During an extremely close game of League of Legends between rivals Cloud9 and Fnatic, top laner An “Balls” Le came up big for the North American side with a pentakill featuring the dunkmaster himself, Darius.
This phenomenal final teamfight made all the difference for the team as the ace allowed Cloud9 to take down Fnatic’s nexus, giving them and undefeated 3-0 record and placing them atop their group at the League of Legends World Championship.
If you’re wondering why teams keep picking Darius at Worlds despite middling success, watch this video:
Even sweeter for Balls: He got to shove a huge bloody axe at all the people who criticized him for his play leading into the event.
The top laner was a lightningrod for criticism for analysts across the globe prior to the World Championship, partially due to his struggle to make it out of Diamond 2 in Korean solo queue. Caster Joshua “Jatt” Leesman pointed out Balls’ less than mediocre solo queue record, calling it a “worrying trend” for Cloud9.
And despite being camped out most of this tournament by the enemy team, Le has been able to bounce back in every game thus far. Today was no exception, with his Darius showing up big when it matters.
“All that Diamond 2 practice,” Balls said with a laugh in his post-game interview. “My team trusted me. I took all the criticism to heart and just kept practicing.”
Teammate Daerak “LemonNation” Hart backed up his top laner. “I think Balls has played more solo queue than any other player at Worlds,” Hart said. “He’s been fucking spamming it.”
With the victory, Cloud9 is now first in their group after four days of play, with victories over ahq e-Sports Club, Fnatic, and Invictus Gaming. Competition resumes for the team on Oct. 11 when it will face all three teams once again in a battle that will determine their tournament.
And with a 3-0 record, two more wins than any other team in their group, Cloud9 is squarely in control—especially if they keep getting big plays from Balls.
Photo via Riot Games/Flickr
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