RESULTS: 100 Thieves Claim the Final Victory after a Brutally Long Slugfest

With everything on the line for both teams, the final game came down to the literal edge as both teams suffered through a long and brutal match. Here’s a brief breakdown of the match.

Clutch Gaming continued their recent trend of focusing the top lane, scoring first blood with a jungle gank. 100 Thieves respond by moving to secure the first Dragon of the game as they attempt to even out the game. Clutch Gaming continue to pressure the side lanes, ganking the bot lane to pick up another kill before rushing to the top side to pick up another kill.

Both teams look for vision control over the Dragon area, constantly probing each other’s defences without committing to the attack. Clutch Gaming finally pull the trigger and take the Dragon when 100 Thieves are forced to return to base to reset, though in the aftermath 100 Thieves are able to take down the first turret of the game in the bot lane. The teams clash over the Rift Herald, with Clutch Gaming securing the buff before a team fight breaks out, and 100 Thieves continue to pressure the top lane, forcing Clutch Gaming to stick around and defend the area.

Clutch Gaming use the Rift Herald to take down the mid outer turret, before both teams look for vision control over the Baron area. 100 Thieves continue their map rotations by securing their second Dragon, as Clutch Gaming respond by taking down the top outer turret to extend their gold lead. Clutch Gaming attempt to sneak the Baron, but a well-timed ward from 100 Thieves spots them out and forces a withdrawal. Clutch Gaming get a pick, securing an early kill before moving towards the Baron again. The resulting team fight forces 100 Thieves back for the time being, but Clutch Gaming are also forced to retreat without the Baron for now.

After another skirmish around Dragon, both teams look for a positional advantage before Clutch Gaming land a kill and move to reset the lanes. 100 Thieves keep pressuring the mid lane, taking down the outer turret there, but Clutch Gaming maintain a presence around Baron, keeping 100 Thieves from pushing too far forward. 100 Thieves pull the trigger on the engage, scoring their first kill of the match before moving to threaten the Baron. When Clutch move to contest, 100 Thieves pick up another kill before returning to attack Baron, but when Clutch Gaming again contest, the threat of losing too much force 100 Thieves to pull back entirely.

The teams continue to clash in the mid lane as 100 Thieves pick up another kill and take the gold lead, though when they move to rush the Baron, Clutch Gaming move to contest. The resulting team fight turns into a blood bath as both teams lose four members in rapid succession and leaves the score effectively level.

The teams’ trade back and forth around the Baron pit, as health bars get lower and lower without suffering any deaths, though minions continue to push the side lanes for Clutch Gaming, adding additional pressure onto 100 Thieves. 100 Thieves manage to sneak the Baron, though the collapse from Clutch Gaming scores another kill and map pressure for the time being.

100 Thieves attempt to break open the base of Clutch Gaming through the mid lane, however Clutch are able to hold them off for the time being. After finally taking down the inhibitor turret, 100 Thieves are forced to pull back to reset, while Clutch Gaming take the time to catch their breath and prepare for the next assault. 100 Thieves are unable to gain any further ground as the Baron wears off, and the teams continue to duel in the mid lane in preparation for another Baron fight. As the teams continue to battle over Baron, the minion push from Clutch Gaming ends up securing the bot lane inhibitor, while minions from 100 Thieves continue to pressure the mid lane. As 100 Thieves attempt to rush the Baron, Clutch Gaming steal it away before recalling to protect their base.

With 100 Thieves trapped in their base, Clutch Gaming move to secure their third Dragon of the game, before both teams return to pushing out the side lanes. As the Baron prepares to respawn on the map, both teams work to establish vision of the area while making sure they aren’t caught out of position. With the teams continuing to battle in the mid lane, 100 Thieves secure a crucial kill before rotating to attempt the Baron. In response, Clutch Gaming secure the Elder Dragon for additional team fighting power as they move to defend their base. 100 Thieves destroy the inhibitor in the mid lane before rotating to top side to continue the siege, taking down the turret to expose the inhibitor. With the Baron power, 100 Thieves are able to destroy the inhibitor in the top lane before rotating to push in the mid and bot lanes. As the minions push in to attack the nexus, Clutch Gaming attempt to force an engage but are unable to secure any kills in the process. 100 Thieves destroy the final inhibitor in the aftermath, leaving very little standing between them and victory. Both teams made a 1-1 trade again, though the minions pushing into the base give 100 Thieves the edge, and in the final fight Clutch Gaming fall short of their mark, handing the win to 100 Thieves.

100 Thieves ultimately proved the stronger of the two teams, though both had their share in the sun. With a final game time of just over 74 minutes, the gold difference was surprisingly close. 100 Thieves only just edged out Clutch Gaming with a lead of 3.8k gold, though with such a long game time, both teams managed to fully buy the items they needed, negating any kind of advantage the gold difference would have afforded.

For more on this series, check out the previous game recap, here, and for more on when the Finals will be held, check out the Official Schedule page, here.