China has once again collectively beaten Korea at an international event with its All-Stars semifinal victory.
In a national rematch of sorts, this match of Eastern all stars was a chance at revenge for Korea. Earlier in the year, China defeated Korea at the inaugural Rift Rivals tournament. Although this year’s All-Stars Event had a much different format, many of the players who were a part of the Rift Rivals tournament earlier this year participated in this match.
Aware of Korea’s desire for revenge, China came prepared with the Gnar counter pick of Annie top lane. Although Annie successfully did her job to push Gnar in lane, the pick itself wasn’t what brought the Chinese all stars victory—it was their ability to find picks and make use of the pressure from these kills.
With the help of crowd control abilities from champions like Annie, Malzahar, and Varus, China found a myriad of picks, which allowed them to take various objectives, including the Nexus.
As the match continued, so did the introduction of different champions. This time, Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok got his hands on the new mage, Zoe. Despite an impressive performance by Faker, the Chinese team put up a commendable defense, and almost won the game if not for Korea’s minions, who snuck into their base to take down China’s Nexus.
Related: Korea’s minions win the game and tie their series with China
Unfazed by their loss, China, who made sure to ban Zoe, returned in a dominant game three victory. Once again with a draft of crowd control heavy champions, China earned their leads through smart picks and vision control. Not even an unexpected Baron steal from Korean support Kang “GorillA” Beom-hyeon could stop China from taking the series.
Now qualified for the finals, the Chinese all stars will face their Taiwanese counterparts in a battle for first place on Dec. 10.
