Losing sucks.

In any sport, it’s a symptom of a million and one potential issues. Maybe it just wasn’t a good day. Maybe some bad decisions were made. Maybe you just got outplayed.

CLG got knocked out of the tournament for a variety of reasons. Sure, they didn’t outplay their opponents, but take their performance with a grain of salt. There are a lot of factors at play here, but some of the biggest ones are, for the most part, outside of CLG’s control. With that in mind, take in why you can’t judge CLG’s book by its abysmal cover.

# 1. CLG Have Had Significant Roster And Personnel Issues

This is the most important reason, and it ties into everything else that’ll be talked about later — Finn and Broxah aren’t with the team yet. [Finn will arrive]((https://twitter.com/FinnLoL/status/1351631120031477762?s=20)) in time for the regular season, but [Broxah won’t be here](https://twitter.com/BroxahLoL/status/1349733314089738242?s=20) until February 5th at the earliest. As of now, replacing them are Solo and Griffin (formerly Wiggily), and it would be shortsighted to judge how CLG will play without the full roster.

Not only that, the team has also had to deal with a coronavirus outbreak, per sources such as Travis Gafford and even CLG mid-laner Pobelter during a postgame interview after CLG played 100 Thieves on Saturday.

Embed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muYvRKCkuZw

<div style="width: 100%; display: flex; justify-content: center; padding-bottom: 2rem">
<div style="border-radius: .3125rem; overflow:hidden; height:312px; width:100%; max-width:560px; z-index: 1;">
<iframe width="100%" max-width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/muYvRKCkuZw" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
</div>
</div>


One of these is enough to significantly impact a team’s performance; both at the same time are a logistical nightmare.

# 2. This is 100% a Preseason Tournament
Let’s just go ahead and clear the air on this right now - this is not the LCS finals, and CLG (or any other team) is not treating it as such.

The Lock In is meant to provide a competitive environment to players while simultaneously warming them up for the season ahead. This is also when players are going to experiment with new builds and, most importantly, get used to playing with each other. [Just look at Suning’s regular season sweep over TES, after an abysmal showing in the Demacia Cup.](https://stacked.gg/article/the-thre-craziest-upsets-lpl-week-1)

Some teams are competing together for the first time, while others have done so for years. 100 Thieves, for example, are bringing 4/5 players that have all played together (courtesy of Golden Guardians’ 2020 roster), along with teams like Cloud9, who returned three of their five all-star players from last season.

Not only is CLG bringing on three new people, but two of them aren’t here yet. Don’t expect this to be any team’s season-defining performance, especially teams that are playing with substitutes.

# 3. CLG Played all of Their Games Already, the Only Team to do so

This speaks for itself - in both groups, CLG is the only team to have played all four of their tournament games. Most teams have played three, with FlyQuest only playing two.

So, why is this important? Adaptation. 

By drawing the short end of the stick, CLG doesn’t get the chance to spend the week practicing and improving. Catch a cold streak one weekend and it’s over.

Nine other teams have the opportunity to take their learnings and implement them in a competitive environment this weekend. CLG doesn’t get this luxury and will have to wait until the season starts to give it another go.

-

I’m of the belief that the CLG we’ll see on February 5th will be a vastly different beast compared to what we saw last weekend. Galen Holgate, CLG’s head coach, thinks similarly, telling Stacked he was prepared for this outcome.

<div style="width: 100%; display: flex; justify-content: center; padding-bottom: 2rem">
<div style="border-radius: .3125rem; overflow:hidden; height:312px; width:100%; max-width:560px; z-index: 1;">
<iframe width="100%" max-width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HaE20Sf8Svw" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
</div>
</div>

“I don’t want to say that going through these incidents or having a full roster will fix everything. I think it’s just important that we continue taking what we can from every game, and when we have our full roster, we’ll just have to continue doing that,” Holgate said.

“These players … have the fundamentals to be a good team, so I take a lot of responsibility on myself … to be able to find an identity that works for everybody, and if we do that we’ll definitely be a strong team.”


Take a Deep Breath: Why You Shouldn’t Panic About CLG (Yet)

North America’s debut pre-season tournament has been a romp, packed with upsets, fiestas, and breakout performances. [Evil Geniuses sit at the top](https://stacked.gg/article/eg-belong-at-the-top), the only remaining undefeated team, but CLG’s victory over the otherwise dominant 100T is a testament to the volatility of the region. When every team can beat each other, it’s still anyone’s game. It’s too early to use this weekend as a strong indicator of team strength - especially with so many visa issues - but it can certainly function as a look at the developing NA meta. 

# Familiar Faces
This preseason’s item update brought major changes to the meta, but a select few of the most contested 2020 Worlds picks have clung to relevance. **Nidalee and Graves remain two of the most picked junglers, boasting a respective 87% and 67% Pick/Ban rate at Lock-In, down from 89% and 92% at Worlds.** Renekton has risen in prominence as the eminent toplane lane bully, with Ornn (albeit down from his 91% P/B at Worlds) and Camille returning to the stage as well. 

<div style="width: 100%; display: flex; flex-direction: column; align-items: center;">
<img src='https://stacked-assets.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/posts/post_24_1.jpeg' alt='LoL' style="width: 100%; max-width: 90%;" />
<h2>Photo Credit - Riot Games
</h2>
</div>


Midlane has changed the least since last season, still dominated by the seemingly unshakeable Syndra, Orianna, and Twisted Fate. On the bot side of the map, Jhin’s strong use of the new items has kept him popular despite the shift away from utility ADCs. Leona remains the darling of the engage support meta, second only to Alistar in P/B%. 

# New Stars
New items have uplifted Kai’sa, Olaf, and Taliyah from the bottom of the barrel, each attaining an impressive 100% P/B this weekend. Kai’sa uses both Kraken Slayer and Galeforce (one of the stronger new ADC items) very effectively, and Olaf’s synergy with Goredrinker has elevated him alongside the rest of the item’s users (Renekton chief among them).  

**None of these champions saw a single game at Worlds, making for an impressive climb from D to S tier.** Pantheon’s rise has been slightly less meteoric, upping his 50% Worlds P/B to an impressive 100% and becoming the only champion banned every single game thus far. 

Akali, Galio, and Alistar have grown in popularity from their previous status as niche picks, each seeing a significant bump in pickrate for different reasons. Akali is the only popular Nightharvester user besides Nidalee right now, set apart from a midlane meta that favors Luden’s Tempest (Syndra, Orianna) and Hextech Rocketbelt (Twisted Fate, Galio). Galio counters Syndra’s strength in lane and can answer some of Twisted Fate’s roaming, while his synergy with Rocketbelt and Nimbus Cloak are reminiscent of past metas – nearly as strong as when you could still flash while channeling taunt.  

Of the champions released since Worlds (Yone and Samira were disabled), only Seraphine has not been picked yet with the rest sitting around 40-70% P/B. Rell slots nicely within the engage support meta, while Yone utilizes shieldbow so effectively that he functionally becomes a safer Yasuo.  

As always, the meta will continue to evolve as teams figure each other out and item strengths shift with each patch. For now, the biggest changes to look out for are incoming nerfs to Galeforce (60s dash cooldown increased to 90s), Hextech Rocketbelt (50% movepeed boost for 2s decreased to 30% for 1.5s) and Kraken Slayer, whose interaction with on-hit modifiers is being changed (relevant to Aphelios). Goredrinker remains untouched, but this will likely have ramifications on both the ADC and mid meta in the coming weeks. 


🍆

LCS Lock In Week 1: Meta Takeaways

The LEC seemingly picks up where it left off each split, with G2 on top. This offseason however was rocked by blockbuster trades, namely Perkz moving to North America by way of C9, that are sure to impact the European scene for years to come. After a lukewarm showing at Worlds 2020, we take a look at each of these new-look teams and rank them in advance of the LEC start date this Friday.

# 10. Astralis

<div style="width: 100%; display: flex; flex-direction: column; align-items: center;">
<img src='https://stacked-assets.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/posts/post_23_1.jpeg' alt='Astralis' style="width: 100%; max-width: 90%;" />
<h2>Photo Credit - Astralis
</h2>
</div>

Formerly Origen, Astralis brings little promise with their rebrand. Nukeduck is the only remaining member of the failed Origen super team, but left 2020 as one of the worst midlaners in the LEC. Former G2 substitute, Promisq, joins Jeskla in the bottom lane, both making their return to the LEC after time in the national leagues. Perhaps if Zanzarah and Whiteknight surprise, this team could punch above their weight, however it seems unlikely.


# 9. Team Vitality
[Vitality’s](https://stacked.gg/lol/team/vit/stats) rebuild has taken longer than fans have hoped for, and with 4/5 players returning, it seems it will last at least another split. The departure of longtime toplaner Cabochard certainly hurts, but Szygenda is a promising replacement in a league lacking toplane talent. Though a far cry from the 2018 roster that made Worlds, Vitality has seen flashes of greatness but never been able to make it further than 9th.

# 8. SK Gaming
[SK](https://stacked.gg/lol/team/sk/stats) has lived and died by Crownshot’s feast-or-famine performances, and with his exit the organization may find a more consistent playstyle – for better or worse. SK’s rookies have potential, as Tynx posted the highest KDA among junglers (6.63) in the EU Spring Masters. Blue is SK’s most exciting pick-up as he shined in the TCL, particularly highlighting his extensive champion pool. However, there are enough question marks around former TSM support, Treatz, and Jezu competing with the LEC’s stacked botlanes that keep SK ranked 8th for now.

# 7. Excel Esports
[Excel](https://stacked.gg/lol/team/xl/stats) has been threatening a playoff run for the past year, but has yet to break out of 7th place. Patrik’s bottom-quartile KDA among botlaners has led him to be consistently underrated, but his ability to silently edge out advantages has been Excel’s primary win condition. While Kryze held first in laning stats such as CSPM/GPM, he was last in kill participation at 54%. Czekolad is Excel’s most anticipated addition as he has been a premier midlaner in the Polish league, but he and fellow rookie Dan will be tested like never before in the LEC.

# 6. Misfits Gaming

<div style="width: 100%; display: flex; flex-direction: column; align-items: center;">
<img src='https://stacked-assets.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/posts/post_23_2.jpeg' alt='Misfits Gaming' style="width: 100%; max-width: 90%;" />
<h2>Photo Credit - Misfits Gaming
</h2>
</div>

After the failed 2019 super team, [Misfits](https://stacked.gg/lol/team/msf/stats) have been in a partial rebuild that has not resulted in much. Kobbe’s return to the LEC after a split with TSM was underwhelming, but Vander is a massive upgrade to the Support role that has the potential to turn Misfit’s weak botside into a real threat. Vetheo perhaps has the highest expectations out of any rookie as he finished EU Masters Summer with a 6.47 KDA and was heralded as the team’s primary carry, making up their highest Kills/Gold share. If paired well with Jungler Razork, Misfits could have a dangerous roster.


# 5. Schalke 04
The loss of Odoamne will force [Schalke](https://stacked.gg/lol/team/s04/stats) to restructure their leadership as they relied heavily on his veteran presence during their miracle run. Broken Blade is at least an upgrade from a mechanical perspective, and his reunion with former TCL Royal Bandit’s midlaner, Abbedage, may unlock greater solo lane synergy than they saw in 2020. Abbedagge and Gilius’ improvements over the year played a massive role in Schalke’s near-perfect second round robin as Abbedage led in KDA, CS/XP differential, and GPM during playoffs. These players will have to recreate their insane 2020 performance, as another 0-8 start likely won’t yield the same result against the new top-tier teams. 

# 4. MAD Lions
It’s strange to think that if [MAD](https://stacked.gg/lol/team/mad/stats) Lions hadn’t qualified for Worlds, Shad0w and Orome might still be on the roster. Alas, it was their terrible showing at Play-ins that had them dropped from the LEC. New toplaner Armut will likely thrive in the new meta as items like Goredrinker have empowered his aggressive playstyle on popular champions such as Renekton. Whereas Shad0w often fell behind in CS but empowered lanes, former LVP jungler Eyloya has shown he can do both as he led the Spanish league junglers in KDA (9.52), kill participation (80%), and CSPM. Humanoid proved he belonged with the best midlaners as he ranked 1st in DPM, first blood%, and 2nd in gold/XP differentials – behind only Larsen.  

Carzzy and Kaiser had dominant lane performance as Kaiser particularly left the early game with an advantage in CS, gold, and XP in virtually every game. With another year under their belts, this botlane could turn from a promising duo into Europe’s undisputed best.

# 3. Fnatic
On paper, Upset and Selfmade both have unparalleled stat lines. Upset ranked 2nd in KDA/DPM and consistently in the top half of all laning stats in 2020, while Selfmade was one of Europe’s best junglers ever at Worlds as he led almost all early game metrics. However, these two players have potentially conflicting selfish playstyles, both requiring significant resource funneling to scale. While Upset and Selfmade compete for resources to be the team’s carry, the Hylissang/Upset botlane could prove a volatile combination as both players are notoriously aggressive.  

Nisqy’s 2020 LCS performance was a mixed bag, but it was former FNC midlaner Nemesis’ poor performance at Worlds that prompted this move.  

This may sound like a lot of negativity for a 3rd ranked team, but in pure matchups [Fnatic](https://stacked.gg/lol/team/fnc/stats) still outclass most of the LEC with players like Bwipo and Hylissang far and away at the top of their positions. If this team clicks, they could easily compete for the crown, but historically Fnatic has had a difficult time integrating new players into their starting roster.

<div class='twitter-tweet' style="width: 100%; display: flex; justify-content: center; max-width: 100%">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The new Fnatic <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LEC?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LEC</a> 2021 team:<br><br>🔝 <a href="https://twitter.com/Bwipo?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Bwipo</a> <br>🌿 <a href="https://twitter.com/selfmade_LoL?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@selfmade_LoL</a> <br>↔️ @Nisqylol <br>💪 <a href="https://twitter.com/FNCHylissang?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FNCHylissang</a> <br>⬇️ <a href="https://twitter.com/FNC_Upset?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FNC_Upset</a> <br><br>👨‍🏫 <a href="https://twitter.com/YamatoMebdi?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@YamatoMebdi</a> <br>🧑‍🏫 <a href="https://twitter.com/TolkiCasts?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TolkiCasts</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ALWAYSFNATIC?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ALWAYSFNATIC</a> <a href="https://t.co/wrnoihkQB1">pic.twitter.com/wrnoihkQB1</a></p>&mdash; FNATIC (@FNATIC) <a href="https://twitter.com/FNATIC/status/1332324690040397830?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 27, 2020</a></blockquote>
</div>

# 2. Rogue 
The LEC has long been a two-horse race between G2 and Fnatic, but [Rogue](https://stacked.gg/lol/team/rge/stats) stands to break the mold. Odoamne’s addition addresses Rogue’s primary issue last year in the toplane: while Finn wanted to play carry style, he was forced to play weakside leading to his over-aggressive playmaking. Odoamne is a true team player, ranking first among toplaners last split in kill participation and assists, on top of his invaluable shotcalling.
To say that Larssen had a breakout year is an understatement, as he led LEC midlaners in KDA (6.54), CS/GPM, and team gold/kill share. Further, the mages that Larssen tends to favor have only gotten stronger with the introduction of Mythic items. Throw in another year working with the highly effective lane-enabling jungler, Inspired, Larssen looks poised for another career season. 
Trymbi is the only question mark. While Hans Sama is used to world class supports like Ignar, GorillA, and Vander, he must now take on the leadership role in the botlane. Rogue may not have had a successful run at Worlds, but this young, hungry roster only has room to improve.

# 1. G2 Esports

<div style="width: 100%; display: flex; flex-direction: column; align-items: center;">
<img src='https://stacked-assets.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/posts/post_23_3.jpeg' alt='G2 Esports' style="width: 100%; max-width: 90%;" />
<h2>Photo Credit - G2 Esports
</h2>
</div>

Surprise, surprise… [G2](https://stacked.gg/lol/team/g2/stats) made a single change this offseason and still managed to win the offseason. The loss of Perkz marks the end of an era for G2, as he was the driving force that led the organization to 8 LEC titles and numerous Worlds appearances. On an individual level, Perkz is a legend, however as a botlane, he was showing signs of fatigue. Throughout Summer split and Worlds, the G2 botlane looked out of sync as Perkz’s laning stats fell further and further behind the curve.  

Despite having a premature end to his international run, Rekkles heated up during Worlds 2020, averaging a 7.58 KDA, 9.16 CSPM, while posting dominant laning stats (2nd in CSD/GD/XPD@10). The ADC position has been greatly buffed by offseason updates, and now Rekkles is paired with his longtime solo queue support, Mikyx, who arguably had the best showing of any support at Worlds. 


LEC Power Rankings: G2 Back On Top

 With pretty much every tournament circuit around the world resuming this week, there is plenty of League of Legends to follow. Granted, the LPL has been ongoing with a game every day, but even the most particular fans can find something to their liking this week. You want calculated, cool macro games? Got it. You want big, bloodthirsty fights breaking out at level two? Got it. Storylines that you could write a novel about? Uh huh.

**So much League of Legends, so little time. That’s why here at STACKED, we’ve gone through every match up this week for you and selected the top three games you won’t want to miss live.**

# JD GAMING (1-1) vs EDWARD GAMING (3-0) -LPL
**Time:&nbsp** Friday 22, January 11:00 GMT+0  
 
Once upon a time, EDG were the LPL’s golden boys. A super team assembled to take the region by storm in 2014, the squad has achieved some domestic success but never quite lived up to expectations internationally. This year however, looks like EDG could finally turn things around.

Former Griffin marksman Park “Viper” Do-hyeon was the standout rookie of the team that shook the LCK, though his 2020 left much to be desired. Initially believed to elevate any team he joined to elite status, one mediocre split was enough for fans to entirely write off the Xayah that Pentakilled Invictus Gaming. How wrong they were.

Now forming half of EDG’s devastating dual threat carry duo (with Li “Flandre” Xuan-Jun and Lee “Scout” Ye-chan stepping up alternately), Viper has found himself a home on EDG where he can truly flourish. 2021 for EDG is all about redemption, with each veteran player now rocking a chip on their shoulder.

You may recognise JDG as the team that surprisingly showed up to Worlds with one of the most fearsome topsides to ever walk the Rift. Zhang “Zoom” Xing-Ran has consistently been an elite toplaner within the region over the past two years, rivalling Flandre and Viper’s former Griffin teammate, Seo “Kanavi” Jin-hyeok.

Both of these rosters are packed full of veteran talent but make no mistake - these are some of the most mechanically impressive, explosive teams in the LPL, and seeing them clash tomorrow will give us one of two things:

Either the most one-sided 2-0 we’ve seen this season in either team’s favour, or a 3-game bloodbath that should put the other regions on notice.

**Prediction: EDG 2-1**

<div style="width: 100%; display: flex; flex-direction: column; align-items: center;">
<img src='https://stacked-assets.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/posts/post_22_1.jpeg' alt='G2' style="width: 100%; max-width: 90%;" />
<h2>Photo Credit - Riot Games
</h2>
</div>



# G2 ESPORTS (0-0) vs MAD LIONS (0-0) - LEC
**Time:&nbsp** Friday 22, January 16:00 GMT+0  

What a game we have to open up the third year of one of the most successful rebrands in Esports history. The LEC has consistently delivered in both broadcast quality and international performance as of late, with the Kings of Europe, G2 Esports, carrying the torch.   Unfortunately, a semifinals finish was not the end to 2020 that the all-star squad was hoping for, and the departure of franchise player Luka “Perkz” Perković has shaken up the team. Stepping in however, is EU’s most decorated marksman - Martin “Rekkles” Larsson.  MAD Lions on the other hand, took disappointment to a whole new level in 2020. The team managed to bring their squad of 4 rookies all the way to Worlds but fell short in the Play-Ins. The loss of Spring MVP Zhiqiang “Shad0w” Zhao in the jungle certainly hurts, but the team managed to acquire Javier “Elyoya” Prades in his stead - a standout jungler from the European Regional Leagues.

This game should be a demonstration of the two best bottom lanes in the LEC matching off against each other. If you have any interest in seeing playmaking supports dictate the pace of a game, we strongly advise you watch this.

**Prediction: G2 1-0**

<div style="width: 100%; display: flex; flex-direction: column; align-items: center;">
<img src='https://stacked-assets.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/posts/post_22_2.jpeg' alt='LCS Lock-In' style="width: 100%; max-width: 90%;" />
<h2>Photo Credit - Riot Games
</h2>
</div>


# TSM (2-1) vs TEAM LIQUID (2-1) - LCS
**Time:&nbsp** Saturday 23, January 02:00 GMT+0  

One of the most storied, exciting, and consistently delivered upon matchups in the LCS. Two super teams whose budget-breaking rosters dominated headlines and defined the off-season for everyone else around the world.

Two teams that have, as it turns out, met their match in 100Thieves’ new squad, but look to separate themselves from each other in the hunt for the title. Of particular interest will be if Lucas “Santorin” Tao Kilmer Larsen finally makes his TL debut, as the TSM alumnus has been sidelined due to visa issues.

At full strength, this could be a complete blowout in favour of TL. However, if TSM can function as a cohesive unit, then this game can go either way. We touched on some of their communications issues last week in our recap, so hopefully they have addressed these concerns, but this is one game you don’t want to miss.

**Prediction: TL 1-0**



3 Games You Absolutely CANNOT Miss This Week

New year, new league. The 2021 LCS preseason has just started with the inaugural Lock In tournament, which has already brought us glimpses of exciting new talent. In an exclusive STACKED interview, we spoke to LCS commentator Barento “Razleplasm” Mohammed about the state of the league and all the changes brought about this year.

-

<section>
<strong>TS</strong>
<strong>
What's your overall perspective about the new LCS format? What do you expect to be the differentiating factor of NA compared to [other] regions?
</strong>
</section>

<section>
<p>R</p>
<div>
<p> For the broadcast, [we] have new talent including myself, Emily, Primal, Hai, Spawn and Allorim. [On the] competitive [side], there's a new wave of talent coming in to create a name for themselves with the retirement of Doublelift and Bjerg. I'm personally proud of the NA midlane talent rising up with Soligo, Insanity, Palafox, Damonte, Pobelter and AblazeOlive who I worked with on Golden Guardians. Fresh faces mean more discovery.</p> <p> Players like Soligo and Damonte have already shown they have what it takes to compete against the best and, from here, everything is growth. And we definitely want to see more about Pobelter, the young promise. 
</p>
</div>
</section>

<div style="width: 100%; display: flex; flex-direction: column; align-items: center;">
<img src='https://stacked-assets.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/posts/post_21_1.jpeg' alt='Scouting' style="width: 100%; max-width: 90%;" />
<h2>Photo Credit - Riot Games
</h2>
</div>

<section>
<strong>TS</strong>
<strong>
With a couple of Lock In days already played, what’s your hypothetical top 4? Also, considering all the new talents and imports, can you give me your top 3 LLA/OCE imports and top 3 rookies?
</strong>
</section>

<section>
<p>R</p>
<div>
<p>My top 4 teams would be Team Liquid, Cloud9, 100Thieves and TSM. About the new imports, I think Josedodo, Newbie and Raes [stand out]. And the rookies I would say Revenge, Fudge and AblazeOlive.</p> <p>This year will have a ton of new faces and new talents trying to prove themselves and, maybe, become the next Doublelift or Bjerg. We talked with Jensen a couple days ago, and he told us about how he’s finally seeing new players with some mistakes but a lot of potential. 
</p>
</div>
</section>

<section>
<strong>TS</strong>
<strong>Speaking of potential, we asked Raz what he does to keep improving as a caster and who his inspirations are. If you’re interested in becoming a caster someday, you should definitely consider his words.</strong>
</section>

<section>
<p>R</p>
<div>
<p>I ask myself what does an ideal 'Raz' look like, document how I get there through several written goals and learn from some of the greats in League and in sports. I studied Obama and Bomani's speech, Stephen A and Max Kellerman's ability to structure their points and few others within the scene's delivery, like Jatt and Papasmithy. There's always something you can learn, so perspective is important.</p>
</div>
</section>


Razleplasm on the Current State of LCS: “I’m personally proud of the NA midlane talent rising up”

[100 Thieves](https://stacked.gg/lol/team/100/stats) pulled off an upset Sunday afternoon as they took down [Team Liquid](https://stacked.gg/lol/team/tl/stats) on Day 3 of the Lock In tournament. The tournament has already provided some great moments, and this game was jammed full of them thanks to some great play from Can “[Closer](https://stacked.gg/player/closer/stats)” Çelik and Tanner “[Damonte](https://stacked.gg/player/damonte/stats)” Damonte clutching out the win. 

Team Liquid has generally been regarded as either the first or second ranked LCS team heading into the 2021 season, but 100 Thieves pulled of the upset through nailing the drafting phase. With their B1 pick, 100 Thieves drafted Olaf, who went unbanned by both sides in opening ban phase. Pairing Closer’s Olaf with Damonte’s Galio, who they drafted second, meant 100T’s team comp relied on Galio taunts into Olaf running down the opponents which is precisely what happened.

<div class='twitter-tweet' style="width: 100%; display: flex; justify-content: center; max-width: 100%">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Closer was CRUSHING that game on Olaf!<br><br>Back to the perma ban list, don&#39;t think we&#39;ll be seeing Olaf again anytime soon 🤣<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LCS?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LCS</a></p>&mdash; Isaac CB (@RiotAzael) <a href="https://twitter.com/RiotAzael/status/1350936886810959878?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 17, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div>

Team Liquid responded to the opening Olaf pick by going Lillia/Samira, and then responded to Galio by putting Jensen on Cassiopeia. This ended up working out poorly as Olaf Ragnarok’d any time he was put to sleep by Lillia’s ultimate, while building Goredrinker allowed Olaf to stay on the backline of Cassio/Samira without any problem. 

The game opened up with an immediate First Blood for [Tactical](https://stacked.gg/player/tactical/stats) as [CoreJJ](https://stacked.gg/player/corejj/stats) pulled off the Leona level one stun. 100 Thieves’ ADC [FBI](https://stacked.gg/player/fbi/stats) played overzealously on Aphelios, attempting to trade with a Lulu support who did not have Polymorph ready. Credit to 100 Thieves’ support [huhi](https://stacked.gg/player/huhi/stats) for taking the early misplay on the chin and playing aggressively the rest of the game, roaming with Olaf and making some crucial plays.


<div style="width: 100%; display: flex; justify-content: center; padding-bottom: 2rem">
<div style="border-radius: .3125rem; overflow:hidden; height:312px; width:100%; max-width:560px; z-index: 1;">
<iframe max-width="560" width='100%' height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/IwBwq1gDxDo?start=403" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
</div>
</div>


TL’s mid-laner [Jensen](https://stacked.gg/player/jensen/stats) had himself a game to forget. In an early 3v2 bot dive onto TL, Jensen Teleported in, flashing for a kill and dying at the hands of Closer’s Olaf. His low mobility from going Conquerer over Phase Rush for his rune page ended up costing him. 

The sloppy play continued during another skirmish in the bot river only a few minutes later. Rather than saving their ultimates for when Olaf’s Ragnarok was in cooldown, Lillia/Cassiopeia failed to kite Olaf and opted to fight him while Ragnarok was active. TL’s [Armao](https://stacked.gg/player/armao/stats) and Jensen didn’t respect the Olaf ultimate paired with Lulu’s shields, and Jensen was caught out of position yet again. There was also a lack of anti-healing items on Cassiopeia/Lillia/Samira, which made fighting Olaf that much harder. By the 9 minute mark, Jensen had died three times to the hands of Olaf.

<div style="width: 100%; display: flex; justify-content: center; padding-bottom: 2rem">
<div style="border-radius: .3125rem; overflow:hidden; height:312px; width:100%; max-width:560px; z-index: 1;">
<iframe max-width="560" width='100%' height='312px' src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/IwBwq1gDxDo?start=675" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
</div>
</div>


Closer made a handful of decision’s that put his team in a position to win, including diving TL’s bot lane 3v2 as they successfully juggled turret aggro and secured the 1-for-2 trade. While Alphari handled business up top, 100T made sure this game was ultimately won and lost in the botlane.

This match highlighted the power of Goredrinker Olaf in the current meta, as many team comps rely on chain CC to win team fights while Olaf’s strength is in negating these effects and healing mid-team fight with this item active. Similarly, 100T showcased how effective it can be to pair Olaf with an enchanter support like Lulu. As the season continues, Olaf will likely continue to terrorize teams when not banned unless teams learn to properly kite The Berserker. 

<div class='twitter-tweet' style="width: 100%; display: flex; justify-content: center; max-width: 100%">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">WHAT. A. GAME.<br><br>We take down Team Liquid after an insane 29-min match to finish off the weekend 2-1 in the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LCS?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LCS</a> Lock In Tournament! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/100T?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#100T</a> <a href="https://t.co/LTrOnjmh94">pic.twitter.com/LTrOnjmh94</a></p>&mdash; 100 Thieves Live (@100ThievesLive) <a href="https://twitter.com/100ThievesLive/status/1350935926235684867?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 17, 2021</a></blockquote>
</div>


Without detracting from a phenomenal 100T performance, Team Liquid fans can chalk these misplays up to early season jitters and the lack of their starting jungler, Santorin. If TL can improve their draft phase and continue to mesh as a roster, they are still very much in contention for the top spot – right up there with 100 Thieves.

Team Liquid vs. 100 Thieves Recap

The first week of the LCS Lock In group stage featured the debut of many highly anticipated players entering North America. While the likes of Perkz and SwordArt had shaky starts, some of the best performances belong to rookies similarly starting their careers in the LCS. Though the regular season hasn’t technically started yet, this tournament has put much of the league on notice: the rookies have arrived.


### Though the regular season hasn’t technically started yet, this tournament has put much of the league on notice: the rookies have arrived.

# Iconic
The former collegiate jungler is the biggest surprise to come out of the Lock In so far. Iconic managed to gain an XP and gold advantage over every jungle opponent while still maintaining lane influence. Over 3 games, Iconic has averaged 7.64 CS per minute and holds the highest KDA (25.0) and kill participation (86.2%) in the group stage. Iconic’s most impressive performance comes from his Taliyah game – though it was ultimately a TSM win, Iconic enabled the early kills that nearly set up Golden Guardians for the upset.

<div style="width: 100%; display: flex; justify-content: center; padding-bottom: 2rem">
<div style="border-radius: .3125rem; overflow:hidden; height:312px; width:100%; max-width:560px; z-index: 1;">
<iframe width="100%" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/z3fAcqytuxQ?start=1209" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
</div>
</div>

Though poor calls around the baron and dragon pit cost GGS the game, if Iconic can improve the team’s shot calling ability and build upon his objective control he could stand to mature into one of the LCS’s most valuable domestic junglers.

# Niles

Fearless is one word to describe Niles in his LCS debut, though overaggressive may be more accurate. Niles led toplaners in average deaths per game at 4.33, but at the same time showed promising instincts and mechanical ability as the team’s primary teamfight facilitator. 

<div style="width: 100%; display: flex; justify-content: center; padding-bottom: 2rem">
<div style="border-radius: .3125rem; overflow:hidden; height:312px; width:100%; max-width:560px; z-index: 1;">
<iframe width="100%" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/z3fAcqytuxQ?start=1377" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
</div>
</div>


Niles also showed his ability to play outside the established meta by flexing his Gangplank pocket pick during his first game against CLG. Despite his lane being focused, Niles still accounted for 31% damage share. Looking ahead to the regular season, Niles could prove himself to be an asset by continuing to be an adaptive toplaner and refining his laning skills.

# Palafox
Palafox was stuck on Orianna for the first week and had little to no game impact. The former C9 academy midlaner has the second lowest KDA in the tournament at 0.14, the lowest DPM among midlaners, but the highest CS differential at 10 minutes. Perhaps once FlyQuest’s starting jungler, Josedeodo, joins the roster and Palafox is put on anything other than a control mage, we can see the potential that got him to the starting roster.

# Soligo
After Perkz’s underwhelming Yone performance, Soligo showed how effective the midlane assassin pick can truly be. One of the most impressive showings of the day, Soligo terrorized FlyQuest by infiltrating their backline.

<div style="width: 100%; display: flex; justify-content: center; padding-bottom: 2rem">
<div style="border-radius: .3125rem; overflow:hidden; height:312px; width:100%; max-width:560px; z-index: 1;">
<iframe width="100%" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9VLMAY9j3ww?start=1308" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
</div>
</div>

Unfortunately, Soligo couldn’t replicate his dominant day one performance in the following two games, as the next day saw a significantly less impressive Yone showing. Though he once again showed promise on Zoe against Evil Geniuses, his stat line quickly went from 3/0/0 at 10 minutes to 4/5/3 at 33 minutes. Heading into the regular season, Soligo needs to work on his consistency to be trusted with these carry champions he has preferred throughout the Lock In. 

# Fudge

Expectations were high for Fudge, who made some noise preseason touting his skill and calling the rest of the LCS toplaners ‘brainless’. In reality Fudge had little game impact across three games, falling behind in lane but making up for it later by having a decent teamfight presence. Fudge had the 2nd lowest kill participation at 4.9% and lowest DPM (305). In all fairness, Fudge was first picked into losing matchups, including Ornn into Renekton from the first game or Camille into Fiora from the FlyQuest game. 
Still, Fudge has only had average games so far playing toplane like an island. Perhaps he is learning that the LCS is significantly more difficult than his old academy stomping grounds, but for Cloud9 to become the international threat it was built for, unlocking the toplane is critical. 

# Revenge

From solo queue legend to LCS starter, Revenge was the most impressive rookie toplaner this weekend. Revenge was able to win lane without many resources, as he had one of the lowest jungler proximities but left the early game with a CS/XP advantage in all three games. His most impressive performance was on the AP Gragas that gave Immortals their sole win.

<div style="width: 100%; display: flex; justify-content: center; padding-bottom: 2rem">
<div style="border-radius: .3125rem; overflow:hidden; height:312px; width:100%; max-width:560px; z-index: 1;">
<iframe width="100%" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wVRUrBMP_d0?start=1493" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
</div>
</div>


Missing 3/5 of their LCS roster, Immortals was bound to have their share of struggles in this tournament, but Revenge’s performance certainly shows why he earned a starting spot. 

Welcome to the Big Leagues – Rookie Roundup

Week one is in the books, and based on final score lines, a lot of teams are wishing these were best of one series instead of best of three. So many close games that almost amounted to early upsets, but [according to my preseason power rankings](https://stacked.gg/article/lck-power-rankings-dwg-kia), all matches have been won by the higher ranked team so far. It’s time to take a look at whose stock went up this past week, and whose rating needs to be revaluated after losses.

# Up: Gen.G and Rascal’s Top Lane Dominance

[Gen.G](https://stacked.gg/lol/team/gen/stats) and [DWG Kia](https://stacked.gg/lol/team/dwg/stats) are the only undefeated teams left after the first week, but Gen.G were the only team to not drop a single game. DWG KIA had a tougher schedule, facing off against T1 in their first game of the season, while Gen.G faced off against currently winless Fredit BRION. It was one lane matchup in particular against [KT Rolster](https://stacked.gg/lol/team/kt/stats) that showed why Gen.G is so dangerous.

<div style="width: 100%; display: flex; flex-direction: column; align-items: center;">
<img src='https://stacked-assets.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/posts/post_18_1.jpeg' alt='Scouting' style="width: 100%; max-width: 90%;" />
<h2>Rascal - LCK Global
</h2>
</div>


There were a lot of questions around toplane superiority in the LCK, with Choi “[Doran](https://stacked.gg/player/doran/stats)” Hyeon-joon being [proclaimed as the best](https://clips.twitch.tv/KathishClumsyPistachioHeyGuys) by his teammates. Kim “[Rascal](https://stacked.gg/player/rascal/stats)” Kwang-hee got the last laugh, dominating Doran’s Gnar in a 2-0 victory, while playing Renekton and Camille to 100% win rates through two different series. 

# Down: T1 and its Roster Choices

### Fans are sure to be asking, should T1 have started Clozer instead?  

#### 


When [T1](https://stacked.gg/lol/team/t1/stats) came out in its first game without Moon "[Cuzz](https://stacked.gg/player/cuzz/stats)" Woo-chan, Park "[Teddy](https://stacked.gg/player/teddy/stats)" Jin-seong and Lee “[Faker](https://stacked.gg/player/faker/stats)” Sang-hyeok, it was a chance for the team to find a new identity behind its younger talent. Rookies like mid laner Lee "[Clozer](https://stacked.gg/player/clozer/stats)" Ju-hyeon were able to shine center stage. Despite winning the first matchup of the season, T1 played Faker in their next game against DWG KIA instead of Clozer. If you read the first ‘up’, you already know the result.

<div class='twitter-tweet' style="width: 100%; display: flex; justify-content: center; max-width: 100%">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">DK ShowMaker on Zoe STEALS the baron! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LCK?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LCK</a> <a href="https://t.co/YrweRYWi0k">pic.twitter.com/YrweRYWi0k</a></p>&mdash; LCK Global (@LCK_Global) <a href="https://twitter.com/LCK_Global/status/1350054884775583753?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 15, 2021</a></blockquote>
</div>


This is one of those series that T1 wishes were a best of one, as they shellshocked the current world champions early on. The reverse sweep came to fruition for DWG Kia, with Faker’s mid lane adversary, Heo "[ShowMaker](https://stacked.gg/player/showmaker/stats)" Su, only dying twice on Zoe throughout the last two matches of the series, completely outclassing Faker’s Azir. Fans are sure to be asking, should T1 have started Clozer instead?


# Up: Nongshim RedForce as Underdogs
Looking at other writers’ preseason power rankings, most did not have Nongshim RedForce ranked very high despite finishing second in the KeSPA Cup. They won’t do as well as they did during the preseason, but they should finish above most of the other mid-tier teams. While two losses in a row to DWG KIA was expected, their 2-1 win over Liiv SANDBOX showed what this team is capable of. If they can beat teams like KT Rolster and Hanwa Life, they give themselves a great shot at surprising most and making playoffs.

# Down: Liiv SANDBOX as a Playoff Contender
You never want to start a split 0-2. They were able to win one match against Nongshim RedForce, but were swept against KT Rolster. Where they stand is very similar to the two teams they lost to; middle of the pack potential, but unlike the other two, haven’t been able to win yet. They could end up falling out of contention if they aren’t able to pick up wins this upcoming week against [Afreeca Freecs](https://stacked.gg/lol/team/af/stats) and [DRX](https://stacked.gg/lol/team/drx/stats). 
And that is where we are at after week one. Be sure to check back next week to see if my power rankings hold true, or if we’re looking at the first upset.

<div style="width: 100%; display: flex; flex-direction: column; align-items: center;">
<img src='https://stacked-assets.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/posts/post_18_2.jpeg' alt='Scouting' style="width: 100%; max-width: 90%;" />
<h2>Standings - LCK Global</h2>
</div>

Ups and Downs from LCK Spring Week One

Both the World Championship and the menagerie of off-season tournaments are usually pretty good indicators of how teams will perform throughout the next season. When TOP Esports convincingly won the Demacia Cup 2020 and looked pretty hot for most of Worlds, we expected them to look similarly dominant  for at least the regular Spring Split of the LPL.  

How naive we were.  

Week 1 of the LPL has already delivered some of the most insane upsets in competitive history, but we’ve hand-selected three that you should definitely check out.  

# LNG 2-0 IG
There’s an adage in Chinese discussion boards that there are three teams that are the most difficult to beat in the regular season of the LPL. While you may think that FPX, IG, and TES are those three, the actual explanation is a little more tongue-in-cheek. The three teams in question are:  

- LGD Gaming once they’ve been eliminated from Worlds contention  

- World Elite (now Team WE) during the later stages of the split

- Snake Esports (now LNG Esports) at the start of the split  

Now, even with a rebrand, LNG have stuck true to form, upsetting an IG team that looked pretty dominant just a few days prior with finesse.  

This series served as a reminder that Lee “Tarzan” Seung-yong still has immense potential. Many critics pointed to the once-best jungler in the LCK as cashing out, signing a lengthy contract with a lower tier LPL organisation for the expected remainder of his career. Yet through one week of LPL competition, Tarzan led not just Junglers, but the entire LPL, notching a 21.0 KDA (6/1/15).  


<div class='twitter-tweet' style="width: 100%; display: flex; justify-content: center; max-width: 100%">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">A beautiful triple stun from Iwandy&#39;s Alistar leads to a clean ace for LNG Esports! <br><br>Don&#39;t miss out on more insane plays as <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LPL?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LPL</a> returns with JDG vs BLG at 10:00am CET / 1:00am PST! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TheLeagueIsBack?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TheLeagueIsBack</a> <a href="https://t.co/hVkjNpwlHv">pic.twitter.com/hVkjNpwlHv</a></p>&mdash; LPL (@lplenglish) <a href="https://twitter.com/lplenglish/status/1349537009463930884?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 14, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div>

# SN 2-0 TES
After how the Demacia Cup played out, no one could have expected Suning to look this coordinated… or for TES to look this bad.  

In fact, the two teams had night and day performances at the aforementioned Demacia Cup. Suning looked terrible, with communication and decision-making all over the place, while TES looked nearly untouchable.  

Fast forward a mere couple of weeks and suddenly we have TES sitting comfortably at the bottom of the LPL standings.   

Another saying from the LPL message boards is that Bai “369” Jia-Hao’s namesake comes from the fact that he rolls a pair of dice before every game. He either rolls a 3 and plays poorly, a 6 and plays slightly above average, or a 9 and handily wins games by himself.  

Suffice to say, in this series the dice landed on a 3, landing middle-of-the-pack across all key stats amongst LPL toplaners in Week 1.  

On the other hand, Chen “Bin” Ze-Bin was a monster, and toplane enthusiasts should watch this series with a keen eye.  


# RW 2-1 TES
Rogue Warriors have always been towards the middle-lower end of the LPL. Never one to draw star talent, the established organisation typically wins versus lower end teams and gets convincingly dispatched by anyone above them in the standings.

Franchise player Chen “Haro” Wen-Lin set out to make this season different from the past, however, and brought a pretty crazy Nidalee to the table.   It was, however, the LMS/PCS components of this roster that truly stood out this series. With AHQ Esports Club ceasing operations in League of Legends after over eight years, the merger with Rogue Warriors came as somewhat of a surprise. Said merger also brought over tenured toplaner Chen “Ziv” Yi, who played tremendously well this series as a rock-solid frontline for the squad.

It also didn’t help TES that 369 rolled another 3, but hey - we all have off-days (or weeks).

-


These aren’t even all of the upsets from this week, and certainly won’t be the last of this split. The LPL is already well under way, so if you still need that extra shot of professional League after a fairly quiet off-season... jump right in!

The Three Craziest Upsets of LPL Week 1

I’m going to be honest, we all expected a bit of a  wash.  

Cloud9 was coming off one of the worst crashes in LCS history, going from historically dominant to historically slumped. After one of the best Spring Splits in LCS history, they got knocked out by TSM and lost their bid at Worlds.  

Evil Geniuses, on the other hand, told a different, more forgettable story last year, struggling into 5th place by the end of it all.  

Maybe they had something to prove. Impact definitely looked like he did.  

The analysts on the desk and the casters all made allusions to the fact that signing Impact was a piece of big news, but one that lost headlines to even bigger news. Which is no surprise to most, as it’s not often players of SwordArt’s and Perkz’s calibers make their way over to the LCS from such successful franchises.  

The goredrinker Renekton came out in force as the big crocodile and company rained on Cloud9’s debut in the Lock In tournament, defeating them in an over-40 minute game. Impact went 4/1/11 (15.0 KDA), harassing Zven and Perkz in every teamfight and giving his team time to clean up the mess he made.  

At first, the game was tight, but EG slowly began to pull away more and more as Impact looked to roam mid, putting pressure on Perkz’s Yone and forcing uncomfortable fights. They made sure to catch Perkz out multiple times, giving him a less-than-impressive LCS debut at 4/7/2 (0.86 KDA).

<div style="width: 100%; display: flex; justify-content: center; max-width: 100%">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="und" dir="ltr">☄️<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LIVEEVIL?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LIVEEVIL</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LCS?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LCS</a> <a href="https://t.co/fCbBfiyj0t">pic.twitter.com/fCbBfiyj0t</a></p>&mdash; Evil Geniuses (@EvilGeniuses) <a href="https://twitter.com/EvilGeniuses/status/1350524769385345025?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 16, 2021</a></blockquote>
</div>

Then, EG picked up momentum, leading to an infernal soul and a baron.  

Another shining spot for EG was Deftly, who got off to the races late into the game with Kai’Sa’s R, putting a lot of pressure on any crowd-controlled opponents who had the misfortune of being locked down. Generally thought of as an unexciting pickup, Deftly finished at 9/2/7 (8.0 KDA), and made several huge plays near the end of the game to close it out.  

Cloud9 didn’t play poorly, either, but the top and mid gap was clear. Jiizuke had a great showing himself, spoiling Perkz’s NA debut and making Yone’s lane miserable with an aggressive Syndra that made plays all over the map with her E. 

This was a game of roster moves, dark horses, and a coming out party for Evil Geniuses that put the LCS on notice—this was not the forgettable team of last year. This was a team that put together the puzzle pieces, and they are going to get spooky.  

The player of the game was Impact, but Jiizuke and Deftly made strong cases of their own. That being said, it’ll be interesting going forward to see how EG will mesh as the season continues with new items, a new format and a remote setting.  


Going forward, Evil Geniuses will play Immortals on Saturday, and Cloud9 will look to bounce back against FlyQuest.



EG Belong at the Top: A Strong Case For Title Contention

Oceania’s Worlds 2020 representative Legacy Esports went above and beyond expectations in play-ins, going 3-1 during the group stage before falling one game short of qualifying for the main event. The OPL, known as one of the weaker League of Legends professional leagues, beat teams from both the LEC and CBLOL, establishing themselves as stronger than ever. Despite this success, it was only seven days later that [Riot announced that the Riot-backed League would be shutting down](https://lolesports.com/article/an-update-about-the-oceanic-pro-league-opl-/bltdaee569982df8fa5).

Riot announced in the same post that they will still hold qualifying tournaments for MSI and Worlds, while [ESL Australia will take the reins in that region](https://www.invenglobal.com/articles/12927/esl-will-operate-an-oceanic-league-of-legends-league-with-guinevere-capital). Regardless, the best talent in the region will likely be flocking to the LCS in 2021 as they will no longer take up an import slot for NA teams.

Australian and New Zealand talent going to North America isn’t anything new; there have been great players playing here prior to the import rule change. Top laner Ibrahim “Fudge” Allami has been part of [Cloud9](https://stacked.gg/lol/team/c9/stats) since 2019, a key member of the academy team that swept the LCSA in back-to-back first place 2020 finishes. ADC Lawrence “Lost” Hui joined [TSM](https://stacked.gg/lol/team/tsm/stats) at the same time, finishing second consecutively against Cloud9 in the academy league. Now both will get the call up to play for their teams’ main rosters. These two are joined by [100 Thieves](https://stacked.gg/lol/team/100/stats) ADC Victor “[FBI](https://stacked.gg/player/fbi/stats)” Huang who previously spent over a year in NA with Golden Guardians.

They aren’t the only Aussie and Kiwi players this time around. At the start of the 2020 Spring Split there were only six OCE players in NA, including Lost, FBI and Fudge. The other three, Calvin “K1ng” Truong, Stephen “Triple” Li and Tommy “[Ryoma](https://stacked.gg/player/ryoma/stats)” Le all finished the year on academy rosters, with the latter two being demoted from the main roster to academy. Now there is more than triple that amount, with four of NA’s newest players coming directly from Legacy Esports.

The biggest success story is that of ADC Quin “[Raes](https://stacked.gg/player/raes/stats)” Korebrits. Known for [excelling with champions such as Aphelios, Ezreal and Miss Fortune](https://lol.gamepedia.com/Raes/Statistics/2020), Raes has never played outside of Oceania. Now he is one of two new Oceanic players starting on Immortal’s main roster. The other to be doing so is support Mitchell “Destiny” Shaw. While Destiny is joining from LEC organization Astralis, Raes is the only player who was in the OPL during Summer Split to be on a day one LCS starting roster.  

For the rest of the former Legacy Esports players, all of them have ended up in the LCSA system. Korean top laner Kim “[Topoon](https://stacked.gg/player/topoon/stats)” Ji-hoon is joining Raes at Immortals, while the rest have landed with the TSM, Cloud9 and Golden Guardians academy squads. Since academy and main roster players can be swapped instantaneously throughout the season, it may only be a matter of time before more of the ex-Legacy squad appear in LCS games.

While a new league to replace the OPL is in the works, players like Raes, Fudge and Lost will be far away from home as North America has become the new hub for the region’s best talent. LCS teams are aiming to compete at higher levels internationally in 2021, and the influx of OPL talent raising the bar across NA could be their key to success.


The OPL Ship has Landed in NA

After winning the Summer Split of the 2020 LCS, [TSM](https://stacked.gg/lol/team/tsm/stats) shocked the world by opting into a near-complete rebuild. Throwing away a winning formula (for LCS at least) in exchange for an all-star line-up with record-breaking salary numbers, expectations were at an all-time high. On the other hand, [100Thieves](https://stacked.gg/lol/team/100/stats) didn’t take too much of a risk, purchasing 80% of the Golden Guardians’ 2020 team and simply adding perpetual MVP candidate Kim “Ssumday” Chan-ho to the mix.  

100T is one of the teams generally seen as a dark horse for a podium finish this split, with most of the roster only narrowly missing out on Worlds qualification last year. Even so, with the star power brought to the table by TSM’s chosen line-up - and, unlike most of the other assumed top teams, a distinct lack of visa issues - they were slight favourites to take this first game.  

### However, just like most power rankings - [including our own](https://stacked.gg/article/2020-lcs-power-rankings) - predicted, TSM is a team of wild inconsistency. Let’s take a look at a few of the reasons why TSM lost this game, but - more importantly - why 100T won so convincingly.
#### 

# Draft Phase

100T’s composition this game was less straightforward than TSM’s in terms of execution, but played towards the high risk high reward style that these players are experienced with. Utilising good map movement through Taliyah and Twisted Fate to collapse on either sidelane at leisure, 100T took firm control of the early game when given the opportunity.  

Opting for Renekton as your last pick on Blue side has been oft-derided (and with good reason), but here it was a good way to set up both Taliyah and Twisted Fate for coordinated dives. Yes, Heo “Huni” Seung-hoon picked the safest response available in the Gnar, but no amount of apparent safety can stop you from being quickly burst down. Whether through a Renekton W, Taliyah W-E, or even a Gold Card from a visiting TF, Huni was prone to being locked down and killed at any given moment.  

When you look at TSM’s composition this game, you will see something that isn’t necessarily too uncommon for new rosters. Simple, slow burn teamfight champions with safe laning phases to generate early CS and gold differentials over their counterparts. However, these kinds of picks promote the inactive-early playstyle that every single iteration of the TSM roster has been criticised for over the past few years, and this game was no different.

While superstar support Hu “SwordArt” Shuo-Chieh got his hands on his signature Leona, the playmaking potential simply wasn’t there when 100Thieves decided to make this game all about the top side of the map.

Orianna has always been a comfort pick for Tristan “PowerofEvil” Schrage, even at the start of his career (Nashor’s Tooth, anyone?), but it detracted more than it brought to the table this time around. Yes, the hypothetical consistent push through midlane does help punish and prevent some particularly troublesome TF roams, but Tanner “Damonte” Damonte was unfazed. On the topic of Orianna and her need to scale, however, there is something else that we need to address…

# ???
Consider the three question marks in this heading as three consecutive missing pings. While it is understandable that Mingyi “[Spica](https://stacked.gg/player/spica/stats)” Lu feels the weight of the world on his shoulders, being the only remaining member of yesteryear’s TSM, his overcommitment into the enemy jungle was what sealed the deal for a 100T victory.  

Unfortunately for TSM, said overcommitment - stemming from apparent communication issues - occurred mere minutes into the game. Spica commenced an invade, assuming that the enemy Taliyah would be handshaking and pathing to clear out the bottom half of the jungle, but Can “Closer” Çelik read Spica’s Graves like a book.

<div style="width: 100%; display: flex; justify-content: center; max-width: 100%">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">First blood of 2021 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LCS?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LCS</a> Lock In goes to <a href="https://twitter.com/Damonte?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Damonte</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/100Thieves?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@100Thieves</a> as they take down two near the top lane! <a href="https://t.co/KjDIw68iyl">pic.twitter.com/KjDIw68iyl</a></p>&mdash; LCS (@LCSOfficial) <a href="https://twitter.com/LCSOfficial/status/1350222747943665665?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 15, 2021</a></blockquote>
</div>

The TSM jungler found himself in a position where his midlaner was unable to follow up, and Huni also struggled to find a safe path inwards despite having the top wave crash. Sure, a potential top dive could have been in the works after a full clear, but - as it turns out - the blue team’s Gromp buff is much closer to their own reinforcements when both midlaners are running back from a reset.  

All of that 5v5 teamfighting we mentioned earlier? Leona, Orianna, hell - even Gnar? They need time to come online and fight around their item spikes and ultimate abilities.  

This play cost TSM summoners, gold, kills, and precious time to scale.  

Could TSM have played this better? Sure. But, 100T simply outplayed them, adapting their game plans on the fly to collapse and punish where need be. Damonte and Closer particularly showed up this game, looking near untouchable when it came to moving around the map, while the botlane simply held their own as needed throughout the early stages.  


<div style="width: 100%; display: flex; justify-content: center; max-width: 100%">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">THERE WE GO BOYS. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/100T?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#100T</a> <br><br>We start off the 2021 LCS Lock In strong with a 27 Minute W over TSM. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LCS?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LCS</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/100WIN?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#100WIN</a> <a href="https://t.co/63qUdzi2cz">pic.twitter.com/63qUdzi2cz</a></p>&mdash; 100 Thieves Live (@100ThievesLive) <a href="https://twitter.com/100ThievesLive/status/1350228638268944385?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 15, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div>

TSM aren’t out of title contention yet - it is, after all, only one game - but perhaps our forecast for top 3 has already been shaken up, courtesy of the boys in black and red.



Stealing Away the Spring Opener: 100T Take Down TSM 

When the new format for North America’s premier League of Legends circuit - the League of Legends Championship Series - was announced, fans around the world rejoiced. LCS fans have much to look forward to, but which teams look favored to take the crown here?  

Superstar rosters versus unproven rookies, unproven rosters versus superstar rookies. The LCS format changed a ton this off-season, and team lineups have followed suit. Without further ado, here are our power rankings for the LCS 2020.  

# 10. Golden Guardians 
After a standout year for the organization, [Golden Guardians](https://stacked.gg/lol/team/gg/stats) are looking much worse for wear this season. Offloading the entirety of their starting 2020 roster, the fact that GG were able to retain veteran coach Nicholas “Inero” Smith was a blessing.   
One veteran signing is Trevor “Stixxay'' Hayes, CLG’s franchise player for five years who has been on the decline (despite some flashes of brilliance) since a standout debut and MSI 2016. Also signed to GGS is one of LLA’s most promising talents in support Leandro “Newbie” Marcos, who should assist Stixxay in this otherwise uninspiring roster.  

# 9. Immortals 
After the organisation took both 2016 LCS splits by storm, and even made a splash on the Worlds stage in 2017, [Immortals](https://stacked.gg/lol/team/imt/stats) have failed to reach those high watermarks again.  

Promising rookies make up the majority of this roster, but it’s the veterans from Origen’s ill-fated LEC attempts that could make all the difference here. Andrei “Xerxe” Dragomir was once considered best in his role in Europe, and the slumping jungler has a chance to return to form alongside Mitchell “Destiny” Shaw, the LEC’s first OCE import.  

This time, however, the former OG players aren’t surrounded by superstar talent – will they step up to the challenge?  

# 8. Dignitas
Literally the last team to announce their roster this off-season, [Dignitas](https://stacked.gg/lol/team/dig/stats) apparently had a lot going on behind the scenes leading into 2021. Unfortunately, the long-awaited roster reveal was rather forgetful, though the team managed to maintain a solid - if inconsistent - core for their younger players to grow around.  

This team at least has a lot of playmaking potential, packed with aggressive players unwilling to shy away from a fight - for better or worse.  

# 7. FlyQuest
Another rebuilding roster, [FLY](https://stacked.gg/lol/team/fly/stats) had the best year in the organization’s history before their fan-favourite squad blew up completely. Look for former Cloud9 franchise toplaner Eric “Licorice” Ritchie to lead the charge in tandem with the LLA’s most promising talent: world-class jungler Brandon Joel “Josedeodo” Villegas. Botlaner Johnson “Johnsun” Nguyen also established himself as a top tier threat throughout 2020.  

Unfortunately, that’s where the known quantities end, as the former Cloud9 Academy Jungle/Support duo in Diamond and Palafox are yet to be tested in the LCS.  

This roster could just as easily finish 8th or 4th, though placing your trust in FlyQuest management could prove a safe bet now that we see the roster that they have assembled. The reason why they’re so low is because they have taken such a tremendous risk with the full rebuild here; the other teams made safer, less exciting changes - but will they prove less rewarding?  

<div style="width: 100%; display: flex; flex-direction: column; align-items: center;">
<img src='https://stacked-assets.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/posts/post_13_2.jpeg' alt='Scouting' style="width: 100%; max-width: 90%;" />
<h2>FlyQuest - Riot Games
</h2>
</div>
# 6. Counter Logic Gaming
[CLG](https://stacked.gg/lol/team/clg/stats) are at 6th here because they have a fine roster, that’s it. No risky rookie talent, but no real risks at all. Most of these veterans haven’t looked their prime in years, and while they could prove the world wrong, expectations for the CLG organisation are at an all-time… middle.  

This isn’t a roster favored to win the LCS, but it isn’t a roster that will come last, either. The lack of rookies is disheartening, indicating a lack of future investment, [but the group of proven veterans could mesh together and make a surprise run](https://stacked.gg/article/lcs-2021-dark-horse-clg).

<div style="width: 100%; display: flex; flex-direction: column; align-items: center;">
<img src='https://stacked-assets.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/posts/post_13_1.jpeg' alt='Scouting' style="width: 100%; max-width: 90%;" />
<h2>CLG - Riot Games
</h2>
</div>

# 5. 100Thieves
After seeing how good GG’s 2020 was, [100T](https://stacked.gg/lol/team/100/stats) decided to steal away 80% of that promising roster. Naturally, the only position unchanged in the 100T camp is toplane, thanks to stalwart veteran Kim “Ssumday” Chan-ho spearheading this organisation’s efforts yet again, proving to be a true toplane carry.

Taking a look at GG duo Huhi and FBI’s performance from last Summer, it’s easy to see why this core was one of the hottest commodities this off-season. With the other LCS botlanes either staying the same or making strict “sidegrades” at best, the two should continue to roll over the competition.

# 4. Evil Geniuses
[EG](https://stacked.gg/lol/team/eg/stats) are hard to gauge, because any upgrade they made in top with the addition of championship-caliber Jeong “Impact” Eon-young was nullified by the rest of the changes here. Unable to get a deal done for Lawrence “Lost” Sze Yuy Hui, EG settled for notoriously safe but underwhelming Matthew “Deftly” Chen. The rest of this roster has a lot of volatility and playmaking potential, so EG fans are in for a show, if nothing else. 

# 3. Team SoloMid
[As touched on in our article about the man himself](https://stacked.gg/article/the-swordart-effect), Hu “SwordArt” Shuo-Chieh is the real deal. The veteran support brings playmaking and shotcalling to the table, something a notoriously inactive 2020 [TSM](https://stacked.gg/lol/team/tsm/stats) struggled with at times. This team as a whole is electric, with high highs and low lows across every position. 

You have to imagine that this will be Heo “Huni” Seung-hoon’s last chance to prove himself. After an incredibly disappointing Spring and a fairly underwhelming Summer, Huni wants to return to his 2019 - or, preferably, 2015 - form as soon as possible.  

Midlaner Tristan “PowerofEvil” Schrage is consistent to a fault, and marksman Lost is in the same boat. Both have excellent laning phases and teamfighting, but it’s the early skirmishes and willingness to commit to them that this team needs to work on. Hopefully SwordArt’s guiding voice can pay dividends here, otherwise we may just see another repeat of TSM in years past.  

This is the most exciting team to watch, alongside FLY, due to the amount of volatility in play.  

# 2. Team Liquid
The additions of Barney “Alphari” Morris and Lucas “Santorin” Tao Kilmer Larsen to the roster now give [TL](https://stacked.gg/lol/team/tl/stats) an unprecedented level of flexibility when it comes to their game plans. Now able to have carry threats in every lane that also double as reliable utility players, the squad can adapt their strategy whenever necessary.

The players retained from TL’s mediocre 2020 (surprise Worlds ruin excluded) are no slouches either, all easily top 3 if not the best in their individual positions. Unfortunately, there is one team that seems to have gotten the better of them here...

# 1. Cloud9
The trade that rocked the off-season. Luka “Perkz” Perković’s unexpected departure from G2 Esports raised a few questions as to where he would end up. [C9](https://stacked.gg/lol/team/c9/stats) had just come off of an incredibly rough season, having stomped Spring and then somehow lost out on Worlds qualification through sheer inconsistency.  

Fortunately for them, Perkz is here to make sure that this organization never misses out on Worlds again.  

The rest of C9’s roster are all mechanical prodigies with aggressive hotstreaks, but it’s Perkz that makes this team truly a cut above the rest. If the midlaner can get back to any semblance of the form he showed at Worlds 2018 - practically 1v9ing his organisation through the tournament favorites and into semi-finals - then perhaps C9 can win LCS and make a run at Worlds.  

<div style="width: 100%; display: flex; flex-direction: column; align-items: center;">
<img src='https://stacked-assets.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/posts/post_13_3.jpeg' alt='Scouting' style="width: 100%; max-width: 90%;" />
<h2>C9 - Riot Games
</h2>
</div>


LCS Power Rankings: Rebuild Years and Loyal Fan Tears

You could see it on Summoner’s Rift, starting as early as last year – Riot’s signature banners, cosmetic changes endemic to the pro League of Legends scenes, bearing the logos of companies who’ve had a financial hand in the League’s competitive success.  

Among the first of them wasn’t a traditional gaming brand – it wasn’t Spotify, which [inked a deal](https://newsroom.spotify.com/2020-08-24/spotify-and-riot-games-team-up-for-an-official-league-of-legends-esports-partnership/) in August to become League’s exclusive audio streaming partner. It wasn’t Bud Light, which came through pre-pandemic in January to [sponsor a lineup](https://www.esportsbiz.com/bud-light-serves-up-lcs-partnership/) of would-be tailgating events for the games.  

<div style="width: 100%; display: flex; flex-direction: column; align-items: center;">
<img src='https://stacked-assets.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/posts/post_12_1.jpeg' alt='Scouting' style="width: 100%; max-width: 90%;" />
<h2>Photo Credit - Riot Games
</h2>
</div>

Instead, it was Honda – a car company that, prior to a corporate partnership with Riot Games, was partnered with Team Liquid. It even featured an ad campaign with figures such as then-ADC Yiliang “Doublelift” Peng and Team Liquid CEO Steve Arhancet.  

[Honda’s partnership kicked off](https://hondanews.com/en-US/honda-corporate/releases/honda-increases-stake-in-esports-with-riot-games-league-of-legends-championship-series-partnership) during the Summer Split, where it had a significant presence in the finals that started in Los Angeles, CA before ending poetically in Detroit, MI – widely regarded as the car capital of the U.S. and headquarters to titans of the American auto industry such as Ford and General Motors.  

<div style="width: 100%; display: flex; justify-content: center; padding-bottom: 2rem">
<div style="border-radius: .3125rem; overflow:hidden; height:312px; width:100%; max-width:560px; z-index: 1;">
<iframe max-width="560" width='100%' height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qd35N97EfXg" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
</div>


</div>

Honda is also a sponsor of the Scouting Grounds, a series meant to expose up-and-coming talent to the world of competitive League of Legends.


Days before the Summer Split, Honda published a [press release](https://hondanews.com/en-US/honda-corporate/releases/honda-increases-stake-in-esports-with-riot-games-league-of-legends-championship-series-partnership) detailing their excitement for the partnership. Phil Hruska, the manager of media strategy at American Honda, codified what he knew the partnership would mean.

### Our intention through Honda’s Esports partnerships is to grow the brand’s visibility among the gaming community, and to forge lasting relationships with this young and critically important audience by adding value to something they are passionate about.
#### Phil Hruska - Manager of Media Strategy, American Honda

“Our intention through Honda’s Esports partnerships is to grow the brand’s visibility among the gaming community, and to forge lasting relationships with this young and critically important audience by adding value to something they are passionate about,” said Hruska in an email to Stacked.  

“When it comes to the LCS, it is the preeminent Esports League in North American and League of Legends is one of the longest-standing titles in the Esports world and is seeing exponential growth in its fanbase. For Honda, we were very attracted to the serious passion behind the fans supporting the LCS,” continued Hruska.  

Car companies have a history of getting involved in sports, American or otherwise. Whether it’s football, basketball or any other sport, car companies get involved because of the massive cultural influence sports have in society, and this LCS deal is no exception. 


So, where does that go from here? One answer satisfies – onwards and upwards.  

<div id='tweet-parent' style="width: 100%; display: flex; justify-content: center; max-width: 100%">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">[Official] KIA Motors <a href="https://twitter.com/Kia_Worldwide?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Kia_Worldwide</a> becomes the official naming sponsor for DAMWON Gaming.<br><br>From 2021, <a href="https://twitter.com/DamwonGaming?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DamwonGaming</a> Gaming will officially become &quot;DWG KIA&quot;, under a new team logo and uniform as they head into the franchised <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LCK?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LCK</a> (cont) <a href="https://t.co/LMR0Y68Rt0">pic.twitter.com/LMR0Y68Rt0</a></p>&mdash; Ashley Kang (@AshleyKang) <a href="https://twitter.com/AshleyKang/status/1341164054363049989?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 21, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div>

Other automobile manufacturers are joining the fray, and they’re all over the world. Korizon Esports reporter Ashley Kang [broke the news](https://twitter.com/AshleyKang/status/1341164060335718400) on Twitter last month as Korean automobile company Kia inked a deal with reigning world champions Damwon Gaming of the LCK, which is leading to a complete rebrand. The reigning world champions are now known as DWG KIA, a new look for a successful, established team that many view as a dynasty in the making. 


TOP Esports, 2020 Demacia Cup champions, announced a deal in September with FAW-Audi, a branch of the Volkswagen franchise. More recently, Mercedes-Benz took a large step in [sponsoring the 2020 All-Star Event](https://www.lolesportsmedia.com/Mercedes-Benz-sponsors-the-2020-All-Star-Event---Drops-in-game-loot-an), featuring alumni tournaments from the four major regions (LPL, LEC, LCK and LCS), broadcasting an “Icons of the League” segment that sought to establish players with new global audiences.  

Mercedes-Benz has been a partner to the LPL since 2018, and they’ve dug in deeper with Riot by also becoming the official partner of all LoL Esports global events – adding Worlds and the Mid-Season Invitational (MSI) to the roster of Mercedes-sponsored events along with the All-Star event.  

And, as recently as this week, TSM [announced](https://tsm.gg/news/cadillac-offical-auto-partner-of-tsm) that it signed a partnership deal with Cadillac.

“Whether on the road, or on the Rift, our organizations place an incredibly high value on innovation and craftsmanship. Given our shared values, and the pedigree of Cadillac and TSM, it was a natural fit to team up with one of the most decorated Esports teams in the world,” said Bryan Steele, the Manager of Emerging Partnerships for GM, Cadillac’s parent company, in a press release.

So, why does this matter? Legitimacy.

The reason car companies invest in sports, or enter any partnership, is with the intent of growing their business. Sports have a long history of cultural visibility, and with that comes the ability to market your brand to a passionate demographic, particularly a younger demographic that watches far less TV than its predecessors. Esports are a way to hone in on that younger demographic, while bucking broader societal trends of declining TV viewership.

Bettina Fetzer, the Vice President of Marketing for Mercedes-Benz AG, puts it best.

### League of Legends is one of the most popular games in recent years. By collaborating with Riot Games on a global level, we want to play an even more active role than before in shaping the future of esports. We also want to inspire fans with enthusiasm for our brand in a playful dialogue.
#### Bettina Fetzer - Vice President of Marketing, Mercedes-Benz AG

"League of Legends is one of the most popular games in recent years. By collaborating with Riot Games on a global level, we want to play an even more active role than before in shaping the future of esports. We also want to inspire fans with enthusiasm for our brand in a playful dialogue,” Fetzer said in a [press release](https://www.lolesportsmedia.com/MERCEDES-BENZ-NAMED-EXCLUSIVE-AUTOMOTIVE-PARTNER-OF-LOL-ESPORTS-GLOBAL).

After fostering over a decade of growth in the competitive LoL Esports scene, Riot has relentlessly laid the groundwork for Esports to take the big stage – the sport is here to stay, and major brands are taking notice.

Pedal to the Metal: Car Companies Honing in on Riot’s Pro League of Legends Scene

While the top half of the LCS spent millions of dollars this offseason trying to make their rosters World Championship contenders, other LCS teams have made 2021 their rebuilding year. Organizations like Golden Guardians and FlyQuest were pushed down this route due to their NBA sponsors (who similarly suffered financially from the COVID-19 pandemic) tightening their wallets. Failed player signings put other teams like Immortals and Dignitas in similar positions, where failing to act early left them with few prospects.  

"Budget" rosters are largely seen as a step backward for organizations, but this is not always the case. Rebuilding provides an opportunity to develop future talent, either to keep or as trade capital for better players. Case in point: the 2020 FlyQuest that made their run at Worlds wouldn’t have been possible without the 2018-19 rosters that laid the foundation for signing PowerOfEvil and Ignar.

Budget rosters typically share similar traits – nearly all teams sign a cost-efficient veteran player (on their way down or a victim of recency bias), to anchor a team of rookies with varying levels of experience. Another commonality is the importing of players from new regions in high-impact positions. Then there’s the Moneyball approach – not everyone can afford Perkz and SwordArt, but perhaps there’s a more cost-effective way to build up to Perkz’s 2020 LEC-leading 5.2 kills/game or SwordArt’s massive 8.6 assists/game in the LPL playoffs. Similarities aside, certain teams will be better at executing a rebuild than others.  

![](https://stacked-assets.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/posts/post_11_1.jpeg)

# FlyQuest
FlyQuest is by far the most promising budget roster, with some analysts ranking them as high as 4th. Despite major roster losses, the back-to-back LCS finalist made the best of their situation by picking up top talent from minor regions and academy without breaking the bank. Palafox and Diamond, who were part of the package deal with Cloud9, put up some of the most consistent stats in C9 academy with Palafox ranking 1st in KDA while competing against proven LCS talent.  


The $1.78 million dollar buyout for Licorice was the most important offseason move for the organization. Though Licorice had a lackluster Summer split, he was the undisputed best LCS toplaner in Spring as he led his position in KDA, DPM, GPM, CSPM, GD@15, XPD@15, and CSD@15. If Licorice can rekindle the dominant performance that crowned him an LCS champion, FlyQuest’s signing will look like a bargain. Josedeodo provides another win condition for the team, as his impressive games on popular carries like Evelynn and Lee Sin during Worlds 2020 showcased his potential. Josedeodo’s has one of the most anticipated debuts in the LCS, and a good showing is sure to popularize importing top talent from minor leagues rather than low to mid-tier talent from major leagues.

![](https://stacked-assets.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/posts/post_11_2.jpeg)

# Golden Guardians

Golden Guardians’ offseason journey mirrors FlyQuest’s, but with greater risks. Stixxay is coming off one of his worst seasons yet, finishing 10th in KDA, 10th or worse in 10-min differential stats, and in the bottom half of most laning and damage stats amongst LCS botlaners. Still, Stixxay provides the intangible asset of veteran leadership to a team primarily made up of rookies. GGS have promising solo lanes as the longtime academy midlaner ABlazeOlive makes his starting roster debut, and toplaner Niles has shown promise in offseason inhouses. GGS similarly imported an LLA player in Newbie, formerly of Isurus, for his highly anticipated LCS debut. While Golden Guardians have promising rookies, they have invested in unknown quantities sorely in need of Stixxay’s leadership.

# Immortals

Immortals had one of the more interesting off-seasons that produced a high-risk, high-reward roster. Immortals took full advantage of the new OPL importing rules by bringing over Raes and Destiny. Raes and his counterpart Isles, now on Cloud9 academy, put together a historic run at the 2020 Worlds play- in stage for Legacy Esports, nearly becoming the first Australian team to break into groups. Immortals made the choice to break up this botlane in favor of the support/jungle synergy that comes with former Origen players Destiny and Xerxe, who ultimately had an incredibly disappointing 2020 season in the LEC. Resigning Insanity was one of their best moves however, as the rookie midlaner already led the league in several damage stats including DPM, damage share, and Damage/GoldSpent. This team certainly has potential to succeed, but similar to 2020 Origen, it’s just as likely the pieces simply don’t mesh.

Money on Their Minds – Best of the Budget Rosters

The Ruined King is officially making his way to Summoner's Rift. His name is Viego, and his face may look familiar to those who keep up with Riot’s games outside of League of Legends. Riot recently showed off their new tactics game titled ‘[Ruined King](https://ruinedking.com)’, with Viego at center stage. When gameplay and art were revealed for the game, many were expecting him to be the next champion in LoL, and here he is.

His passive, Sovereign’s Domination, allows Viego to possess the body of a champion he helps kill. He takes the opponents items, level, and non-ultimate abilities, and gains bonus movement speed towards enemy champions. Viego further gets a free cast of his own ultimate, Heartbreaker (more on that below). It’s a passive the likes of which we haven’t seen before, and though highly situational, could massively benefit players with a versatile champion pool.

<div style="width: 100%; display: flex; flex-direction: column; align-items: center;">
<img src='https://stacked-assets.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/posts/post_10_1.jpeg' alt='Bang' />
<h2>Sovereign’s Domination possessing a slain champion.
</h2>
</div>

Viego’s Q, titled Blade of the Ruined King, appropriately has a passive BORK item built into it, as Viego’s attacks deal a percentage of the target’s current health as bonus damage. The active is a short-ranged slash, marking the opponent. If Viego auto attacks the target again, the mark is consumed and deals extra physical damage applying on-hit properties.

<div style="width: 100%; display: flex; flex-direction: column; align-items: center;">
<img src='https://stacked-assets.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/posts/post_10_2.jpeg' alt='Bang' />
<h2>Blade of the Ruined King slashing, and marking, an opponent.
</h2>
</div>

Viego’s W, Spectral Maw, is a slow channel short-ranged stun that can be charged up and used to dash forward. Note that Spectral Maw is an auto attack reset, which will be helpful in bursting opponents down.

<div style="width: 100%; display: flex; flex-direction: column; align-items: center;">
<img src='https://stacked-assets.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/posts/post_10_3.jpeg' alt='Bang' />
<h2>Spectral Maw charging up in preparation of stun and dash.
</h2>
</div>

The Ruined Kings’ E, Harrowed Path, creates a trail of mist that Viego can move in undetected, gaining movement speed and attack speed. This will make his ganking potential quite potent as enemies may not see him coming until he’s in-lane.

<div style="width: 100%; display: flex; flex-direction: column; align-items: center;">
<img src='https://stacked-assets.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/posts/post_10_4.jpeg' alt='Bang' />
<h2>Harrowed Path hiding Viego in its mist, buffing his speed.
</h2>
</div>

His abilities all look fantastic, sporting the black and green color palette of the Black Mist.
Heartbreaker, Viego’s Ultimate ability, discards any champion he’s currently possessing and blinks to a targeted location. He then creates a blast that deals physical damage to the lowest percent health champion within range, applying on-hit effects. All other enemies are knocked back.

<div style="width: 100%; display: flex; flex-direction: column; align-items: center;">
<img src='https://stacked-assets.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/posts/post_10_5.jpeg' alt='Bang' />
<h2>Heartbreaker blinking, dealing AOE damage & knockback.
</h2>
</div>

Viego’s item path seems to run through his own Blade of the Ruined King, as he has multiple moves that apply on-hit damage. While BORK is a natural fit, the current ADC items that run through Noonquiver are incredibly powerful. Kraken Slayer could be a good option against tankier teams, while Galeforce could work well versus teams where mobility is needed.  

Riot intends for Viego to be a jungler. though Riot’s intents for champion roles don’t always go as planned (see Seraphine as a midlaner). The problem with Viego being a jungler is that his clear speed is quite slow. This isn’t to say he will be unplayable in the jungle, but he doesn’t fit the current jungler meta of having great clear (Olad, Hecarim, Graves, Lillia) for generating map presence.  

The usefulness of his passive is yet to be seen. While very cool, it might not always be advantageous to take over another character (level and items) mid-fight. Also, there is a second delay animation Viego needs to take over the soul, which makes the mechanic feel clunky, though this may be patched to an immediate animation. 

Viego is also quite item reliant, with his damage possibly not coming online until his third item. This is an awful dynamic for junglers, which might point to his most viable lane at top where he would have guaranteed farm and XP.  

I’m curious to see if he fits into the current meta, but my guess is it will take some time to figure out his itemization before he becomes an effective character. I certainly am excited to see Viego’s meta ceiling and will be trying him out when he releases in patch 11.2.

The Ruined King is Here to Take His Throne

League of Legends Champions Korea is back for its first season with franchised teams. Out are promotion and demotion, bring on the new logo. It’s time to take a look at some power rankings going into Spring 2021.

# 10. Fredit BRION
Formerly known as hyFresh Blade, Fredit BRION is the only brand-new team in the LCK after competing in Challengers last year. Though Fredit have players with tier one experience, such as toplaner Kim “Lava” Tae-hoon. this team faces an uphill battle. They were only able to win one game, against Hanwha, in the KeSPA Cup before forfeiting their last two group stage matches due to a positive COVID- 19 test.  

<div style="width: 100%; display: flex; flex-direction: column; align-items: center;">
<img src='https://stacked-assets.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/posts/post_9_1.jpeg' alt='Bang' />
<h2> Photo: Bang - Riot Games</h2>
</div>

# 9. Afreeca Freecs
This team made some big pick ups during the offseason, including the signing of former World Champion Bae “Bang” Jun-sik. Bang has previously been a star, but the bot laner struggled when playing in the LCS. If Bang and support Son "Lehends" Si-woo can come back to form, they may be able to rise through the rankings.

# 8. DRX
How the mighty have fallen. It was only a few months ago that DRX were one of the best teams in Korea, but after a huge roster overhaul that leaves only jungler Hong “Pyosik” Chang-hyeon from their Worlds quarterfinals finish, it looks like the gambit of having a roster full of new talent isn’t paying off. Like LCS team Golden Guardians who took a similar approach, they aren’t getting high grades in the preseason.

# 7. Liiv SANDBOX
The team formerly known as Battlecomics looked destined for greatness in 2019. Then Park “Summit” Woo-tae, the team’s biggest gem, began to make greedy plays in top lane. Then they lost Ghost to DAMWON. Things were bleak, though Summit has been resigned with the belief he can return to form. Former T1 player Lee "Effort" Sang-ho was also signed to improve botlane. SANDBOX have leveled up from last year, but a good amount of the league has surpassed them.

<div style="width: 100%; display: flex; flex-direction: column; align-items: center;">
<img src='https://stacked-assets.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/posts/post_9_2.jpeg' alt='Damwon' />
<h2> Photo: Chovy - Riot Games</h2>
</div>

# 6. Hanwa Life Esports
Barely making it into my playoff teams, Hanwa was able to sign some incredible talent. The pickups of former DRX standouts midlaner Jeong "Chovy" Ji-hoon and botlaner Kim "Deft" Hyuk-kyu were great, but surprise defeats to both BRION and KT Rolster in the KeSPA cup lower this team’s projections. Their ceiling could go as high as fourth if Hanwa can step it up and learn from those losses.

# 5. KT Rolster
Another team, another former DRX member: toplaner Choi "Doran" Hyeon-joon was a huge part of his former squad’s success. This team might not have the same proven talent as teams below them, but they looked hungry and confident in the preseason. Unlike DRX, who have also taken on new talent, the players on this team look in sync out of the gate.

# 4. NS RedForce
My biggest surprise placement, Nongshim RedForce, were runnerups in the KeSPA cup. Was it just luck, or the beginning of a new top team? Formerly known as Team Dynamics before a recent rebrand, the pickup of Han “Peanut” Wang-ho catapulted this team to the front of the pack. Their win over KT Rolster was particularly impressive.

# 3. T1
Widely regarded as an established dynasty, T1 missed out on qualifying for Worlds after losing in the Regional Finals to the team one seed above them. We haven’t gotten a chance to see this new roster in action, as T1 had their Challengers Roster play in KeSPA, but when you have Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok on your team, the sky is truly the limit. The biggest thing to look out for is their coaching staff, as T1 signed DAMWON’s main coaches during the offseason.


# 2. Gen.G 
Gen.G battled against DRX and DAMWON Gaming for first seed most of last season. Unlike DRX, Gen.G have improved while DRX have fallen off. Like T1, Gen.G decided to send their Challengers Roster to the KesPA Cup. Unlike T1, Gen.G made it out of the group stage. Looking at the main roster, there is a lot of debate over Kim “Rascal” Kwang-hee and where he ranks among other toplaners, especially compared to Khan and Doran. Khan will have Gen.G’s full Worlds 2020 roster returning to help him – add in some new substitutes (Kim “Karis” Hong-jo played in the KeSPA Cup as an emergency sub), and this team will have plenty of personnel options to choose from.

<div style="width: 100%; display: flex; flex-direction: column; align-items: center;">
<img src='https://stacked-assets.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/posts/post_9_3.jpeg' alt='Damwon' />
<h2> Photo: Damwon - Lol Esports</h2>
</div>

# 1. DWG Kia
A lot of great things have happened to the team formerly known as DAMWON Gaming; a Worlds 2020 championship, a first-place finish in the KeSPA Cup, and now a sweet new sponsorship with Kia Motors. Kim “Khan” Dong-ha continues his tradition of joining a team right after a fresh Worlds championship, coming from the LPL and FunPlus Phoenix. Beyond adding another toplaner in Kim “Chasy” Dong-hyeon from their Challengers team, DWG have maintained every other role from their recent championship roster. This is a roster [where every member but one was an all-LCK Summer First Teamer](https://www.oneesports.gg/lol/the-all-lck-first-team-is-basically-just-damwon-gamings-roster/), with DWG Ghost making all-LCK Second Team. The only open question: whether DWG KIA can further improve on last season’s record, where they finished 16-2.

LCK Power Rankings: DWG Kia Reigns Supreme

With the LCS Lock In tournament just around the corner, tensions are at an all-time high for teams still battling visa issues. Unfortunately, Immortals are one such team – despite securing safe travel to the U.S. for all their international players, expected arrival dates for the entire team would be on or around January 15th. Given the visa delays, main team Head Coach Andre "Guilhoto" Pereira Guilhoto has released a statement to fans stating “Even if all 5 would be here on the 15th, we value practice and readiness for the official season more … than the pre-season tournament.” 

<blockquote>
<h3>
“Even if all 5 would be here on the 15th, we value practice and readiness for the official season more … than the pre-season tournament.”
</h3>
<h4>
IMT HEAD COACH ANDRÉ “GUILHOTO” PEREIRA GUILHOTO
</h4>
</blockquote>

The news that Immortals Academy will play the first LCS tournament of 2021 may be shocking to some, but others can acknowledge the raw potential that this roster has.  

In fact, IMT.A may very well be on parity with the organisation’s actual LCS squad. We reached out to IMT.A Head Coach Jensen Goh for his thoughts on the matter, and how his squad of promising rookies and misfit veterans will try to make waves at the inaugural LCS Lock In.  

-

<section>
<p>ID</p>
<strong>
First, a little about yourself, Jensen, and the enormous task you’re about to undergo. You’ve coached around the world, including Vietnam, Europe, Oceania, South East Asia, and more. How different is coaching in North America relative to these experiences?
</strong>
</section>

<section>
<p>JG</p>
<div>
<p>It’s always going to be different. Language and culture are the two factors that stand out. Language from the way that [players] construct thoughts, express themselves, engage in problem solving and humour, and communicate information.</p> <p> The medium of language in itself is an interesting lens of comparison in how teammates interact with each other and staff. Culture is the next big thing, with personal values and societal expectations constructing this element… From what they expect of teammates and staff, to their perception and understanding of hard work and effort - these all have to be carefully calibrated [and prepared] for in executing a training plan.
</p>
</div>
</section>

<section>
<p>ID</p>
<strong>
Okay, so… elephant in the room. When you received the news that you would be leading your roster through the opening stages of the LCS itself, what was your immediate reaction? Subsequent courses of action? Are you scrimming LCS teams currently?
</strong>
</section>

<section>
<p>JG</p>
<div>
<p>We are currently scrimming LCS teams, with [mainteam sololaners] Revenge and Insanity standing in while Pretty and Topoon make their way over to North America.</p> <p>The team was generally excited for this opportunity to test their mettle against the competition, and the opportunity to showcase what they’ve got. 
</p>
<p>Personally, I find this an interesting opportunity to experience what it’s like to compete in the LCS environment. This provides me with a great chance to get a good idea of the external factors that can surround matches, and what preparation tends to be like in this region.
</p>
</div>
</section>

<section>
<p>ID</p>
<strong>
Understandable. Your team/organisation aside, which LCS teams do you think look strongest? And which rosters do you think would be at a similar power level to your own?
</strong>
</section>

<section>
<p>JG</p>
<div>
<p>I think that Cloud9 should be favourites off the bat, and - if the SwordArt gambit pays off - that TSM should be able to compete with them at the top.</p> <p>As we are an Academy team competing in the LCS, it would be prudent to not draw too direct a comparison with any team, especially given the current roster situation that we face.
</p>
<p>However, I do believe that we should be stylistically comparable to the likes of the 100Thieves LCS team.
</p>
</div>
</section>

<blockquote>
<h3>“However, I do believe that we should be stylistically comparable to the likes of the 100Thieves LCS team.”</h3>
<h4>JENSEN GOH</h4>
</blockquote>   <section>
<p>ID</p>
<strong>Hopefully those (admittedly still fairly humble) words won’t come back to bite you. Tell me more about your roster itself. Did you hand select all of the players? I am especially interested in midlaner Pretty, who has been seen as the next generation of European midlane talent for quite some time.</strong>
</section>
 <section>
<p>JG</p>
<div>
<p>Yes, I had a big part to play in the selection of the roster.</p> <p>The direction was for us to have immediate parity with the LCS team.
</p>
<p>This complemented my experiences helping veteran players continue to develop. We went for players who we knew had the ability to compete and excel at the top level, but were missing one or two things or the opportunity to do so. Solo queue numbers and rating played a part in this overall equation, in addition to the eye test and scouting that we did.
</p>
<p>
Pretty was a standout performer in the regional leagues, and was a big voice on the Giants team throughout 2020 [during their time as favourites for the LVP, SLO, and EU Masters titles]. He demonstrates a strong understanding of the modern 2-lane map control approach towards the game, has a solid laning phase plus game plan coordination, and would be a valuable asset to any team.
</p>
</div>
</section>

<section>
<p>ID</p>
<strong>Alright Jensen, thanks a lot for joining us. We hope everyone found this interview insightful, and wish IMT all the best with the upcoming LCS and Academy tournaments.</strong>
</section>

Competing at the Top – Interviewing Immortals Academy Coach JENSEN GOH Ahead of the LCS Lock In

The coming 2021 [LCS](http://stacked.gg/lol/league/lcs/stats) season is bringing a format overhaul with it. A brief overview of the changes entail a new preseason tournament, a rebranded Spring finals (now known as the LCS Mid- Season Showdown), and a more extravagant LCS Championship that will conclude the single LCS season in the Summer. The amount of regular season games has also been extended, as the Summer split will now be a triple round robin with Friday being a new, permanent gameday.  

# LCS Lock-In

The new preseason tournament will kick-off the LCS, starting on January 15th and concluding on January 31st with the grand finale. The event will begin with a group stage featuring all ten LCS teams, drafted into two different groups by the last split’s first and second place finishers, [TSM](https://stacked.gg/lol/team/tsm/stats) and [FlyQuest](https://stacked.gg/lol/team/fly/stats). From here, eight teams will advance to a single elimination knockout stage with quarterfinals being a best of 3 series and the following matches a best of 5. The champion of the LCS 2021 Lock-In will receive the prize pool of $150,000 and an additional $50,000 donated by Riot to the winner’s charity of choice.  

The LCS Lock-In mimics other preseason tournaments like the [KeSPA Cup](https://stacked.gg/article/kespa-cup-2020-damwon-legacy) and [Demacia Cup](https://stacked.gg/article/demacia-cup-2020-top) of the LCK and LPL. The tournament will have no effect on regular season standings, but it will potentially provide some insight into the LCS’s strongest teams and give a glimpse into what the new meta will look like. With massive changes to items, the addition of new champions, and the 11.1 patch, getting an early read on the meta will be imperative to a successful season.  

![](https://stacked-assets.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/posts/post_7_asset.jpeg)

# The Effect on LCS Teams

The changes coming this season have the potential to change the domestic landscape and ripple into the international play of North American teams. The increase in regular season games and the LCS Lock-In may promote better in-league play as teams will now have more time to develop their style of play and identity. The inclusion of lower brackets in the double elimination style for the Mid-Season Showdown and LCS Championship ensures that only the most recent, best performing teams are allowed to represent North America at MSI and Worlds.  

Eliminating the win/loss record reset that has normally occurred at the end of the Spring split may have a negative effect on some organizations. Teams resurging in Summer will have to overcome the deficit they may have accrued during the Spring. Accounting for this, Riot has included the 7th-8th place teams in the LCS Finals similar to the structure of the 2020 Summer finals, putting the two lowest placing teams automatically in the loser’s bracket. This mitigating factor means that only two teams in the LCS will miss the playoffs entirely, but those who barely make it in will have an incredibly slim margin for error.

One issue that has persisted throughout the expansion of LoL Esports is that of player burnout, as players of top performing teams have historically had to juggle regular season play and high stakes international competition with little downtime in between. Increasing the amount of gamedays and adding a tournament that cuts into preseason time could further contribute to player fatigue. Adversely, the increase in games could promote the rise of roster swaps and rotating rosters that teams like [Cloud9](https://stacked.gg/lol/team/c9/stats) infamously used to varying levels of success. Ultimately, 2021 will see some of the most changes in the LCS since its inception in 2013, carrying with it the promise of bettering the North American LoL Esports scene and its perception abroad.

The New LCS Format: Lock-In and Beyond

The level of play in the [LCS](https://stacked.gg/lol/league/lcs/stats) heading into the 2021 season is going to see a massive upgrade. North America as a whole added some premiere talent with blockbuster moves like Cloud9 signing Perkz, TSM adding SwordArt, and Team Liquid acquiring Alphari. While C9/Perkz stole the headlines and TSM/SwordArt set contract records, I see [Team Liquid](https://stacked.gg/lol/team/tl/stats) as the team that won the offseason. TL made just two changes to the roster, but they were exactly what the team needed to take them to the next level.  

First, Team Liquid let go of [Impact](https://stacked.gg/player/impact/stats), their long-time toplaner who had been on the roster since 2017. Despite being a quintessential fan favorite and consistent performer, Impact unfortunately wasn’t enough to get Team Liquid to the next level of competitiveness. If they are going to not only make it to Worlds, but also escape the Groups stage, the toplane needed an upgrade. Impact is a quality LCS toplaner, and has had quite the career for himself, but Alphari stands in a league of his own.  

Team Liquid signed [Alphari](https://stacked.gg/player/alphari/stats) to a three-year deal worth over $3 million. TL is one of the highest valued Esports clubs on Earth, ranking [third](https://www.forbes.com/sites/christinasettimi/2019/11/05/awful-business-or-the-new-gold-rush-the-most-valuable-companies-in-esports-are-surging/?sh=c35e4d2324d6) in Forbes’ recent list at over $300 million, presumably with cash on hand. Luckily for TL fans, Alphari is the real deal. He dominated the LEC 2020 Spring split, leading Origen to a second place finish and ranking 1st amongst all toplaners in KDA (4.28), CS per Min (8.49), and Gold per Min (280). He did it through having a wide champion pool that will open up drafting phase opportunities for Team Liquid next season, as well as an ability to dominate laning phase early, crushing opponents in @10-minute differential stats (ranked 1st in [CSD@10](https://stacked.gg/topcharts/csDiffAt10/lec/top), [GD@10](https://stacked.gg/topcharts/goldDiffAt10/lec/top), and [XPD@10](https://stacked.gg/topcharts/xpDiffAt10/lec/top) amongst Summer 2020 [LEC toplaners](https://stacked.gg/charts/lec/top)).  

### “This team is something that we haven’t seen in North America before. Where it’s so flexible, where every single lane can carry. You can play strong side top. You can play around the mid lane. You can play towards the bottom lane.”
#### Tyler Erzberger

Signing such a quality toplaner allows TL to win through all three lanes now. In a [podcast](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThsRXXHnr2M) released back in November, former-ESPN journalist Tyler Erzberger said on the network’s now- defunct Esports podcast that “This team is something that we haven’t seen in North America before. Where it’s so flexible, where every single lane can carry. You can play strong side top. You can play around the mid lane. You can play towards the bottom lane. We’ve seen a lot of these North Americans teams invest a lot of money and you have a very specific playstyle... They can play through all three lanes.” That was said before Team Liquid announced the changes made in the jungle, and it’s even more true now.  

Team Liquid moved on from [Broxah](https://stacked.gg/player/broxah/stats) as their jungler after just one season. Last season was tumultuous for Broxah, having made the move from Europe to NA, carrying all the memeing and criticism that always comes along with the transition. Broxah had his struggles, but TL still had the best LCS record in Summer split and ended up taking games off the likes of Suning and G2 in the Groups phase at Worlds. There are no medals for better-than-expected performances, but TL was certainly no slouch and far outperformed fellow NA-qualifier, TSM, at Worlds.  

Having said that, the move to sign [Santorin](https://stacked.gg/player/santorin/stats) is an absolute win. Broxah’s champion pool was incredibly limited, having only his Lee Sin and Graves to rely on. Santorin doesn’t have this issue, further expanding TL’s drafting phase options on top of Alphari. Santorin also brings some early game aggression that Broxah lacked, leading LCS Summer 2020 junglers in [First Blood%](https://stacked.gg/player/santorin/stats) at 61.11%. He dominated in one of my favorite [LCS matches](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ujx0tqZmbYA) in the Summer Playoffs when he brought out Lillia and completely stomped Cloud9’s Blaber, showcasing his elite early game aggression.


<div style="width: 100%; display: flex; justify-content: center; padding-bottom: 2rem">
<div style="border-radius: .3125rem; overflow:hidden; height:312px; width:100%; max-width:560px; z-index: 1;">
<iframe max-width="560" width='100%' height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ujx0tqZmbYA?start=235" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
</div>
</div>



Team Liquid won the offseason by improving an already-impressive roster in the areas it needed most. It was already packed with top-tier talent with stars CoreJJ and Jensen, further bolstering it with world class talents in Alphari and Santorin. Before they were good; now, they’re great. And the 2021 season will show that.

Why Team Liquid Won The Offseason

What’s in a name? Rebranding from TOP to TES, [Top Esports](https://stacked.gg/lol/team/tes/stats) still stands on top. From a heartbreaking Spring Split, to a dominant Summer Split, TES’ rollercoaster 2020 looked like it would end with a disappointing Worlds showing.  

Instead, they sent off 2020 in style, ringing in Season 11 by decimating every other squad in China’s premier off-season event. While Liang “Yuyanjia” Jia-Yuan put up middling stats at Worlds, TES management evidently saw him as the weak point of the star-studded roster.  Blossoming rookie Wang “Zhuo” Xu-Zhuo stepped up to the plate as Yuyanjia’s replacement, allowing dominant marksman Yu “Jackeylove” Wen-bo to confidently carry through lane phase and beyond.  

Top Esports only dropped one game the entire tournament, in part thanks to their direct qualification to quarterfinals, but mostly because they are that good. The offending Vici Gaming looked formidable, with esteemed marksman Hu [“iBoy”](https://stacked.gg/player/iboy/stats) Xian-Zhao showcasing why teams are permabanning Samira. Expect more of those bans to be sent the botlane menace’s way come Spring, as what is essentially an AD Katarina with an AoE Wind Wall may not be the healthiest thing for competitive play.  

[Team WE](https://stacked.gg/lol/team/we/stats) managed to upset themselves all the way to the finals, similar to how a previous incarnation of the team shocked the world at the IEM Season 9 World Championship back in 2015. Unfortunately for this new Team WE, the similarities don’t just end there - much like their miracle run at IEM, their championship aspirations were abruptly put to a halt with a swift 3-0 sweep. This time, however, it didn’t even look close as TES closed out the tournament with ease.  

Despite Top Esports’ relative dominance, it would be unfair to not highlight just how many players managed to stand out this tournament. The LPL churns out talent like no other League, and this off-season was no exception. We witnessed rookies standing toe-to-toe with proven veterans, and even saw a few forgotten veterans show that they aren’t so washed up after all.  

# Standout Players / Players to Watch in LPL Spring 2021

**[WE Chen “Breathe” Chen](https://stacked.gg/player/breathe/stats)**

Upon joining the [LPL](https://stacked.gg/lol/league/lpl/stats) in Summer 2019 as [Oh My God’s](https://stacked.gg/lol/team/omg/stats) toplaner, Breathe (known as Curse at the time) was looked at as nothing special. Sure, the upstart rookie had some standout carry games in the LPL’s equivalent of Academy, but actual main team toplaners proved to be much stiffer competition. OMG were a bottom tier team, and Curse was a bottom tier toplaner showing drastic improvement from Spring to Summer 2020. Curse was ranked 15th, 19th, and 24th amongst Spring 2020 LPL toplaners in CSD10, GD10, and XPD10, respectively. He quickly found his footing in the summer and improved to 9th, 13th, and 16th in those same stats.

Bottom tier, albeit improving, until he escaped OMG prison. No more was he burdened by the pressure of desperately trying to be a single carry threat on a team that lacked any clear win condition. No more was he suffocated by expectation. Now, the young toplaner was finally allowed to… Breathe.

A swift rebrand and team change later, and the new Team WE toplaner looks insanely good. Consistently threatening as both a siege monster and 1v1 machine, we are finally seeing Breathe’s LDL performances of 2 years ago translate onto the big stage. After being knocked around by these players for 18 months, he is now dismantling teams, posting huge numbers on the likes of Jax and Camille.

**[JDG Zhang “Zoom” Xing-Ran ](https://stacked.gg/player/zoom/stats)**

<div style="width: 100%; display: flex; flex-direction: column; align-items: center;">
<img src='https://stacked-assets.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/posts/post_5_image_1.jpeg' alt='Zoom' />
<h2> Photo: Twitter - JDGaming</h2>
</div>
Up until Worlds this year, Zoom was the biggest name that Western fans had never heard of. The JD Gaming toplaner has been acknowledged as a key piece of their team since 2017, but only really gained the credit he deserved once the team made a miracle run to the LPL Grand Finals in Spring 2019. 

The LPL has the deepest toplane talent pool in the entire world, and this man stands above them all. Just look at JDG’s quarterfinals series versus Victory Five, where Zoom put the team on his back game after game. Scoring back-to-back MVPs in the two deciding games of that series, Zoom has already broken free of his Worlds blues.

Or maybe it’s just because he’s stopped playing Gangplank.


Demacia Cup 2020: One Team Stands on TOP

When [Counter Logic Gaming](https://stacked.gg/lol/team/clg/stats) announced their roster for this season, the public was generally uniform in their critical assessment – a middle of the pack team, passable, perhaps even washed up. Expectations are low for this group of veterans, whose individual values have dropped significantly since their years as household names of the league.  

They will undoubtedly put forward an acceptable performance for CLG after last split’s disastrous crash and burn, but fans should open up to being surprised – if the players mesh well and reach their previous peaks, they could swing against the best of the revamped LCS teams.  

Among these older veterans is [Finn](https://stacked.gg/player/finn/stats), joining CLG for his second year of pro play. For many, Finn is one of the primary reasons not to get excited about the team, coming to North America from Europe after a poor showing at Worlds as Rogue’s toplaner.  

![](https://stacked-assets.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/posts/post_4_stats.png)

Finn is an unfortunate victim of recency bias, being a pressure point that Damwon and JD Gaming both exploited to dismantle Rogue in a handful of one-sided Worlds matches. Yet Finn’s LEC stats are nothing to scoff at – while generally outclassed by Wunder, Alphari, and Bwipo, Finn was no slouch and a consistent performer in key laning stats. He was stellar in efficiency metrics, ranking second amongst all LEC toplaners in KDA (3.89) and Damage/Gold Spent (1.20), while ranking third in Damage per Death (6,946). Time will tell if Finn can convert this efficiency into a run for CLG.

Similarly, European import [Broxah](https://stacked.gg/player/broxah/stats) is in the terminal stage of his LEC to LCS transition. His fall from grace has been the most dramatic of his new teammates – from world finalist to one of the worst teams in the worst major region – but Broxah isn’t ready to let the infamous “NA retirement home” become reality.
His aggressive playstyle once had him outperforming some of the world’s best junglers on Fnatic, but we saw very little of that Broxah during his year at Team Liquid. TL Broxah looked like an entirely different player, stuck on tanks and forced to fit a team dynamic that clearly didn’t suit him. [In a recent stream](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0mNnlAZBN64&feature=emb_title), he opened up about how a difficult environment deeply affected his play. In contrast, CLG could be the perfect home for his style of leadership, with unselfish players across the board to facilitate his playstyle.  

[Pobelter’s](https://stacked.gg/player/pobelter/stats) ceiling isn’t as high as some of his teammates, but you can count on him to get the job done. While historically overshadowed by the undisputed best in the region, he continues to put up middle of the pack numbers despite CLG’s ninth place finish last split. He isn’t the flashiest player, but Pobelter’s 10-year career is a testament to his consistency.  

It’s been even longer since [WildTurtle](https://stacked.gg/player/wildturtle/stats) lifted a trophy, but his performance on FlyQuest shows that this LCS vet still has gas in the tank. “Consistent” has never been the name of the game for WildTurtle, but if he can match his performance from last split, he’ll be a significant threat. Stiff competition has arisen in the recent surge of young NA ADC talent, but WildTurtle will undoubtedly be hungry to snatch the title of “Best in NA” left in the wake of Doublelift’s retirement.  

[Smoothie](https://stacked.gg/player/smoothie/stats) is a difficult player to analyze. He briefly dominated the scene in 2017, asserting himself as one of (if not the) best support players in NA. In recent splits, however, he’s looked like one of the worst. He’s the biggest liability on paper for CLG, but with the right environment and synergy with WildTurtle, he could be poised for a bounce back season.  

In 2016, former CLG head coach Zikz attributed their Spring playoffs win to teamplay – “none of us are selfish, at all. We only focus on teamwork.” The organization has a troubled history with this, often reduced to criticism of “valuing friendship over skill,” but when CLG is at its best, it’s because of solid teamwork. This roster may not be full of star players, but it has the makings of a successful CLG team: positive attitudes, underdog energy, and something to prove. CLG is strongest when faith is lowest, after all.

LCS 2021’s Dark Horse: CLG Will Defy Expectations

Worlds 2020 came at a time of mass disruption for competitive League of Legends, to say nothing of life itself. Safety concerns, event cancellations (Mid-Season Invitational...), and COVID-forced substitutions threw every professional player’s typical year completely off- balance. Even so, some teams took it all in stride and remained steadfast in their pursuit of the Summoner’s Cup.
One such team was DAMWON Gaming, the League Champions Korea’s team to beat during 2020 Summer. The team carried their momentum through to Worlds, taking home Korea’s first World Championship title in three years and firmly establishing themselves as the best in the world.
Off-season expectations for the squad were tempered accordingly with the departure of star player Jang “Nuguri” Ha-gwon. His replacement, veteran top laner Kim “Khan” Dong-ha, faced a trial by fire to show that DWG are still a dynasty in the making, even without Nuguri.
One quick 3-0 sweep of an otherwise fairly impressive Nongshim RedForce later, and DWG stand alone at the top of their region yet again. Decisive teamfighting, coordinated invades, and a read for the game unlike any other team all point to why this team still looks near-untouchable.
It also doesn’t hurt that Kim “Canyon” Geon-bu still looks like the best jungler in the game.

<div id='tweet-parent' style="width: 100%; display: flex; justify-content: center;">

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" ><p lang="en" dir="ltr">[2020 LoL <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KeSPACup?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#KeSPACup</a> ULSAN]<br><br>DWG Canyon (<a href="https://twitter.com/DamwonGaming?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DamwonGaming</a>)<br>Pentakill.. It&#39;s PENTAKILL!<br><br>Canyon getting a pentakill again in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KeSPACup?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#KeSPACup</a> after becoming the first jungler to get a pentakill in LCK!<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DWG?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DWG</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GoDRX?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GoDRX</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KeSPACup?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#KeSPACup</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LoLKeSPACup?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LoLKeSPACup</a> <a href="https://t.co/vCjKtSdmi5">pic.twitter.com/vCjKtSdmi5</a></p>&mdash; Korea e-Sports Association (KeSPA) (@KeSPAen) <a href="https://twitter.com/KeSPAen/status/1340974013137395712?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 21, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

  
</div>


# Diamonds in the Rough 
Damwon dominance aside, there was a great deal of promise shown by numerous players and teams at the KeSPA Cup 2020, and it would be a disservice to not highlight at least a few of them. LCK fans have a lot to look forward to come 2021, but in particular:

- [**NS Peanut:**](http://stacked.gg/lol/team/tsm/stats) Han “Peanut” Wang-ho has had about as storied a career as one could hope for. From his explosive debut (and subsequent “elo hell”) during NaJin e-mFire’s twilight years, to being the primary catalyst behind the ROX Tigers’ near-destruction of the SK Telecom T1 dynasty, Peanut has seen it all. Now the last remaining member of that fan-favourite ROX squad, the volatile jungler returns to Korea after a Worlds appearance with China’s LGD Gaming.  

  Elevating an otherwise middling Team Dynamics squad to a finals appearance was certainly no easy feat, yet Peanut’s new teammates (and sponsor) were apparently enough to take this team to the next level.  

  NS look like they could contend for top 5 with ease come the LCK regular season, though with so many teams holding cards up their sleeves during the KeSPA Cup, time will tell.


- [**HLE Chovy:**](https://stacked.gg/player/chovy/stats)  Another year, another split of Jeong “Chovy” Ji-hoon being surrounded by lackluster teammates. While Kim “Deft” Hyuk-kyu could always function as another carry threat in the past, unburdening the premier midlaner, injuries and meta changes have forced Chovy to step up once again.  

  Unfortunately, given their showing at the KeSPA Cup, expectations are at an all-time low for a Chovy-led HLE. The big carry of Griffin in 2018 and 2019, as well as DRX’s heavy hitter in the middle for all of 2020 (seriously, that team was Chovy and Deft versus the world for most of the year), we now find Chovy on a rather mediocre Hanwha Life Esports roster.

  Though the team wasn’t at full strength during the KeSPA Cup, resting their injured players for the regular season, fans are not filled with hope. HLE’s most notable moment of the tournament was demonstrating that DWG Khan can still put on carry performances when needed, with HLE being on the receiving end of his signature Akali.
  
  That said, the KeSPA Cup 2020 wasn’t all doom and gloom for HLE. The underdogs managed to snatch away a game in their series versus DWG, and even pushed the reigning champions to the limit in a heartbreaking Game 3 loss.
Chovy is, of course, a player to watch for 2021. The only question is: will we see the young midlaner flourish, or suffer another year of mediocrity?

- [**AF Bang**](https://stacked.gg/player/bang/stats): When two-time World Champion Bae “Bang” Jun-sik announced his return to Korea, fan response was doubtful at best. Two uninspiring years in North America had led to the former T1 franchise player being written off entirely. Yet at this year’s KeSPA Cup, he looked like the star-studded Afreeca Freecs’ best player.
 
  If you thought Chovy was elo-helled, then I cordially invite you to watch AF’s group stage games from this event. This is particularly heartbreaking as Bang was apparently rumoured to be in contention for the starting support role at Gen.G. Now, the veteran marksman finds himself walking hand-in-hand with the rest of this squad into 5-man Orianna Shockwaves (see their game versus NS).
  
  As a longtime fan of the Afreeca Freecs, this roster is very exciting. However, the team will have to step up dramatically if they hope to contend for top 5 in an otherwise stacked LCK.
  
  


KeSPA Cup 2020: DAMWON Gaming’s Legacy in the Making

If you have ever been forcibly body slammed by an enemy, odds are you’ve faced Sett on Summoner’s Rift. Released in early 2020, Sett was one of the most meta defining champions in League of Legends casual and professional play this past year.

According to Gamepedia, him and Senna were the only two champions [to be featured in every single champion select during the Spring Split](https://lol.gamepedia.com/LCS/2020_Season/Spring_Playoffs/Champion_Statistics) of the LCS, either always being chosen or banned. Out of the nine times he was played, the team with Sett won seven times. But his numbers are even more impressive when you look at his impact across the globe.

[As gol.gg observed worldwide](https://gol.gg/champion/champion-stats/148/season-S10/split-ALL/tournament-ALL/), Sett had positive win rates in top lane, jungle, and mid lane, while barely missing an even mark at 49.6% on support. He was banned almost 2,400 times and [was the fourth most picked champion](https://dotesports.com/league-of-legends/news/the-most-played-champions-in-professional-league-of-legends-throughout-2020) at over 1,900 times, with a presence of 71.6% in all champion selects during Season 10. All this adds up to a 51.2% win rate worldwide among pro regions, notching his best win rate in the LCK, at 55.2%. But why was Sett so popular?

Sett’s versatility put him in a league of his own, as he was featured more than 100 times at every role except ADC. Despite being a melee champion, his speed and range allow him to outduel many long- range enemies. Because he’s a juggernaut, Sett can both deal and take damage, but unlike others in this subclass (like Darius and Mordekaiser), he can also easily close the distance between himself and opponents with Knuckle Down, which gives him 30% bonus speed when an enemy champion is visible within a certain range.

Haymaker makes Sett amazingly tank-like, as he gains a shield that protects him from abilities like Garen’s ultimate. Champions like Kayle and Sylas struggled immensely against him, winning less than 30% of matchups against the Ionian.

Despite being a mainstay all year, Worlds 2020 saw other champions rise to the top, with Graves taking over the number one pick for jungle and Ornn doing the same for top lane. [Lucian became the most banned champion](https://dotesports.com/league-of-legends/news/lucian-was-the-most-banned-champion-at-worlds-2020-main-event-with-a-78-9-percent-ban-rate), while Sett failed to crack the top five for both picks and bans.

Including play-ins, Sett was played over 32 times during Worlds, finishing with a win rate of around 47%. He was played much more successfully during the main event, winning 9 out of 17 matches for a win rate of just under 53%. Sett did not appear in the grand finals at all, last being played by Top Esports jungler Hung “Karsa” Hao-Hsuan in a loss to eventual runner ups, Suning.

Still, Season 11 Sett has been appearing in APAC preseason professional play, making appearances in the [LCK KeSPA Cup and getting plenty of play time in the LPL Demacia Cup](https://gol.gg/champion/champion-stats/148/season-S11/split-ALL/tournament-ALL/). Sett has been played a total of 18 times across both regions (picked by the winning team for eight matches) and was played twice in the Demacia Cup finals.

After being a powerhouse for almost the entire calendar year, Sett is no longer the must ban or must pick that he used to be. At the same time, newer champions like Rell and Seraphine have yet to have the same kind of impact. It might be a long time before we see another champion become so integral to League of Legends upon release. If you want to remember 2020 for something good, remember it as being the year of ‘The Boss.’

The Boss Who Defined 2020: Sett

Despite the obvious loss of SwordArt, no one would have predicted Suning would look like a bottom-tier LPL team mere weeks after their dominant Worlds run and Finals appearance. [Suning went 12-7 in Worlds](https://stacked.gg/lol/team/sn/stats) with a 1.17 team K/D, only to collapse in the Demacia Cup going 0- 3 with a 0.34 team K/D.

No organisation has seen such a severe drop-off in their level of play since Samsung had to rebuild during the post-Season 4 Korean Exodus following their Worlds win. Suning’s rapid decline is even more surprising, considering Suning managed to retain all their young, promising, mechanical prodigies. Re-signing heavy hitters like Lê “SofM” Quang Duy and Chen “Bin” Ze-Bin should have guaranteed that the squad would at least make a splash at China’s premier off-season event.


Instead, Suning bombed out of the Demacia Cup with a quick 0-3 sweep, courtesy of a presently rebuilding Vici Gaming. Their dismantling was so convincing that it brings to question as to whether or not Suning would’ve even been able to make it as far as the quarterfinals had they not auto-qualified based on their LPL Summer results.

From World Finals to barely looking top-10 within their region during the Demacia Cup. What happened?

# Not Their First Rodeo (or Faltering)
Suning are, quintessentially, a young team of mechanical beasts, playing by instinct alone and often winning through brute force in well-calculated skirmishes. Nail-biting trades that they just manage to come out on top of, coin-flips that look weighted in their favour, all leading to the team’s near Cinderella-story at Worlds earning them global recognition. As it turns out, most of
these aggressive, seemingly uncalculated displays of raw mechanical prowess actually had some reasoning behind them.

Unfortunately for Suning, this reasoning primarily came from current TSM support Hu “SwordArt” Shuo-Chieh.

The backbone of a Flash Wolves line-up that single-handedly carried the LMS region into worldwide renown, SwordArt entered the LPL a mechanical monster. A disappointing 2019 season for Suning, however, led to the organisation being labelled as a talent-suppressing contract hell. Suning would choke when it mattered, often barely qualifying for playoffs and making uninspiring runs all while having some of the most skilled players at each position.

# SwordArt’s 2020 Vision
All of this changed when SwordArt decided to focus purely on shotcalling for the 2020 season. Abandoning the mechanically intensive playmakers of old, SwordArt instead opted for champions with guaranteed engage options. Nautilus, Leona, and Morgana all lent the veteran support some strength when it came to leading the charge for the rest of his team.


SofM and midlaner Xiang “Angel” Tao in particular looked night and day when comparing their Worlds performances to their pedestrian Demacia Cup results. It’s tempting to chalk this up to a bad fluke – notoriously inconsistent players with insane highs often have abysmal lows after all. Yet it’s reasonable to look at SwordArt as the missing piece.


Notably missing is [SwordArt’s massive 8.42 Assists Per Game (APG) in Worlds](https://stacked.gg/player/swordart/profile) (2nd amongst Supports), replaced by a dismal 3.00 APG by Luo “ON” Wenjun in Demacia (24th amongst Supports). Take away SwordArt’s superior APG and vision play, and suddenly everything makes sense. Looking back at SofM’s aggressive invades and Angel’s midlane domination in Worlds, it’s clear how important of a Support Suning has lost.

# Moving Forward
While the Suning topside certainly looked top-3 in their roles globally during Worlds, playing with what is essentially a substitute botlane is never easy. While Tang “Huanfeng” Huan-feng’s absence was considerably less permanent than SwordArt’s, Suning really need to become the dominant, cohesive unit that they were before if they are going to be formidable threats to the other LPL teams in 2021.

STACKED

Join Discord

STACKED

Home

Top Charts

Changelog

Take a Deep Breath: Why You Shouldn’t Panic About CLG (Yet)

Matt Thibault

@thibaultnottebo

6:39PM on Jan 22, 2021

LCS Lock In Week 1: Meta Takeaways

Dan Smyth-Temple

@gizzard_dan

4:22AM on Jan 22, 2021

LEC Power Rankings: G2 Back On Top

Blaine Polhamus

@blainepolhamus

8:10PM on Jan 21, 2021

3 Games You Absolutely CANNOT Miss This Week

Ibriz

@ibrizlol

2:05AM on Jan 21, 2021

Razleplasm on the Current State of LCS: “I’m personally proud of the NA midlane talent rising up”

Team Stacked

@stacked

7:20PM on Jan 20, 2021

Team Liquid vs. 100 Thieves Recap

Lawrence Scotti

@younglawrence

7:42PM on Jan 19, 2021

Welcome to the Big Leagues – Rookie Roundup

Blaine Polhamus

@blainepolhamus

3:49AM on Jan 19, 2021

Ups and Downs from LCK Spring Week One

Jesse "JAG" Goodman

@JAGCasts

6:29PM on Jan 18, 2021

The Three Craziest Upsets of LPL Week 1

Ibriz

@ibrizlol

5:51PM on Jan 17, 2021

EG Belong at the Top: A Strong Case For Title Contention

Matt Thibault

@thibaultnottebo

9:47PM on Jan 16, 2021

The OPL Ship has Landed in NA

Jesse "JAG" Goodman

@JAGCasts

6:55PM on Jan 16, 2021

Stealing Away the Spring Opener: 100T Take Down TSM

Ibriz

@ibrizlol

5:49AM on Jan 16, 2021

LCS Power Rankings: Rebuild Years and Loyal Fan Tears

Ibriz

@ibrizlol

7:52PM on Jan 15, 2021

Pedal to the Metal: Car Companies Honing in on Riot’s Pro League of Legends Scene

Matt Thibault

@thibaultnottebo

12:13AM on Jan 15, 2021

Money on Their Minds – Best of the Budget Rosters

Blaine Polhamus

@blainepolhamus

3:08AM on Jan 14, 2021

The Ruined King is Here to Take His Throne

Lawrence Scotti

@younglawrence

3:07AM on Jan 14, 2021

LCK Power Rankings: DWG Kia Reigns Supreme

Jesse "JAG" Goodman

@JAGCasts

2:16AM on Jan 13, 2021

Competing at the Top – Interviewing Immortals Academy Coach JENSEN GOH Ahead of the LCS Lock In

Ibriz

@ibrizlol

1:28AM on Jan 13, 2021

The New LCS Format: Lock-In and Beyond

Blaine Polhamus