WESG Vainglory Grand Final: Day 1 & 2 Recap

This past weekend, 556 players from 58 different countries gathered in Chongqing, China to compete in six esports titles. As part of WESG, eight Vainglory teams, including Tribe Gaming, ACE Gaming, and Hunters, represented various nations across the globe to compete for a first place prize of $60,000 USD. WESG kicked off months ago with teams battling to represent their country on the global stage; this weekend was the culmination of that preparation. If you couldn’t sit through the stream, don’t worry — we have you covered with a full breakdown of each series from the event.

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Tournament Structure, Prize Pool, & Teams

WESG is held over the course of three separate days, spanning two weekends. The breakdown is as follows:

• MARCH 9 | The competition kicked off with a group stage, each series being best-of-3.
• MARCH 10 | The top two teams from each of the two groups of four qualified for the semifinals, with a random draw determining which of the four teams faced each other to qualify for the final match. The two losing teams then battled it out for third place.
• MARCH 16 | The grand final series of matches between the advancing semifinalists.

The prize pool for the event is a total of $105,000 USD. This will be split between the top three teams, with the amount awarded dependent on the teams’ placement. The breakdown of prizes is as follows:

The teams were broken down into two groups in order to speed up the length of the event. For more information on each team, check out our guide to watching WESG.

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Group Stage Recap

During the group stage, there were 12 best-of-three series that took place. The stream covered half of these, focusing mostly on teams who are regionally closer to where the competition took place. Due to this, there were two teams (ACE Gaming and Ringo Fan Club) that had none of their matches streamed. All 12 matchups can be found below, followed by short breakdown of each streamed series.

GGNEWType vs. Hunters

Game 1
In the first game of the weekend, Hunters jumped out to an early lead, claiming two kills and gaining a small gold lead. They pushed this advantage into the mid-game, rotating well and widening the gold lead to around 4000. At the 9:30 mark, LyRiz for GGNEWType successfully stole Ghostwing from Hunters. Minutes later, Hunters captured Blackclaw while fending off GGNEWType. After this, GGNEWType was able to secure 5 eliminations without obtaining an ace. This led to them taking Ghostwing and the gold lead for the game. From this point on, GGNEWType was in control of the game, slowly backing down Hunters to eventually take game one of the day in 22:30.

Game 2
The next game started off much more even with both teams trading an early kill. The game continued to move slowly with both teams farming until Hunters captured Ghostwing at 11:30. This propelled them forward to allow them to secure Blackclaw as well. Hunters maintained complete control of game two, evening the series at 1-1.

Game 3
Game three saw Hunters mirror the first match, hopping off to another fast start. After a fast-paced early game, the mid game slowed down significantly with each team farming and making small trades. By the end of the mid game, Hunters had secured several dragons. While it took them a few patient minutes to end the game, they were able to steadily pick off members of GGNEWType to eventually take the victory in 21:00, claiming the first series of the day.

Sly vs. Loud

Game 1
The first game of this series got off to an extremely slow start, with Loud claiming first blood around the 6-minute mark. Sly turned the game around with two quick kills, which were followed up by taking Loud’s first bottom lane turret. Through the mid game, Sly built a several thousand gold lead. With one massive Blackclaw push, Sly took down the two remaining middle lane turrets as well as the armory and Vain crystal to take the first game of the series.

Game 2
Game two started off similar to the first game, pacing relatively slow with Sly taking a small gold lead. Sly continued to dominate this matchup, going 8-0 while destroying three turrets and securing Ghostwing — all by the 12-minute mark. Sly cleaned up Loud in the second game in an incredibly fast 14:15, looking like they had carried momentum over from their performance (as Qlash Gaming) in the 2018 Vainglory World Invitational in December.

Hunters vs. Tribe Gaming

Game 1
The third series of the day brought viewers the first bit of NA action on stream. Chuck got Tribe off to a hot start, claiming first blood at 1:30. Following this, Hunters destroyed Tribe’s first top lane turret, bringing the gold back even. Tribe displayed their team’s synergy by taking two kills as Tony and Grumpjaw chained their ultimate abilities together. Hunters stealthily captured Ghostwing without Tribe knowing — until it was too late. Just before the 15-minute mark, Tribe destroyed two turrets in quick succession and followed it up by capturing both dragons. As the game extended, both teams achieved success in different engagements. After 25 minutes into the game, Tribe captured another Ghostwing, retaking the gold lead. To finish the game, Tribe dove deep into the base of Hunters to secure an ace and finish the game off in a lengthy 27:40 match.

Game 2
The second game got off to a much slower start. Hami, after a strong performance in game one, was quickly put on the backfoot, surrendering his first turret around the 4:30 mark. By mid-game, Hunters built a small gold lead, captured Ghostwing, and took Tribe’s second middle lane turret. Minutes later, as Hunters captured their second Ghostwing of the match, Tribe turned the ensuing teamfight in their favor. Despite this, Hunters was able to recover and take Blackclaw just after 14 minutes. With this push, they were able to open up Tribe’s base. Hunters captured their third Ghostwing of the match, which allowed them to push and destroy Tribe’s middle armory. Staying true to their style, Hunters showed great patience in finishing off the game. They killed three of Tribe’s members and captured Blackclaw to even the series at 1-1.

Game 3
The final game of the series saw both teams play slightly more aggressive early on. Despite this, the total amount of gold earned for the match remained relatively balanced across both teams. After a short pause, Tribe was able to secure Ghostwing and two more kills. At the 12-minute mark, neither team held a significant gold lead. Soon after this, Hunters began capturing Ghostwing. However, Tribe was able to push them away from it and secure three kills. From this point on, Tribe began to build a sizeable gold lead. Minutes later, Tribe captured their second Ghostwing of the match, then took full advantage of the buff to help in capturing Blackclaw as well. With the help of Blackclaw, Tribe opened up Hunters’ base. Tribe secured a devastating ace just shy of the 20-minute mark, then rushed down the middle lane to take game three and the series victory.

Loud vs. Impunity

Game 1
Loud got off to a fast start by taking two early kills. By the 5-minute mark, they had secured 5 kills against Impunity. Loud continued to push, taking down Impunity’s first bottom lane turret and finding another kill. Impunity answered quickly and decisively, taking a turret and three kills to give them the gold lead. This swing in momentum allowed Impunity to easily capture the first Ghostwing of the match. Impunity ran with their newfound strength, capturing Blackclaw and making one giant push to complete the comeback in just under 15 minutes, going up 1-0 in the series.

Game 2
Although Loud once again secured an early first blood, game two was much slower. However, Impunity began to quickly take over the game in similar fashion as game one. Impunity was able to steadily secure turrets and objectives around the map. By the 12-minute mark, Impunity had gained full control of the game, leaving Loud with little room to mount a comeback. While this game lasted slightly longer than the first, there was no doubt that Impunity would eventually secure the 2-0 series sweep.

GGNEWType vs. Tribe

Game 1
The first game of the series got off to a slow start with each team being content to sit back and farm. Tribe took first blood at 8 minutes after Grumpjaw overextended while using his ultimate. GGNEWType captured Ghostwing but allowed Hami to take Tribe’s first top lane turret in the process. GGNEWType utilized the Ghostwing buff to destroy Tribe’s top lane turret; however, Tribe maintained a small gold lead. Tribe swapped Hami and Oldskool in their lanes to help push turrets more effectively. Again GGNEWType began to capture Ghostwing, but this time Chuck was able to steal it for Tribe with a Spitfire from Skaarf. Minutes later, Tribe secured their second Ghostwing of the match and pushed all the way down bottom lane, taking two turrets, the armory, four kills, and eventually the Vain crystal to win the game in 20 minutes.

Game 2
The beginning of game two saw GGNEWType playing much more aggressive, using Glaive to gank against a relatively immobile Tribe lineup. GGNEWType executed several well-timed ganks, but Tribe managed to keep the gold difference relatively close. It took Tribe until the 10-minute mark to pick up their first kill of the game. During the mid-game, both teams quietly destroyed two turrets each. GGNEWType postured around Ghostwing and cast Lyra’s ultimate to portal onto Tribe, taking two kills before returning to finish off Ghostwing. GGNEWType employed the buff to help them destroy two top lane turrets and take out ttigers. Shortly afterwards, GGNEWType secured Blackclaw and split-pushed in their bottom lane. GGNEWType then captured Ghostwing yet again, which put Tribe down 6000 gold. Tribe fended off another gank from Lyra’s Arcane Passage, then swung a fight around the Blackclaw pit — leaving only Lyra alive on GGNEWType’s side. Following this fight, Tribe captured Ghostwing, destroyed a middle lane turret, and cleared minion waves in the side lanes to even the gold up for the match. From here on out it was Tribe’s game to win. Minutes later, Tribe secured Blackclaw as Glaive was split-pushing in his top lane. Tribe pushed with Blackclaw, taking down two turrets on their way to finishing the game in 28 minutes, giving them the 2-0 series sweep.

Impunity vs. Sly

Game 1
The first game of the last series of the day started with Sly securing first blood around the 2-minute mark. Baron and Grumpjaw successfully destroyed a turret early on in their bottom lane. Once Hundor on Baron began to be fed, Sly utilized his strength to rotate to different lanes, allowing them to push turrets, secure objectives, and apply massive damage in teamfights. By the 10-minute mark, Sly had amassed a 5000 gold lead over Impunity. Hundor continued to dominate the match, helping take Ghostwing and a kill to keep the momentum in their favor. Sly then secured an uncontested Blackclaw and pushed down the middle lane, destroying all three turrets. Minutes later, Sly captured another Ghostwing but still waited for the right moment to finish the game; this came just after the 19-minute mark, putting Sly up 1-0 in the series.

Game 2
The second game started off much slower, with Sly taking first blood until almost 5 minutes into the match. Sly again made the decision to feed Hundor, this time on Adagio. They were able to secure the first Ghostwing of the match, but Impunity took down Hundor in the process. Minutes later, Sly moved to take Ghostwing for the second time just as she landed. Following this capture, Sly took advantage of Impunity being spread thinly across the map by securing Ghostwing. Pushing with the dragon, Sly took down all three middle lane turrets, simultaneously earning an ace. When Ghostwing returned to the Rise for the third time during the match, Sly again began to capture her, but quickly turned onto Impunity to secure their second ace of the game. To finish the game, Sly captured another Blackclaw, ending day one of WESG with a 2-0 sweep over Impunity.

As day one came to a close, ACE Gaming and Tribe Gaming emerged from Group A, while Sly and Impunity accomplished the same feat in Group B. For some teams, it was a disappointing end to an extremely long road to WESG in Chongqing.

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Semifinals Recap

ACE vs. Impunity

Game 1
The semifinals got off to a slow start with each team farming up and ACE gaining a small gold lead. Through the early and mid game, ACE continued to play the very calculated and controlled style that they are known for. Despite this, Impunity was able to claim first blood as deftQ took out SHaNa in the middle lane. Impunity followed this up by destroying both of ACE’s first side lane turrets; however, ACE kept the gold difference even in the match. Shortly after, ACE answered by taking each of Impunity’s first tier side lane turrets. At 13:15, ACE captured the first Ghostwing of the match, while Quatervois split-pushed Impunity’s top lane. Minutes later, ACE captured an uncontested Blackclaw. On the ensuing push, Impunity attempted to drive ACE off after their second middle lane turret fell. ACE turned the fight around, which allowed them to push to finish the game with Blackclaw in just over 16 minutes.

Game 2
The second game of the series saw both teams draft similar compositions to the first. Early in the game, ACE made several efficient rotations to steal away Impunity’s jungle camps. ACE made a 3-man rotation to Impunity’s bottom lane to destroy the first turret of the game. Shortly after this, Impunity answered by taking a turret of their own and claimed first blood in the process. ACE continued to group up to push turrets, quickly taking down the remaining tier one turrets. Impunity looked like they were making a turn in the game as they took down CreaTion but meanwhile almost gave up their second middle lane turret. ACE then rotated together to take a mostly uncontested Ghostwing, extending their gold lead over Impunity to 6000. ACE continued to make efficient rotations, eventually zoning out Impunity to take Blackclaw. They pushed down the middle lane with Blackclaw, taking two turrets, the armory, and a last-second ace before sweeping the series 2-0 in 14 minutes. This victory moved the tournament favorites into the grand finals, while Impunity would have to battle it out for third place later in the day.

Tribe vs. Sly

Game 1
Very early in the first game of the series, Tyruzz and Hundor placed pressure on Hami. Despite lots of skirmishing early on, neither team secured a kill. Around the 5-minute mark, Tribe claimed first blood when they took down Phinn, but Sly answered back by destroying the first turret of the game. Through the mid-game, Tribe took the upperhand in most engagements, with ttigers on Fortress performing exceptionally well. By the 14-minute mark, there had only been three turrets in total destroyed across the map. In the ensuing minutes, Tribe eliminated two members of Sly before securing the first major objective of the match, Ghostwing. In the next teamfight, KeanuNakoa cast Phinn’s Forced Accord to pull in two members of Tribe. Tribe quickly turned on Sly, allowing them to take three kills and destroy their first top lane turret. Minutes later, Sly stole Blackclaw from Tribe and took down three members of Tribe as well as all three middle lane turrets. Tribe quickly responded by securing Ghostwing and killing four members of Sly. In an ambush, Tribe then eliminated Phinn, allowing them to take their second middle lane turret and secure an uncontested Blackclaw. With the help of Blackclaw, Tribe pushed down the middle lane, eventually destroying the Vain crystal and taking the series lead 1-0.

Game 2
The second game provided viewers with odd side lane matchups, with Hami facing Sn3Ky and Oldskool facing Hundor. A few minutes into the match there was a connection interuption, missing ttigers taking first blood. On the back of this, Tribe began to build a gold lead moving into the mid-game. Sly then rotated as a team to Tribe’s bottom lane, destroying their second turret of the match. Tribe moved to secure the first Ghostwing of the match but had to back off after a successful capture because Sly was pushing hard. Once recovered, Tribe utilized the Ghostwing buff to take down their first middle lane turret. Tribe then took advantage of Sly having no vision around Blackclaw, securing it uncontested. On the push, Tribe was only able to destroy one turret after Sly mounted a strong defense. While there were several objectives that had been taken at this point in the match, the kills were 1-to-5 in favor of Tribe. Soon after, Tribe secured their second Ghostwing of the match, taking down two members of Sly in the process. Minutes later, Sly traded kills 3-1 and captured Blackclaw with ease. They then split-pushed their top lane, bringing the gold in the match back even. In the next teamfight, Tribe lost four members: one to Ghostwing’s fire, one to a minion attack, and the other two during the fight. Sly, however, lost three members, but was only able to take one turret. After each team was back alive, Sly cast Lyra’s Arcane Passage to portal onto Tribe; however, Tribe took advantage of this and eliminated Hundor. With Hundor down, Tribe took Ghostwing and secured another kill on Anka. Due to this, Tribe captured an uncontested Blackclaw, then pushed down the middle lane to take the choke point turret. They then engaged onto Sly, running with the advantage and ending the game in 26:30. The victory moved Tribe into the grand finals but also recaptured the coveted NA > EU crown.

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Third Place Match Recap

Impunity vs. Sly

Game 1
The first game of the third place match-up began with each team invading the others’ bottom jungle. Impunity destroyed their first bottom lane turret early. Sly attempted to mirror this move, but it was unsuccessful. In the first major team fight, Sly took 4 kills but overstayed their welcome, giving up two of their own. Once Impunity was back at full strength, they pushed the middle lane, taking two kills and their first turret in that lane. Impunity followed this up by pushing Sly’s bottom lane to take their second turret. After this move, Impunity secured Ghostwing, but Sly dove on them 5 vs. 4, with Sn3Ky split-pushing Sly’s bottom lane. Before their Ghostwing buff expired, Impunity moved to secure Blackclaw, doing so without contest. Although Impunity took a turret on the push, Sly still held the gold lead. Sly’s Hundor made an excellent play to secure a kill on Gwen, allowing them to take Ghostwing at the 23:15 mark. Sly followed this up by capturing Blackclaw, opening up Impunity’s base on the ensuing push. In the next teamfight, Sly took down four members of Impunity without losing a single member, allowing them to finish game one in 27:20.

Game 2
The second game started quickly, with Quatervois securing first blood for Impunity by diving down the middle lane before dying to a turret shot himself. Everything was quiet until 7 minutes into the match when both teams destroyed their respective top lane turrets. Impunity then took out Hundor and Sn3Ky before capturing the first Ghostwing of the match, enabling them to destroy their third turret of the game. In several teamfights following this, Chingy used Tony’s Badaboom to displace members of Sly, preventing them from playing as effective as they normally would in their engagements. In one fight, Sly was able to take out Chingy, but deftQ made up for this by executing all five members of Sly, three of which came from one Seraphic Flare on Magnus. This game, Impunity consistently kept Sly on the backfoot. Minutes later, Impunity forced a fight around Blackclaw, killing three members of Sly before securing Blackclaw. On the push, Impunity took down Sly’s middle lane choke point turret and armory. Impunity then retreated to heal up and reinfuse. After a few minutes of posturing and positioning, Sly eliminated two members of Impunity, but once again Magnus turned the fight around, decimating Sly — allowing Impunity to take the game and even the series at one game apiece.

Game 3
The final game of the series began relatively slow, with Sly taking a small gold lead. Impunity claimed first blood, taking down Lyra. They followed this up by eliminating Malene and destroying each tier one side lane turret on Sly’s side. Sly answered this by taking down Impunity’s first bottom lane turret and finding two kills in the top lane to even up the gold difference. After a few minutes, Impunity rotated to Sly’s top lane, destroying a second turret there. Meanwhile, though, Sly captured Ghostwing while Impunity was occupied with a singular turret push. Through the mid-game, neither team seemed to want to fully commit to a teamfight. Sly picked off deftQ in the middle lane, then moved to take Blackclaw; however, Chingy managed to steal it with Joule’s Big Blue Button. Sly had amassed enough of a lead in the game that they eliminated Blackclaw after only giving up their first middle lane turret. In the next teamfight, Sly took down two members of Impunity and made a 5-man push in the bottom lane, opening up Impunity’s base. Minutes later, Sly took Ghostwing for a third time this match, slowly backing Impunity down the middle lane to open the base up there as well. Impunity made a desperation move to secure Blackclaw, but Sly was able to easily push them off of it. Sly then chased down Impunity to take a clean ace, finishing the game and taking the series 2-1, claiming third place and the 15,000 USD prize!

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Standout Hero & Meta Statistics (Day 1 & 2)

With 8 different countries being represented from different servers around the world, there were many different playstyles and strategies on display for viewers. One area that appeared relatively consistent across regions was the meta heroes. Take a look at the standout statistics:

• Adagio, Lance, Magnus, and San Feng saw a 100% pick/ban rate across all streamed matches.
• Magnus performed the best this weekend, racking up a 77% win percentage over 13 matches.
• Adagio was the most picked hero at 19 matches, with Samuel close behind at 15 matches.

A few of the more distinct strategies that were employed over the weekend were:

• Heroes swapping between top and bottom lanes several minutes into the match.
• Teams purchasing multiple Stormguard Banners at the beginning of the game.
• Teams placing an emphasis on purchasing tier three boots as a first or second item, specifically on many crystal power carries.
• All but two games were finished off by a push down the middle lane.
• Teams down 5000+ gold could win one teamfight and take an objective to negate most (if not all) of the lead that the opposing team held.

Note: All statistics gathered from streamed matches only.

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This coming weekend, the WESG Vainglory grand finals will be held between ACE Gaming and Tribe Gaming, two of the most dominant teams in Vainglory, dating back to the last 3V3 World Finals in 2017. Watch the Vainglory Twitch stream on March 16th at 12:30 AM EDT / 4:30 AM GMT / 12:30 PM SGT to catch the action! If you can’t make it, check back on Broken Myth soon for a full recap.