AHQ e-Sports Club Defeats Team SoloMid at Mid-Season Invitational
In a surprising turn of events, the battle between AHQ e-Sports Club from Taiwan and Team SoloMid was the highlight of the Friday slate at the Mid-Season Invitational. This match determined which team would advance to the playoffs.
The home team, Team SoloMid, did not survive.
Team SoloMid fell behind quickly against AHQ, and the Taiwanese team took advantage. AHQ gained an early lead by securing an early dragon and scoring first blood on Marcus “Dyrus” Hill. This marked the continuation of Team SoloMid’s struggles at MSI.
AHQ secured the fourth dragon at the 23-minute mark, giving them a significant 13,000 gold lead in the mid game. Shortly after, the dust settled and Team SoloMid’s tournament chances were eliminated.
AHQ’s Dominant Performance
AHQ’s impressive performance from Thursday carried over to the match against Team SoloMid. While mid laner Liu “Westdoor” Shu-wei stood out, his teammates proved that AHQ is not a one-trick pony. The top laner, Ziv “Chen” Yi, displayed an impressive Maokai game, and the jungler, Xue “Mountain” Zhao-Hong, was a terror on Rek’Sai. The bottom lane duo of Chou “AN” Chou-an and Kang “Albis” Chia-wi outplayed their opponents.
Team SoloMid’s Disappointment
AHQ will move on to the semifinals and has a chance at a top seed if they can defeat SK Telecom T1. As for Team SoloMid, their only hope rests on a victory against Chinese team EDward Gaming and a loss by Fnatic against Turkish side Beşiktaş. However, both results are highly unlikely given the form of the teams.
Team SoloMid’s elimination from the tournament is a significant disappointment. As one of the favorites, the American team had the potential to secure the top spot in the world. Their performance at MSI is an utter failure and an embarrassment for American League of Legends.
Possible Questions and Reflections
Many questions will arise regarding Team SoloMid’s performance. What happened at MSI? Where did the methodical and well-organized Team SoloMid from LCS and IEM go? It’s also challenging to comprehend why this pattern seems to repeat whenever fans have hope for the West’s progress against Asian teams.
It’s hard to imagine Team SoloMid making a roster change after a solid LCS season and their historic win at IEM. However, team owner Andy “Reginald” Dinh is unlikely to be satisfied with their crumbling performance at the biggest event of their lives.
After IEM, Team SoloMid bounced back to win the LCS and the next international event. The team’s next major challenge will be the Riot World Championships. While their participation seems highly probable, MSI revealed that Team SoloMid still has a long way to go to perform consistently on the international stage.
Related keywords: AHQ e-Sports Club, Team SoloMid, Mid-Season Invitational, League of Legends