Legacy Esports find themselves three maps away from achieving something they have spent the last five and half years attempting—their first Oceanic Pro League title.

Throughout the years, Legacy has been a team that has kept close in the fight for the title, but always seemed to stumble either at the final hurdle or just before short. The org has clinched four second-place finishes and four thirds in the first four years of the OPL. They were forever a title hopeful, but were always outshone just when it mattered most.

2019 was an exception to the norm. After the 2018 team dispersed across the league, Legacy picked up a team of rookies and not-as-seasoned veterans. The lack of experience showed in their results, with a 6-15 record in Split 1, they finished 7th, above only their grand final opponents the Dire Wolves. The team then fell to a 1–20 split in the second half of the year.

This past summer saw a return to form. They picked up defending champion Kim “Topoon” Ji-hoon, as well as Carbon’s prodigal son Leo “Babip” Romer from Mammoth. They also obtained a big scalp in the form of bot lane star Quin “Raes” Korebrits, a former long term player for rivals The Chiefs. Legacy round out their lineup with rookies Jonah “Isles” Rosario and former LCK trainee Jang “EMENES” Min-soo.

The team, naturally, boasted a lot of hype and expectation heading into the split. As one of the top teams on paper, it was expected this team would make it far. While they did, it was far from smooth sailing.

First there were the visa delays for head coach Jensen Goh. Whilst he was able to work with the team in a remote capacity—like most of the world is doing now—he was unable to be there where it mattered most on game days.

They were lucky enough to have access to a second coach in James “Denian” Goddard, however. He was able to step into the role of stage coach for the first couple of weeks before Jensen arrived. With results unaffected on the Rift, the team clocked up a 6-0 record in the first three weeks of play.

Even with these issues resolved when Jensen was released from the ‘visa prison,’ other problems arose. A series of issues with mid laner EMENES emerged and came to a head after Week 5. He was released from the team, with head of esports Tim “Carbon” Wendel explaining in a statement that the decision was made “in the best interests of the team and with a view to creating an environment capable of sustained success going forward.”

• Read more: Ties’ Takes – Emergency Back-Up Mids

In his place stepped in another prodigal son, James “Tally” Shute. Previously a top laner and bot laner at the competitive level, he stepped into a new role to ride out the season in the mid lane.

If you asked anyone in the community, you would expect a transition of play style and a learning curve, but according to Legacy, it was anything but.

Snowball Esports spoke to both Tally and Babip about this change. Babip admitted it was “super easy adjusting to Tally.

“I already knew from past experiences playing with him that he had good communication and always had something beneficial to add to discussions.”

Babip says the only real change came in terms of champions and match ups. “I supposed the only challenge is Tally having a non-traditional champion pool,” he continued. “However, he was able to pick up champions on the other side of the coin that most Oceanic mid laners could not pick up.”

Tally agreed. It was “pretty similar to what I was used to,” the role swapping star said. “Mid and top lane share a lot of the same fundamentals so most of the change was just me learning new lane matchups and getting used to actually playing a useful role.”

The second half of the split saw Legacy achieve a 9-2 record. It was smooth sailing towards the top of the Pro League. They didn’t fall out of top two the entire split.

Another change came after Week 7 to the league with COVID-19 travel restrictions coming in place, moving the league online.

Legacy didn’t slow pace though, coach Denian explained. Once again, it was smooth sailing.

“There really wasn’t any adjustment needed,” he said. “The guys already played in the gaming house day in day out so, if anything, they should be more comfortable.”

Legacy’s path to the final through the new playoffs format has been short. An 18-3 first place regular season saw them net a first round bye on the winners side of the bracket, meaning they only had to play a singular series against a Chiefs side coming into the second half of a back to back to make the big dance.

They won this series with a comfortable 3-1 performance where—besides a costly blunder at Baron during Game 2 cost them their Nexus—they were able to win with relative ease.

This saw a week of rest and scouting for the team, being able to protect their picks whilst their opposition slugged it out, showing their cards in getting the chance to face them.

Even though there is no football right now, @adelaide_fc still has a Grand Final to prepare for. Tomorrow, the eSports team @legacyoce will battle for the Oceanic League of Legends crown. https://t.co/8ftPfFYTVQ @nickibarnet @OPL #7NEWS pic.twitter.com/o6KD9ohBTT

— 7NEWS Adelaide (@7NewsAdelaide) April 23, 2020

For Jensen Goh, it allowed them to scout a change in their opponents, the Dire Wolves play style.

“We got to see how they have switched up their play style into a ‘nothing works lets just ARAM’ approach,” he said. “It’s a stopgap that covers for a lot of their weaknesses they had shown around their limited champ pools, team fighting mistakes and failure to bring people to be in position for objectives.”

“At the same time having the chance to play and refine that approach through the gauntlet does accelerate their development however,” Goh added.

Both Jensen and Denian noted the Dire Wolves may not be coming into the final in the best shape. Denian added the extra games “might [even] hurt them from a fatigue perspective.”

Legacy comes into this week cool, calm and ready. They have a perspective on what they will see from their opponent and are ready to expose that.

This match will be nothing short of explosive. With a team stacked full of talent they will want to do their best to live up to the expectations and win it all, this is a game not to be missed.

Tune into the OPL grand final today at 4pm AEST.

Photography courtesy of Riot Games
Produced by Josh Swift

Here we are ?— nine weeks down, with a few interesting delays, and we’ve arrived at the Oceanic Pro League’s regular season-ending Super Week again.

Legacy Esports, The Chiefs, and the Dire Wolves have locked in a top-three seeding, and are now hustling for side selection and the single best-of-five that gives them. Order finds themselves all but locked in, but needing a win for fourth place.

There are a few teams that have already been dumped out of playoff contention, or sit close to it. In particular, defending champions Mammoth have already been locked out, and are left just playing for pride in the OPL’s final round.

This leaves three teams. Avant Gaming, Pentanet.gg and Gravitas find themselves tied at six wins apiece fighting for the fifth, and final spot in the playoffs. Like any good Super Week, all twelve game counts this week, and will likely affect the outcome of the league.

Emma van der Brug, Harry Taylor, and Reece Perry are here to talk about the biggest matches of the week, with the fight to become the last team at the playoff dance starting with Mammoth taking on Avant starting at 4pm AEDT on Friday.

Emma’s Feature: Legacy Esports (15–3) vs The Chiefs (15–3)

Prediction: Legacy def. Chiefs

The final match of the Oceanic Pro League split will be the most important one for both Legacy Esports and The Chiefs.

They’re currently tied for first spot, and this match has the potential to be the tiebreaker, or a decider if they need a tiebreaker match. Going into this week, both teams are sitting on fifteen wins and three losses.

Looking at both teams matchups this week purely from a placings perspective, Legacy have the seemingly easier matchups in the final week.

They’re facing two teams tied for fifth prior to this match, whilst Chiefs go against third and fifth ranked teams. This could spell a second place finish for the Chiefs.

They’re both looking to get into that first place seed, as the team’s gear up for the new playoffs format for the first split of the OPL in 2020.

The brand new format for OPL playoffs is a double elimination bracket, with the first place seed getting a pass into winners round two, and the winner of that round heading to the grand finals.

This match will be a fantastic way to end the regular split, and both teams will be looking to take out the win. With how chaotic last week’s matches were, it’s as hard as ever to pick a winner. Even the current ladder rankings don’t necessarily determine who is the favoured team in these matchups.

Legacy with the addition of James “Tally” Shute in the middle lane managed to take down the Chiefs the last time they faced, marking their first win against them since 2017 split two playoffs.

Legacy will be looking to take the win, and with their recent success against a variety of teams, they’ll be the ones to claim the win.

Legacy’s match against the Dire Wolves last week saw an absolutely dominating performance by Kim “Topoon” Ji-hoon who played Kennen.

Their match was really impressive, and showed that the roster earnt their 2-0 weekend. To take down the Chiefs, the Legacy roster will need to replicate their early success against the wolves and with constant pressure, not allowing them any slim margin to win.

The rotations by Leo “Babip” Romer on Olaf and Jonah “Isles” Rosario were key, and the timings showed their communication is on point, leading to them taking the win. This will be key in their match against the Chiefs, who can be very dominant in the early game.

With the playoffs in sight and the chance to take that key first place seed, this match has the potential to be the decider between which team takes that seed, and who has to play an extra match in the playoffs.

Legacy are poised to take the split win, and it all hinges on taking this win against the Chiefs this Saturday in the final match after a grueling Super Week.

Harry’s Feature Match of the Week: Avant Gaming (6–12) vs Dire Wolves (12–6)

Prediction: Avant def. by Dire Wolves

Both teams come into this game on Friday night with different motivation for getting the win.

For Dire Wolves, they are trying to get all three wins to give them a chance to lock second-place, and therefore Game 1 side selection in their first-round playoff game. They will need this victory to achieve that, but will be up against an Avant side playing for so much more.

The Avant org had a tragic end to 2019’s Split 2, a 2-12 record after the break after finding themselves tied for first. That second-half struggle turned into a missed playoff berth, and a disappointing end to their Worlds aspirations.

Even with a mostly new lineup for 2020, the org will not want to miss out again and see their international dream fade away once again, so getting this win, as well as getting the wins against Mammoth and Gravitas, are critical for them.

Unfortunately for Avant, I don’t see the win coming. Previous encounters and roster strength will see Dire Wolves win this game. It will be a challenge for both teams.

The Wolfpack have won both games, but neither were in the cleanest of fashions. Avant stretched out their Week 3 encounter to over 40 minutes before Dire Wolves could slam the door.

Avant will challenge the Dire Wolves hard though. They need to win this game to strengthen their claim for fifth, and will be able to stretch out any key battle, even from behind. They have done it before, they can do it again.

In any case, this game will be explosive. Both teams have their motivations for winning and will want to do anything to win.

Reece’s Feature Match of the Week: Pentanet.GG (6–12) vs Order (9–9)

Prediction: Pentanet def. by Order

I’m tipping my hand at the beginning here, I’m calling an Order victory. Let’s have a look at why.

They have, for my money, the only player with a prayer at taking this split’s “Most Improved” award away from Praelus in Haeri.

Watching Haeri remains a delight in bottom-of-the-table matchups – he is usually the best player on the rift by a considerable distance and I am expecting that from him here in this match.

I think rare7’s improvement from the debacle that was the start to his split is a treat to watch. And week by week, Eyla is erasing the dread I felt when I watched him play early on.

This is a bot lane on the rise and collectively this team feels like they are making the changes we needed to see from them after the beginning of the split.

But on the other side of the coin… I have fallen all the way off the PGG wagon after being right up at the front of the carriage at the beginning.

Somebody needs to fix Praedyth’s mouse, because when the teamfight starts his right-click button falls clean off. I’ve taken to counting his auto attacks in some of these fights, and I don’t need to take my socks off to keep counting.

Previously, I’ve defended Praedyth by saying his team needed to do a better job of giving him space to carry – and they did, and they still do – but as the split has worn on, I’ve lost faith in his confidence to make use of any space they do give him.

I hate having to write this. I’d run through a brick wall for Rogue, and it pains me to see this team struggling. But I can’t see where you can actually predict where they get a win from anymore. It almost feels like it happens by accident. Order for me, and comfortably so.

The Oceanic Pro League returns this Friday.

Follow @ammeplays, @ImHarryTaylor & @Ties_AU on Twitter.

Photography courtesy of Riot Games
Produced by San Hoàng

Week 6’s Oceanic Pro League action was chaotic, to say the least. Order got their first 2-0 week for the split, Gravitas got the win over preseason favourites Legacy, and we laid witness to the end of the undefeated streak as the Chiefs fell to Dire Wolves.

Week 7 comes along as the next stage for the teams in the OPL to either carry their momentum, or put their losses behind them, as the march to playoffs continues.

With top teams looking to lock in their tickets for the new double-elimination-format playoffs from this week on, and teams on the outside trying to keep themselves in contention, every match matters.

Emma van der Brug, Alex Leckie-Zaharic and I are here to talk about the biggest matches of the week, with playoff positioning on the line in every bout.

Emma’s Feature Match of the Week: Order (6-6) vs Dire Wolves (8-4)

Prediction: Dire Wolves def. Order

The second match on Saturday is Order’s best chance to prove they belong in the finals. They come into this week off the back of a 2-0 weekend, while the Dire Wolves managed to split the week against top-two duo Legacy Esports and Chiefs.

After a long gruelling battle against the Chiefs last week, with Ha “Vital” In-seong and Ari “Shok” Greene-Young putting on impressive performances, the Dire Wolves are the favourites in this matchup and should take the win.

Order aren’t going to be pushovers though. Maintaining their Week 6 momentum will be pivotal in championing their playoff contention, but they would need to take down the Wolves and even Legacy and Chiefs in the remaining 4 weeks if they want to prove they can take the crown.

• Read more: Haeri: “Being bad has only helped Order, we know why we were losing now and we can fix it”

The key for both team’s success in this game is the jungle match-up. Park “Mir” Mi-reu has had some great performances on Lee Sin in the past few weeks, and he will need to keep that up against Order. Jordan “Only” Middleton has shown a wide variety of picks recently, with his Karthus helping the Melbourne-based team secure a win against Pentanet last week.

Down in the bottom lane, Ha “Vital” In-seong and Daniel “Decoy” Ealam have really found their synergy, and their results are proving so. With Vital having more consistency in recent weeks, he’s proving that he’s not to be underestimated.

The Korean AD carry has made a huge improvement between their matches against the Chiefs alone. In their first matchup he had an 0/5/3 record, but in their most recent game last week, he turned that around with a 11/3/6 statline. With Decoy by his side, the bottom lane of Order better be prepared for what they’ll face on Saturday.

Harry’s Feature Match of the Week: Avant Gaming (3-9) v Gravitas (3-9)

Prediction: Avant Gaming def. by Gravitas

Avant Gaming and Gravitas find themselves two games adrift of fifth place and the playoffs coming into Week 7, meaning this clash on Friday evening will make-or-break each team’s hopes for a late playoffs push.

Avant are on a four-game losing streak, whilst Gravitas come into this week with some confidence after claiming the biggest upset of the split so far as they toppled second place Legacy last Saturday.

Gravitas should be able to use this new momentum this week to pick up the victory and attempt to roll into the postseason. Gravitas have made a number of changes, picking pieces from their 10-man roster to find what clicks and what doesn’t, and it seems like they have landed on their star roster.

• Read more: Icebreakers: Project Praelus

Ashley “TrAshley” White has moved into the support role, gelling well with bot laner Nathan “Puma” Puma, whilst solo laners Nathan “Beats” Nguyen and Lo “Siuman” Pak Man have swapped their lanes in-game multiple times to a decent amount of success.

On the other hand, Avant has looked lost these last couple of weeks. Their drafts have been sub-average and whilst they have put up a bit of a fight in some games, it hasn’t been reflected in their wins column.

Their ace in the sleeve, bot lane sub Vincent “Violet” Wong, who was undefeated after his first two games, was handed his first loss of the split against Order. However, Avant has looked like a different team with Violet, and should funnel into him again like they did in Gravitas in Week 4. His presence might not prove the difference this time though.

Alex’s Feature Match of the Week:  Legacy Esports (10-2) vs The Chiefs Esports Club (11-1)

Prediction: Chiefs def. Legacy

Last time Chiefs and Legacy squared off on the Rift, it was to preserve their undefeated streak so far in the split and take sole possession of first place.

This time it’s a little bit different. The departure of Minsu “EMENES” Jang turned the midlane dynamic between Legacy and the Chiefs’ Brandon “Claire” Nguyen on its head, with Legacy slowly getting back into the swing of things with native toplaner James “Tally” Shute.

Both teams are fresh off losses in Week 6 with the Chiefs taking their first loss of the split against the third-placed Dire Wolves, while Legacy were stunned by Gravitas to drop only their second game of the split.

• Read more: Legacy Esports part ways with rookie mid laner EMENES

The Chiefs loss has evaporated some of their threatening aura, but a decisive victory over a new Legacy will go some way to healing the wounds.

For the Chiefs to win this, it’s time to unleash Park “Croc” Jong-hoon on another jungle carry. In the two teams’ last encounter, the import jungler showed remarkable presence on Nidalee and dominated the map. If he can have a similar performance on Friday, it might be too much for Legacy to handle.

Speaking of Legacy, they’ll need an equally as strong carry performance this week from Quin “Raes” Korebrits to get on top of the first-place outfit. If Leo “Babip” Romer can get the snowball rolling early, it could be the catalyst for Legacy surging ahead of the Chiefs this split.

However, the classic rock-paper-scissors dynamic of the top three should still hold true this weekend. A win for the Chiefs will practically lock them into playoffs, and put them in the hot seat to maintain that valuable number one seed.

The Oceanic Pro League returns this Friday.

Follow @ammeplays, @ImHarryTaylor & @Alexicon13 on Twitter.

Photography courtesy of Riot Games
Produced by San Hoàng

This week a series of battles across the standings determine who drops behind in each race, and who takes the upper hand a month in — not least of all the return of the table-topping El Classico clash.

With the end of the first round robin approaching, the Oceanic Pro League has seen a fair share of fixtures but has also left some of it’s best for last.

The two undefeated squads, Legacy Esports and the Chiefs, will come face to face in the El Classico on Friday evening, where the victor will come out supreme and claiming the sole share of first place.

Along with myself, Emma “ammeplays” Van der Brug and Alex “Alexicon” Leckie-Zaharic break down the biggest match of the week as the Pro League rolls on, starting with Gravitas vs Order on Friday, February 21 from 4pm AEDT.

Emma’s Feature Match: Order (3–3) vs Dire Wolves (3–3)

Prediction: Dire Wolves def. by Order

Sitting in the equal third after Week 3 of the Oceanic Pro League are Order and the Dire Wolves. The two teams are facing off on opposite sides of the Rift in a match that will give the viewers an insight into how the placings will fall into place over the split.

Last week was a 1-1 week for both teams, as Order lost to Pentanet.GG and looked shaky in their performance against bottom-placed team Mammoth. Dire Wolves had a win to start the week against Avant, but had to face the Chiefs, who defeated them and remained lossless.

This week could fall into either team’s favour, especially since both teams have the exact same record so far against other teams. They have wins against Gravitas, Mammoth, and Avant Gaming, with their losses to Pentanet, Legacy, and Chiefs.

Order has shown to be an incredibly emotional team when they play, with their decision making in-game being influenced by their performances in-game. Last week against Mammoth, the team had a very shaky early game that had viewers wondering if they would be able to take the win against the last-placed team.

The early game emotions seemed to cause some mistakes, with missed skill shots and questionable fights, however, the player experience gap was a deciding factor and they eventually took the win.

The Dire Wolves are still seemingly finding synergy in the early game and the ability to translate those small wins into victories. It seems communication is also being worked on, with Ha “Vital” In-seong in their match against the Chiefs teleporting into their team and dying, with an 0-5-3 performance on Aphelios, and 2k gold behind his opponent Robert “Katsurii” Gouv.

It’s tough to decide on the winner for this week, as both teams seem to be on a level playing field. Personally, the Order roster looks more consistent if they have a good early game, and they will take out the win this week, due to the advantage of having already played on Friday.

They will get a chance to play against Gravitas who they’ve beaten previously and with the memories of that game fresh in their minds, face off against the Dire Wolves roster.

Harry’s Feature Match: Legacy Esports (6–0) vs The Chiefs (6–0)

Prediction: Chiefs def. by Legacy

The El Classico. The fixture named after the rivalry of two of Oceania’s oldest and fabled franchises, harking back to a time before the Oceanic Pro League even existed, and before the Chiefs and Legacy Esports were known under their current names.

After the intensity of the rivalry lessened as their ladder positions drifted apart over the last few years, the heat is back as the two teams find themselves tied for first, each undefeated at 6-0. Both teams will be coming in at full force looking for the win, as the rewards of sole possession of first place on the ladder are too valuable to lose.

This game is hard to predict. Arguments can be made either why but I have Legacy as the slight favourites. Legacy as a team is just that slightest bit better on paper. Whilst both teams are clearly by far and away the number one and number two in this league at the present moment, the raw skill from Legacy is just that bit higher and may become crucial in a matchup like this.

I also see the Chiefs have seemed to develop a focus of winning via getting an early dominance in the top lane with top laner Romeo “Thien” Tran and jungler Park “Croc” Jong Hoon as a negative, as I think that will not work against Kim “Topoon” Jihoon and Leo “Babip” Romer and the rest of the boys as green, as there closeness in overall ability will rebuke this technique.

This technique did falter last week for the Chiefs, as Thien fell behind in his matchup, with Croc and bot laner Robert “Katsurii” Gouv picking up the slack. Even though I have Legacy as the favourites, they will need to be work hard and clean to get it.

The Chiefs will be one of if not the hardest team that Legacy will face on an Oceanic level and they will have to be on their best. Any mistakes will be costly and too many will be detrimental to their ability to win.

Alex’s Feature Match: Gravitas (2–4) vs Avant Gaming (2–4)

Prediction: Gravitas def. by Avant

Gravitas and Avant Gaming’s clash this week is a difficult one to untangle. On one hand, they have identical records, winning and losing against the same teams.

But apart from victories over Mammoth and Pentanet.GG, the other lowest teams on the ladder, these two squads have been relatively unremarkable this split.

With their match on Saturday rounding out the first round-robin of the split, one team will break into Gauntlet territory while the other languishes at the bottom of the table, a stone’s throw away from the wooden spoon.

This match will be decided by which team’s shining light is the brightest, with both Gravitas and Avant having clear standout players this split. Jordan “Praelus” Fernandes, by far the most experienced player on his team, has dragged his squad to their two wins this split, and has been the main reason they haven’t been completely and utterly blown out in their losses.

Facing off across from the underperforming Thomas “LeeSA” Ma, he can carry the game through the jungle, but depending on how much you rate AV’s victory over Mammoth, LeeSA seems to be on the uptick.

AV’s shining light at the moment is Jesse “Chazz” Mahoney, who stepped up massively in his squad’s victories, and will be looking to do the same this weekend.

Dominant performances on Zoe and Ekko last week show he can carry when he needs to, and despite that Ekko game ending in a loss, he’s shown he can go toe-to-toe with other teams vying for a playoff spot. If he has a similar performance this week, he could blow the game open from the mid lane.

Saturday’s game sets the tone for the race for the Gauntlet, and with looming matchups against Order and Legacy for Gravitas and Avant respectively, there’s a real chance that one of these teams ends the fourth week of play 2-6.

Pentanet, on the other hand, have their game against Mammoth this week, which offers a huge chance to crawl out their spot at the bottom of the standings.

By the time the dust clears on the Gravitas v Avant match, one team will push into the middle of the pack and leave the other with a whole lot of work to do come the second and third round robins of the split. Avant has the higher ceiling, and this team begins to gel more and more together, their potential only grows.

A battle against Gravitas is a chance to prove that they belong where the pundits placed them prior to the beginning of the split, and they’ll be hungry to slay the demons that have plagued their games. AV will take the win, but it will be close, and it will be bloody.

The Oceanic Pro League returns this Friday.

Follow @ammeplays, @ImHarryTaylor & @Alexicon13 on Twitter.

The first split of the 2020 Oceanic Pro League is almost upon us.

With it comes 84 regular season games across a triple round robin, as the league’s eight teams duke it out for a place in the competition’s newly expanded postseason, and a chance of winning the Oceanic title.

While not every game and every win is important, there are some fixtures and matchups that could prove vital in where championship hopefuls and tail-end battlers will place come season’s end ?— which is why Snowball Esports has taken a magnifying glass to the Pro League’s story for 2020 Split 1, including key battles and vital results for the teams.

Legacy Esports vs Order

• Week 1 ?— 4pm Saturday, February 1
• Week 5 ?— 5pm Friday, February 28
• Week 8 ?— 5pm Saturday, March 21

With many tipping Legacy and Order to lead the way early in the Pro League, and potentially duel for the right to represent the region at the Mid-Season Invitational at the end of the season, their three meetings in Split 1 may hold the key to the crown ?— assuming they live up to expectations.

Their first meeting comes early, with the two contenders squaring up on Summoner’s Rift during the split’s opening weekend. This match may well set the tone for who will be the leader and who will be the chaser in the head-to-head battle.

Clean and precise communication is what wins teams trophies… and #ORDERLOL have the art perfected ?? pic.twitter.com/5DmmSP7xWo

— ORDER (@ORDER_army) January 28, 2020

Additional matches on Friday in Week 5, and Saturday in Week 8 will continue to reveal just how the two star-studded squads stack up, with the battle on March 21 even an early chance to become a minor premiership decider if the two stay neck and neck in Split 1.

Dire Wolves vs Pentanet.GG

• Week 1 ?— 6pm Saturday, February 1
• Week 5 ?— 7pm Friday, February 28
• Week 8 ?— 6pm Saturday, March 21

If we see a league where two teams ?— Legacy and Order ?— are gunning for title glory, there will of course be a chasing pack, where both the newly-formed Pentanet.GG and Avant Gaming may find themselves alongside four-time champions the Dire Wolves and the Chiefs.

These four squads will want to earn as many victories against each other as possible, and put themselves in the best position heading into the end of the season should Legacy or Order not reach the high water mark many are drawing out for them heading into the year.

Pete: I’ll give you a grand to decorate the house if you bowl a strike with your left hand.@getback71: pic.twitter.com/KPdq4XXz8V

— Pentanet.GG (@PentanetGG) January 18, 2020

The Wolfpack and the new Perth roster will meet early in the split, with a meeting on the first Saturday of the split currently on the docket. Both teams will have title aspirations, and a win over the other will give them a strong leg-up in that regard, and in terms of a potential push for the best possible postseason seeding.

With Brandon “BioPanther” Alexander and Jarrod “Getback” Tucker both departing the Wolfpack after multi-year stints with the team, they’ll also want to prove they made the right decision siding with the west coast newcomers in 2020 ?— they’ll be hungry for the wins.

Avant Gaming vs The Chiefs

• Week 1 ?— 7pm Saturday, February 1
• Week 5 ?— 4pm Friday, February 28
• Week 8 ?— 4pm Saturday, March 21

After missing out on the OPL’s 2019 Split 2 gauntlet in heartbreaking circumstances, Avant Gaming will want to take their team of up-and-coming talent back to the postseason.

A key face-off in that quest will be when they meet the Chiefs, and one that may be a mountain to climb for the org ?— the battle between the two blue squads have been decidedly one-sided. Avant have failed to win a single game against the Chiefs from 2016-2019, and have never claimed a series win against them in the Oceanic Pro League era.

One fateful night, @Dragku_OCE was sick of losing all of his solo queue games… pic.twitter.com/a9Hc621SEV

— Avant (@AvantGaming) January 20, 2020

Luckily, AV will have three chances during the season to break this haunting trend, and considering one win was the difference between the squad making finals last split, and being left out in the cold, a historic win over the Chiefs could be the key to their extended campaign.

The two teams will first meet in the opening weekend, when the Chiefs look to extend their 17-map win streak over the other, and deliver a potential statement for the rest of the league.

The Chiefs vs Legacy Esports

• Week 4 ?— 7pm Friday, February 21
• Week 7 ?— 7pm Friday, March 13
• Week 10 ?— 9pm Saturday, April 4

The OPL Classico. The rivalry that stretches times and titles, back to an era before the Pro League, and before the Chiefs and Legacy even existed.

After 2019 saw these two combatants on opposite ends of the ladder, which handed the Chiefs a 6–0 calendar record over their rivals, it seems the clash should be a little closer with both teams picking up decent rosters in the offseason.

With former Chiefs like Quen “Raes” Korebrits and Legacy’s prodigal son Leo “Babip” Romer crossing, and re-crossing the battlefield, it seems like the rivalry could even be set to take on a whole new level.

What’s the password? #OPLTRADES pic.twitter.com/45nm4kx80z

— Legacy Esports (@LegacyOCE) January 15, 2020

This series will see some primetime bangers, with fixtures scheduled for 7pm Friday in Week 4, 7pm Friday in Week 7, and finally the last match of the regular season on April 4, these games are surely going to bring lots of eyes, and lots of excitement.

While these games may be some of the more important depending on how the first few weeks of the split shapes up, that doesn’t mean every match isn’t key for one reason or another.

Don’t miss the start of the Oceanic Pro League this Friday at 4pm AEDT, kicking off with Avant Gaming vs Legacy Esports at watch.lolesports.com.

All times listed in AEDT, full schedule available at watch.lolesports.com.

Avant Gaming have finalized their roster for the OPL with a mix of OCS talent and proven top-flight players, with LeeSA, Chazz, and Api joining Dragku and Gunkrab on stage in the blue-and-gold in 2020.

The update to Riot’s Global Contract Database confirms what sources previously told Snowball regarding the team’s roster heading into the new season.

Top laner Dragon “Dragku” Guo and bot laner Vincent “Gunkrab” Lin return from 2019’s lineup, while three up-and-coming talents from Legacy will replace the team’s departing players.

Dragku joined Avant late in split two as a substitute top laner after spending much of the 2019 OCS season with the Dire Cubs.

Gunkrab spent all of 2019 with the team, playing both AD carry and support. With a couple of years of OPL under his belt, he will be tasked with leading this young roster through tough competition.

Jungler Thomas “LeeSA” Ma, mid laner Jesse “Chazz” Mahoney, and support Yao “Api” Jian Jing have joined the team after all having spent 2019 at Legacy.

LeeSA and Api were a part of Legacy Genesis’ run in the OCS, with the latter earning a call-up to the OPL squad for the last couple of weeks.

Chazz spent his 2019 as the starting mid laner for Legacy’s OPL team. While they only managed six wins across 2019, Chazz was a major proponent of keeping the roster off the bottom of the table in split one.

There has been no report on who will coach the lineup as of yet. According to Riot’s Global Contract Database, the players have only signed on for one split, meaning that Avant’s squad for split two is still up in the air.

After a mixed bag of results last year, this roster could be set to deliver some surprises. Avant have a history of performing beyond pre-season projections, and while some might suspect that to continue, their roster full of up-and-coming stars still has a long way to prove themselves.

The Oceanic Pro League will return on January 31. You can follow Avant Gaming on Twitter.

Photography courtesy of Riot Games

After his debut split with the Golden Guardians, bot laner Victor “FBI” Huang has returned to Australia for the Melbourne Esports Open. 

The Golden Guardians have had themselves have a bit of a split to forget in the Summer. Finding themselves in a three-way tie for the final spot in the LCS playoffs, they fell just short after losing the tiebreaker against Optic Gaming. 

Although out of World contentions, FBI had a solid first split in North America, taking it to some of the worlds best bot laners. He also became the second player to graduate from the OPL to the LCS, following in the footsteps of Lawrence “Lost” Hui who moved to Echo Fox in 2018. 

This weekend, he was reunited with longtime duo Jake “Rogue” Sharwood, in a show match at the Melbourne Esports Open. FBI played alongside old OPL Rivals and new Golden Guardians teammates, to help showcase some of Oceania’s best League of Legends talent.

Over the weekend, Snowball Esports spoke to FBI, where he opened up about his time so far in North America, moving internationally, and his predictions for Worlds.

How are you finding it being back? 

FBI: I’m finding being back really enjoyable, I love Australia, and I’m really glad to be home.

We arrived on Friday at noon. We were pretty jet lagged, but I went to see Ry0ma, met up with him, got some dinner and stuff and then I just went to sleep.

What have you got planned for this weekend?

FBI: Well at MEO we’ve got some meet and greets, as well as the show match before the OPL final. The team also wants to see a bit of Melbourne. They want to go to the zoo, they want to go to see a kangaroo. They are really hyped to go see a kangaroo. 

Ones an international video game superstar and the other ones @VictorHuang pic.twitter.com/2WZXMRJzMD

— Brandon Defina (@SINJuves) August 31, 2019

Yeah we’ve heard a bit about that.

FBI: On the bus down to the city they were saying “We are gonna see a kangaroo out the window” and I was saying “no we aren’t going to see a kangaroo guys”

Have you told them about the Kangaroos that box and stuff?

FBI: Actually they won’t stop telling me about it! They keep telling me “Have you seen this video with the Kangaroo boxing this [guy]?” and I’m like yeah of course I have.

So I’ve noticed a tweet going about the air quality of Australia and how good it is, are you able to shed any light on that one?

FBI: Personally, I don’t notice it, because I’m from here. The rest of the team is talking about it, I think it’s the cold air. In Los Angeles, it’s hot all the time, but here it is cold and fresh so they are enjoying it. 

I’m watching kangaroo videos on YouTube.
How tf they have crazy muscle..
Actually I won’t be able to shake hands with Kangaroo ?.
It was my dream when I was a little

— Olleh (@Olleh) August 31, 2019

So what was the transition like for you? Going from the Bombers to the LCS?

FBI: Well the staff at Golden Guardians has made it an easy good process. Obviously it is a really big jump but it went well.

How would you rate your performance this split? 

FBI: Personally, it was disappointing. We didn’t really show how what we could do as a team or how I could match up LCS bot laners individually. It was a bit of a disappointing season for us. 

What’s the biggest difference going from OCE to NA? What’s it like playing with stars like Doublelift?

FBI: I think the jump is pretty noticeable. All the players in LCS are really consistent and pretty good all the time. The big names like Doublelift and CoreJJ are really good, and I respect, but somewhat fanboy them though.

You’ve had some international experience with Bombers, but how do you think Mammoth will do for us at Worlds?

FBI: Unfortunately, I’m not too hopeful. I don’t think these Mammoth are the strongest team we’ve had. I’m staying hopeful but I’m not too keen on our chances. 

Well now you are an NA man now, seeing you live there and are part of the ranked ladder, how do you rate your new region chances at Worlds? 

FBI: Yeah we have a really good chance of getting out, be it Team Liquid, Cloud 9 or I think CLG as the third seed. One of them should make it out and go deep, but I don’t think they win the entire tournament. 

Follow @snowballesports on Twitter for all of our MEO 2019 coverage.

As one of Snowball’s Resident Melburnians, I have been asked once again to let you know some more of what I think is good in Melbourne. Unlike last year, there will only be one piece, focusing primarily on food that I have only recently discovered, relatively new to Melbourne or only got a brief mention in 2018. 

This piece is a companion to those published in 2018, where myself and Michael Carmody gave a run down some of the best that Melbourne has to offer in terms of Food, Coffee and Things to do. Each of these locations is still highly recommended and any that are sadly no longer with us are no longer featured.

There is something truly special about burgers in Melbourne. With a myriad of great locations in and around the Melbourne CBD, they are one of Melbourne’s staples especially if you want something casual. 

Betty’s Burgers and Concrete Co. (Multiple Locations)
97 Elizabeth Street and 222 Exhibition Street

After only receiving a fleeting mention in 2018, Betty’s Burgers makes its way back into the survival guides in 2019 with a full feature. 

Betty’s is a place that does everything to an outstanding quality with being over the top. A solid menu of burgers with made quality ingredients complemented with excellent sides. On top of their burgers, they also serve a great range of custard-based ice creams and thick shakes. With multiple locations, fast and exceptional service, and ample seating, Betty’s is a great choice if in a group or just looking for a great burg. 

Royal Stacks
470 Collins St

Much like Betty’s, Royal Stacks does burgers to an outstanding quality but with more pizzazz. With exceptional sides and great ice cream and shakes, Royal Stacks does find itself with a line, but quick service sees people constantly coming in and out that allows the line to move forward with ease.

Also quickly becoming one of the city’s Staple foods especially in our cold winters. Whilst this weekend isn’t forecasted to continue the recent run of cold weather, Melbourne’s weather is known to change at the drop of a hat, so if you get caught out in the cold or are just looking for something warm and hearty, look no further than some of the great Asian cuisine the CBD has to offer.  

Musashi Ramen Bar
1/181 Russell St

Whilst most ramen locations in our city are great, Musashi is one of the ones that I have found stands out over the rest. Musashi Ramen hits the perfect combination in terms of price, quality and service, and will leave you feeling very satisfied with your choice. A line to wait is expected due to this but is more than worth your time if you are not in a rush.

Little Ramen Bar
346 Little Bourke Street

Another one of Melbourne’s great ramen locations, the name describes what you’ll find when you get in. Serving some solid Ramen and great sides, Little Ramen Bar is highly recommended if you want to get a ramen fix. Service is quick and serves are large so you can’t go wrong. 

Hana’s Kitchen
344 Little Bourke

Blink and you’ll miss it, located next to the Little Ramen Bar is Hana’s Kitchen, an unassuming restaurant that serves some great Japanese and Asian fusion cuisine at an inexpensive price. Located near major retail hubs and the RMIT Campus, Service has to be rather quick in this area to attract those crowds and Hana’s is no exception. 

DonDon
198 Little Lonsdale Street and 330 Little Lonsdale Street 

One of the city’s true greats if you are looking for good food at bargain prices. Aimed towards Students and Corpoates, DonDon serves great Japanese Dons and Bento’s on the cheap at its multiple city locations. Lines during peak times will be out of the door, but with their exceptionally quick service, you’ll be in and out the door before you realise. 

ShanDong MaMa
Mid City Arcade, 7/200 Bourke Street

ShanDong MaMa is an unassuming restaurant found in the Midcity arcade in Chinatown, that serves some great dumplings and other Chinese staples at really great prices. Come here less for the ambience and more for the food, which you could not go wrong with here. 

Rice Workshop (Multiple locations)
238 Little Bourke Street and 321 Lonsdale Street (food court of emporium)

Another favourite student with a location inside the emporium shopping centre as well as in the heart of Chinatown, Rice Workshop does Japanese lunch food right. If looking for solid bowl of food that you can pick up quickly or sit down with in cafeteria style seating or a food court, you can’t go wrong. Prices and menus between the two locations seem to vary (with the Chinatown location be slightly cheaper and more varied at last check) but both will give you an exceptional meal at an exceptional price. 

CJ Lunch Bar
391 Little Lonsdale Street

Located in a laneway near the Law Campus of Victoria University, CJ Lunch Bar is a hole in a wall that serves great Korean food at very reasonable prices. Whilst you won’t find yourself doing KBBQ here, you will find some great Korean lunch meal, including bulgogi dons, bento’s and sizzling plates, as well as many varieties of bibimbap amongst its menu. Despite the name, it is also open for dinner and is a recommendation if you want a getaway from the hustle and bustle of the city. 

Sal’s Authentic New York Pizza
289 Flinders Lane

A true New York Style pizza joint that recently finds itself in Melbourne via New Zealand, Sal’s have very quickly become one of my favourite pizza places, and my go-to when looking for pizza in the CBD. 

Sal’s serves pizza the New York way: large and thin bases, tomato sauce, mozzarella, served with only a couple of simple but quality toppings. With the Pizza being over twice as large than those found at most other restaurants, a couple of slices will be more than enough to satisfy, and won’t set you back all that much.

With both walk-out and sit down service, located near Flinders Street Station and trams that go towards MEO, Sal’s is an ideal place to get a quick bite before, during or after the event.

Mr Crackles
164 Bourke Street

If you are looking for great sandwiches, quality bbq pork, or both at the same time, a trip to Mr Crackles is your best bet. Serving hearty sandwiches and salads with great meats, Mr Crackles is a great location if you are looking for something that will keep you full for the long run.

Shortstop Coffee & Donuts
12 Sutherland Street

A place that I didn’t know existed until our Overwatch content lead Andrew “Ducky” Amos told me about it during the last MEO, Shortstop does what is says in the name, but with a hipster twist. Shortstop serves the best Donuts I have found in the Melbourne CBD. If you are looking for a great donut and what I think is a great coffee at a cafe price, there is no better place. 

If you have a recommendation I might have missed, let us know on twitter @snowballesports. 

This article was not sponsored by any of the featured locations.

Mammoth vs The Chiefs Esports Club. Two teams that came into 2019 looking for glory, and now finding themselves just three maps away from achieving the greatest of glories in Oceania, victory in the Oceanic Pro League final, and a ticket to the 2019 World Championship.

Mammoth is a team designed to win championships.

They took the core of their from the two most dominant teams in the league last year, with jungler Leo “Babip” Romer and support Mitchell “Destiny” Shaw, while mid laner Stephen “Triple” Li and bot laner Calvin “k1ng” Truong joining from the Dire Wolves.

Joined by rookie top laner Kim “Topoon” Ji-hoon and coach Richard “Phantiks” Su, this roster came in as a favourite to win it all. Split 1 saw them fall well short of expectations, with an 11-10 record putting them fourth before they were bundled out of gauntlet in the first round.

The would-be super team struck back with a vengeance in Split 2, however, working through the issues that soured their first season of the year. Alongside the renewed focus, the team bolstered their top lane stock with the addition of OCS prodigy Ibrahim “Fudge” Allami.

Things went as expected for the stacked squad, with a 16-5 second-place finish buying them a ticket straight to the final game of the gauntlet. The team held the equal-best record in Split 2, only denied a path straight to the Melbourne Esports Open by head-to-head.

Luckily for the team, they were able to hold off Order’s second miracle run with a 3-0 series, and claimed their chance at revenge against the Chiefs.

I will never forget the pain of losing in both of last years finals, I will not let this opportunity slip.

See you at MEO ?

— Leo (@BabipOCE) August 24, 2019

Mammoth will look to take over the make and gain a quick dominance when they play this weekend. With the strength of their solo laners, they will try to gain an early advantage in both of these lanes. Combine this with consistent gank pressure from Babip, they’ll try to take over a lockdown the top side of the map.

The key there will be Babip. He’s a workhorse of a jungler, and while his KDA scores aren’t always the highest, it’s the other aspects of his gameplay that he shines. The pressure he is able to enforce over opponent laners in both ganks and vision deal is one the best.

He is closely matched by opponent Jordan “Only” Middleton in the ganking department, but as long as Babip brings his best, he will be able to outpace Only across most of the map.

The skill of the bottom lane will also be critical. Going into the bottom lane against Pro League MVP Quin “Raes” Korebrits and his offsider Bill “Eyla” Nguyen, k1ng and Destiny will want to do their best to shut them down before they are able to eventually popoff and grab victory.

Both Phantiks and his counterpart Tim “Volt” Clay have the potential to claim the edge for their team. The pair will try to out-draft each other, but Phantiks believes he holds the advantage.

“The edge I have over all my counterparts is that I am a competent player myself, being able to see the game from both a player and a coach’s perspective. That gives me an advantage both strategically and from a draft standpoint.”

I will hoist the Trophy ?. pic.twitter.com/WnR0FShjeo

— ???????? ???? (@DestinyOCE) August 28, 2019

There is an added stake in this game for k1ng as well as Chiefs top laner and captain Brandon “Swip3rR” Holland – whoever walks out on Saturday with the title will also become the only five-time Oceanic Pro League champion.

The potential milestone clearly weighs heavily on the Mammoth marksman’s mind.

“Being the first to five OPL titles is something that is definitely on my mind,” said k1ng.

“A big motivation for me as a competitor is to achieve new things, getting five OPL titles is simply one of them. Being one of the first Oceanic players to get to the group stages at the World Championship is another.”

There’s only one problem for k1ng, and it’s a big one.

Since the introduction of the gauntlet format in the opening split of 2017, the team that locked first-seed in the regular season has never lost the deciding match. It’s a record, and potentially a curse, that k1ng wants to see end come Saturday afternoon.

“I don’t really think there’s a gauntlet curse, have played in the majority of recent finals I believe it’s as simple as the better team will win,” the four-time champion said.

“If the best team from the regular season keeps good form or even gets better heading into finals, they have a good chance of winning. This split ended with us and Chiefs having equal points but between and end of the split now and I feel we’ve improved significantly.

“We were able to show that in the gauntlet game versus Order, while the Chiefs ended on a bad note with no stage games to gauge their form heading into finals.”
Calvin ‘k1ng’ Truong

There’s no doubt this Saturday will be explosive. Both teams are fighting to show they are the best, and will want to prove they have what it takes to lead Oceania further than ever before.

The game will be fought to the very end and it will all be left on the Rift. It’s going to be close, but it has the potential to become one for the history books.

Watch the OPL grand final live from the Melbourne Esports Open later today on twitch.tv/RiotGamesOCE.

Follow @snowballesports on Twitter for all of our MEO 2019 coverage.

Today is the day.

There is one best-of-five series left to decide who will get to face the Chiefs at the Melbourne Esports Open. Two teams from Melbourne, Mammoth and Order, will walk into the studios in Sydney tonight, but only one will come walking out of there with the right to represent their home town at Rod Laver Arena next weekend.

Sam the white ????

? @Swift_y #IAMOPL pic.twitter.com/YWhqmPaHjt

— ORDER Tally (@Tallywhacka) August 23, 2019

Last night saw a continuation of the dominance the Order army has had throughout most of the playoffs in 2019 as they took down the Bombers 3-1 in the first of the back-to back Melbourne derbys. With a commanding victory like this, it seems on the surface that Order have got all the tools to be able to plow their way through the three consecutive days again.

However, they are going to have their fortitude, willingness, and ability to get to the summit tested once again as they face their biggest roadblock yet when they lineup against a Mammoth team that has been proclaimed to be nothing short of super.

Coming into the 2019 season the Mammoth lineup was expected to run over their competition and come out on near to, if not on top, in both splits. From top to bottom lane, their lineup is stacked full of players who have been seen as or are in contention for best in their roles. Their roster is chocked full of experience as well, with a combined 10 OPL titles between players and coach, in addition to numerous international tournaments and individual accolades.

Split one fell well short in Mammoth’s expectation, as they bombed out in fifth place after struggling to get on the same page as a unit in the regular season before becoming the first to be run over by the Order Gauntlet train. An addition to their roster in rookie prodigy top laner Ibrahim “Fudge” Allami saw them sure up their lineup, bringing depth to their what kind of compositions that they could play and seemingly iron out the kinks. This change helped lead them to a 16-5 record in split two where they only just missed out on first place and the express ticket to MEO due to head to head results favouring the Chiefs.

There is something special about Order in the playoffs. They seem to go into a league of their own once they enter series play and become a different beast that so far this gauntlet no team has been able to fully tame. Mammoth will once again attempt to tame the beast, but may find it harder than last time due to their lack of recent experience in series play compared to Order’s.

Order will need to be wary of Mammoth’s ability to be in a game to the very end. Multiple times this split, we have seen Mammoth all but dead only for them to turn it around and come out with the victory. A game isn’t truly won against the team coached by Richard “Phantiks” Su until you deliver the final blow on the nexus.

A victory today for either side would need all five players on the map turn up with some of their best play that they have produced all year. In all parts of the map getting a lead over your lane opponent will be crucial, but none might be as critical as the bottom lane matchup. Both sides of this 2v2 is explosive, with both Order’s Ronan “Dream” Swingler and Calvin “K1ng” Truong being able to carry a game at the drop of a hat. These two players, in addition with their supports Jayke “Jayke” Paulsen and Mitchell “Destiny” Shaw, will need to attempt to stop each other from popping off as well as set themselves up to carry if they are needed to.

Both teams will also need to bring their ability to be clutch in a fight to the table. Winning as many team fights as possible, especially in the late game and situations which you might not be favoured to win, will come up trumps in the current state of League of Legends, as they can allow you to gain valuable time to gain objectives and quickly change the state of the map into something that is preferable to your team.

Going off regular season play, Mammoth seem to be the clear favourite, with a 3-0 head-to-head record. However against a post-season Order, anything can happen. Mammoth came into the first round of split one with the head-to-head over Order and still took the loss, and Dire Wolves came into the game Thursday with the 3-0 during the split, but it didn’t mean squat with Order taking the victory in assertive fashion.

Order v Mammoth has the potential to be one of, if not the closest playoff series we see this year. The series will be fought tooth and nail and it’ll come down to the very end. I see this series going to five close games which could go either way. I do however think that Mammoth’s ability to always be in the game to the very end will be critical and give them enough of an edge to see themselves take home the victory.

The victor of the OPL Gauntlet clash tonight nabs a ticket to face the Chiefs at MEO and a chance for the ultimate glory in Oceanic League of Legends and the ticket to Berlin for Worlds. Tune in at 4pm AEST to watch live at twitch.tv/RiotGamesOCE.