Cover-Credits:
Sumail's return to OG is marked with a winning start as the team has defeated AS Monaco Gambit in the first series of the ESL One Summer 2021. OG entered the series with all guns blazing, drafting its typical "Run at you" hero combos to overwhelm its opponents and take a 2-0 victory. Active heroes were also picked for Syed Sumail "SumaiL" Hassan, who delivered a spectacular performance in his non-traditional safe lane role. OG now has a tougher opponent in the form of Virtus.pro lined up in the upper bracket, and this will be its first real test for the two-time TI champions’ updated roster.
OG vs AS Monaco Gambit: Match Recap and Highlights
Recap
Game 1 saw OG picking a high-tempo draft with a mid Pangolier for Topson and a safe lane Leshrac for SumaiL. The laning stage went slightly in their favor and they gradually took ownership of the majority of the map with some amazing pickoffs. AS Monaco Gambit did well to keep the enemy lead in check but was unable to deter OG from winning the game in 34 minutes.
Game 2 was a bigger stomp as OG picked another aggressive draft with a Void Spirit mid and a safe lane Nature’s Prophet. AS Monaco Gambit lost two out of the three lanes and things rapidly went downhill after that. Despite Lorenof again displaying some solid skills on his mid Puck, AS Monaco Gambit lost the game in 30 minutes.
Highlights
Here are some highlights of the series.
OG looked quite coordinated and balanced in its draft as well as gameplay. SumaiL also looked comfortable in the safe lane role, and a positive sign for the whole squad will be the fact that they found a win in their typical aggressive manner. However, it is just early days, and it will be intriguing to witness how they perform against Virtus.pro in the series that happens later today.
AS Monaco Gambit, who had looked decent with its changed roster at the WePlay AniMajor, simply could not match the pace with which OG played the two games. They will require some work both in their drafting and in-game execution if they want to come back stronger in the lower bracket.
