The ESL Premier League’s first matchday arrived with a mixture of anticipation and nerves. For Green Tipped Bananas, it was a chance to test themselves against one of the best: Counter Logic Gaming.

  CLG’s reputation as a macro-heavy team preceded them. Their ability to coordinate plays, punish mistakes, and snowball cleanly made them one of the most feared rosters in the league. Titan knew this would be their toughest challenge yet.

  The team call buzzed to life an hour before the match. Titan shared his screen, running through CLG’s recent drafts and playstyle.

  “They’re going to play for map control and punish us if we overextend,” Titan said. “Saintvicious’s Jarvan and Amumu are their go-to junglers right now. Both are strong initiators, and if we clump up or get caught out, they’ll punish us hard.”

  “So, what’s the plan?” Hai asked.

  Titan clicked through his notes. “We can’t give them any openings. Avoid risky plays, don’t give up early kills, and force them into team fights where we can outplay them. Our draft will be focused on getting a hyper carry for BladeSong as usual. We can flex Morgana, Zilean, and Annie across top, mid, and support to keep us flexible in the other roles.”

  Nior typed: “Feeling confident BladeSong?”

  BladeSong leaned back in his chair. “I'm always comfortable on my hyper carries. Sivir or Tristana. If you protect me and set up the fights, I’ll do the heavy lifting. Just make sure I don't get dived and CC'ed into oblivion.”

  “You won’t,” Titan replied confidently. “Nior’s Morgana Black Shields, Zilean’s ults, and Annie’s stuns will give you all the tools you need. Just like we practiced.”

  Balls nodded. “So, play safe early, scale, and outplay them in teamfights?”

  “Exactly,” Titan said. “Stick to the plan, and we’ll have a shot.”

  Game 1

  The first draft was tense. CLG banned Evelynn, Tristana, and Zilean, clearly targeting Green Tipped Bananas’ core strategies. BladeSong was given Sivir to start off the draft. CLG, true to form, drafted for map control and teamfight dominance. Saintvicious took Jarvan IV, and bigfatlp locked in Annie, creating a devastating burst combo.

  Titan responded by locking in Morgana mid, with Nior on Janna for peel. CLG took HotshotGG’s Cho’Gath and Chauster’s Taric. Balls takes Malphite top and Hai takes Nunu. CLG finished their draft with Kog'Maw, a hyper-scaling pick.

  From the first wave, CLG’s precision was evident. Saintvicious repeatedly invaded Hai’s jungle, leveraging Jarvan’s mobility and dueling power to deny camps and disrupt GTB’s flow. In mid, bigfatlp shoved wave after wave, using her presence to keep Titan pinned under turret.

  “We need to stabilize,” Titan said, focusing on keeping the team calm. “Play it safe and wait for mistakes.”

  But CLG didn’t make mistakes—they capitalized on GTB’s. At 15 minutes, a clean rotation saw CLG collapse bot lane with a textbook three-man dive. Saintvicious’s Cataclysm locked BladeSong and Nior under turret, and bigfatlp’s Tibbers secured the kills. CLG walked away with first turret, a dragon, and momentum firmly in their hands.

  Hai tried to counterplay, by counterjungling on the other side of the map but the small advantage couldn’t offset CLG’s snowballing gold lead.

  The critical moment came at 25 minutes. CLG grouped mid and executed their devastating wombo combo. Saintvicious dove in with Cataclysm, locking GTB in place, while bigfatlp’s Tibbers landed perfectly. HotshotGG’s Cho’Gath flashed in with Feast onto BladeSong’s Sivir, instantly removing GTB’s main source of damage. The fight was over before it began.

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  “We can’t win this,” Hai muttered as CLG marched down mid to claim the Nexus.

  Titan exhaled. “It’s one game. We’ll adjust.”

  Defeat.

  Game 2

  The second draft showcased the tactical adaptability of both teams. CLG, intent on dismantling Green Tipped Bananas’ flex strategies, banned Sivir, Zilean, and Annie. But Titan’s squad had prepared for this, having practiced enough champions to remain flexible.

  CLG opened with Ezreal, signaling a safe, poke-heavy bot lane. GTB responded by picking Tristana an aggressive hyper carry and Morgana, keeping Morgana’s role ambiguous as a three-way flex.

  CLG developed their comp with Amumu and Karthus. This was likely the mid-jungle duo however in theory both could be pivoted to support. GTB countered with Xin Zhao for Hai and Leona for Nior. Both picks have enough power to be unafraid of surprise enemy flexes.

  CLG’s final picks, Malphite and Taric, underscored their focus on teamfight dominance and clarified where all of their champs would go. However, their comp had a weakness. Titan slammed his Kassadin, flexing Morgana to Balls in top lane. Titan was confident he could scale effectively against Amumu-Karthus, especially with Hai's Xin Zhao backing him up. It was time to tie up this series.

  From the opening minutes, the game was tense. Both teams avoided early fights, knowing how volatile the match could become with the crowd-control heavy compositions on both sides. Hai tried to pressure Saintvicious’s Amumu in the jungle but was forced to retreat after a close 2v2 skirmish.

  The turning point of the early game came at the first dragon. CLG moved to secure it with their strong engage tools, but GTB contested fiercely. Nior’s Leona landed a perfectly timed Solar Flare on Saintvicious as he began his Curse of the Sad Mummy animation, stunning him in place. Hai’s Xin Zhao followed up, charging into the backline and knocking Ezreal out of position. Titan, still in his weaker Kassadin phase, focused on disruption, using Null Sphere to silence Karthus. BladeSong capitalized, securing a double kill with Tristana’s Rocket Jump reset and earning GTB the dragon.

  The morale boost was immediate. “That’s the fight we needed,” Titan said, his voice steady but energized. “Keep this momentum.”

  Despite the win, CLG refused to let up. By the 20-minute mark, they had secured map control, taking two turrets and a second dragon. Bigfatlp’s Karthus became a looming threat, his Requiem chipping away at GTB in every skirmish. HotshotGG’s Malphite and Chauster’s Taric coordinated engages that forced GTB into defensive positions.

  The game seemed to tilt in CLG’s favor after a disastrous mid-lane skirmish. CLG caught Hai out of position, and Saintvicious’s Amumu landed a three-man Curse of the Sad Mummy, leading to a double kill for Ezreal and a mid-lane turret. “We’re falling behind,” Hai admitted over comms.

  Titan kept the team grounded. “We’re scaling. BladeSong and I will take over. Just don’t give them freebies.”

  At 27 minutes, the game reached a critical juncture near Baron. CLG started the objective, baiting GTB into a fight. Titan teleported in, flanking the enemy team as Nior’s Leona dove into the backline. Her Zenith Blade connected with Karthus, while Solar Flare stunned both Ezreal and Taric. Hai’s Xin Zhao charged into the fray, using Crescent Guard to isolate Karthus from the fight.

  Titan’s Kassadin, now fully online, wreaked havoc. Riftwalking over the terrain, he dodged Malphite’s Unstoppable Force, silenced Karthus, and eliminated him before he could deal significant damage. BladeSong, untouched and positioned perfectly, shredded the remaining members of CLG with Explosive Charge. GTB aced CLG and turned immediately to Baron.

  Titan pushed the momentum. “I got level 16 that fight too. We can win this!”

  Clutch +1

  Kassa-win (Bronze) Activated: Clutch +5

  With the Baron buff, GTB began their counteroffensive. Titan and BladeSong took the lead in skirmishes, while Nior and Balls ensured the team stayed safe. At 34 minutes, a final teamfight erupted in mid-lane. CLG went all-in, with Saintvicious and HotshotGG diving onto BladeSong. But Titan’s Kassadin created chaos in the backline, Riftwalking onto bigfatlp and forcing Ezreal to retreat.

  Nior’s clutch Solar Flare stopped Malphite before he could engage, and Balls’ Morgana followed up with a perfectly timed Dark Binding on Ezreal. BladeSong leapt forward with a Rocket Jump, cleaning up with a quadra kill.

  “Push mid!” Titan called. “End it now.”

  With CLG’s Nexus exposed, GTB marched forward, tearing through the remaining defenses. The Nexus exploded, and the victory screen lit up.

  Victory.

  “That was insane,” Hai said. “They had us early, but we pulled it back.”

  “Props to Nior,” BladeSong added. “Those engages? Chef’s kiss.”

  Titan smiled, his voice calm despite the excitement. “This is what we’ve been building for. Let’s keep it up.”

  The series was tied, and the tension was palpable as both teams prepared for the deciding game. GTB had proven they could match CLG’s macro dominance with their own grit and adaptability. The stage was set for an epic conclusion.