The weeks of practice had paid off. Green Tipped Bananas entered Go4LoL 4 with renewed confidence and an updated playstyle. Alan’s expanded champion pool, Balls’s mechanical improvements, and the seamless integration of Hai and Nior into the team had elevated their game. They stormed through the early rounds with clean sweeps, their synergy improving with every match.
By the time they reached the top 4, their momentum felt higher than ever. Their opponent? Counter Logic Gaming (CLG), a roster of players Alan knew would become legends.
HotshotGG, Saintvicious, bigfatlp, Chauster, these were all players who dominated the early seasons of Lol. But even on this stacked lineup a single name stood out to Alan above the others: Doublelift. The future ADC icon and arguably future GOAT of North America, currently playing in the support role.
Draft pase began and Alan watched as CLG’s mid-laner, bigfatlp, locked in Kayle mid. A bold choice. Kayle’s ability to shred tanks and render an ally temporarily invulnerable with Intervention made her an incredible late-game threat.
Alan clicked through his champion pool, considering his options. Kayle’s scaling and survivability countered Morgana too effectively to rely on her here. It was a deliberate strategy by CLG to deny him comfort picks and funnel control to Kayle.
But Alan wasn’t limited to Morgana anymore. Those two weeks of grinding had paid off. His cursor hovered over Anivia, and he locked her in. Her zoning capabilities and burst potential would keep Kayle from freely scaling, and her Crystallize wall could split CLG’s team in skirmishes. Against an immobile champion like Kayle, Anivia was an effective counter.
Alan, Hai, and Balls intensely discussed each of their team's picks, with BladeSong and Nior content to take a backseat. For now, Alan was content to let the bot laners focus entirely on their in-game performance. However, he was insistent that his top and jungler join him in draft discussions often. Over the last few weeks, he successfully convinced them of the important of draft phase and he was confident it could be a source of significant advantages for his team.
Balls had chosen Cho’Gath, a reliable frontline that could disrupt fights with ruptures and silences. Hai locked in Nunu, a pick designed to bring early map control and utility. BladeSong hovered Sivir briefly before settling on Ashe, a champion whose utility and slows complemented their composition perfectly. Finally, Nior selected Janna, the silent support’s signature champion. Together, they formed a cohesive plan: control zones, slow the game down, and scale safely into an unbeatable late-game.
Alan’s gaze shifted to CLG’s side. HotshotGG locked in Nasus, aiming to stack his Siphoning Strike for unstoppable damage in the late game. Saintvicious selected Nidalee, a poke-heavy jungler that would harass from a distance. Chauster took Ezreal, while Doublelift, surprisingly, rounded out their draft with Annie support.
Alan chuckled under his breath. “Classic early LoL,” he mused. “Pick the champions with the best kits and hope they synergize later.”
He knew this era lacked the refined drafting strategies of the future. Instead of composing teams around cohesive win conditions, players often picked champions that excelled individually. Their champions didn't have synergy. How could Ezreal help Nasus walk all over the enemy team comp? How could Nidalee help Kayle pump out damage?
“They’re betting on poke and attrition,” Alan said to his team over Discord. “We’ve got the better comp. Just stay disciplined, and we’ll break them.”
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Game 1
The match began, and the lanes settled into a rhythm. Alan’s Anivia faced Kayle mid, a matchup where patience was key. Kayle’s Righteous Fury harassed Alan whenever he stepped forward but both players knew there would be no solo-kills in this lane. Neither champion aimed to dominate early. Their focus was on surviving and scaling into the late game.
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At six minutes, Saintvicious’s Nidalee prowled into mid-lane, landing a spear that brought Alan dangerously low. Bigfatlp’s Kayle seized the opportunity, flashing forward with Reckoning and Righteous Fury, forcing Alan to retreat under turret. Alan barely survived, relying on his Rebirth passive to dissuade further aggression.
“No Flash Kayle,” Alan smirked. “I am totally fine mid don't worry guys.”
Meanwhile, bot lane was thriving. Nior’s Janna neutralized Ezreal’s poke, and BladeSong’s Ashe secured an early kill with a well-timed Enchanted Crystal Arrow, punishing Doublelift’s overextension as Annie.
By 15 minutes, CLG struggled to get vision around Dragon. Ashe was simply too threatening with Crystal Arrow and her team's follow up CC. CLG was forced to contest Dragon blind, allowing Alan to land a perfect Flash Frost, stunning Kayle and Nidalee as they positioned to contest. A follow-up Glacial Storm slowed their retreat, and Balls’s Cho’Gath roared into the fray, landing a Rupture on Nasus. CLG had no choice but to retreat, conceding the Dragon.
Micro Mechanics +1
“They can’t teamfight us,” Alan called out. “Stick to objectives. They’ll fold.”
From there, Green Tipped Bananas dictated the pace. Anivia’s zoning and Ashe’s slows made it impossible for CLG to engage, and every failed poke attempt left them vulnerable to counterattacks. By 25 minutes, the gold lead was insurmountable.
In a decisive fight at Baron, Alan baited CLG into overcommitting. He walled off bigfatlp’s Kayle with Crystallize, isolating her from the rest of the team. Balls and Hai collapsed, bursting her down before Intervention could save her. With Kayle dead, CLG crumbled under the onslaught of Anivia’s sustained damage and Cho’Gath’s disruption.
The Nexus fell shortly after, and the victory screen lit up Alan’s monitor.
“GG,” BladeSong said. “One down.”
Alan smirked, already anticipating the next draft. “Let’s see what they’ve got left.”
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Game 2
The draft for Game 2 began, and CLG pivoted hard. They banned Kassadin and Veigar again, but this time locked in an Annie mid for bigfatlp. HotshotGG surprised everyone by taking Anivia top, a strategy Alan hadn’t seen in years. Meanwhile, Saintvicious selected Amumu, a tanky jungler with high crowd control. Their bot lane, Ashe and Blitzcrank, rounded out the team.
Alan leaned back, analyzing their composition. “They’re all-in on picks. Blitz hook, Amumu ult, Annie stun—they want to blow someone up every time.”
Balls frowned. “That’s a lot of CC and magic damage. We could just draft tanks itemize against them. As long as we don't get picked early they will fall off a cliff late game.”
Alan shook his head. “We could do that. Or we could crush them early. We are up 1-0 I say we flex our skills. Balls, let's try your new Nidalee. Hai, take Master Yi. I’ll handle mid with Morgana.”
His plan was clear: push mid wave, dive top lane, and snowball. As a bonus with Morgana’s Black Shield, Alan could neutralize Blitzcrank hooks and Annie stuns, freeing his team to play aggressively.
The match started explosively. Alan shoved mid relentlessly with Morgana, getting level 3 and leaving lane to join Hai and invade the enemy red side top jungle. They leashed the red buff, keeping Saintvicious’s Amumu zoned away. Frustrated, Sainvicious attempted to smite the buff away, only to get hit by Dark Binding and give first blood to Hai's Master Yi.
Next, they roamed top, catching HotshotGG’s Anivia with a wave crashed under his tower. Another well-placed Dark Binding set up the kill, and Balls’s Nidalee secured it with a spear.
Macro Play +1
“Nice,” Balls said. “Let’s keep snowballing.”
CLG’s composition began to crumble. Bot lane played safe giving Blitzcrank few opportunities for hooks. Meanwhile, Master Yi’s top lane dives drew pressure away from teamfights, forcing CLG to respond.
At 15 minutes, a skirmish erupted around the dragon pit. Blitzcrank hooked Hai’s Master Yi, but Alan’s Black Shield absorbed the follow-up CC. Hai capitalized on the chaos, diving into the backline and securing a triple kill.
“Too easy,” Hai said, laughing. “They’ve got no answer.”
By 20 minutes, Green Tipped Bananas had complete control. Master Yi shredded through turrets, while Morgana’s zoning and Nidalee’s spears kept CLG on the defensive. A final fight near Baron sealed the deal, with Hai cutting down the enemy team for a Quadra Kill.
The Nexus exploded moments later. Victory.
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Alan leaned back, satisfied. “That’s how you crush a series.”
As the team celebrated, Alan checked the bracket, searching for their next opponent. His smile faded as he saw the result.
“TSM’s out,” he muttered. “Rock Solid beat them.”
The name sent a chill down his spine. He remembered Rock Solid from his past life—another titan of early League and the precursor of Team Dignitas. But Alan’s smirk returned. The tougher the opponent, the sweeter the victory.
“Let’s finish this,” he said.