Tales of the LCS, Issue #3

Straightening Out the Power Curves

Just like that, a third of the Spring Split has come and gone. With enough matches under their belt to draw conclusions, it’s much easier to formulate power rankings from the LCS participants at this point.

For some, the initial hype has died down in the face of recent losses. Other teams that needed time to ‘warm up’ should have done so by now, if they want a shot at the top. So what was revealed this week in the Western world’s top League of Legends scene?

The Story So Far…

The Roars and Howls of Victory

The beasts of the LCS reared their heads in victory this week as Team ROCCAT and more surprisingly, the Copenhagen Wolves scored back to back wins. ROCCAT was a team that came into this split with a fair amount of hype. After acquiring newly unbanned mid laner, Erlend “Nukeduck” Våtevik Holm, many felt that Europe’s breakout stars of 2014 were poised for a top level finish.

As their first two weeks rolled by, ROCCAT sat at 1 win and 3 losses. Many were quick to turn away, pointing at the unfulfilled promises that Nukeduck’s hype brought, and bemoaning Remigiusz “Overpow” Pusch’s move to the top lane from mid as ineffective. However, there were those that managed to see that ROCCAT merely suffered from a rather brutal schedule, facing the teams that now sit at the top 3 positions in the standings.

Matches against weaker teams in GIANTS and MeetYourMakers quickly proved that ROCCAT’s claws were still as sharp as ever. The kittens turned into lions as they soundly crushed their opponents. Nukeduck and AD Carry Pawel “Woolite” Pruski posted amazing numbers, both going into the double digits for kills and assists while only having 3 deaths between them.

While the cats look poised to mimic their top 4 run of last year, or perhaps go for something higher, the dogs of the LCS were in a bit of a bind. The Copenhagen Wolves also found themselves at 1-3 by the end of week 2 with no awful schedule as an excuse. It seemed like their early game, shot calling and even champion draft were lackluster. In fact, their only glimmer of hope seemed to be surviving until late game where, like wolves backed into a corner, they fought tooth and nail to survive.

Week 3 was an entirely different story. The Wolves blew past an unsuspecting Gambit Gaming who themselves were on a downward spiral, and then pulled an upset against fan favorite team Unicorns of Love.

Wolves have had a history of drafting star AD Carry players onto their ranks. Last summer’s MVP Martin “Rekkles” Larsson, this split’s dominant bot lane monster Konstantinos “FORG1VEN” Tzortziou and ROCCAT’s Woolite all began their LCS careers on the Wolves roster. This time, a returning talent in Aleš “Freeze” Kněžínek completely swept the competition this week: 24 kills, 23 assists, over 800 minions killed and only 6 deaths in 2 games. That’s 93 fantasy points!

The Wolves proved that under the right conditions, their carries are forces to be reckoned with. However, with perhaps the toughest schedule available next week, the Copenhagen Wolves look to give new meaning to the word ‘underdog’ as they face SK Gaming and Fnatic.

Wolves pull off two big upset wins. Many counted them out, but they surprised, though not cleanly. Soren and Freeze could carry. Airwaks is random, but works when it works.

 

The Inner Makings of MeetYourMakers

After two stories of success, we move onto one of shame, one of multiple failures and ultimately of controversy for the eSports scene. In our last issue, Marcin “Kori” Wolski had just recently come back from a mysterious disappearance from MeetYourMakers but a day before the start of the split, prompting a last minute replacement.

Wolski was in breach of contract, running to North America to play for a challenger team there, and nobody knew why. All the while, MYM was being torn to shreds on the rift, and even after his return, the team netted no wins in week 3. They looked scared and disoriented in-game, and little did we know just how much that translated outside of the game as well.

As it turns out, Kori was growing increasingly upset about a lack of wages under the team management, and wanted to leave. After a series of veiled threats from his manager (which Kori secretly recorded), he promptly fled from the organization. While initially deemed as selfish and unprofessional, Kori’s actions seem justified under the light of a frightened teenager concerned for his family’s well-being.

We’ve covered the issue in a more in-depth article, but for now, it’s too early to say just what Riot will do in light of these shocking revelations. This debacle not only impacts Kori, but the entire team, and you can expect the environment in their gaming house to be nothing short of negative.

Adding to that, the MYM management has also had failed recruitment drives. H2k’s newly signed support, Raymond “KaSing” Tsang has stated that he declined an offer from MYM in addition to closing his chosen contract. Whether or not the above scandal had any direct impact is unconfirmed, but one can wager it did.

With an uneasy relationship with their mid laner on full display, will MYM also have an estranged support by the end of week 4? Hopefully the players can find it in themselves to carry on despite these hardships, or it will be a long six weeks for them until the end of the split.

The Best… “By Far”

Coming into this week, there were three teams potentially vying for #1 in Europe: the undefeated Fnatic and SK Gaming, with Elements on their heels. After Fnatic’s surprise loss to Unicorns of Love, SK seized their opportunity to beat out Elements and now stand as the only team in the West to not drop a game.

SK just seem like the perfect package. Their pick and ban phase is quick and calculated. They know what they want, they seem to know what their opponents want and they can build to counter aggressively. Their solo laners, veteran top Simon “fredy122” Payne and newly promoted Hampus “Fox” Myhre of their challenger squad are both proficient on a variety of champions.

As discussed last week, they may also have the best bot lane duo in Europe, with the right mix of aggressive play and calculated tactics. They’re confident, they can back it up and show no signs of slowing down, as evidenced by this now infamous quote by FORG1VEN.

On top of that, their dragon control is nearly immaculate. Watching their games is a clinic on how to control vision around an objective at the right time to either box the enemy team out or go for the quick counter. They display an almost intuitive sense of sussing out the right trades to make, securing an advantage every time an enemy tries to take something away.

With Elements already crossed off the hit list and Fnatic proven mortal by the love train, the question now is: Who can stop SK Gaming?

 

Full Potential?

North America’s Season 2 and early Season 3 status quo seems to have reasserted itself, with Team Solo Mid at the top, with an air of parity over the rest of the scene. That is, until you look at Counter Logic Gaming’s two impressive wins this week. With all the hype around SK Gaming in Europe, North America would not be outdone as CLG fans around the world rejoice in what could be a new golden age. CLG, the longest running professional organization in League of Legends, now looks to have a team worthy of the “potential” often touted by their management.

Truth be told, it hasn’t been since Season 2 (some would even say Season 1) that CLG has asserted itself as one of the top teams in its region, let alone the world, but for some reason their popularity has never waned. The same persistence can be applied to their overconfident attitude, with tropes such as AD Carry Yiliang “DoubleLift” Peng’s quote of “I’m the greatest, everyone else is trash.” becoming a staple in the community.

But now it seems they have once again found the right formula for success. Both their solo laners are firing on all cylinders. Darshan “ZionSpartan” Upadhyaha is being given more breathing room to flex his top lane carry muscles, while Austin “LiNk” Shin is firing back at all the critics that denounced him as a mid lane star after CLG’s implosion at the end of last year with brave plays. Together with Zacqueri “Aphromoo” Black’s nigh unparalleled skill on pick-type supports like Morgana and Blitzcrank, they have helped carry CLG to a 5-1 record.

The true test is still to come however, as one of the oldest rivalries in all of League of Legends is about to be reignited.

 

Week 4 Matches to Watch

There’s a lot to look forward to this week. Now that all teams have been tested, look for every squad to fight harder in an increasingly competitive environment. As old rivalries flare up and bloodbaths abound, here are the potential stunners of this week:

 Unicorns of Love vs Team ROCCAT 

It’s kitties versus ponies as the fan favorite love train go up against a surging ROCCAT hot off two wins. Both squads have shown they have the chops to go up against top teams. This could very well be the deciding match to determine which team is fit to have the last of the top 4 slots.

 Fnatic vs Copenhagen Wolves 

Fnatic loves to fight, and so do the Wolves. The former team may have far more success executing their fights, but nevertheless, this match promises one thing, and one thing only—there will be blood. Lots of it. Fantasy LCS players, hold onto your seats.

 Counter Logic Gaming vs Team Solo Mid  

Alluded to earlier in this article, CLG and TSM have been going at it since the dawn of League of Legends time. The penultimate NA rivalry has seen fanatical fan bases hurling online jeers at each other for four years, but only now does the rivalry look relevant again after so long, with CLG currently the only other team standing atop the NA ladder with TSM.

Bonus: Just when you thought the stakes couldn’t get any higher, the owners of both organizations decided to up the ante in a very unique way. If this doesn’t get you pumped for the showdown, then nothing will:

 Gravity Gaming vs Team Liquid 

While not nearly as heated a grudge match, this meeting can actually be called Curse versus Curse. While the original Curse organization merged with Liquid, their triumphant challenger squad found new management under Gravity. With more players from the classic Curse roster on Gravity, it’s old school vs new school in this pseudo intra-organization bout.

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