TL;DR
- Adam’s double death before minion spawn resulted from multiple positioning and decision-making errors
- Critical mistakes included improper vision assumptions and failed risk assessment during level 1 setup
- The emote usage instead of immediate retreat demonstrated poor professional judgment
- Teleport misuse and subsequent aggressive plays compounded the initial disadvantage
- Proper early game protocols could have prevented this catastrophic start entirely
Professional League of Legends matches often turn on razor-thin margins, but what Adam “Adam” Manaane experienced against G2 represents one of the most disastrous level 1 performances in competitive history. This breakdown examines not just what happened, but more importantly why it happened and how players at all levels can avoid similar catastrophic openings.
The BDS top laner achieved the unenviable feat of dying twice before any champion secured a single minion kill, effectively ending his lane phase before it began. Understanding these errors provides crucial insights into professional-level decision-making and risk assessment that every serious player should master.
During the opening moments of Team BDS’s LEC match against G2, Adam positioned himself in the river bush near top lane—a standard professional setup for spotting potential jungle invades. This positioning strategy, while conventional, carries inherent risks that require constant threat assessment and escape planning.
Meanwhile, G2’s top laner BrokenBlade and jungler Jankos coordinated their own level 1 setup from G2’s top side river area. This dual-champion positioning created a lethal trap that Adam failed to anticipate, despite having all the visual information needed to make safer decisions.
When Adam spotted BrokenBlade approaching, he made the critical assumption that the G2 top laner was operating alone—a dangerous presumption at professional levels where coordinated level 1 plays are common. Rather than immediately retreating to safety, Adam chose to flash an emote, demonstrating a fundamental misunderstanding of professional priority setting where information gathering and survival trump psychological games.
This momentary lapse in judgment proved devastating as Jankos suddenly appeared, transforming what appeared to be a 1v1 situation into an unwinnable 2v1 engagement. The decision to stand still rather than retreat created a positioning nightmare where BrokenBlade’s Jayce could close distance rapidly on Adam’s Irelia.
The ensuing chase forced Adam to burn his flash defensively, yet he still fell near his turret. This sequence highlights the importance of proper class positioning and threat assessment that applies across competitive gaming titles.
Following the initial death, Adam’s recovery attempts compounded rather than mitigated the damage. His decision to teleport back to lane rather than waiting for a safer opportunity demonstrated poor resource management—a critical skill that separates elite players from average competitors.
Instead of securing the early minion wave safely, Adam pathed aggressively through his tri-brush to confront Jayce returning to lane. This represents a classic case of failed risk assessment similar to poor engagements in other tactical games.
The second engagement proved fatal, with Jayce securing another kill and creating a 700-gold deficit before Adam had collected a single creep. With no flash or teleport available, and Jankos maintaining pressure proximity, Adam found himself in an irrecoverable position where even basic farm became dangerously inaccessible.
From a professional coaching perspective, several alternative approaches could have salvaged this situation. Immediate retreat upon spotting BrokenBlade would have preserved summoner spells and health. A delayed teleport after assessing jungle threat levels would have provided safer lane access. Most critically, accepting temporary disadvantage rather than forcing unwinnable engagements would have prevented the snowball effect.
BrokenBlade capitalized perfectly on these errors, shoving the first wave, recalling, and returning to a neutral wave state against a crippled opponent—executing textbook advantage consolidation that defines professional play. The resulting lane dominance was predictable yet entirely preventable through better decision-making protocols.
The match concluded as expected, with BrokenBlade dominating Team BDS despite Adam’s teammates mounting respectable resistance. This case study serves as a powerful reminder that in competitive gaming, sometimes the most important skill is knowing when not to fight.
Action Checklist
- Always assume enemy champions operate in pairs during level 1 setups
- Prioritize retreat over psychological gestures when vision is incomplete
- Assess summoner spell usage against potential gains before committing
- When behind early, prioritize survival over aggression to prevent snowballing
- Coordinate teleport usage with jungle pressure assessment
No reproduction without permission：Game Guides Online » Is this the worst level 1 play in the history of pro League? Analyzing Adam's catastrophic level 1 mistakes in LEC and how to avoid similar gameplay disasters