By: Kellen Gormley
Mines Esports entered another intense week of playoff competition across multiple titles, with League of Legends Varsity and JV, Rainbow Six Siege Varsity, and Valorant JV all taking the stage in semifinal action. With championship spots on the line and several rematches from the regular season, the Orediggers showcased growth, resilience, and high-level gameplay throughout the week. Below is the full recap of each team's performance.
League of Legends Varsity – Semifinals vs Michigan Tech University
Result: W, 2–0
The varsity league team played Michigan Tech University for a spot in the finals for our playoff bracket, ending up 2–0 and now putting Mines at a match score of 9-0 and a game score of 18-0.
Game 1: Mines outdrafted MTU by picking Sion, Mel, and Seraphine on picks 1-3, securing early comfort and control. With @Coliiin back for this match, Mines dominated from start to finish. Highlights include high KDA pressure and damage from @wiz (Jonah Oliver), @CookieDoge (Seth Fry), @Coliiin (Colin Ngo), and @acircularsaw (Anthony Ha).
Game 2: MTU countered with Akali and Mordekaiser solo laners, but Mines used Zyra (@acircularsaw) and Miss Fortune (@Coliiin) to outplay and turn the midgame. A baron pickup led to a quick 28-minute win.
Stream VOD: Twitch
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6:40 – Area Seraphine is just too good
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12:30 – Area Seraphine misses everything
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13:10 – Great Teamfight engage from Wiz to trade 3-1
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24:25 – CookieDoge can't press the W key
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25:30 – Teamfight classic 5 for 0
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27:15 – Smolder late game moment
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58:27 – @Alan Wang Sett outplay
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1:09:47 – Miss Fortune Q does 500 dmg
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1:20:30 – Team fight to turn the game around
The finals match is on Monday at 6:30 p.m. vs Ohio State (9-0 match score, 18-2 game score).
League of Legends Junior Varsity – Semifinals vs DePaul University
Result: W, 2–0
After a frustrating loss to DePaul earlier in the season, Mines JV swept them 2–0 this time.
Game 1: DePaul picked blue side; Mines predicted the draft and countered effectively. @napa1m (Mason) excelled on Milio, @DemoPls (Ryder) counterpicked Galio, @Sku1ker (Aidan) landed several fight-winning Orianna ultimates, and @Springsteentheboss (AJ) delivered arguably his best Sejuani jungle performance. Scores: ADC 13/2/8, support 1/1/21.
Game 2: Draft focused on protecting the ADC. Zeri-Yuumi bot lane scaled into the late game while other lanes maintained pressure. Springsteen secured the first dragon, and Mines won the teamfights.
Highlight Clips:
JV now advances to the finals on Monday.
Rainbow Six Siege Varsity – Semifinals vs William Penn University (Iowa)
Result: W, 2–0
Mines R6 continued its dominant postseason with a 2–0 win over WPU, earning their second straight Grand Finals appearance and extending their undefeated season to 9-0. Their map win streak now stands at 10 consecutive maps.
Map 1 – Chalet: MikeMinder (Mike) and ooolive.CSM (Oliver) clutched a 2v4 situation to secure the win. Outplayed Clip
Map 2 – Border: Oliver pulled off a 1v2 clutch in Round 5, maintaining momentum. Jediwinner (Liam) and Oliver finished the map by holding a 2v2 to secure the series. Outplayed Clips | https://outplayed.tv/media/1n4L0Y
Mines R6 will face the University of Texas-Tyler in the Grand Finals on Tuesday, 12/9.
Valorant Junior Varsity – Semifinals vs The College of New Jersey
Result: L, 0–2
Valorant JV's season ended in a 0–2 loss. While the team performed well throughout, they were unable to convert key rounds against TCNJ's coordinated play. Stats across the season show all roster members, including subs, ended with a positive KDA (~+30).
Closing Paragraph:
It was a successful and action-packed playoff week for Mines Esports, highlighted by three semifinal victories and strong performances across all titles. With League of Legends Varsity and JV and Rainbow Six Siege Varsity advancing to their respective finals, Mines enters the championship round with momentum, confidence, and the promise of more exciting matches to come. Go Orediggers!
