This match is where Group A gets really interesting to say the least. With Gambit Gaming vs CJ Entus Blaze we have the top 2 contenders for the first spot in the group to rush directly into the Semi Finals.

Two completely different playstyles collide in this matchup with the voracious demand for every single global objective of Blaze and the medical execution and relentlessly punishing team fighting strategy of Gambit.

Group A Match #9:

CJ Entus Blaze	vs.	Gambit Gaming
Helios Flame Captain Jack LustBoy Ambition		Diamond Darien Genja Edward AlexIch

As we have seen in the last weeks of professional play, both teams opted to not go for the lvl1 fight but tried to ward all the jungle entrances instead and therefore to be able to control jungler movement.

Again both Gambit and Blaze decided to force a 1v2 situation in bot- and top-lane; especially since Edward was roaming all over the place to provide additional map dominance and to guarantee the maximum amout of experience for Genja.
During that time, all the action focussed on the mid-lane; AlexIch and Ambition traded hits for over two minutes. Both junglers joined the party, but neither of them did get anything out of it. Shortly after Gambit decided to collapse in the top lane to gank Singed, but a good counter-gank by Volibear prevented the first blood.

Everything looked pretty normal at that point; the first thing to happen in that situation is the exchange of bot and top towers due to the 1v2 match-ups, and that was what they did at 5 minutes.

The first items were completed, and both teams prepared for the first dragon fight. GG made the first move and a clutch Thresh hook gave them the edge in a 20-second long teamfight, trading 1 for 2, but they had to back off from the dragon den.

Seconds later, Gambit again went for dragon, and another hook lands for Edward to guarantee two kills and the dragon pick-up. Blaze decided to chase the gang and picked up two kills, but that exchange went strongly into the favor of Gambit.

The game slowed down and both bot-lane pairs tried to pressure the mid tower. The top-lane matchup of Singed versus Shen was supposed to be the farmfest of the century, and one did not get dissapointed.



In the mid-lane Gambit showed the strength of their team composition; Nasus' Wither plus Thresh's Hook equals maximum engagement and crowd control. Blaze though managed to resist the urge to overextend, and a bad team recall by the russians gave Blaze the opportunity to destroy two additional towers.

Blaze tried to pressure the mid inner turret and dive AlexIch, but Gambit turned it around and deleted Jarvan from the map. That was the signal for GG to immidiately go for a quick baron. Gambit was the one who pressured the mid-lane now; Edward lands another deadly hook to gurantee the first downed inhibitor against the koreans.

Blaze tried to counterengage, but the kiting was just too strong, and GG turned it around again to get another two kills.

At 20 minutes, we had a gold lead of 9000 in favor of Gambit. Being up one inhibitor, Gambit decided to go the Shen splitpush route.

The rest of the team tried to get the bot inhibitor turret, and Blaze realized that they had to defend it. Jarvan engaged but got insta-gibbed the second he went in. A clutch Stand United followed, and GG took the ace to finish the game.

Again, you give Gambit the finger and they will take your whole arm. They once again proved that their gameplay in team fights is to be feared in the competitive scene, and it looks like they will take the group undefeated. Now that is what you call a superpower.