Albus Nox Luna took down yet another League Championship Series champion, following up a win against 2016 spring North American champs Counter Logic Gaming with another win over Europe's spring and summer victors G2 Esports at the League of Legends World Championships.
The representatives of the Commonwealth of Independent States via the International Wildcard Qualifier, ANX now sits at 2-1 in its group, trailing only tournament favorites ROX Tigers, as the first week of round robin matches are over for Group A.
Albus Nox Luna's latest upset was powered by a pair of self-proclaimed "one-trick pony" champions, as Mykhailo "Kira" Harmash selected Anivia while Kirill "Likkrit" Malofeev played his signature high-damage Brand support. Both would play a pivotal role in the victory, along with top laner Dmitrii "Smurf" Ivanov on Poppy.
ANX had control of the map for most of the early game, translating that pressure into the first tower and a pair of dragons. But failure to keep up the pressure allowed G2 Esports back into the game, as a couple of overly aggressive moves led to deaths and a dragon secured for the European champions.
However, that did not deter the Russian side, as it capitalized on G2 resetting following a mid-lane teamfight to secure an uncontested Baron Nashor kill, thanks in large part to the massive damage from an unlikely source, the support Brand.
The Baron power play led to a big advantage for ANX, and some smart combinations would help the team keep its lead and continue to take objectives. On multiple occasions, Kira and Smurf were able to combine the Anivia "Crystalize" wall and Poppy's "Heroic Charge" ability to stun members of G2 against the temporary terrain and pick up kills.
The first such combo led directly to an opportunity to take a second Baron buff, which was earned thanks to some smart zoning to keep G2 jungler Kim "Trick" Kang-yun away from the objective.
G2 attempted to make a last-ditch effort to stop ANX at the Elder Dragon, but a Poppy ultimate from Smurf sent Trick away, removing all hope for a steal and giving Albus Nox Luna the buff it needed to eventually take down the enemy base and destroy the nexus.
The loss for G2 Esports moves the team to 0-3 for the tournament, an objectively disappointing showing from the squad that finished the summer split without a loss in the standings. ANX, on the other hand, are poised to enter the second week of round robin games in second place in the group, needing only to hold serve and recreate a magical Week 1 to earn a spot in the quarterfinals.