Rift Rivals 2017 Recap and 2018 Preview

There comes a time in every competitive game where rivals clash against one another in a battle that means more than just who gets a trophy or a larger share in a prize pool. For League of Legends, the accepted fact is that Korea has been the strongest region for a very long time, and that all other regions are really just competing to see who can lay claim to being the second best region. For a long time, North America and Europe have been battling it out to see which Western region is better, but there haven’t been a lot of real match-ups against one another. Europe probably has a better claim in terms of how far they have travelled in specific competitions, but we aren’t here to compare records in a vacuum, the fans want to know how well the two regions do in direct competition, and Riot Games have certainly delivered with their Rift Rivals tournaments. We’re very close to kicking off the 2018 edition of the NA vs EU event, so let’s take a look at how it all turned out last year, and see what might happen this year.

The 2017 NA vs EU Rift Rivals Group Stage, Day One

The first NA vs EU Rift Rivals saw the three best teams from the Spring Split battling against one another in the most pure form of combat, with no other regions around for distraction, and nothing on the line except for bragging rights. Representing North America was TSM, Cloud9, and Phoenix1, while on the European side was G2 Esports, Fnatic, and the Unicorns of Love. The first day of matches certainly helped set the tone for the event, so let’s dive into the games.

G2 Esports vs TSM

Both teams started kind of slow, as they tested the waters in this tournament opening game. Both teams were able to pick up a few kills before the real contest started, as G2 secured the first Dragon while TSM claimed the first tower. It didn’t take long for the two teams to clash in earnest, with TSM managing to pick up four kills in a team fight that showcased their teamwork. After gaining this lead, TSM was quick to secure more power for themselves, picking up a Dragon of their own as well as the Rift Herald and several towers. G2’s attempts at stopping TSM proved futile, as the NA powerhouse claimed more objectives and kills before ultimately breaking open the base of G2 with a succession of assaults to win North America their first match of the series.

Fnatic vs Phoenix1

The second match was an opportunity for EU to get some revenge, with regional powerhouse Fnatic showcasing their infamous “Wild Style” gameplay that gave P1 the runaround the entire match. The start of this match looked good for P1 as they picked up a few kills and objectives, but when push came to shove Fnatic was the team able to make the big calls as they secured the Baron buff and more before making their push into the base of Phoenix1. A second Baron was all it took to end the game, with Fnatic outclassing their opponents quite handily as they moved the total score to 1-1.

G2 Esports vs Cloud9

The third match of the day saw G2 take a commanding lead very early on as they looked for personal redemption. There was little Cloud9 could do to stem the tides, though they made a valiant effort regardless. By the 22^nd minute, G2 had amassed a gold lead of over 7k, also sitting multiple objectives ahead of their opponents. C9 was able to narrow the gap significantly, lowering the gold differential to less than 1k by the 38^th minute, but G2 were quick to recover their momentum as they ballooned ahead once more to an almost 9k gold lead at the 45^th minute. G2 would claim victory here with C9 unable to stop them from steamrolling ahead multiple times.

Phoenix1 vs Unicorns of Love

It seemed as though Phoenix 1 had calmed themselves in this match, as they quickly took the early advantage with multiple kills and objectives. There was a brief hiccup in their plans midway through the game, with the Unicorns of Love winning a team fight and gaining some momentum, however P1 quickly leapt back into the fray to secure important neutral objectives and continue their push towards victory. With their victory here, P1 once again moved the regional scores back to a level 2-2 overall.

Fnatic vs Cloud9

This was the Cloud9 that fans had been expecting to see, with gameplay that purely dominated their opponents. Fnatic never really got the ball rolling in this match, falling behind extremely early as Cloud9 matched all of their moves with superior choices of their own that culminated in a relatively swift victory overall. This proved to be the most one-sided game of the event so far, but it would likely not remain that way for too long.

TSM vs Unicorns of Love

The final match of the day was quick and to the point, with both teams wasting no time in trying to gain an early lead. The Unicorns did manage to claim first blood, but their subsequent efforts only really allowed them to maintain parity with TSM, as the NA leaders sought more map control than team fights. With vision control playing a massive part in this game, TSM proved to be the better team on the field as they focused on building power before launching a series of attacks that left the Unicorns wiped from the map and their base destroyed.

With the first day concluded, North America had accrued a lead of 4-2, meaning Europe would need to put some work in if they wanted to keep the competition interesting.

The 2017 NA vs EU Rift Rivals Group Stage, Day Two

Unicorns of Love vs Cloud9

This particular match was a little topsy-turvy, with both teams making plays and securing objectives for some time. The Unicorns of love were ultimately able to pull ahead of Cloud9, as they picked up bigger and more important goals, such as the Baron buff and Rift Herald. Overall it was an interesting game to kick things off.

G2 Esports vs Phoenix 1

This match was extremely one-sided, though not in the way that most people predicted. G2 Esports seemed to get off to a good start, though it quickly became apparent at around the 10 minute mark that Phoenix1 had a plan that they were running with. Though it would take some time, from about 15 minutes on it was all the P1 show, with G2 unable to do much in retaliation. It seemed that the 3^rd string NA team was more than capable of punching above their weight.

TSM vs Fnatic

The match-up that everyone was anticipating for this day of games saw two very storied organizations clashing head-to-head in a battle that would ultimately set the tone of the tournament. Both teams managed to stay fairly level with each other for some time, with Fnatic picking up more kills, but TSM claiming the objectives. In the end, it was TSM who were able to get the ball rolling and start their base attack first, turning their attention first to the important objectives, then to the team fights which they were able to win with relative ease as they picked up another victory.

G2 Esports vs Cloud9

Another excellent performance from Cloud9 as they took the fight straight to G2’s door. Cloud9 spent most of this match dominating the field of play, as they picked up more kills and more objectives than G2 could keep up with. There was a moment around the 25^th minute where G2 swung a huge fight in their favor, however they couldn’t keep the momentum going after that and soon fell behind once again.

Phoenix1 vs Fnatic

It seems the longer this tournament goes on, the closer the matches become with Fnatic and P1 struggling back and forth in their quest for victory here. P1 seemed to have all the advantages they needed to claim victory, as they controlled most of the neutral objectives of this particular clash, however Fnatic did manage to pick up important key objectives such as the Baron buff, which allowed them to maintain their position for some time. Though P1 were able to pick up the second Baron, a costly fight left them almost wiped from the map and handed Fnatic the victory after they quickly rushed down the base.

TSM vs Unicorns of Love

The final match of the day was the chance EU needed to get some revenge on their NA counterparts. Despite TSM securing and growing a lead very early on, the Unicorns of Love never really gave up in their struggle for victory, holding on long enough to gain power of their own before winning several key team fights. In the late game, the Unicorns of Love proved to be the team better suited for all out brawls, as they turned the tide on their opponents and picked up another victory here.

At the end of the second day, the score was sitting at 7-5 in favor of North America, with both teams picking up three wins to close out the day. Europe would need to work hard if they wanted to tie things up before the knockout stage started.

The 2017 NA vs EU Rift Rivals Group Stage, Day Three

G2 Esports vs Phoenix1

The opening match was a must win for G2 if they wanted a shot at representing their region in the knockout stage. Despite gaining significant early advantages against Phoenix1 however, G2 could not keep up the pace throughout this match, falling behind as P1 rallied their defenses. With the game shifted now into P1’s favor, the 3^rd seed NA team were quickly able to pick up repeated team fight victories as they turned the tide of the game completely around. G2 attempted to fight back, but it only delayed the inevitable as Phoenix claimed yet another victory for NA.

Unicorns of Love vs Cloud9

Another interesting clash between these two teams, with Cloud9 picking up a lot of steam in the mid-game, but falling behind to the superior scaling of the Unicorns of Love. Though Cloud9 were able to pick up quite a lot of objectives, they never really pulled away from their opponents, with the Unicorns maintaining their game plan through thick and thin. As the match came to its climax, the Unicorns of Love won several key team fights that saw Cloud9 pushed further and further back, ultimately claiming the first victory for EU for Day Three.

Fnatic vs TSM

The rematch that everyone wanted to see quickly became the talking point of the entire tournament. The draft phase left many stunned by what occurred, with analysts and commentators pointing out that TSM had effectively forced Fnatic to draft, and therefore play, their signature composition that had seen so much success in the EU LCS. It even seemed to pay off for Fnatic, as they picked up first blood in under a minute, however as time went on it became apparent that TSM had a game plan of their own. Disaster struck for Fnatic just before the 10 minute mark as TSM launched their attack in every lane at the same time, culminating in four unanswered kills and positional advantage over the map. TSM grew this small lead into more and more as they roamed the map securing all the objectives they wanted. It would take some time for Fnatic to find a response, and even when they did so, it proved to be answered quickly enough by TSM. It didn’t take long for Fnatic to fold completely, as TSM pushed their way into their base and secured the victory for North America.

Phoenix1 vs Unicorns of Love

Another fairly straight forward victory for the North American representative as they quickly got the ball rolling in this match. The Unicorns of Love might have tried their best to maintain pace with Phoenix1, but that quickly proved impossible as the kills and objectives started piling up. It still took some time for Phoenix1 to claim victory however, so credit where it’s due for the Unicorns stalling out the match, however this was not the ending they were hoping for.

Fnatic vs Cloud9

It seemed that defeat had clouded the ability for the EU teams to perform well, as Fnatic fell victim to Cloud9’s fairly straightforward composition. After gaining an early lead through their objective control, Cloud9 sought to find team fights they could win in order to close out this match as quickly as possible. Fnatic did fight back with some objectives of their own, but when it came to the brawls that win games, at best they were able to break even, as Cloud9 soared to a relatively easy victory.

TSM vs G2 Esports

The final match of the group stage ended up being the longest and most interesting to watch, as these two Western titans battled it out for victory. TSM needed to win this match to ensure that they would be the final North American representative battling for the Rift Rivals crown, while G2 simply wanted to win their second game of the tournament, and perhaps set up their region with a better chance at winning the overall event. Lasting for almost an hour, this clash would see 6 total Dragons slain, three Baron picked up, and 16 towers destroyed before TSM managed to break open the base of G2 and end the game, cementing their knockout stage appearance and ending the series.

Overall, the group stages were very heavily in North America’s favor, with the final tally reading 12 wins for North America, and 6 wins for Europe. The knockout stage would be played between TSM and the Unicorns of Love, the two teams from their respective regions who had the best win/loss record. The final showdown was handily won by TSM 3-0, as they cemented their place in the Western rivalry and ensured that North America would have significant bragging rights for some time.

This year the format is different, with the teams playing less games in the group stage, but potentially more games in the knockout stage. The teams representing their regions are also quite a bit different, with North America fielding three new teams, while Europe is sending a new team of their own. Ultimately, in the grand scheme of things, Rift Rivals is not terribly important. There are no Championship points on offer, the winning region doesn’t gain any extra benefits for this year’s World Championship, and in fact the only prize is really just regional bragging rights between North America and Europe. That said, isn’t that truly the most worthy of goals when it comes to League of Legends?

For more League of Legends action, check out our how to watch guide for this year’s Rift Rivals tournaments, here.