DAN Gaming pulled off a series sweep against a struggling Snake Esports on Thursday to open Week 2, Day 1 of the League of Legends Pro League in Shanghai.
DAN Gaming (2-1, 4-2 match record) drafted a slow-scaling team composition in Game 1 leading to a rough early game. Thanks to some nifty ganks, Snake was quickly able to gain a kill advantage, but smart rotations from DAN made turret trades even and opened up the side lanes. Crossing into the midgame, Snake (0-2, 0-4 match record) began to build a gold advantage through kills and objectives, but DAN Gaming never let it get out of hand, catching Snake overextending a few times. The small victories helped DAN extend the game, fully scaling into its team composition and quickly evening out the turrets deficit thanks to its 4-1 split push. Snake had a tough time coordinating its defense, routinely fighting 5-vs-4 while DAN's top laner Guo "Lies" Hao-Tian's Shen split push into its base. DAN continued to exploit Snake's poor shotcalling, punishing a Baron attempt near the 50-minute-mark that resulted in a 3-1 teamfight victory and an opening to earn a Game 1 victory.
In Game 2, DAN opted for a different team composition, focusing on early game pressure as opposed to its scaling team composition in the previous game. It didn't take DAN long for it to make plays as an early rotation into bottom lane thwarted Snake's first gank with a first blood kill. Quickly losing pressure in the side lanes, Snake was forced to siphon all its pressure in the mid lane, whittling down objectives, but DAN kept finding picks and building on its gold lead. DAN methodically pushed its advantage, taking objectives thanks to some zoning Weaver's Walls by mid laner Yu "Ggoong" Byeong-jun's Taliyah. Snake had plenty of wave clear options in its team composition and managed to defend its inhibitor turrets for a while, but it didn't hold on much longer after DAN secured its second Baron kill. Quickly knocking down inhibitor after inhibitor, Snake struggled to stop DAN Gaming's push, closing with an ace to secure the Nexus for the the series sweep.
DAN Gaming will take to the Rift against I May on Saturday at 2 a.m. ET, while Snake Esports will look for its first win of the Summer Split against Team WE later that day at 8 a.m. ET.