After a struggle to make a name for themselves following the inception of the team, Bombers have kicked off the 2019 split with a fully refreshed roster, and a first place seed to boot.

It shows the gamble to switch-up their roster, sign a rookie jungler, and mesh the best of other teams has paid off.

Returning to former days are three old team mates, Jake “Rogue” Sharwood in support, Victor “FBI” Huang as his AD Carry, and Tommy “Ry0ma” Le in the mid lane. Joining the three musketeers is Hyun-jin “BalKhan” Choi as a rookie in the Jungle, and finally Ju-seong “Mimic” Min in the top lane.

Bombers are a relatively new team on the block, joining the Oceanic Pro League in the beginning of the 2018 season. Since then the org has sat in the middle of the standings, until this split. After finishing in fifth place in Split 2 2018, they made the call to completely rebuild their roster, forging this new ‘super team’ with every intention of going international.

Tommy “Ry0ma” Le has been in previous grand finals as part of the Chiefs Esports Club, and has said he’s motivated by the previous losses he’s faced.

“Every time I think about my last two finals, I think about wanting to win even more,” he said.

Coming off the back of an impressive 19-2 record in the regular split, it’s no wonder the Bombers are confident in their abilities. Having played a seemingly similar style with small variations in their strategies, they still have some tricks available to pull out if needed.

The goal of the regular season, Bombers coach Scott ‘Westonway’ Farmer revealed, was to “get first seed”, but also to win it all.

After having played out some very exciting games in their regular season, the Bombers can look back and be proud. With some great matches against other top-seeded teams, such as Avant Gaming and the Chiefs, they certainly cemented themselves in the top echelons of 2019 so far.

A favourite matchup of Westonways’ was Avant, with a total of 55 kills to the Bombers over 3 games. It’s easy to see why, with such explosive games and a 3-0 record against them. The Chiefs had a little more luck against the Bombers, with a 2-1 record across the course of the 10 week season. In their wins, the Chiefs had an impressive 42 kill record in only 2 games. Those matches are certainly ones to go back and watch.

The Gauntlet

This matchup of Order vs Bombers is one that I don’t think anyone would have predicted at the beginning of the gauntlet, but one that is sure to be explosive. Order have dominated their way through three straight best-of-five series, dashing not only Mammoths’ grand final dreams, but also Avants’ and the Chiefs’ hopes.

“Now I’m closer than ever, and I won’t lose. We’re all hungry to win, we just want to taste victory.”
– Ry0ma

It’s looking like the dream run for Order, but there’s still the final boss to go – Bombers.

Having been so close to the trophy twice, Ry0ma certainly feels the hunger for that final victory. According to the Bombers mid laner, it “feels like [he’s] always fallen short” in his career.

He’s using this past experience to his benefit, especially working on “patching his weaknesses,” so he can play at the level he wants for the grand finals.

Rogue and FBI were part of the Order roster for the 2018 season. It’s bittersweet for them, coach Westonway said, as they seem “relatively close to their old team mates, and were happy to see them succeed”.

The Bombers may look like a team of veterans, but their jungler, BalKhan is a rookie, playing in his first ever competitive League of Legends split this year. He is certainly impressive, with dominant performances across the board. Ry0ma feels that “despite being a rookie, he is really confident, and we’re all confident in his ability in the finals.”

“As long as he plays his game I don’t think Order will have a good time,” Ry0ma said.

Player to Watch

After a commanding split in the top lane, Mimic is sure to be the key to a Bombers victory.

I think one of the keys to taking down Order is to keep James ‘Tally’ Shute down, after the solo laner popped off in a majority of their gauntlet matches.

Their matchup history has fallen in Mimics’ favour, with their last matchup ending in a 7/3/3 final scoreline on Rumble for Mimic. Mimic has consistently performed well on a variety of champions, and this flexibility will be key to keeping the Order top laner down.

This is why the #1 seed holds so much value. I’m glad we get a week to prep for this monster @ORDER_army team

— Nathan M ?? (@Euphoraz) March 30, 2019

Taking the grand final victory would be the best ending that the Bombers could hope for. They will be stamping their names into the winner’s book as the first new team since 2015 to take home the trophy.

Not only that, they will also be continuing the trend of first-seeded teams being the only champions since the gauntlet system was introduced in 2017.

Westonway admitted Order have had 10 extra games to prepare for the final, but believes it’s given Bombers a major advantage as well.

“It’s 10 games on the patch that we will get to review and break down.”
Scott ‘Westonway’ Farmer

Can the Bombers squad put the handbrake on Order’s dominating run, and scoop up the victory and all the glory that comes with it?  Find out on Saturday April 6 on the RiotGamesOCE Twitch channel from 4pm AEDT.

Follow Westonway, Ry0ma & Bombers on Twitter.

The Chiefs Esports Club are currently seated just beneath the Bombers as second seed, and only need to play in two series to take the title for the split.

Led by head coach Tim “Volt” Clay, the experience of the Chiefs Split 1 2019 roster varies from top lane veteran Brandon “Swip3rR” Holland present from the team’s debut almost five years ago, to bot laner Quin “Raes” Korebrits who joined two years after, to rookie support Bill “Eyla” Nguyen, who played his first OPL match only ten weeks ago. Filling in the rest of the roster are former Legacy players, Jordan “Only” Middleton in jungle and mid lane superstar Brandon “Claire” Nguyen.

The Chiefs have been a part of the competitive League scene in Oceania since August 2014, founded by the roster of Team Immunity as Exodus Gaming before later rebranding to the Chiefs. They’ve maintained consistency to achieve massive domestic success since their debut, placing fourth or above in every OPL split to date, even spawning a winning OCS team in Chiefs Academy. In more casual domestic competition, all members – with the exclusion of Eyla – were selected to participate in League of Origin 2018.

Over the years, they’ve placed in every split to date and represented Oceania at numerous international events. This includes International Wild Card tournaments and their first place at Rift Rivals 2018 SEA-LJL-OPL alongside Legacy and the Dire Wolves. Despite this success, they’ve never represented OCE at Worlds, missing it on numerous occasions by nothing more than a hair. With their current roster, they’re looking to write new history.

Really happy for the Order boys, keen to finally vs them in a bo5.
Sadly there has to be a loser and its not gonna be me, I’ve been in this position 3 splits in a row now.

Not feeling this again, Going for pure titan domination tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/2RoDa4WiwL

— Swip3rR (@Swip3rR) March 29, 2019

This split, the Chiefs have displayed extreme dominance despite the numerous fresh faces in their roster. They’ve come together with ease, with outstanding performances from the top to the bottom of Summoner’s Rift.

Since the beginning of the split, they’ve only taken three losses altogether – one against Order, Mammoth, and the Bombers. They placed second in the regular split behind the Bombers, finishing the season off with a win streak spanning from week seven to now. On that note, they’ve been the only team to successfully take down the Bombers, giving the first-placed team their lone two losses as well as a 2-1 head-to-head lead.

During last year’s OPL season, they fell in both splits to the Dire Wolves in two agonising second-place finishes. However, with third time being a charm, they will be aiming to dethrone the Bombers next weekend, and stake their claim at the top once again.

The Gauntlet

Tonight, the Chiefs will start their Split 1 gauntlet run against Order for the final spot in the grand final. The boys from Melbourne have ran the gauntlet with victories over Mammoth and Avant, with the boys in blue stand their final challenge before the Bombers.

The Chiefs hold a 2-1 head-to-head record over Order, but this won’t stop them from giving this series their all. “While I think us and Bombers are the best teams, we aren’t underestimating Order.” Swip3rR said in regards to the run ahead.

“Our regular season results speak for themselves, but the gauntlet is a whole different environment, and our opponent will be coming in with momentum,” – Coach Tim ‘Volt’ Clay.

“They’ve shown they can be a championship team [during the past few days], and in gauntlet, anything can happen.”

“We will have the preparation edge though, so I would say we’re confident but not complacent coming into the series.” said coach Volt.

The gauntlet isn’t like the regular season sprint too – it’s an arduous best-of-five where endurance is key. “Mentally, the [best-of-five] format is a lot more exhausting on game day, so we spent the week ensuring that we’re adjusting to playing long sets of games in the evenings,”

“Mental strength and good fundamentals are incredibly important in Bo5, and I think our players have the edge over other teams in that regard.”

Player to Watch

For their matches, the player to keep an eye on is none other than Brandon “Swip3rR” Holland in the top lane.

The man known within the OPL as Big Swips has donned his blue jersey since the teams infancy, and has competed in numerous international events and domestic events outside of the OPL.

With one of the most consistent performances in the League, the veteran is dubbed the ‘rock in the top lane’ for a reason. His experience along with motivation will be key in leading his team to victory in his matchups.

“I’ve been fighting my demons since I was a champion in 2016 – I took winning for granted back then,

I will do everything in my power to not let that happen again.”
– Swip3rR

Clip: Avant overstay for an inhibitor but Eyla hits a long flank in Week 6 of the OPL.

If the Chiefs take the match against Order they’ll be no more than a series away from the winning title for Split 1. With a positive win ratio from their previous run-ins, the boys have proven that they’re more than capable of flying higher than the Bombers.

Should the Chiefs defeat the Essendon squad, the first place title will mark their return to the throne of the OPL for the first time since four consecutive titles between 2015 and 2016, and Swip3rR believes that “getting that back will make all this hard work in the last 24 months worth it.

“All three games [against Bombers] this split were coin flips in my eyes and there was never a clearly better team. I expect the final to follow these games; it should be a good one should we win on Saturday. I love these types of series, and power up from them.”

The bot lane matchup should be the most interesting, with both Raes and Bombers AD carry Victor “FBI” Huang looking to not only establish themselves as the kings of bot lane, but as the region’s best player.

“Raes and FBI are both incredible players and should be in the top two in anyone’s MVP votes for this split,” said Volt.

“I think Raes has had the edge in our matches against the Bombers this split, and should we make the grand final, I believe that trend will continue.”

The Chiefs have been a staple in the OPL for years, and have undoubtedly succeeded this split already despite the large changes made to the roster. However, taking home the trophy will be the only result they’ll be satisfied with, and they are in with a good shot.

The Chiefs will match up against Order at 4pm AEDT today for the spot across from Bombers in the grand final on the RiotGamesOCE Twitch channel.

Follow Swip3rR, Volt & The Chiefs on Twitter.

Avant Gaming in recent times have always found a way of finishing fifth no matter the circumstances.

As one of the oldest organisations in the OPL, it’s been a long spell between their success in 2014 to celebrate anything. In fact, in the nine splits of the OPL, they’ve finished fifth five times. Their other results include two fourth place finishes in the pre-gauntlet era, a seventh place finish at the end of last year before they fought tooth and nail to avoid relegation, and this season. They finished third.

Rebuilding their team from scratch after last year’s disappointment, Avant stormed out of the blocks in 2019 to leave the heads of state scratching – well – their heads. Bringing in one-time Raydere medallist Ryan “Chippys” Short as team leader, Avant have built a strong roster of misfits from other teams.

Bot lane duo Vincent “gunkrab” Lin and Ryan “Aladoric” Richardson showed a lot of promise in last year’s OCS on Chiefs Academy and Intuition respectively. Ari “Shok” Greene-Young was a standout performer on an otherwise underwhelming Tectonic in 2018, while Ryan “Swathe” Gibbons has clawed his way back into the OPL after being dropped from Tectonic in Split 2 2018.

damn that first game of gauntlet was intense, getting me excited to play tomorrow ?

— Aladoric (@AladoricOCE) March 28, 2019

Avant Gaming in 2019 has defied most people’s expectations. A riff-raff of signings looked to be hinged on a franchise player carry performance from Chippys. While Chippys has been a key part of Avant’s success, the likes of Shok and Gunkrab have done the heavy lifting for the team during the split as well.

The team has been known to cause teams, especially their coaches, a restless night’s sleep thinking about what four-cheese pasta they’re cooking up in the draft. Whether it be Mordekaiser mid, Zac support or Fiora-Evelynn, Avant’s innovation in 2019 has been a driver to their third place finish in the regular season, with the team not afraid to experiment.

Player to Watch

In a roster can provide so many surprises it’s difficult to pick just one player to watch however I’ve got my eyes on Ryan “Chippys” Short for the gauntlet.

It’s the year of redemption for Chippys after being unexpectedly dumped from the Dire Wolves on 2018. The former league MVP had a split to forget at Mammoth, but this year at Avant Gaming, Chippys has found his swagger again and his pocket picks causing headaches for teams.

“Making it back in playoffs means a lot to me,” said the veteran. “After my split on Mammoth where I worked my hardest every day and didn’t make playoffs due to the environment, it really took its toll on me.”

Excelling as a carry player in a lane notoriously known for tanks, there’s a reason he’s a Raydere medallist. His teammates don’t have any OPL playoffs experience and Chippys will be looked at as a leader for Avant in the gauntlet.

“After that I wanted to help build a roster of players that could take feedback and improve fast, and I can’t wait to see how well my teammates play this weekend,” Chippys added.

While having a system that seems to let him thrive with his carry picks, he’s got the best opportunity ahead of him to show that he still has ‘it’ without Shernfire in his back pocket.

“My main goal for gauntlet is to make sure our preparation is as good as possible so no matter what happens in the draft or on stage, all my teammates have full confidence we’ll win.” – Ryan ‘Chippys’ Short

The Gauntlet

The lads in the blue, gold and white will have to test their mettle initially against the an uphill battle having a 0-6 record against the Chiefs and Bombers above them.

Coach Zack “Rusty” Pye isn’t too concerned about who they face though. “I think Avant matches up quite well actually against both Mammoth and Order, which has been shown during the regular season.

“For which team is a tougher opponent though? I’d say Mammoth is for sure. I think they have generally better players role for role, and their bot lane in particular has a crazy high carry potential if given their signature champs.”

Bucking the trend and finding the blueprint to beat the Chiefs and then the Bombers however is playing in the back of the team’s mind, even if it’s not the primary focus.

“The first thing we need to focus on is winning our first series against either Order or Mammoth, but there’s a couple of ways to approach this idea of bucking the trend,” said Rusty.

“One, we just fix where we’ve been going wrong in our games vs both respective teams – these issues have been identified so this is a plausible solution.

“Two, we cheese the ever-living hell out of them until we win. Now I’m not gonna say we’ll just do the latter, but there’s a time and a place for everything.”

Avant Gaming are a team that ask other teams questions but lack the results against the top of the competition, leaving doubts as to whether they’ll be able to make an impact.

One thing is for sure however – they’re going to deliver an exciting gauntlet leaving viewers in awe with the potential champions they could see on the rift.

Tune in to see Avant Gaming’s gauntlet journey begin tonight against Order at 4PM AEDT on the RiotGamesOCE Twitch channel.

Thanks to @RustyLol and @ChippysOCE for giving us insight into their gauntlet run. Follow Avant Gaming on Twitter.

Unlike their namesake, the history of Mammoth is quite short. However, don’t let the organisation’s history distract you from the fact that this is one of the most experienced teams in the OPL.

The trio Stephen “Triple” Li, Calvin “K1ng” Truong and Mitchell “Destiny” Shaw have eight OPL titles between them. Leo “Babip” Romer and Ji-hoon “Topoon” Kim have been rising stars of the OPL over the last couple of years and have forged a crucial part of the Mammoth super team.

Born from the ashes of Sin Gaming, Mammoth first stampeded onto the Rift in Split 2 of 2018. They may have stampeded in the wrong direction, as they finished the season with a record of 3-7. Despite missing out on a gauntlet position, Mammoth succeeded off the rift. #TUSKSUP and images of plush mammoths won over many OPL fans and presumably some Elephantidae enthusiasts.

Absolute honour and privelege. I will produce the results! ? https://t.co/w5TJxjsyOe

— Richard Su (@Phantiks) December 5, 2018

The Gauntlet 

Coming into the gauntlet at fourth place means that Mammoth have a prehistoric mammal of a job ahead of them if they want to join Bombers in the grand final. However, it’s in Mammoth’s blood – after all, they were born from the team known for the Sinderella story.

Interestingly, one aspect of the Gauntlet favours Mammoth. While the regular season was a best-of-one format, the gauntlet matches are best-of-five – at which Mammoth have been predicted to excel.

“Due to the number of strategies and adaptations required across the multiple games, the best-of-five format is a true indication of who is the better team,” explains Destiny.

“I believe our team will do better [in the best of 5 format], as we have had many successful experiences in the past.” – Mitchell ‘Destiny’ Shaw

Babip also believes that playing a best-of-five removes a lot of the pressure for the team. “Playing a best-of-five takes a lot of the stress away compared to the best-of-one. Knowing that the better team will take the series at the end of it gives me confidence we will do well.”

In the first round of the gauntlet, Mammoth face Order – a team that surprised many when they struggled throughout the season, and then again when they scraped into fifth place.

Mammoth come into this match looking the better of the two squads. They had a 2-1 head to head record over Order in the regular season and appear to be playing with more conviction than their opponent.

Regardless, Destiny is keenly aware that “mental fortitude will play a major part” for both teams.

Player to watch

Stephen “Triple” Li. Triple by name, Triple kill by nature.

This mid lane dynamo has proven time and time again that he is a force to be reckoned with, consistently making disciplined decisions and executing strategies flawlessly.

In the 2018 season, Triple was part of the 20-0, dual premiership Dire Wolves squad, competed at the Mid-Season Invitational, and the Worlds Play-in. He and bot lane teammate k1ng have recently stepped into the international spotlight and are likely driven to make sure they stay there.

In the match against Order, all eyes should be glued to the mid lane, as Triple faces off against Simon “Swiffer” Papamarkos. Order are known to favour their jungle-mid combination, both of whom are players known to have their performance greatly affected by their emotions. If Triple can dominate his lane, Order could struggle.

If Mammoth can turn Order into chaos, they will face off against Avant Gaming in the second round of the gauntlet. Avant Gaming may prove to be a challenging opponent for Mammoth. Their unconventional, flexible pool of champions make them difficult to prepare against and their 2-1 head to head record against Mammoth this season will give them confidence heading into the match.

On the flip side, four of the five players on Mammoth have experience competing in high-pressure best-of-5 matches while most of the Avant Gaming players are gauntlet debutantes.

Clip: Triple gets himself a Pentakill in Week 10 of the OPL.

If Mammoth defeat Avant Gaming, they must face one of the two teams who have had a stranglehold on the competition – The Chiefs. At this point, one would wonder about the performance effects of momentum and fatigue. These are factors that the team acknowledges.

“We believe we can run the whole thing as long as we have the endurance to do so,” said Destiny. “I’m glad to have this opportunity to do something that nobody has ever done before and I know my teammates feel the same way. The better team will always win, so if we lose, we can accept that.”

Babip backed up Destiny, saying “although it’s not where we hoped we would be, it’s kind of exciting to have the chance to be the first team to run the gauntlet successfully.”

Will Mammoth trample the gauntlet and meet the Bombers in the final, or will they end up as fossils? It’s a challenging road, but with the experience of this herd, anything is possible.

Catch the Mammoth vs Order game on Thursday 27 March via the RiotGamesOCE Twitch channel.

You can follow Destiny, Babip and Mammoth on Twitter.

Order find themselves coming into the Split 1 playoffs as the fifth seed, only being able to dig up from where they currently sit.

Order’s lineup consists of mostly veteran talent. Coached by Aaron “ChuChuZ” Bland, the team consist of gauntlet/playoff veterans in top laner James “Tally” Shute, jungler Samuel “Spookz” Broadley, mid laner and captain Simon “Swiffer” Papamarkos, and support Jayke “Jayke” Paulsen, as well gauntlet newcomer in bot laner Ronan “Dream” Swingler, whose journey to the Gauntlet may as well make him a veteran.

Order joined the OPL at the start of 2018, with the purchase of the Team Regicide slot in the offseason. In 2018 the organisation ran with Tally, Spookz and Swiffer as well as long-time bot lane duo Victor “FBI” Huang and Jake “Rogue” Sharwood. The team didn’t meet their own high expectations that year, as they finished third in both regular seasons before falling to Legacy in the gauntlet in both splits.

Order’s split in 2019 has been a tale of inconsistency for the boys from Melbourne. After starting 0-2 in the first week, it seemed fate had turned itself around as they shut out the first round robin with a 5-2 record. Fate reversed again, however, with the second round robin being one to forget. The team fell to a six-game losing streak before obtaining a victory against the lowly Dire Wolves.

The third round robin saw them end 3-4, with a victory against Legacy on Saturday of Week 8, before another three game losing slide threatened to end their season completely. The team was able to barely scrape into the playoffs with a pair of victories over the Wolves and Gravitas to end the split, as well as some help from the Chiefs beating Gravitas on the final day, seeing them end at 9-12 and getting the fifth gauntlet seed on head to head over the newest OPL team.

Maybe the most stressful game I haven’t played.

— ORDER Swiffer (@SwifferOCE) March 23, 2019

The Gauntlet

Considering the team barely squeaked into fifth place, you would you think expectations aren’t too high, but if you ask the boys that represent Order themselves, this isn’t the case. I spoke to Swiffer and ChuChuz about what their expectations were for the gauntlet, what they think about Mammoth and their opinion on Bo5.

I asked them what they were expecting now that they had barely qualified for the gauntlet, and if this will change any preparation coming into Thursday. Swiffer believes that “(their) goals haven’t changed from the start of the year”.

“I think our goal of a top three finish is still very much achievable if we use our time in the gauntlet well,” he added.

ChuChuZ was more conservative in his goals for the gauntlet, and said he believes the team’s  goal will be “to put on our best show”. The Order coach also confirmed their prep “won’t change drastically”, but that the team would instead look  to “finalise what we’ve built”.

“Our initial goals weren’t exceptionally high as we recruited two new players; one being a very young rookie,” ChuChuZ said.

Mammoth is a team that was designed to trample over the rest of Oceania, but that hasn’t necessarily been the case thus far. Whilst they have also had their woes of inconsistency, they were able to pickup wins more consistently when expected, as well as more often when they weren’t the favourites.

When asked about what they expected with Mammoth, an opponent they have only beaten once this split, both Swiffer and ChuChuZ believe the best way to beat Mammoth is to not allow them to get ahead early.

“Mammoth are a team that tries to wrest control from you early and use that to accumulate small advantages until they feel ready enough to teamfight you,” Swiffer said.

“I think that if we manage to not get strangled out early we’ll match up well against them.” – Swiffer

ChuChuZ agreed with that sentiment, adding that “Mammoth hold an all-star roster yet we always manage to find a chink in their armour. If we don’t give them an early lead – we should defeat them.”

After a split that saw the regular season format change back to a best of one format, I asked them for their thoughts of what it would be like to participate in a Bo5 and multi-game series once again.

Swiffer said from a player’s perspective he “always enjoyed best of fives and even best of threes more than the single-game format”. He explained he felt the element of luck played too high a role in the best of one games, and that “no one gets lucky on the day” in a multi-game series.

ChuChuz held a similar belief, but said he enjoyed best of fives because of the “attention towards a team’s adaptability and mental fortitude”.

“Drafts will influence the next game, and this creates an interesting dynamic between coaches,” he said. “Players don’t have the freedom to critique game-to-game strategy/draft, coaches must step up based on their understanding of the team in the next draft.”

Player to watch

Ronan “Dream” Swingler will be the player to watch for Order during the postseason.

This is the 18-year-old’s first time participating in the OPL Gauntlet, and he will want to deliver the best performances he can muster. Dream has had a long journey to find himself where he is now, but through his drive, tenacity, will, dedication and hard work, he has found himself in the brightest lights and the hardest challenge he has faced yet.

While he hasn’t been all that consistent, much like the rest of his team during the regular season, when he popped off, he popped off hard. I expect him to do the same if he and Order want to make it to Friday and beyond.

Clip: Spookz picks up a triple kill in Week 10 of the OPL against Gravitas in their pivotal win.

Order will be the underdogs this playoff, and for most, a best of five victory will be beyond expectations. If Order are able “to find the chink in the armour” of Mammoth like ChuChuZ believes they can, Order will find themselves against Avant.

The third-placed squad are a team they are yet to defeat in 2019, and the Melbourne team will have to find their first win against them in a battle to progress even further into the gauntlet. That potential clash will also have the third and final seed for Rift Rivals up for grabs.

The chance of being able to make it to a date with the Bombers on the sixth of April will be slim for a team in this position, but with a pair of deep runs from Legacy coming out of fifth in 2018, maybe the third time will be the charm for the lowest seed?

Squeaking into the playoff should lower expectations, but with the Order boys keeping their expectations high, we should see an Order lineup that is once again explosive, and decisive.

Order line up against Mammoth in a blockbuster clash this Thursday at 4pm AEDT on the first day of the gauntlet. Catch this, and the rest of the Gauntlet action, on the RiotGamesOCE Twitch channel.

Follow Swiffer, ChuChuZ, and Order on Twitter.