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Tuesday 27 August 2013

Reason Gaming LoL - Insomnia 49 and the departure of K0u.

I'll start this post of nicely, with some good news. The 49th installment of the Insomnia LAN in Telford, UK took place over the last weekend. Reason gaming came in with a force of teams spanning 4 different games, and the LoL team was determined to to perform to the maximum of our potential. In a rather succesful yet cruel ending, all 4 reason Gaming teams ended up in the grand finals on the main stage, only to finish 2nd place. Yes, all 4 teams came 2nd. 

The first day of the event was riddled with internet issues, which resulted in us only playing 2 games in the whole 12 hours we were at the venue. Seeing as a lot of other things were going on, this wasn't too bad. It was also clear to see that the admins were trying their best to fix the problems

Roll on day 2, this was where things got done, and lots of games happened. We ended the group stage 8-0 and awaited seeding for the RO32. After quickly dispatching of the first team we found ourselves in the RO16 vs LowLandLions, a game in which we expected to win, not with ease, but without too many issues. It seemed that we underestimated LLL, as they took the series right down to the wire, where Reason eventually came out as victors. 

The quarter finals started soon after. A BO3 vs Dignitas UK, a team considered the best in the UK, a team that we respected, and yet a team that we expected to beat. The pattern of underestimating teams proved to be our downfall. In game 1 we took a healthy lead, including a 3-0 fight at 30 mins+ in the baron pit, however a terrible call to baserace Dig UK left us 0-1 down in the series. After that our team spirit was broken and we lost the set 0-2, sending us down into the loser bracket.

Day 3 was the final day of the event. To win, we would have to win 3 BO3's and a BO5. Our first game was against our old friends LowLandLions. The series was once again very close, with Reason coming out as eventual winners, sending us through to the losers bracket semi final vs Animate eSports.

Animate are a well respected UK organization, however the team they sent out had only had a couple of weeks practice before the event. Considering the circumstances they played very well actually, despite the 2-0 score in Reasons favour. I'd like to give a shout out to Animate support play 'B0lt' who was particularly friendly, and very gracious in defeat.

The final of the losers bracket meant that the winner would go on to face Millenium. After our 2-0 loss the previous day, we were determined to get some payback vs Dig UK. It seemed that their loss to Millenium in the upper bracket had taken the wind out of them, while our successful winning streak in the lower bracket meant that the mentality, and the momentum was with us. In game 1 we targeted Dig UK jungler 'Impaler', where we shut down his Aatrox by killing him 3 times in the first 10 minutes. While in game 2, every lane seemed to win and our teamfight came out on top. So Reason Gaming had made it to their 4th final of the weekend!

Due to advancing from the losers bracket, Millenium started with a 1-0 advantage. Yet as we waited backstage for the introduction of the teams, our camp was brimming with confidence and excitement ( despite it being 1AM ). Game 1 was extremely close, with the game edging towards the 40 minute mark, both teams were playing at their best, however 1 bad engagement from Reason meant that Millenium were able to take a lead and eventually win the game, taking them 2-0 in the series. Game 3 started at around 2 AM, with Millenium holding a 2-0 lead, and our players having been playing non stop since 10AM, it seemed as though the energy had run out. Even so, another close game followed, however it was clear to see that Millenium had better focus, and better execution. The game ended around the 40 minute mark once again, meaning Millenium were the winners of Insomnia 49.

Despite losing in the final, the players, myself, and the Reason ownership are happy with the result.


Onto some not so pleasant news. As it has been made public, the Reason Gaming jungler 'K0u' has left the team. We were informed of his desire to leave around a week before Insomnia, and to give credit where its due, K0u showed up and tried his best for the event. As can be expected, there were some minor teamplay issues due to this, but for the most part, both K0u and the rest of the team remained professional thoughout the event. Myself and the players would like to with K0u the best with his new team.

In terms of replacing K0u, we have some players in mind which we will be talking to in the coming days. We hope to have a roster capable of participating in DreamHack Bucharest. With only a couple of weeks practice with whoever our new jungler may be, DreamHack may not be our most successful event, but we'll give it our best.