League of Legends World Championship 2015 scores: Origen advances to semifinals with 3-1 win over Flash Wolves

After a few days off, League of Legends Worlds returned with style as the knockout stages began. The first playoff series of the tournament Thursday saw Taiwanese side Flash Wolves, the top seed from Group A, face off against European squad Origen, the No. 2 seed from Group D.

After the Euorpean side jumped out to a 2-0 series lead, Flash Wolves took Game 3 in what was a tightly contested series. Origen was able to take Game 4 to seal it, once again thanks to very strong play from rookie AD Carry Niels.

Both Flash Wolves and Origen went 4-2 in the group stage. Origen’s success came largely from improved play from xPeke and an incredible series of team-fight decisions and shotcalling. Flash Wolves saw strong play from Karsa in the jungle and Maple in the middle lane, as well as a better bottom lane once NL was subbed in at AD Carry.

Origen 12-13, 44:42

Bans: Twisted Fate, Kalista, Elise; Mordekaiser, Gangplank, Lulu

Origen’s bottom lane was able to secure First Blood two minutes in by catching NL out of position, giving Niels the early kill. Karsa came down to gank in response, but Amazing was in good enough position to keep the lane in Origen’s favor. Mithy picked up the kill, and it was an early 2-0 lead for Origen.

Another gank bottom gave Origen a 4-0 lead and Niels his second kill, but Maple was able to kill Amazing in the mid lane. Flash Wolves was able to pick off Soaz in the top lane, and Maple outplayed Neils for his second kill soon after to draw the game within one kill.

Flash Wolves was able to take the lead after a big team fight in the top lane, with Maple and NL picking up kills. Up 6-4, SwordArt landed a perfect binding on xPeke, getting another kill for Flash Wolves. Maple’s brilliant LeBlanc play continued with a 1 vs. 1 kill on xPeke. He was involved in eight of the Wolves’s first nine kills.

At 31 minutes, Origen was able to rush a Baron with Flash Wolves out of position. In the ensuing fight, a struggling Soaz (1/2/0 at that point) was able to secure the second Darius Pentakill of the tournament.

Origen was so far behind that the Baron and Pentakill only gave a 1k gold advantage. Flash Wolves was able to win the following two team fights, but Origen’s objective control was able to secure the next Baron. xPeke picked up a double kill in the ensuing fight, and Origen broke open the Flash Wolves base with the first inhibitor taken of the day.

After Flash Wolves extended too far out of the base to try and contest Dragon 5, Origen pulled off another backdoor to surprisingly (and swiftly) win the game.

Origen 16-13, 40:05

Bans: LeBlanc, Darius, Varus; Gangplank, Mordekaiser, Twisted Fate

Niels was able to get his Kalista this time, and the bottom lane with Mithy’s Tahm Kench was an absolute terror for Flash Wolves in the laning phase. But this game started significantly slower than the first one, with the first kill coming 12 minutes in. Origen surprised Karsa in his own jungle, but Flash Wolves was able to turn it around by picking up first blood on Maple thanks to a quick rotation. xPeke followed with a kill of his own, making the game 1-1 with a kill for each mid laner.

Flash Wolves took the kill lead with another kill for Maple, but Origen still held the gold lead thanks to big farm leads from Niels and Soaz. Niels and Soaz hid in a bush top lane to take out Steak and tie it up, but Karsa picked off Mithy soon after to keep the fight even.

A massive Unstoppable Force from Steak ended in a 3-0 Flash Wolves fight and Baron, turning the gold lead around and giving the Taiwanese side a 8-3 kill advantage. Origen was able to catch Flash Wolves out of position for a 3-0 fight of its own, breaking the base open with a mid inhibitor.

Origen won each team fight from that point, marching into the Flash Wolves base and taking the Nexus.

This ultimately turned into a battle of the two big carries for each team: Niels vs. Maple. With Niels on his preferred Kalista, Origen was able to control the game and earn the 2-0 advantage in the series.

Flash Wolves 12-4, 40:49

Bans: Twisted Fate, Kalista, Elise; Mordekaiser, Gangplank, Lulu

Soaz started this game by outplaying a Karsa/SwordArt gank to earn First Blood. Flash Wolves was able to respond with some very good play from Karsa, NL and SwordArt, taking a 4-3 lead 15 minutes in.

NL picked off xPeke 23 minutes in to give Flash Wolves a chance to pressure objectives and take out Soaz for another kill. After Origen had picked up the first two Dragons, Karsa stole the third one to negate pretty much the only early advantage the European side had.

A big Mega Gnar ultimate picked up another two kills for Flash Wolves, setting up a 30-minute Baron play. After Niels took out Steak, it looked like Origen was in prime position to pick up the objective and turn the game. But NL outplayed him to take Baron, resulting in four kills for Flash Wolves and a broken Origen base.

Flash Wolves was able to snowball from that point, making the series 2-1.

Origen 15-6, 40:32

Bans: LeBlanc, Darius, Varus; Gangplank, Mordekaiser, Twisted Fate

A pair of four-man ganks mid lane by Flash Wolves earned First Blood onto Maple and a 2-0 lead, but Origen still held a gold advantage thanks to farm and turrets. A big team fight went 4-2 in Origen’s favor, tying the kill score, but Flash Wolves caught Origen out of position without xPeke to pick up two kills.

Niels responded with a kill on Karsa, and a 2-0 fight soon after gave Origen the kill lead. 36 minutes in, Niels was able to completely take out NL, finishing him off with the Super Mega Death Rocket, allowing Origen to break open the Wolves base and take Baron.

Niels was able to dominate from that point forward with Jinx, a signature champion for NL in the tournament. The rookie AD Carry once again carried his team to victory, this time with a berth in the World semifinals.