out-of-position Beats in the botlane, with the rest of the squad collapsing quickly to pick up a further three kills and break the game wide open. With the Rift Herald on Arthur’s Hecarim, an inner turret fell in short order and our control of the game was firming up very quickly. Take a peek below at our team’s incredible coordination in today’s Energizer Play of the Game.
Who needs focus and retrospection when you have confidence, cohesion and communication, hey @ChiefsESC? 😏 pic.twitter.com/Np6626MHZG
— LCO - Delivered By Menulog (@LCO) March 15, 2022
A hairy teamfight seven minutes later closed our gold lead slightly but a pick onto LeeSA’s tank Nocturne shortly after gifted us a free Baron. Boosted with purple energy, we quickly laid siege to PEACE’s base, with a further pick onto Thien opening the floodgates as a final teamfight erupted. Raes wasted no time decimating our top-of-the-table rivals as we stormed to our fourteenth win in a row to secure first place and an Oceanic record in the process.
Speaking to Tally after the game, he noted that it "always feels good to finish first in the regular season" but "finals is all that matters and that's what we have our eyes locked on.
Our next couple weeks of preparation will be the difference between being an okay team and an amazing team for finals and beyond."
While we’ve successfully locked down first place in the first LCO split of the year, securing a spot in the second round of the winner’s bracket — where we’ll face the winner of PEACE and Pentanet.GG — we aren’t taking our foot off the pedal just yet. With chances to sweep our trilogies against Pentanet and Dire Wolves next week, the Oceanic record for most wins in a season is begging to be broken entirely.
Be sure to tune in to twitch.tv/lco next week as we take on Pentanet at 6pm AEDT/8pm NZDT on Monday and then take on old rivals the Dire Wolves at the same time on Tuesday to conclude the regular season.
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