Writer's Note: This is the first segment of a weekly series that I would like to do where I showcase certain LCS games by providing analysis as well as brief game summaries. Due to time contraints, I had to include the pre-game analysis with the in-game stuff. In the future, I plan to split the two up and release the pre-game analysis prior to the live event. Any suggestions or feedback would be much appreciated. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy!

TEAMS
Team Dignitas
Top Lane: Alan "Kiwikid" Nguyen
Jungle: Alberto "Crumbzz" Rengifo
Mid Lane: William "Scarra" Li
AD Carry: Michael "Imaqtpie" Santana
Support: Jordan "Patoy" Blackburn

Cloud 9 HyperX
Top Lane: An "Balls" Le
Jungle: William "Meteos" Hartman
Mid Lane: Hai "Hai" Lam
AD Carry: Zachary "Sneaky" Scuderi
Support: Daerek "LemonNation" Hart


If you haven't watched the game yet or would like to see it again, you can find the replay after the pre-game analysis!

PRE-GAME ANALYSIS

Top Lane:

Kiwikid
Notable Champions:
Aatrox - This is the second week Aatrox has been available in the LCS. Last week, Kiwikid picked him in two of their three matches. Aatrox has similar capabilities to that of Tryndamere with the ability to split push, chase, and clean up fights. Aatrox can also initiate fights with a properly placed Dark Flight. Dark Flight used in conjunction with other abilities like Sona's Crescendo or Zac's Elastic Slingshot could lead into a perfect initiate for Team Dignitas. In fights, Aatrox could be a good answer to Cloud 9 HyperX's traditional CC-heavy comps as he could easily escape and/or counter-initiate. Aatrox is a possible pick for Kiwikid and will likely be uncontested during the pick/ban phase due to his relative new-ness in the LCS.
Elise - Elise is one of Kiwikid's most played champions in the LCS and is also a highly contested pick. With her high base damage, she can be built quite tanky without sacrificing much. She is an effective 1v2 champion since her human form is ranged and because she can open ganking opportunities with her Cocoon. Against Cloud 9 HyperX, Elise could be a highly contested pick as both Balls and Meteos have been known to play her. As with Aatrox, Elise would be effective in CC-oriented team fights because of her Rappel and ability to stick on to high-priority targets or strong peeling capabilities.
Kennen - Kennen is another popular champion with Kiwikid and the rest of the LCS. Due to his high range with auto attacks and his Thundering Shuriken, he is a strong 1v2 champion. Rushing Zhonya's Hourglass is a popular item path on Kennen as it allows stronger early to mid-game fights. Kennen is very popular with Cloud 9 HyperX as he is one of the most played champions from both Hai and Balls. It is highly likely that Kennen will be banned or picked. Combined with a strong initiate from Crumbzz or Patoy, Kennen could easily burn down multiple champions in a team fight if he isn't focused immediately. However, with Cloud 9 HyperX's CC, it is possible that Kennen could be disabled for the duration of the fight.

Balls
Notable Champions:
Karthus - During Week 6 in their game versus Curse, Balls picked Karthus. With a very tanky Nasus front line and the utility/CC from Zyra/Ashe, Balls made Karthus a very effective pick, bagging the most champion kills, minion kills, and overall gold. With a similar team composition, Karthus could thrive in a 1v2 lane and become a late game monster. He is also effective at forcing objectives due to his high AoE damage output and Wall of Pain. Karthus could be a possible alternative for Balls if Rumble and Ryze are banned or picked. Against Team Dignitas, Karthus could destroy Imaqtpie or anyone else if he could close the gap which could be done easily with a Zyra/Ashe combo in the fray.
Rumble - Balls is arguably the best Rumble player in the LCS. With a 100% win rate, he is banned against Balls quite often. His Equalizer's complement Cloud 9 HyperX's team fights flawlessly and almost always is the difference between a won or lost fight. While Kiwikid has also been known to play Rumble, it is more likely that Team Dignitas will aim to ban him against Balls. If not, Rumble could easily do well in a 1v2 lane and farm up for mid/late game. Later on in fights, The Equalizer would break up fights in Cloud 9 HyperX's favor and grant Balls the ability to melt down the enemy squishies.
Ryze - As with Rumble, Ryze is one of Balls' strongest champions. Also with a 100% win rate, he is often banned or picked against Balls. Ryze is also one of Scarra's most played champions so he could be a point of contention between the two teams. Due to his range and harassing ability, he is a strong 1v1 champion and an effective 1v2er. In fights, Cloud 9 HyperX's CC will create a path for him to make it to Team Dignitas' back line. Ryze would also be strong at peeling for Sneaky and Hai as his late game combo can melt most any champion.

Jungle:

Crumbzz
Notable Champions:
Lee Sin - As Crumbzz' most played champion in the LCS, Lee Sin is a likely pick or alternative. With his high mobility and quick clear, Lee Sin can easily gain an advantage for his team early on. His objective control is high as the risk of his Smite into Resonating Strike combo stealing away Dragon or Baron can deter teams. In team fights, he will look to initiate and target the squishies or peel for his carries. While Meteos has played him in the past, it is unlikely that Lee will be a point of contention between the teams during the pick/ban phase.
Nocturne - Another one of Crumbzz' most played champions is Nocturne. His strong initiate and impeccable ability to get picks on champions makes him a valuable addition to any Team Dignitas composition. With the danger of Paranoia looming, neutral objectives are hard to control. With Crumbzz' jungle experience, getting a buff, dragon, or Baron stolen is always a possibility. Nocturne would most likely be the one to initiate for Team Dignitas. Preferably, he would jump on a carry and take them out of the fight but he could also peel for his team. While unlikely, it is possible that Nocturne is banned against Team Dignitas.
Zac - Zac is just behind Lee Sin in total games played by Crumbzz in the LCS. His high amounts of CC and super-long range initiate make him a great pick. As with Nocturne, Zac would most likely be the one to initiate a fight or pick someone off for Team Dignitas. After properly initiating with Elastic Slingshot, Zac can easily combo Let's Bounce! with other ultimates like Sona's Crescendo or Orianna's Command: Shockwave. Zac would be a good choice against Cloud 9 HyperX as his ability to break-up a fight would negate some of their AoE CC.

Meteos
Notable Champions:
Elise - As one of the few jungle Elise players in the NA LCS, Meteos can always pick her and utilize her effectively. Her ganking ability and picking potential makes her a valuable asset to any team. Combined with high amounts of CC from her team, however, Elise can be even deadlier as her high base damage and Cocoon can lockdown most any champion. Meteos is known to build Elise very tanky as well, so there isn't much of a front line durability sacrifice if she is picked. Since Kiwikid is also known to play her, Elise will most likely be picked or banned.
Nasus - Nasus is Meteos' most played champion and for good reason. His clear time is strong, his ganking potential is high, and his objective control thanks to Fury of the Sands makes him a potent addition to most any team composition. Additionally, during team fights, Nasus' durability and Wither allows him to lock down the enemy ADC. Against Team Dignitas, Meteos can shut down Imaqtpie unless there is a large buffer between the two of them. It's possible that Meteos will be Team Dignitas' priority target if he overextends too far. A Nasus ban is a distinct possibility but not the most likely.
Zac - Meteos' second most played champion, Zac, would add a lot to Cloud 9 HyperX's compositions. With his CC layered on top of, say, Zyra or Kennen, Cloud 9 HyperX could slice through team fights with ease. Of course, a proper initiation would be necessary and Zac is the champion to do that with his Elastic Slingshot. Additionally, Zac can dish out a fair amount of sustained damage during a fight. Zac's mobility also makes him a great pick for Cloud 9 HyperX as the additional pressure can open up the map enough to get a pick off or to force an objective. Between Meteos and Crumbzz or even a surprise top lane pick from Balls or Kiwikid, Zac will definitely be a contested champion.

Mid Lane:

Scarra
Notable Champions:
Diana - As Scarra's most played champion in the LCS and as effective as he is with her, Diana may be a contested pick. Her ability to clean up fights as well as her sticking capability would make her a strong pick against Cloud 9 HyperX's traditional compositions. If Diana lands a Crescent Strike on an enemy carry, then they will be in extreme danger. Diana, when left unchecked, could easily decimate Cloud 9 HyperX's back line. However, it will be up to Scarra's positioning in order to keep from being locked up by CC. When combined with Nocturne or Zac's picking ability, Diana could easily nuke anyone that is caught out, making map control one of Cloud 9 HyperX's highest priorities.
Master Yi - After first utilizing Yi against TSM Snapdragon during Week 3 and with a finishing score of 19/3/3, Scarra made it clear that Yi is a distinct threat and a great addition to certain Team Dignitas line-ups. When combined with other champions that acquire resets on their abilities, Yi can be a monster. However, he requires a decent amount of snowballing early on with kills or a fair amount of farm. A reset-based team composition would be a nightmare for any team looking to force an objective as one team member being low could lead to the rest of the team getting destroyed. Since Yi isn't a commonly picked champion, it is unlikely he’ll face a ban unless Cloud 9 HyperX fears the reset composition enough.
Zed - With his insane bursting potential and gap-closing abilities, Zed is a commonly picked champion in the LCS. It isn't a surprise that an experienced mid player like Scarra would pick him up in order to use him to the fullest. Zed is a great split-pusher as he can 1v1 most champions and can push quickly. If a team fight is broken up by someone like Zac, Zed can easily slip through the front line and blow up Cloud 9 HyperX's carries immediately. As with Diana, if he is caught up in any sort of CC, it is likely that Cloud 9 HyperX will attempt to take him out first, making Scarra's positioning a key factor in the outcome of the game. Hai is also a strong Zed playing thereby making him a contested pick.

Hai
Notable Champions:
Jayce - As one of Hai's most played champions in the LCS, Jayce would make a good alternative pick for Hai if Zed is banned/picked. Jayce's massive poke with his Acceleration Gate-Shock Blast combo fits Cloud 9 HyperX's usual compositions well. Not only that, but the speed boost granted by his Gate allows Cloud 9 HyperX to initiate much better. In team fights, Jayce is a massive threat as he can weave in and out in Cannon form or go all-in onto the enemy squishies. Jayce also makes a great addition to forcing objectives as the enemy team will have to make the choice between backing out or attempting to initiate as they get poked down. Because of all this, Jayce could be a priority ban for Team Dignitas.
Kennen - While Kennen is a somewhat uncommon pick for mid laners, he is nevertheless effective in the hands of Hai. Kennen complements any CC-based team comp exceptionally as he can add to it with multiple stuns as well as high amounts of damage. He also has a bit of poke with his Thundering Shuriken and Electrical Surge. In their game against Velocity Esports last week, Hai was able to poke the enemy off of dragon long enough for Balls on Rumble to arrive so they could set-up a perfect fight. That fight at dragon undoubtedly shifted the momentum in Cloud 9 HyperX's favor enough so they could close out the game. Since Hai, Kiwikid, and Balls are all are known to play Kennen, he will most definitely be banned or picked.
Zed - As with Scarra, Hai is a notable Zed player and plays him in the LCS most any chance that he can. With proper positioning, Hai can easily take control of a team fight and turn it in their favor as Zed. Unless Team Dignitas picks a CC-heavy composition, it will be up to their peeling and positioning to keep Zed off of Imaqtpie and their other squishies. Thanks to Zed's Living Shadow, he can easily escape or outrun Team Dignitas' attempts to catch him so he will be a valuable split-pusher for Cloud 9 HyperX. As previously stated, he will most definitely be a point of contention for the two teams during the pick/ban phase.

AD Carry:

Imaqtpie
Notable Champions:
Ezreal - Imaqtpie has proven to be a strong Ezreal player with a KDA of 9 as him. Ezreal makes for a good complement to most any support pick as he combines decent burst with long range poke. His high mobility thanks to his Arcane Shift also makes him a safe pick. During team fights, Arcane Shift can be used to reposition and potentially safe his life or it can be used as a chasing mechanism. A properly placed Trueshot Barrage can deal immense damage to the enemy team or it can be used as a global lane-pushing ability. Ezreal would be a great pick to avoid CC-oriented team compositions. However, it will be crucial to save Arcane Shift for the best moment because if it is wasted, it could easily mean being locked down or assassinated.
Graves - Graves is Imaqtpie's most picked champion in the LCS. He has one of the highest burst potentials of any ADC and his ability to reposition with Quickdraw makes him an effective and a fairly safe pick. Additionally, a well-placed Smoke Screen can break up a team fight or leave the enemy team vulnerable to additional CC. Against Cloud 9 HyperX, Graves would be a good pick since his burst damage allows him to stand toe-to-toe with most champions. However, his Quickdraw is fairly short for an escape mechanism, making positioning especially vital during CC-heavy team fights.
Varus - Varus is another common pick for Imaqtpie. Piercing Arrow gives him long range harass and his ability to deal percentage health damage makes him a strong lane opponent. On top of that, the percentage health damage combined with Chain of Corruption makes him a team fighting menace. Chain of Corruption can potentially snare all five members of the opposing team and leaves Varus free to do insane damage. Since Cloud 9 HyperX relies heavily on CC, Varus would be a decent pick as Chain of Corruption could give his team the proper opening to get to Cloud 9 HyperX's back line. However, Varus has no escape in his kit so positioning as him will be key for Imaqtpie.

Sneaky
Notable Champions:
Ashe - Ashe is one of Sneaky's most picked champions because of her utility and CC. Coupled with Zyra support, they make a strong 2v2 lane and even stronger 2v1 match-up. Hawkshot in conjunction with Zyra's plants can grant them with great map awareness. With Sneaky's mechanics, landing Enchanted Crystal Arrow on priority targets is a definite possibility during team fights which could easily turn the tide of battle. Volley coupled with Frost Shot make great tools for kiting a tanky front line like Zac or Nocturne. Ashe probably won't be a point of contention between the two teams but she might receive a target ban from Team Dignitas if they are afraid of Sneaky's capabilities as her.
Ezreal - Along with Imaqtpie, Sneaky plays a good Ezreal game. He utilizes Arcane Shift to the fullest by weaving in and out of fights and avoiding being locked down providing Cloud 9 HyperX with constant damage. Ezreal's long range harass makes him effective in a 2v2 or 2v1 lane match-up. If Team Dignitas were to rely on an assassin like Diana or Zed to pick off Sneaky, then Ezreal would be the one of the best picks as he has the potential to escape. While unlikely, it is possible that Ezreal might be banned by Team Dignitas if they wanted to remove that possibility all together.
Vayne - While Vayne isn't one of Sneaky's most played champions, he has been picking her some recently and has also been playing her a lot in solo queue. Like Ezreal, Vayne is difficult to pin down due to Tumble and Final Hour. Her power spikes when she hits level 6 and when she finishes Blade of the Ruined King can also open up team fight opportunities for Cloud 9 HyperX. Vayne's hyper damage potential during mid and late game makes her an effective split pusher but, due to her squishiness, is vulnerable to assassins. However, despite this, Sneaky stated that Vayne is a strong pick against Zed as she has the sheer damage to beat him in a one-on-one duel. Since Vanye isn't one of Sneaky's most picked, it is unlikely that she'll face a ban.

Support:

Patoy
Notable Champions:
Janna - Janna is one of the safest support champions as proven by Patoy's 17.3 KDA with her. She almost guarantees a safe farm lane in a 2v2 situation or she can be a nuisance in most any 2v1 match-up. Janna's global movement speed buff may not seem like much but it can be the difference in surviving a gank, catching up to the enemy, or saving an ally. Howling Gale and Zephyr can be great starters to a gank or they can be used just as easily to escape one. With 40% CDR, Eye of the Storm is on a 6 second cooldown, making is a superb ability in team fights as it absorbs 240 damage per cast at level 9 and boosts attack damage. It could potentially absorb all of the damage from one of Cloud 9 HyperX's AoE abilities. Finally, Janna's Monsoon, when in the hands of a skilled support player like Patoy, could disengage a team fight or split the fight up enough to turn it into Team Dignitas' favor.
Lulu - Patoy may not be the most avid Lulu player in the LCS but he has proven to be quite efficient with her. Her utility means a safe lane for Imaqtpie to farm in and her poke can make a 2v1 lane a difficult for the opponent. Additionally, Glitterlance can help clear minion waves quickly, enabling fast pushes onto turrets. In fights, Patoy on Lulu could dominate a fight by casting Wild Growth on an initiator like Zac or Nocturne or on Scarra if he were playing an assassin allowing for greater sticking potential and the durability necessary to killing Cloud 9 HyperX's back line. On top of all that, Lulu provides great map control as the mobility from Whimsy as well as her range allows her to clear wards with ease.
Sona - Patoy's go-to support is Sona. The utility provided from her various Auras and her Crescendo makes her a top tier support. In lane, her poke is similar to Lulu's making a 2v1 a nightmare for the opposition. Sona can also hold her own in a 2v2 lane due to her decent sustain and damage. Every team will experience a power spike in fights once Sona hits level 6 as her Crescendo can change the game when properly used. In mid or late game fights, a Flash-Crescendo combo is one of the strongest initiates in the game as it locks up anyone that's hit and allows Sona's allies to follow-up easily. Similarly to Janna's Monsoon, Crescendo can disengage but it is most effective during a full-on engagement. Against Cloud 9 HyperX, the AoE CC has the potential to shutdown enough of their members to win Team Dignitas the fight.

LemonNation
Lulu - Lulu has served as a fallback champion for LemonNation if his other supports are banned or picked. He utilizes Lulu's kit quite effectively and can complement most any Cloud 9 HyperX team composition. In lane, she can harass from a safe distance and in team fights she provides an immense amount of utility. Glitterlance is a strong kiting (or even chasing) tool. LemonNation will need to utilize his quick reaction time to decide whether to Polymorph with Whimsy or to speed up an ally. Help, Pix! can give an ally that extra shield needed to survive or it can be used prior to a Glitterlance when chasing. The massive health boost to allies from Wild Growth can also make or break a team fight. The initial knock-up and slow can be used on a heavy initiate like Zac to ensure a proper fight or it can be used to protect the carries.
Thresh - Unsurprisingly, Thresh is LemonNation's most picked champion. He is arguably the strongest support in the game as he provides decent damage with high amounts of crowd control, strong initiate, and a free escape with his Dark Passage. In lane, Thresh is the definition of bully as his auto attacks do a fair bit of damage because of the passive magic damage gained from Flay. Additionally, his Death Sentence-Flay combo coupled with Dark Passage makes ganking for a Thresh lane easy. He can initiate fights effectively and cause mass disruption with The Box. He also provides a free reposition for one of his allies with Dark Passage. Due to Thresh's popularity and strengths, he is a common ban in the LCS. It is very possible that he is banned or even first picked.
Zyra - Since her release Zyra has been an off-and-on support pick. Currently, she is top tier and LemonNation is making the most of it by frequently picking her. Paired up with Ashe, they are a very potent duo lane with high amounts of CC. Zyra's Grasping Roots ability can lockdown multiple champions and when coupled with two Vine Lashers, it could easily affect an entire team. Zyra shines strongest, however, when she combos all of that with her ultimate, Stranglethorns. The massive AoE ability could easily shutdown an entire team when properly placed. Zyra is a good pick against most any team composition as her abilities have decent range and her auto attack range of 575 allows her to clear wards from a safe distance. Despite this, she isn't frequently banned but it definitely is possible due to the deadliness of the Zyra/Ashe combo.

<iframe style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/P-PFVicqP0A?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" width="510" height="320"></iframe>

PICK/BAN PHASE

Team Dignitas:

Bans
Rumble - An obvious target ban against Balls due to his high success rate with him.
Nasus - Despite being Meteos' most played champion, Nasus rarely sees a ban. This almost certainly means a Zac or Elise pick by Meteos.
Ashe - Enchanted Crystal Arrow adds a lot of pressure to the map especially during the late game. Removing her from the field means a bit of breathing room for Team Dignitas.

Picks
Elise - Using the advantage of first pick, Team Dignitas picks up Elise for Kiwikid, leaving Zac as the most likely option for Meteos.
Jarvan IV - Since Zac was Cloud 9 HyperX's second pick, Jarvan IV was one of the few top tier junglers left to choose from.
Fiddlesticks - Not an entirely unexpected pick but with Thresh and Lulu still on the table, it's obvious that Team Dignitas has been incorporating Fiddle into their practice time.
Graves - A definite comfort pick for Imaqtpie that adds a lot of damage to an already AoE-heavy composition.
Kassadin - It's apparent that Scarra is confident with Kassadin after picking him into Hai's Zed. Kassadin adds a lot of needed damage to Team Dignitas' comp.

Summary: Both Jarvan and Fiddle can break team fights apart with their ultimates. With Elise and Kassadin's high mobility, they will be looking to get picks on Cloud 9 HyperX's squishies during the chaos of Crow Storm and Cataclysm. Graves will be free to burst down anyone within range especially with proper peeling from Fiddle, Jarvan, and Elise. Team Dignitas' team composition would also excel at picking people off. Cloud 9 HyperX will need great map control in order to shut down Kassadin and Fiddle later on. In order to prevent Kassadin from snowballing, it is likely that he will be forced into a 1v2 lane or in a match-up against Zed.

Cloud 9 HyperX:

Bans
Sona - An unsurprising ban as Patoy is a very strong Sona player.
Master Yi - Team Dignitas' reset comp that they've incorporated in a few games the past few weeks is feared even by Cloud 9 HyperX.
Ryze - A somewhat surprising ban as Scarra doesn't pick Ryze terribly often and Balls' Ryze is certainly a force to be reckoned with.

Picks
Zed - If Team Dignitas doesn't first pick him, then Zed belongs to Hai. Zed is a very safe pick because of his mobility and how capable Hai is with him.
Zac - No surprise that Meteos would pick up Zac. Not only is he strong with him, but it's possible that Crumbzz could have picked him up if Cloud 9 HyperX didn't.
Shen - Once again expanding on an already diverse champion pool, Balls picks up Shen. He adds a massive amount of front line to Cloud 9 HyperX's composition with Zac by his side.
Twitch - With Ezreal and Vayne still on the table, it's a little bit surprising that Sneaky would choose Twitch. Cloud 9 HyperX must be practicing him or perhaps he is a reactionary pick to someone in Team Dignitas' line-up.
Zyra - Zyra complements Cloud 9 HyperX's team composition and style so much that she is picked even over Thresh. LemonNation is very comfortable on her and her CC will be key during team fights.

Summary: Cloud 9 HyperX is sticking with their strengths despite the Ashe ban. The AoE and disruption provided by Zac and Zyra will give Twitch and Zed free reign during fights. LemonNation's Summoner Heal pick-up will negate a lot of the AoE damage from Team Dignitas and may even save Twitch from being burst down. However, against a reasonably farmed Kassadin, Twitch will be incredibly vulnerable. If Cloud 9 HyperX is unable to retain map control, then it is likely that Team Dignitas will pick them off one at a time before starting a fight.

IN-GAME SUMMARY AND ANALYSIS

(2:05) - Aggressive wards came out early with Team Dignitas warding Cloud 9 HyperX's red jungle and Cloud 9 HyperX warding Team Dignitas' blue jungle. With help from LemonNation and Sneaky, Meteos starts at his red buff. A little bit after, Crumbzz with Imaqtpie and Patoy by his side starts on Cloud 9 HyperX's blue buff. The classic lane swap is pulled, forcing Balls against Team Dignitas' duo lane down bot and leaving Kiwikid to fend for himself against Cloud 9 HyperX's duo up top. Both Scarra and Hai were prepared for their match-up against one another in the mid lane, itemizing properly for it. Hai's main priority is to outlevel Scarra by forcing him out of lane with the damage boost from Fortitude potion.

(2:55) - Both junglers end up with double buffs since Meteos immediately invaded Team Dignitas' blue after finishing his red. Scarra is struggling to keep up in CS against Hai as Zed's harrass and ability to push early on is overpowering. Meteos heads to top lane in order to secure a quick tower kill but is met by Crumbzz resulting in a stalemate. Imaqtpie and Patoy are left alone against Balls allowing them to deal some damage to Cloud 9 HyperX's outer bot tower.

(4:00) - Meteos backs away from top lane in order to help Balls. Scarra runs out of health potions giving Hai the opportunity to all-in him with Ignite and his combo. Scarra barely evades death and dishes some damage back in return with help from the tower. While Scarra backs, Hai stays in lane and continues pushing, ensuring that Scarra loses experience and gold to the tower. Crumbzz finds an opening onto Sneaky, landing his combo and allowing Kiwikid to follow up with a Cocoon. Sneaky is dropped dangerously low but manages to escape with the help of his stealth.

(5:00) - Since Sneaky was forced back, Crumbzz and Kiwikid continue to push up and they find an opening onto LemonNation. First Blood goes to Team Dignitas despite a good defensive Flash from LemonNation. The combined CC from Balls and Meteos drops Imaqtpie dangerously low and he is forced to use Barrier.

After 6 minutes, the match is fairly equal between the two teams. Cloud 9 HyperX has a small CS advantage mainly due to the favorable lane match-up in the mid lane for Hai. Top tower for Team Dignitas and bottom tower for Cloud 9 HyperX are at risk of falling as both junglers are currently focused on farming. Hai forcing Scarra out of lane early paid off by allowing him to hit 6 well before Scarra. If Cloud 9 HyperX's goal is to shutdown Scarra on Kassadin, then now is their prime opportunity. Meteos could easily gank or Hai could just all-in him. At that point, Cloud 9 HyperX will have a distinct advantage since Hai will be able to roam and doing dragon will be possible. Since Crumbzz came to Kiwikid's aid early on, it is apparent that Team Dignitas wants to extend the laning phase further into the mid game. It is a solid strategy since Cloud 9 HyperX is notorious for snowballing incredibly hard after some early-to-mid game fights.

(6:25) - Hai dove Scarra with his ultimate and bagged an easy kill. Crumbzz showed up a little too late to save Scarra but had he been there in time, Scarra could've lived and then would've been allowed to balance the level deficit between him and Hai. However, since Hai did get the kill, Scarra is put even further behind and will need a lot of help to be a deciding factor in the game.

(6:50) - Imaqtpie is caught by the taunt from Balls and, despite using Flash, is an easy kill for Balls and Meteos with the use of their Flashes. Sneaky and LemonNation manage to kill Team Dignitas' top tower immediately after the kill on Imaqtpie. Good communication from Crumbzz and Kiwikid nets kills on both Sneaky and LemonNation. The kill onto Scarra earlier leads Hai into gaining level 7 before Scarra even hits 6. This spike in power could lead to a dragon attempt from Cloud 9 HyperX especially if Sneaky and/or LemonNation comes down to help.

(8:30) - In response to top tower going down, Kiwikid arrives at mid to help his team gain a bit more control around dragon. After landing Cocoon onto Hai, Kiwikid along with Scarra go all-in on him. In response, Hai ults and ignites Scarra, giving him the kill before going down himself. Using Stand United on Hai, Balls arrives at the fight just as Hai goes down. Meteos also shows up after propelling himself into the fray with Elastic Slingshot. Kiwikid is quickly slain before Crumbzz could show up. Imaqtpie and Patoy take Cloud 9 HyperX's bot tower in return.

(9:50) - Sneaky arrives from the top lane to aid the rest of team at dragon. Team Dignitas has vision on the area and they converge on Cloud 9 HyperX's position. The dragon goes to Meteos but some miscommunication leads to Balls being caught alone against Team Dignitas. Scarra led the chase on Cloud 9 HyperX and slowed them so Crumbzz could catch up and lock them down in a Cataclysm. LemonNation falls and the rest of his team retreats under their tower. Team Dignitas continues a dive and nets a kill onto both Hai and Sneaky but lost Scarra in the mix. Ultimately, Kiwikid got most of the kills and sits at 5/1/3. The gold is tied up at 15.7k.

(12:30) - Laning phase returns back to normal. Kiwikid and Crumbzz look for a tower kill top but are met with resistance from LemonNation and Sneaky. Careful timing and patience from Crumbzz gives him the opportunity to combo LemonNation and the follow up from Kiwikid secures the kill. Meteos has an unsuccessful gank against Scarra but Hai picks up the kill later on when Scarra pulls up too close. The CS lead stands heavily in favor of Cloud 9 HyperX. Kiwikid has opted for a more damage-oriented build as Elise, putting Sneaky in a dangerous position as he defends top tower.

(14:15) - Crumbzz sneaks into the top lane brushes and lands a combo onto sneaking. The follow-up from Kiwikid is strong but ultimately, Crumbzz gets the kill just before Meteos arrives. A clever bait from Meteos initiates a fight that is put into his favor whenever Balls uses Stand United on him. A Flash-Shadow Dash resulted into a kill onto Kiwikid and Let's Bounce! from Meteos led to a kill on Crumbzz, both of which were picked up by Balls. Team Dignitas pushes the other lanes up and by 15 minutes, the gold lead is in favor of Cloud 9 HyperX by 2k.

15 minutes into the game, Cloud 9 HyperX has a distinct advantage. Hai finished his Blade of the Ruined King with Sneaky close to finishing it as well. Imaqtpie has purchased his Bloodthirster but aside from that, there aren't any major items being finished on Team Dignitas' side. With a dragon or a tower fight approaching, it is very important that each member of each team has spent their gold. Due to Cloud 9 HyperX's gold lead and team composition with both Shen and Zac, their front line will be exceptionally tanky especially since Balls is 4/1/1. Their damage will also be quite high thanks to the advantage that Hai pressed in the mid lane. While Crumbzz is reasonably tanky, he is Team Dignitas' only damage sponge so if a fight were to break out soon, it will be up to Team Dignitas' positioning and timing to pull off a victory. However, with the amount of CC and tankiness that Cloud 9 HyperX has, a tower dive is a distinct possibility thereby putting Team Dignitas in a tough spot.

(16:30) - A quick pick onto Kiwikid from Hai and Meteos in the bot lane means dragon control for Cloud 9 HyperX. Imaqtpie picks up top tower while Cloud 9 HyperX finishes off dragon. Meanwhile, in the mid lane, Sneaky solos a low-health Scarra but is slain after Crumbzz arrives. Hai and LemonNation push onto bot tower and pick it up as well resulting in a 3k gold lead. Imaqtpie answers back by taking Cloud 9 HyperX's second top tower with Patoy and Crumbzz hiding in the enemy red jungle. They catch Hai out with Crow Storm and pick up an easy kill. At the same time, Meteos and LemonNation destroy Team Dignitas' mid tower.

(19:00) - With Stand United up, Balls starts the split push on bottom lane while Team Dignitas position around mid and Cloud 9 HyperX's red jungle. Team Dignitas finds a dive opportunity under Cloud 9 HyperX's first mid tower but the CC and disruption from Zyra and Zac force Team Dignitas away. Cloud 9 HyperX continues the chase, taking down Patoy and bringing Imaqtpie and Scarra low. Team Dignitas' inner mid turret goes down to Cloud 9 HyperX's counterpush.

(20:30) - Team Dignitas immediately reposition for another push onto mid and possible another dive. The initiation from Meteos gives Cloud 9 HyperX a quick kill onto Kiwikid but Hai gets caught out in Team Dignitas' back line resulting in his death.

That last fight adequately shows the results of the past 21 minutes. The extended nature of the fight gives Team Dignitas the advantage since Cloud 9 HyperX's CC combo is fairly short-lived. However, since Scarra was shutdown so hard early on, his damage was almost non-existent against Cloud 9 HyperX's front line. Fortunately for Team Dignitas, Imaqtpie is fairly fed and his damage forced Cloud 9 HyperX back. Overall, the fight was fairly even resulting in a one-for-one trade, despite the advantage for Team Dignitas from the extended fight. If a similar scenario were to occur later on where both Hai and Kiwikid go down early, the fight would go heavily in Team Dignitas' favor especially when the 5-6 item builds start coming out for each member. At this point, Baron will become the centerpoint of conflict. Balls will most likely continue his split-pushing and Cloud 9 HyperX will wait for an opportunity to initiate. Team Dignitas will need to seize vision control of the baron area and/or get a clean pick onto someone.

(23:20) - Team Dignitas group up for and start dragon despite Cloud 9 HyperX being in the area. Meteos wastes no time to initiate onto Team Dignitas. Crumbzz attempts to create a buffer between his back line and the damage dealers of Cloud 9 HyperX but gets burst down quickly. Without a front line, Kiwikid falls while Patoy gets picked off by Hai behind the dragon pit. Cloud 9 HyperX picks up their third dragon bringing the cold lead to almost 7k while Scarra and Imaqtpie escape.

(24:10) - Immediately after the dragon pick up, all five members of Cloud 9 HyperX start Baron while the rest of Team Dignitas is respawning. With the double BotRK, Cloud 9 HyperX quickly slay Baron just as Scarra arrives only to retreat when he sees Baron fall. Cloud 9 HyperX's gold lead is nearly 8k.

At 25 minutes in, Cloud 9 HyperX's gold lead is reaching dangerous levels for Team Dignitas. Even after taking a tower in response to Baron, Team Dignitas is still down 7k. The way Cloud 9 HyperX is playing, it will take a pick onto Sneaky or Hai to turn things around. However, since Cloud 9 HyperX has Baron, Team Dignitas will be forced to defend their base. Unfortunately for them, Cloud 9 HyperX's composition excels at tower diving and with Baron buff, it will be even easier. Even if Team Dignitas plays this next fight flawlessly, it will be extremely difficult to come back. Cloud 9 HyperX aren't amateurs when it comes to closing out games so the ball will most definitely be in their court for the next several minutes.

(26:00) - Hai pushing top lane forces Team Dignitas to retreat from Cloud 9 HyperX's blue jungle. After taking the tower, he begins to make his retreat only to run into Kiwikid and Patoy at their blue buff. With Stand United on him, Hai isn't afraid to make a fight happen especially with the rest of his team showing up behind him. A quick Flash from Sneaky picks up a kill onto Imaqtpie after Hai uses his ult against him. Kiwikid, low on health, retreats back into his base only to be slain by Balls after he Flashed over the wall. Both top and mid inhibitor turrets are open to Cloud 9 HyperX and so they decide to push both. However, Sneaky pushing by himself in top lane means that Scarra and Crumbzz can pick him off easily. Meanwhile, the mid turret is being brought down quickly by Balls and Meteos. The gold lead has reached 9k gold in favor of Cloud 9 HyperX.

(28:25) - Scarra seems a bit caught out in his own red jungle whenever Hai ults onto him. The clutch timing on the ultimate allowed Hai to follow Scarra through the Rift Walk in order to secure the kill. However, being pulled under Team Dignitas' tower and facing both Imaqtpie and Patoy makes Hai easy pickings, making it a one-for-one trade. Thanks to Cloud 9 HyperX's map control in Team Dignitas' jungle, Meteos and Sneaky are able to sneak into Team Dignitas' base to take down the mid inhibitor turret for free.

(29:44) - Scarra jumps onto Balls and Hai in order to harass with his combo both of them are quick to turn on him. Scarra is burst down immediately while the rest of both teams arrive for the fight. With one of their main damage sources gone and with Imaqtpie not there yet, Team Dignitas rapidly lose the fight. With only Imaqtpie and Patoy alive to defend, Cloud 9 HyperX push onto the mid inhibitor and destroy it. They then turn their attention to the top inhibitor turret and even the top inhibitor despite all five Team Dignitas members being up. Hai is the only that gets caught out thanks to a well-timed Stranglethorns from LemonNation to disengage the fight.
(31:38) - Imaqtpie solos dragon in an attempt to close the gold deficit a bit.

With a 10k gold advantage, and 4-5 items being finished by several members, Cloud 9 HyperX is clearly in control of the game. Since Baron is once again on the field, that will be the center of attention. In order for Team Dignitas to come out on top in a Baron fight, Crumbzz will need to steal it away from Meteos and then they will need to win the fight afterward. Even if they stole it, a won fight would require absolutely flawless play from Team Dignitas and some sort of blunder on Sneaky or Hai's positioning.

(32:25) - With Baron pit controlled by Cloud 9 HyperX, Team Dignitas looks for a last-ditch effort. Crumbzz goes onto Hai and LemonNation as they continue to clear wards. Scarra goes all-in on Hai and nearly kills him but is slain before he could finish the job. Team Dignitas then desperately try to stall Cloud 9 HyperX, knowing the fight was a loss. Ultimately, they all get caught and killed. With minions pounding on the Nexus turrets and Scarra the only one left after respawning, it's obvious that Cloud 9 HyperX will take the game.

In the end, Hai's chokehold on Scarra early on and Cloud 9 HyperX's objective control during the mid game led to their victory. Team Dignitas picked up several kills along the way but miscommunication and questionable calls kept them on the back foot. If Crumbzz had shown up a few seconds earlier to stop Hai from towerdiving Scarra early on, perhaps mid lane would have been more even and Scarra would've had enough breathing room to take control of the game the way he wanted to as Kassadin. Unfortunately for Team Dignitas, it was not meant to be. After coming out fairly well in the pick/ban phase, their composition was a decent answer to Cloud 9 HyperX's. Some mistakes here and there and Cloud 9 HyperX's great execution held Team Dignitas back from a victory. Congratulations to Cloud 9 HyperX for their win.