EDG vs TES Game 1 (Key Takeaways)
LPL 2022 Summer
Hello everyone. I wanted to write this article to discuss the key takeaways for both teams from this game. We will look at a rift herald setup opportunity, a carefully thought out TP flank, a missed opportunity to defend a tower from ahead, and a couple failed dragon setups.
Let’s start with this rift herald setup opportunity for EDG. At the beginning of this clip, we see EDG’s bot lane fast push this cannon wave (using minion dematerializer for the cannon). This is their final opportunity to reset before rift herald spawns, so they should reset if they need to, or they can move to herald after pushing the next wave. Instead, their jungler shows bot side, allowing TES to take rift herald for free. Then, EDG dive bot as trade for rift herald, but it is poorly executed. Taliyah did not push the mid wave before moving, so Ahri can cover the dive, and instead of kiting down, Braum walks into the enemy jungle where Ahri is hiding. Since Poppy’s top side camps are also respawning, she also loses her entire top side jungle.
At the start of this clip, Nautilus places a ward in the bot lane alcove. He does so because it is past 14:00, so teleports are unleashed, and they have TP advantage since Vladimir didn’t take TP. TES are already setting up for this TP flank play. TES also have strong vision control in the bot side river with a control ward in the lane brush and another one in the pixel brush. With this flank ward and TES’ bot side river control (causing EDG to lose track of Ahri), TES execute a brilliant TP flank which results in a kill and first turret.
Next, let’s look at a missed opportunity from TES to defend their tower from ahead. In this clip, TES reset for dragon, but they don’t need to reset this early (you should aim to reset by 1:20 out from dragon spawn for dragon setup). They should have instead pushed the next mid wave, and hovered down with bot, jungle, and support, so that Aatrox could push out bot wave, preventing EDG from taking this tower on TES’ reset. Then, TES could have reset and still had plenty of time to set up for dragon.
Finally, let’s discuss TES’ failed dragon setups. In this first clip, Ahri stayed to push the top wave because she could then buy a needlessly large rod and a control ward before contesting dragon, but she then needed to TP mid. Aatrox farms his gromp before pushing the bot wave because he didn’t feel safe to approach the wave (lack of bot side vision and missing enemy players). Since this bot push is delayed, he is also late to mid (he should have just walked mid after gromp). Instead, EDG is grouped for the mid wave and is then first to river. TES have to walk through their jungle to contest dragon, and because EDG are able to obtain this position, with an ingenious Taliyah ultimate, EDG split up the enemy team, securing the dragon and winning the fight.
Then, it’s like deja vu all over again, Ahri bases for another needlessly large rod, and Aatrox bases to complete his Death’s Dance, but only Ahri TPs mid. EDG are again able to push the mid wave and get positioning in bot side river, and with the same Taliyah ultimate, EDG secure another dragon, win another fight, and get baron.
By working on their rift herald setups, EDG will have a consistent way to start getting leads in the early game, when the early game has been a weakness for EDG. By taking better resets and working on their objective setups, TES can more consistently close out games where they are ahead from their strong early game.
