There’s an age-old adage that’s persisted through the English language among culinary enthusiasts and thrill-seekers, “Variety is the spice of life.”

It fits a lot of things, from base jumping to throwing some pineapples on your pizza. And no one in the LCS gets variety better right now than Joshua “Dardoch” Hartnett, the jungler for Dignitas.

Through 16 games from Lock In to now, Dardoch has been the poster boy of a professional’s champion pool. He’s played Hecarim three times, and Kayn and Nidalee twice for his only repeats through this point in the season. For the other nine games, he’s picked unique champions -- Taliyah, Karthus, Lillia, Udyr, Dr. Mundo, Rengar, Kindred, Jarvan IV and Skarner. His 9 unique champions this split put him first among junglers for unique champions picked, but this variety hasn’t deterred his consistency either, as he boasts the 4th best KDA among junglers in the LCS. 

For a while, the going meme was that Dardoch would complete his jungle carousel and refuse to pick a repeat champion, and proponents had their hopes dashed on Feb. 20th when Dardoch picked Kayn for the second time against Cloud9.

Another interesting point to note -- Dardoch has not played Olaf yet this split, even considering how strong the pick has been recently.

These picks have helped Dignitas power their way to a fourth place record, far better than many people expected them to be after a disappointing 1-3 finish in the Lock-In. For a team with three rookies, Dardoch and fellow veteran Zaqueri “Aphromoo” Black have stepped up to provide veteran leadership.

Dardoch also has the luxury of counter-pick privilege -- he gets the counter-pick in his role 75% of the time, first in the league among junglers and third overall. This is a pretty good indicator that Dignitas is comfortable getting their laners their picks, confidently having Dardoch fit around their team and play around what they want to do.

It’s a style that’s different from many other teams in the LCS, which have seen junglers play more supporting roles and not be the focal points of a team’s offense early. Particularly with patches 11.3 and 11.4, which have seen the rise of power farming junglers like Olaf who want to get ahead as fast as possible and snowball the game from there. The only comparable jungler-first team is Cloud9, behind the superstar performance of Robert “Blaber” Huang, which seems to play around him and let him control the pace of their offense.

A perfect example of Dignitas’s philosophy of jungler focused aggression was, despite the loss, their game against CLG on Sunday. Dardoch was able to last pick Nidalee, with only CLG’s toplaner still unknown. Dignitas drafted Renekton for Aaron “FakeGod” Lee and Alistar for Aphromoo, who have point-and-click crowd control abilities that are a blessing to Nidalee, whose spears become remarkably easier to hit when a target isn’t moving (if you can imagine that). In that game, at around 4 minutes, Dardoch was able to join a fight with his toplaner and pick up a triple kill that let the hyper-aggressive Nidalee snowball and pick up some much-needed AP items, such as a Dark Seal. Dardoch then returned a little over a minute later and picked up another kill off FakeGod’s stun on the enemy Kled, followed up by Aphromoo’s W-Q Alistar combo, setting up Dardoch’s spear for the kill.

<div class='twitter-tweet' style="width: 100%; display: flex; justify-content: center; max-width: 100%">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Only four minutes into the game and <a href="https://twitter.com/Dardoch?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Dardoch</a> grabs a triple kill! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LCS?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LCS</a> <a href="https://t.co/ITF8jzAoVC">pic.twitter.com/ITF8jzAoVC</a></p>&mdash; LCS (@LCSOfficial) <a href="https://twitter.com/LCSOfficial/status/1366196527547387905?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 1, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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By 10-minutes, the difference in jungle impact was clear. Dardoch ganked 6 times and was able to summon a rift herald in toplane at 12-minutes, which cleared out the first turret very early in the game. This wasn’t able to stop Dignitas from losing (or throwing, depending on who you ask) the game, but it’s a clear look into how the Dignitas war machine works.

Dignitas now has a 7-5 record, and quite possibly, a potential chance to take the LCS. If not?

Well, there’s always McDonalds.

It's a Dardoch Angle: a look at the diverse champion pool that's propped Dignitas up in the LCS

Since dropping SK Telecom from its name, T1 have been trying to relive the glory days of dominance that the organization previously had. Gone are the times of being the undisputed juggernauts of League of Legends, in are the days of fighting to even qualify for Worlds (which they failed to reach in 2020).

While expectations for the team were high entering 2021, it has been a bumpy ride [from preseason](https://win.gg/news/6326/ls-talks-about-t1-drama-as-he-joins-team-as-content-creator) to midway through LCK 2021 Spring. The biggest and most consistent form of criticism has been the rotating carousel of players, with 10 different players starting at different times. Let’s dive into each of the different phases.

# The Midlane Shuffle

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<img src='https://stacked-assets.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/posts/post_87_1.jpeg' alt='Starting Roster' style="width: 100%; max-width: 90%;" />
<h2>T1 Game 1 Starting Roster – LCK Global Photo Credit - Riot Games
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When Lee "Clozer" Ju-hyeon started over Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok against Hanwha Life Esports, it felt like the potential for a new beginning. It wasn’t just the legendary midlaner who was not playing, it was also a continuation of playing Choi "Ellim" El-lim in jungle and ADC Lee "Gumayusi" Min-hyeong over their counterparts Moon "Cuzz" Woo-chan and Park "Teddy" Jin-seong, something which had had been solidified at the end of the 2020 Regional Finals. 


### Clozer and Faker would each get one more start, both of which were losses to have this initial iteration go 1-3 early in the season
#### 

Then, the flip-flopping started. After a 2-1 victory, Faker debuted in a 1-2 loss to DWG KIA. Neither midlaner looked particularly dominant through their games, with both struggling on Zoe and Faker only looking mediocre on Azir. Clozer and Faker would each get one more start, both of which were losses to have this initial iteration go 1-3 early in the season. This was just the beginning of what was to come. 

# An Ode to the Old Guard

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<h2>LCK Match 29 Starting Roster – T1
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After a not so terrific start to the season, Cuzz and Teddy made their debut in game five against Liiv SANDBOX where they would sweep before being swept the next game in an upset loss to Afreeca Freecs, with Clozer being in at midlane the entire time. Teddy looked strong against SANDBOX but was less-than-stellar on the Kai’Sa against AF, while Cuzz only had one strong showing with a 6-1-10 game on Udyr. This roster iteration lasted only two matches, going 1-1, with T1 making their most permanent change to the roster which they have yet to revert from.

# Lightning Strikes in the Top Lane

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<img src='https://stacked-assets.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/posts/post_87_3.jpeg' alt='Zeus' style="width: 100%; max-width: 90%;" />
<h2>Zeus turns 17 – T1</h2>
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Rumors began swirling the moment Choi "Zeus" Woo-je became of age to play in the LCK that he would be replacing Kim "Canna" Chang-dong. While it took one extra game to make it happen, Zeus has now been the starter for the last six matches, and it doesn’t look as if that will change anytime soon. 
Overall, Zeus currently has a 67% win-rate of the matches he’s played in, helping bring T1 to a 6-6 record and a 5th place seeding for Spring playoffs. His Renekton has been the most impressive, and while his Camille has not been the strongest, his performances have been better than Canna’s.
During the first three games of Zeus’s tenure, Ellim, Faker, and Gumayusi were the main supporting cast, with Teddy being subbed in for one match against Nongshim RedForce (which they lost) in a series T1 would win 2-1. After a loss to DRX, this iteration of the team would end up going 2-1, before final changes were made. 

# A Third (and Final?) Jungler

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<h2>Oner makes his debut – LCK Global </h2>
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Enter Moon "Oner" Hyeon-joon. The third player to start at jungle, he has been primarily playing Lilia on which he has won three out of the four games. Surrounded by Zeus, Clozer, Teddy, and the irreplaceable support Ryu "Keria" Min-seok, this is the most current and consistent roster T1 has shown us thus far.
Embed: https://twitter.com/LCK_Global/status/1365637407161282561?s=20
While they failed to defeat DWG KIA, leaving much to be desired in Game 1, a win in Game 2 and a close battle in Game 3 has this roster showing something that the other variations have been missing: hope. Currently 2-1 through three matches, this new core has a lot of potential even if Faker is no longer the starter. Only time will tell what T1 settles on and how the roster does, but LCK fans and media alike seem to think T1 may have found their winning combination. 


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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">T1 Oner&#39;s 3-MAN SLEEP leads to the ACE for T1! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LCK?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LCK</a> <a href="https://t.co/SRebWXWQv6">pic.twitter.com/SRebWXWQv6</a></p>&mdash; LCK Global (@LCK_Global) <a href="https://twitter.com/LCK_Global/status/1365637407161282561?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 27, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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While they failed to defeat DWG KIA, leaving much to be desired in Game 1, a win in Game 2 and a close battle in Game 3 has this roster showing something that the other variations have been missing: hope. Currently 2-1 through three matches, this new core has a lot of potential even if Faker is no longer the starter. Only time will tell what T1 settles on and how the roster does, but LCK fans and media alike seem to think T1 may have found their winning combination. 




<div class='twitter-tweet' style="width: 100%; display: flex; justify-content: center; max-width: 100%">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">This T1 roster has so much potential. Oner and Keria’s mental fortitudes are rock solid. Upset potential?? I think T1 have may have found their identity.</p>&mdash; Wolf Schröder (@proxywolf) <a href="https://twitter.com/proxywolf/status/1365638668560441349?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 27, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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The Many Faces of T1

Jumping into Season 11 of League of Legends, players may have noticed that some junglers came seemingly out of the blue as popular picks both in solo queue and competitive play. Udyr, for one, went from completely irrelevant to the best jungler in the game overnight. One of the oldest champions in the game, with a kit so old the community voted to rework him entirely, had now recaptured the spotlight. His rise highlights exactly what the jungle meta had become, and why Riot wanted to change that.

Most notably in patch 11.4, Riot made the decision to nerf the experience and gold from jungle camps. Mark Yetter of Riot provides an overview the changes here:

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">One set of changes we&#39;re working on for 11.4 is some position nerfs for Jungle.<br><br>These should take Jungle power levels down to season 10 levels. Currently the position is holding too much influence over the game. <a href="https://t.co/ZuEYHCSK2m">pic.twitter.com/ZuEYHCSK2m</a></p>&mdash; Mark Yetter (@MarkYetter) <a href="https://twitter.com/MarkYetter/status/1357812100853239809?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 5, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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Riot saw jungle as an overpowered role, and certainly at the highest levels of play, this was true. Power farming junglers, like Udyr and Olaf, were dominating as champions that can clear their jungle quickly while effectively roaming the map to make plays. This erased the viability of early game and utility junglers and doesn’t always make for exciting gameplay. Full clearing your jungle on cooldown isn’t exactly exciting to play, or to watch.

### With these changes, Riot is signaling that they want jungle to be a more interactive role moving forward. By taking away slight amounts of gold and experience over time, junglers will have to prove their effectiveness through ways other than perma-farming to scale.
#### 


The changes in patch 11.4 don’t entirely overhaul the early game for junglers: full clear your camps to start the game, and you will be level 4 no matter what. However, junglers will begin to feel the changes on their second and third clears, which is what Riot wanted to get to the heart of. Junglers that could clear their camps with lightning speed were able to pick up insane amounts of gold and experience, while being on the map at full HP. To visualize the changes, take a look at popular YouTuber Virkayu’s graphic from a [recent video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JcDTny07OoU):

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<img src='https://stacked-assets.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/posts/post_86_1.jpeg' alt='Patch 11.3' style="width: 100%; max-width: 90%;" />
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Udyr and Olaf are still powerhouses in the jungle, even with these changes. Over the first weekend of playing on patch 11.4, Udyr sported a 100% Pick/Ban-rate, while Olaf had 93.3%. These champions are still being prioritized by teams, showing that even with these changes, the jungle meta – for the time being – is nerfed, but intact.

From the first weekend of games on patch 11.4, we saw a couple of champions that might become more popular over time. Here are some examples of jungle picks over the weekend that we might see more of moving forward.

# Gragas
Gragas is a jungler that can operate well with low economy. He can be a disrupter of the backline in team fights and has powerful ganking potential early on. In Cloud9’s draft against Evil Geniuses, C9 drafted Gragas with their second pick, retaining the option to flex him into the jungle. Gragas jungle hasn’t been seen as much recently, but he is such a flexible champion that C9 saw the opportunity to put him in the jungle, and it ended up working out quite well. By 10 minutes, Blaber had 3 kills.
 
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# Jarvan IV

Jarvan is also one of the better low economy junglers that might find his way back into the meta. His ultimate will always provide utility in skirmishes and team fights, and he doesn’t need high farm or kills in order to be effective. CLG’s Broxah and TL’s Santorin locked him in over the weekend, showing that Jarvan could slowly trickle back into competitive play as a jungler. 

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# Dr. Mundo

Mundo is somewhat similar to Udyr in that they are both old champions with dated kits who have found their way back into the meta. Drafting Mundo allows teams to have a jungler that soaks up enemy cooldowns and utilizes Turbo Chemtank quite well, gaining extra movement speed allowing him to rundown enemy backlines. FlyQuest’s Josedeodo played him over the weekend and it proved to be a solid pick, helping them secure an upset victory against TSM.

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State of the Jungle – Patch 11.4

G2 and Fnatic’s regular season bout resulted in another landslide victory, living up to expectations with persistent trading across the map. This time, G2 pulled away with the win, becoming the second team in the LEC to qualify for Spring playoffs through only 13 games.

# Early Yone Focus and Fnatic’s Botlane

Bwipo was last-picked onto Yone, but with Bwipo’s aggressive training tendencies, Fnatic hoped he would lane on the winning side of this feast-or-famine pick and continue his streak as the LEC toplane kill-leader (52). G2 invested most of the early minutes of this game into putting Yone behind and preventing him for snowballing into a mid/late game. 

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This play not only kickstarted Jankos’ Olaf by giving him first blood, but also marked Fnatic’s overcommitment to ‘finished’ players and liberal use of TPs. Despite this early loss, Upset and Hylissang appeared to be a potential win condition by continuing their aggressive laning style that has granted them the most 2v2 kills in the LEC (8), picking up an early kill on Mikyx.

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Alistair’s hexflash into the combo alongside Kalista’s movement allowed for the botlane to keep Fnatic in this game. Ever the double-edged sword though, Fnatic’s aggression led them to yet another tower dive blunder that cost them any advantage they had. 

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As a response to Fnatic’s 2v2 win, G2 opted to swap Wunder into the bottom sidelane, baiting Upset and Hylissang into an aggressive tower dive. A great explosive cast from Wunder gets an initial stun on Alistair and ensures that they will at least have to sacrifice Hylissang on the play. Upset however, uses Fate’s Call to save his support but in process gains tower aggro and is killed by the subsequent tower shots. To top it off, Nisqy expends an unnecessary and late TP and flash as he narrowly escapes becoming G2’s third kill in this fruitless exchange.

### This massive misplay and Wunder’s excellent response in this 2v1 started G2 down the path to their inevitable victory. 
#### 

Failed tower dives continue to be a problem for Fnatic. Matching G2’s laneswap would have proved a better outcome even with the CS loss Upset and Hylissang would have faced. This massive misplay and Wunder’s excellent response in this 2v1 started G2 down the path to their inevitable victory. 

# Jankos Breaks Open the Game
Meanwhile, Jankos made his presence known after he helped G2 gather two dragons and a +1,200 gold lead. Also 2/0/0 at this point in the game, Jankos was singlehandedly able to extend and turn fights, something G2 has excelled at. 

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This was initially a winning fight for Fnatic after Selfmade roamed down and Nisqy TP’d (this time before the play was over) as the shuffle and sleep combo from the mid/jungle duo notched an easy kill onto Wunder. Jankos however, with a full item and ult available, needed only the slightest opening to equalize the fight with a quick kill onto Hylissang to secure a 2-2 trade. 

The gold deficit for Fnatic only grew from this point on, as the fight around the dragon pit at 17:00 minutes all but closed out the game. 

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Reminiscent of their Week 1 mistakes, Fnatic simply did not have the firepower to back up their challenge over this neutral objective, as 4 out of 5 G2 players had completed items to Fnatic’s 2 (critically missing the one item power spike on Yone).

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After getting off a single sleep, Fnatic stepped too far forward and fell victim to a four-man Magnet Storm from Mikyx. The chain CC continued with a 3-man Scatter The Weak which Jankos followed up on. 
Fnatic had few options to present any threat by pressuring numbers, and even the slightest opening by Mikyx, Wunder, or Caps was enough for Jankos to break open the fight which ultimately allowed G2 to break into the base for 27-minute win.

# Takeaways 

Quite the opposite of their first meeting, this was one of G2 most dominant games of the season so far. Jankos was undoubtedly the MVP of this game, having incredible lane impact in addition to controlling 100% of the neutral objectives on the map. Locked into the playoffs with Rogue, G2 can move into the latter part of the season with the confidence this roster initially inspired.



Weekend Spotlight: G2 vs Fnatic

Merely days after facing off against TheShy in the 2018 world finals, Gabriël “Bwipo” Rau went on stage at the Esports Awards to accept the Esports PC Rookie of the Year. Few League of Legends rookies have had rookie years as eventful as Bwipo’s, and even fewer have continued that success to become the franchise player of an organization as storied as Fnatic. Many are probably wondering, how did Bwipo get here?

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<img src='https://stacked-assets.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/posts/post_84_1.jpeg' alt='Bwipo' style="width: 100%; max-width: 90%;" />
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# The Uphill Climb 
Years before any of this, Gabriël was faced with the decision, like many, of either continuing school or pursuing the path of a pro player. Gabriël’s parents knew their son’s dream of becoming a professional gamer since he started playing LoL in Season 3 and apprehensively supported his transition out of school to pursue these aspirations. Like many other future LEC pros, Bwipo made his start in the TCL shortly after hitting Challenger when he turned 17 on a team called Dark Passage. Bwipo’s initial foray into the amateur leagues was tumultuous to say the least, as he was replaced by the end of his first month.

Four months following this set back, Bwipo changed teams and regions as he became a toplaner for the CIS team Rox. This similarly was short lived, as Rox missed playoffs by a single game, thereby ending Bwipo’s stint in Russia. Bwipo continued to drift from team to team, with his longest stay being four months in the Norwegian national league on nDurance Gaming. 

A former analyst from one of Bwipo’s many teams recommended he get personal coaching from Nick “LS” De Cesare. Gabriël followed through and sought out the premier content creator and analyst in South Korea who advised Bwipo to stop chasing tryouts and temporary spots in smaller leagues, and instead grind solo queue to get recognized as the mechanically skilled toplaner he was. Soon after Bwipo hit rank one and stayed above 500 LP for an entire year, earning the attention of one of Europe’s most prestigious teams, Fnatic.


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# The Fight for Starting Position
In 2018, Bwipo was recruited to play under the toplane goliath and longstanding Fnatic member since 2012, sOAZ, with few believing he would ever see the mainstage. Bwipo began to receive scrim time with the main squad to provide sOAZ reps against an outsider, which eventually grew into occasional stage games in the EU LCS. Playing his first game against Unicorns of Love in the 2018 Spring Split, Bwipo made Fnatic’s starting roster decisions increasingly difficult.

Entering the 2018 playoffs, coach Youngbuck made the call to put Bwipo in as the starting toplaner for the entirety of the tournament. Known as the new kid on the block with only two regular season games under him, Bwipo was relentlessly targeted. Despite putting up some of his worst stats to date, Bwipo contributed by absorbing pressure primarily on tank duty as Sion and helped Fnatic lift their first trophy since 2015.

### Rekkles did not adapt well to this strange meta and placed himself on the bench for a majority of the split, which oddly enough gave Bwipo another shot at the starting roster – but this time in the botlane

The 2018 Summer Split that followed saw one of the most memorable and hectic metas in competitive League of Legends history as ADCs were made obsolete and replaced by bruiser, tank, and mage picks with gold funnels becoming the standard. Rekkles did not adapt well to this strange meta and placed himself on the bench for a majority of the split, which oddly enough gave Bwipo another shot at the starting roster – but this time in the botlane. Bwipo and Hylissang synergized incredibly well as their aggressive trading playstyles fed off each other. This short era proved to be some of Bwipo’s most formative weeks as a full-time pro and has influenced his playstyle ever since.

The gold funnel meta eventually faded and ADCs returned to the botlane with Rekkles joining them. Bwipo was shuffled back into the alternating toplane position and only saw three playoff games before Fnatic made their trip to South Korea for 2018 Worlds. The internal toplane battle continued as Bwipo provided a far more diverse champion pool while sOAZ maintained his safe, steady presence. Bwipo ultimately won out, playing a total of 13 games as the starter and being a critical player in Fnatic’s first place finish in the group stage. Despite losing 0 – 3 to Invictus Gaming, 2018 Worlds was one of Bwipo’s best performances and he returned to the LEC a far more experienced player.

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# Fnatic's New Face
With sOAZ leaving in 2019 to join Misfits, Bwipo has since become the sole starting toplaner and a seasoned Fnatic veteran alongside his former botlane duo Hylissang. Bwipo’s performance has become inextricably linked to Fnatic’s success, with the organization’s brightest moments coming alongside Bwipo’s best games. Bwipo played a massive role and found his own identity in the 2019 Spring Split on his Aatrox pick as he helped turn Fnatic’s season around after a 3-7 start at the end of the first round-robin. 

To top it all off, Bwipo played a pivotal role in one of Rekkles’ career defining moments in knocking RNG out of 2019 Worlds, with his carry Gangplank performance against SKT getting them to that point. 

With three Worlds runs now under his belt, two LEC titles, a Rookie of the Split trophy, and two consecutive All-Star 1v1 championships, Bwipo has achieved more than most could ever hope for in only three years. Still constantly proving he is one of Europe’s best sololaners, Bwipo has plenty of gas left in the tank and is still looking for his crowning achievement. 

From Substitute to Fnatic’s New Face: The Rise of Bwipo

Two weeks ago, Excel’s playoff aspirations seemed bound to materialize as the team’s 4 – 0 streak was facilitated by their immaculate mid-game play. This streak was snapped by a subsequent 0 – 3 losing streak at the start of the 2nd round robin with G2, Fnatic, and Rogue still ahead of them. Excel now find themselves in a dilemma where they are forced to completely revamp their team identity with a small margin for error and serve as a cautionary tale for any team hoping to find their way into the lower playoff seeds.

# Excel’s Hot Streak
Excel’s first game against Astralis marked a shift away from their strategy of drafting around Patrik and funneling resources to propel him as their main carry. This reorientation into a scaling focused team uplifted the whole roster and particularly unlocked Kryze by taking him off support tops in favor of champions like his Cho’Gath pocket pick.


### When teams let Excel get away with passive early games, Excel won 75% of the games that past the 30-minute mark and 100% of the games going past 35-minutes. 

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When teams let Excel get away with passive early games, Excel won 75% of the games that past the 30-minute mark and 100% of the games going past 35-minutes. This strategy was so successful that even after their 3-game losing streak, they still average the 2nd highest mid game rating (an aggregated score encompassing late game objectives, kills, and jungle control). The tide has turned however as they have not been allotted the time to scale as they have before.

# MAD and Fnatic Break Excel Open

The two most aggressive teams in the LEC broke Excel’s strategy wide open by punishing their passivity and with early game pressure. Starting with Fnatic, the infamously proactive team kept the tempo up from the second the minions spawned.

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In the next week, MAD Lions went a step beyond Fnatic by drafting a composition massively contingent on early game success with Elyoya picking Kayne. Similarly, MAD focused botlane for early advantages before utilizing roaming junglers and supports to prevent Excel from activating their late game comps. 


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These games underscored Excel’s horrendous early game stats, as they found themselves 10th in team GD@15 (-1,763), last in first blood percentage (18%), and with a 0% first tower rate. It became clear that Excel needed to avoid falling to early-game aggression and attempted a more active composition against Astralis.

# Excel’s New Dilemma

For the first time since Week 2, Kryze was put on Camille while Patrik was on Samira for the first time this season, once again marking a change in playstyle. This dive composition initially worked well for Excel:


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Here we see Excel not just reacting to plays, but actually showing autonomy over their own lanes even if they were just making even or slightly winning trades. When Astralis started matching the aggression, Excel’s inexperience in early teamfighting began to show.

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Tore and Kryze overstepped their roles as primary engages and dove into a CC combo without any of their damage dealers to back them up. This loss let Astralis run down the rest of the team, turning the game into an inevitable defeat. 

Excel now find themselves in a position where they can’t revert back to their scaling compositions but have struggled in playing a more aggressive early-game style. The top five teams, including SK Gaming, have shown the ability to adapt and diversify their strategies when faced with counters or losses. For teams in the bottom half, those who learn to be multi-dimensional and adapt their playstyle will be the ones to make the cut.

Excel’s Mid-Game Gambit

Another week, another full slate of games and we’ve got you covered. With Spring playoffs rapidly approaching, and most regions entering their second round-robin, the standings are becoming clearer by the week.

That said, this past weekend was full of upsets. Whether it was Astralis turning their season around over in the LEC, Dignitas putting a hold on TSM’s LCS redemption arc, or FunPlus Phoenix’s LPL dominance ended with the suspension of their new jungler (more on that later), there’s always a chance that something unexpected will happen.

There are some phenomenal games this week, most of which are domestic finals rematches at that - so, without further ado, let’s jump right in.



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# LPL: RNG vs FPX 
**Time:** Saturday, 27th February, 11:00 GMT / 03:00 PST

Second and third place facing off in any region will always be deserving of attention, but when it’s happening in the best region in the world you just can’t miss it.

Royal Never Give Up were once the LPL’s golden boys, with former franchise player Jian “Uzi” Zi-Hao propelling his team to the Worlds time and time again. Unfortunate health-related circumstances led to the best marksman of all time retiring before he could take the team to a title, and RNG without Uzi were easily written off last year.

However, RNG made some high-profile moves in the off-season - namely, bringing jungler Yan “Wei” Yang-Wei over from eStar to join his former midlane partner Yuan “Cryin” Cheng-Wei, reuniting the duo that dominated Spring 2020.

<div class='twitter-tweet' style="width: 100%; display: flex; justify-content: center; max-width: 100%">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Perfection. 👍 <br><br>This combo by RNG Ming and Cryin was layered so well, Rookie didn&#39;t even have a chance to respond! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LPL?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LPL</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AllWeFightFor?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AllWeFightFor</a> <a href="https://t.co/KA6R9aRImS">pic.twitter.com/KA6R9aRImS</a></p>&mdash; LPL (@lplenglish) <a href="https://twitter.com/lplenglish/status/1360994282438541318?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 14, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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On the other side of the Rift we have a FunPlus Phoenix that has surged up the standings all split. The 2019 World Champions have, however, seen better days - promising upstart Zhou “Bo” Yang-Bo saved the organisation’s season with an emergency jungle substitution, but has since been suspended for past match-fixing allegations. How FPX do without Bo will be worthy of watching for.

The players to watch here are Wei, as the RNG jungler is undisputedly one of the best in his position, and whomever he ends up playing against. Elsewhere on the map, Jang “Nuguri” Ha-gwon will look to bring his trademark flashy aggression up in the toplane against Xiaohu, who is still learning the role.

Expect early explosiveness, combined with some of the cleanest, high-octane teamfights that you will ever witness.

**Prediction:** RNG 2-1 FPX

<div class='twitter-tweet' style="width: 100%; display: flex; justify-content: center; max-width: 100%">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">G2&#39;s Botlane with a dirty Sion Senna combo in this week&#39;s <a href="https://twitter.com/LogitechG?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@LogitechG</a> mechanics! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LEC?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LEC</a> <a href="https://t.co/2IZonD6DWa">pic.twitter.com/2IZonD6DWa</a></p>&mdash; LEC (@LEC) <a href="https://twitter.com/LEC/status/1364258971197054978?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 23, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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# LEC: G2 vs FNC
**Time:** Saturday, 27th February, 20:00 GMT / 14:00 PST

The “Old Kings Versus New Kings.” While the narrative may be getting played out, the match-up certainly is not. G2 Esports have been Europe’s perennial superteam, and the only team to rival their legacy has been Fnatic.

The story between the two organisations practically writes itself, with both of G2’s stars - Rasmus “Caps” Winther and Martin “Rekkles” Larsson - joining directly from FNC. While FNC have failed to reach their latest peak, a silver-medal finish at the 2018 World Championship, in recent years, the team has bounced back spectacularly amid a rotating door of players.

Holding down the fort for FNC since 2018 are Gabriel “Bwipo” Rau and Zdravets “Hylissang” Galabov, both of whom are notoriously inconsistent but have the highest ceilings of any player in their respective positions. Another X-factor introduced to the FNC line-up has been jungler Oskar “Selfmade” Boderek, who may have seen better days as of recent but still represents the biggest contender for G2 jungler Marcin “Jankos” Jankowski’s crown.

The matchup to watch here is Jankos vs. Selfmade, as they are two of the best junglers in the LEC and will almost certainly be attending Worlds later this year. Down in the botlane, watch for the supports Hylissang going against Mihael “Mikyx” Mehle, in a duel of consistency versus ceiling.

Expect tremendous coinflips, heavy trades and punishes, and some definitive head-scratching moments. 

**Prediction:** G2 1-0 FNC

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# LCS: TSM vs TL
**Time:** Saturday, 27th February 00:00 GMT / Friday, 26th February 16:00 PST

Perhaps not the rematch of the century, given the tumultuous start that both teams have had, but certainly one that will deliver.

TSM enter this week with their impressive winstreak snapped by a rather underestimated Dignitas, showcasing that this superstar roster can indeed lose to anyone. Whether it was hubris, missteps, or just DIG being a better team, TSM’s loss has shaken the good faith that they’d been building up over the past few weeks. 

Team Liquid have also looked inconsistent, posting losses against 100Thieves, Evil Geniuses, and TSM themselves before completely decimating Cloud9.

<div class='twitter-tweet' style="width: 100%; display: flex; justify-content: center; max-width: 100%">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">&quot;ty for leash&quot; -<a href="https://twitter.com/TeamLiquidLoL?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TeamLiquidLoL</a> (probably) <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LCS?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LCS</a> <a href="https://t.co/lgh91q9f5N">pic.twitter.com/lgh91q9f5N</a></p>&mdash; LCS (@LCSOfficial) <a href="https://twitter.com/LCSOfficial/status/1363657770784878594?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 22, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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Both squads are full of star talents, so the question remains, why are neither of these teams in first place? This game is the opportunity for both organisations to showcase why they are on-track to claim the LCS Spring 2021 title, regardless of what the first nine games may imply.

The bottom lanes are incredibly interesting here, as Edward “Tactical” Ra and Jo “CoreJJ” Yong-in essentially redefined what it meant to be an elite botlane in North America, while counterparts Lawrence “Lost” Sze Yuy Hui and Hu “SwordArt” Shuo-Chieh had some glaring issues at the start of their partnership. Recently, however, the TL botlane has looked out-of-sorts, and TSM’s synergy continues to grow each game. Tactical in particular will need to step up if this is going to be a dominant TL victory.

Inconsistency aside, these legendary LCS organisations always deliver (domestically, anyway), and this is going to be a match-up that shapes the rest of the split. 

**Prediction:** TSM 0-1 TL

3 Games You CAN’T Miss – Week 6

With the new Academy format being directly integrated with the amateur ecosystem, we are finally beginning to see just how North America’s most promising up-and-coming talent matches up in the big leagues. We’ve even seen organisations such as the Golden Guardians Academy squad participate in both Academy and amateur competition, further blurring the line between the two.

That said, most amateur teams still have a long way to go before they can match up to some of the more seasoned Academy rosters in the LCS Proving Grounds circuit. The regular season of the Academy split has concluded, and while some teams have indeed faltered on numerous occasions, the top of the leaderboard couldn’t be more promising. We’re going to take a look at some of the best performing teams this Academy split, and where they’ve ended up in the standings.

# Cloud9 Academy

Surprise losses to CLG and FlyQuest Academy aside, number one seed C9A look incredibly strong heading into the LCS Proving Grounds tournament. The organisation itself has a strong reputation for developing talent, but it’s the more established players on the roster that stand out at first glance.

LCS veteran Darshan “Darshan” Upadhyaya played in the inaugural split of the competition, but still shines through in both his mechanical prowess and leadership capabilities. Shern “Shernfire” Cherng Tai has had a tumultuous career, from competitive bans to attending Worlds and even subbing in for rivals Team Liquid on occasion. 

Midlaner Jouhan “Copy” Pathmanathan was one of the most promising midlane prospects in the amateur circuit last year, and his lack of hesitation to follow-up on his jungler’s aggressive pathing gives C9A the edge.

The Oceanic duo in the botlane are near the top of their positions in all of North America, and both of them declined LCS offers this season to further develop under the C9 banner.

<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 MASSIVE SION SMASH from <a href="https://twitter.com/DarshanU?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DarshanU</a> puts us back in the game 💪<br><br>📺 <a href="https://t.co/zewl5cjiZI">https://t.co/zewl5cjiZI</a> <a href="https://t.co/jnQXb5Ngam">pic.twitter.com/jnQXb5Ngam</a></p>&mdash; Cloud9 (@Cloud9) <a href="https://twitter.com/Cloud9/status/1362203896735797251?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 18, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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# Team Liquid Academy

TLA was, once upon a time, the go-to example for a successful Academy team, with the organisation utilising a 10-man roster before other teams could iron out the kinks of their main squad.

While TLA have confidently beaten every team lower than them in the standings, their losses are against similarly ranked rivals. TLA are more consistent than C9A but judging by current results they could also have a lower ceiling.

Midlaner Harry “Haeri” Kang was a surprising prospect this split; as the Oceanic veteran was given the opportunity of a lifetime this offseason and has paid his organisation’s faith back tenfold. Looking like a top 6 midlaner in the region is no easy feat, but Haeri has played fantastically so far. 

Jonathan “Armao” Armao tends to prefer farm-centric junglers, which is why his limited success on Skarner and Karthus in the past is a little concerning. Should he stick to Olaf, Udyr, and Hecarim, however - the former TSM jungler’s redemption arc could be in full swing.

Sean “Yeon” Sung was Copy’s teammate over on 100Thieves Next last year, and while he is a slight step down from the top two marksmen in the Academy League (hint: they play for C9A and 100A), the rookie has demonstrated tremendous growth in a short amount of time.

<div class='twitter-tweet' style="width: 100%; display: flex; justify-content: center; max-width: 100%">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Though we ended on a loss, we managed to be undefeated for a good while. Thanks for supporting the Academy team this season! GGWP C9A.</p>&mdash; Team Liquid LoL (@TeamLiquidLoL) <a href="https://twitter.com/TeamLiquidLoL/status/1362207234504056832?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 18, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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# 100Thieves Academy

The arrival of TCL marksman Fatih “Luger” Güven has elevated this team from middle-of-the-pack to top of the leaderboard overnight.

Strong, aggressive play - admittedly with Kai’sa for the most part - has allowed the veteran AD carry to bring the rest of his team up a level. Laning alongside short-term LCS veteran Philippe “Poome” Lavoie-Giguere, Luger put the team on his back versus rivals TLA with a 17-kill statement game during his debut week.

The rest of this team are certainly no slouches either, with the former 100X top/jungle duo playing well alongside Tommy “ry0ma” Le having the best split of his career so far.

Despite placing third, 100A are the team that most will look at as being strong favourites in the LCS Proving Grounds tournament. 

<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 href="https://twitter.com/lugerlol?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@lugerlol</a> with the INCREDIBLE ult at Baron <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/100T?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#100T</a> 💪 <a href="https://t.co/peKiCyhSWn">pic.twitter.com/peKiCyhSWn</a></p>&mdash; 100T Esports (@100T_Esports) <a href="https://twitter.com/100T_Esports/status/1362190419090501633?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 18, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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The rest of the Academy League is certainly notable, with Stacked.GG favourites Immortals  and Dignitas Academy steadily improving. FlyQuest Academy are also of particular interest, as support Han “Dreams” Min-kook was considered the best player in the tournament circuit prior to the split’s commencement.

Further down the standings, GGA and EGA similarly disappointed, especially considering the amount of games they’ve played and the strength of their rosters. Both CLG and TSM Academy are making their way through the Unified Grand Prix to secure a slot at Proving Grounds, but it has already been a rough road for both of these squads.

While it’s almost guaranteed that an Academy team will come out on top in the LCS Proving Grounds, the level demonstrated by the teams throughout the regular split suggests that amateur squads aren’t too far behind. We’ll be sure to keep you updated on how all of these teams get on, with multiple tournaments occurring right around the corner.

<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 fantastic day of matches! We saw a bunch of incredible games with intense plays with surprising outcomes. 🤗<br><br>Tomorrow, we have semifinals games so keep updated on who will be playing who. <br><br>Thank you so much to all of our talent and production. Check them out below 👇 <a href="https://t.co/Yjj4TGfsHX">pic.twitter.com/Yjj4TGfsHX</a></p>&mdash; Unified Esports Association (@UnifiedEA) <a href="https://twitter.com/UnifiedEA/status/1364444646013812736?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 24, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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Academy 2021: Regular Season Rundown

Formerly known as “LCS EU” when formed in 2013, the rebrand to LEC in 2019 separated it from its NA counterpart. With a new brand and a dedicated roster of impressive on-air talent, the LEC has become not just the best broadcast to watch of the four major regions, but consistently one of the best in all of Esports.

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The LEC has impressively continued to operate safely during the pandemic, setting themselves apart from other broadcasts. A big part of that is the continued use of their studio in Berlin, Germany. While they have not had players or an audience in attendance since the beginning of Spring Split 2020, and briefly went fully remote, they have had hosts and casters on set since the beginning of last Summer Split, including most of the English coverage for Worlds taking place there.

But how good can a studio be with no players or fans? It can be very, very good. The use of the screens, lights, music, and on-air talent interacting in person can make you forget for a moment that there are still key parts missing from the show. 

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The music has been one of the biggest things for me. Not only do they have a featured song of the week that they play during breaks, but champion select and entering game songs are swapped frequently, which gives every week a bit of a different feel. Who else has used Shazam to snag some of these songs? Mixed in with consistent impressive production value, it almost feels like teams are still on LAN.

The LEC talent themselves are just as important to the show as the games are. These aren’t personalities you can easily replace. Eefje "Sjokz" Depoortere and Trevor "Quickshot" Henry have been two of the biggest staples for the LEC, holding it down on the analyst desk and play-by-play respectively. While Quickshot had the honor of calling the Worlds 2020 finals with Andrew "Vedius" Day, Sjokz has become one of the biggest names in all of Esports. Just don’t have her do [a monologue about your team](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hgfx2MwOxIM) twice. 

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<h2>Sjokz curses FNATIC – LEC</h2>
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It’s not just those two, it’s the whole team. The LEC talent aren’t afraid to poke fun at anyone, including themselves, which has resulted in some [amazingly bonkers content](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdXPXQYAQzU). The producers have a great understanding of serious and funny, with amazing [match hype packages](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7go7LPFbW90) mixed in [with hilarious voice comm](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2_p4TNHcjU) videos. It puts the players first and helps you get to know them beyond their play, something that the other major regions haven’t been able to do as well.

While the LCS is fully remote and wouldn’t be a great comparison, the LCK has a very similar set up and the LPL has players and fans in attendance. For English broadcasts, you see very little of the LCK stadium in LoL Park due to English casters being remote, with only snippets of South Korean hosts discussing the match during the break. It’s great to see players on stage for the LPL, but a lot of their production value lacks elsewhere. This includes no custom in-game overlays, very little player-based personality driven content, and the English casters sometimes not being on camera. The LPL intro video is a banger, I’ll admit that.

The best thing going right now might be Vedius, Daniel "Drakos" Drakos, and Christy "Ender" Frierson with their My Chemical Romance parody band. Not only did they release one heck of a song in “Reckless With My Heart” to summarize Rekkles moving to G2 and playing against his former team, but they even had [a follow up video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1yI9o3__QQ&t=3s) to continue the joke for the rematch. It doesn’t get better than this. 

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How the LEC is Setting the Standard for Esports Broadcasts

In a year of organizations stepping out of their comfort zones to bring up young talent, CLG had a lot of questions to answer with their roster choices. They opted for proven talent over unknown quantities, scraping together a team that most dubbed “washed up” upon the full roster’s announcement. WildTurtle is the team’s only longtime veteran whose level of play last split looked solid and not far below their peak, however long ago that may have been. 

[With Pobelter benched](https://stacked.gg/article/clg-academy-and-preemptive-benching) and Broxah in visa hell, CLG’s 2021 was off to a rocky start — but then, suddenly, a light at the end of the tunnel: Broxah’s visa was approved, and he landed in L.A the very next day. Could the Danish jungler turn around CLG’s luck with only a few short days of preparation? 

The answer? Not really. But they do look much better. CLG started the weekend off strong by nearly upsetting the number one team in the league, Cloud9. Unfortunately, they continued their streak of finding strong early game leads and subsequently throwing them away in the lategame. 

Their macro looked cleaner in the midgame — perhaps a symptom of Broxah — but CLG’s saving grace against C9 didn’t come from its new arrival. A standout performance from Finn on Aatrox and WildTurtle on Xayah, with a pentakill no less, carried the team to near victory. Communication issues persist, however, as we saw CLG look split on how to end the game with their post-ace baron. Although the reasons are unclear, the result was WildTurtle playing too far forward while hitting the nexus towers and getting killed for free, handing the reigns over to their opponent. 

CLG suffered yet another loss on the brink of victory, as so many CLG games have ended thus far. Their second game of the weekend against Immortals looked very similar, coming out of the gates strong and falling apart around the fifteen-minute mark. They lost their small gold lead on poorly executed plays, and proceeded to fall off a cliff, losing fight after fight across the map as well as almost every objective. 

Inversely, their game against Evil Geniuses looked bad from the onset. They lost across the map, only turning it around from a surprising teamfight victory over EG’s soul point. The win may have resulted from a botched engage by Ignar, but a win is a win. Unfortunately they throw away their tempo by giving Baron for free, and rjs’ Corki packages in to initiate a fight with his own death and hands EG the win. 

All in all a rough weekend, and certainly not what CLG fans hoped for with all (or most, lacking Pobelter) of the team’s pieces finally coming together. Giving credit where it’s due, CLG don’t just roll over and die in their lost games, like so many lower tier LCS teams of present and past. Their losses are more often a result of forcing bad fights, either throwing away their advantage or further snowballing the enemies’. Each player has their shining moments individually, but as a whole, the team looks more like a group of soloqeue players than it does a cohesive team. Calls look split, and when CLG finally make a play, half the roster appears to not be on the same page. 

In fairness, the team has been disadvantaged from the start due to Broxah’s visa issues. They have a lot of lost time to make up for, and perhaps it’s time for a reevaluation of expectations for the split — but only the coming weeks will tell if this CLG roster is truly doomed, or if Broxah can turn things around.

CLG Redux – Broxah is Here

Expectations for the revamped Cloud9 and Team Liquid rosters were extremely high going into 2021, perhaps more so any two teams in LCS history. Their head-to-head promised the best League of Legends NA fans could hope for, and their clash in the Lock In finals delivered on that promise with an extremely competitive series that ended 3-2 in TL’s favor. Surprisingly, it’s C9 that has dominated while TL faltered a bit, the former entering the rematch at 7-1 while the latter flounders in the middle of the pack at 4-4. Their rematch marks the end of the first round robin and an opportunity for both to establish dominance over the LCS. 

The game opens up with a gank onto Jensen’s Orianna, who trades his flash for Perkz’s but ultimately gets chased down in C9’s top jungle. Santorin uses the time to back and grab a sheen, which they attempt to use in a dive onto C9’s immobile and vulnerable botlane duo. All of C9 react, but coming to their botlane’s aid spells ultimate doom, ending in a 1-for-4 trade with TL. The dive momentarily looks like disaster for TL, but Alphari’s Renekton – likely the strongest champion in the game at level 6 – is too much to overcome for a mana-depleted Fudge.

TL picks up an easy dragon after diving Perkz under his turret, still flashless from chasing down Jensen. C9 react by diving Tactical and CoreJJ, who manage to trade one kill onto Vulcan in return before dying. Two more picks follow — the first initiated by CoreJJ getting caught out on a ward in baron pit, and the second a dive onto Tactical. 

TL react with a catch onto Perkz and Vulcan, followed by a subsequent dive onto Zven and Blaber, putting the game at a bloody 10-6 at 12 minutes and a 3k gold lead in favor of TL. TL presses their lead across the map, growing their gold lead to 6k. The first real late-game teamfight kicks off after a pick onto Jensen, allowing C9 attempt a baron comeback despite being so far behind. 

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There are a few key factors going into this fight: Jensen is dead, Zven’s Ashe ult is down, and Blaber’s Skarner ult is down. Santorin and Alphari being so ahead stops them from falling off too hard, but this teamfight ultimately rests on Tactical. Vulcan initiates the fight onto TL’s ADC, but not only does CoreJJ time the consume perfectly, he instantly cleanses himself and spits Tactical right back out. 

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<img src='https://stacked-assets.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/posts/post_78_1.jpeg' alt='Gameplay' style="width: 100%; max-width: 90%;" />
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A nice flash engage from Alphari followed up by Santorin forces Perkz out of the fight, and TL easily beats C9 in a front to back 4v5 teamfight with such a large gold lead. 

C9 somehow manage to force another fight over their inhibitor that they barely lose. The next teamfight around dragon soul looks more like a 10k gold difference should, with TL running down the remaining opponents to close out the game. 


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<img src='https://stacked-assets.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/posts/post_78_2.jpeg' alt='Gameplay' style="width: 100%; max-width: 90%;" />
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Perhaps not the game everyone was hoping for (especially for C9 fans), with more of a focus on skirmishes than explosive lategame teamfights as a result of TL’s early lead. TL firmly held the reigns this game, but C9 very nearly clawed their way back multiple times – a testament to the strengths and weaknesses of both teams. While not as close as the nailbiter Lock In finals, this matchup delivered once again and will surely continue delivering as the split goes on.

Lock In Finals Rematch: Team Liquid vs. Cloud9

Week 5 had some of the best ‘off-meta’ picks and performances of the LEC season so far. While the playoff picture is solidifying for top of the standings, many rosters’ playoff aspirations are still up in the air. 

# G2

G2 has continued to find success on difficult compositions, the most notable pick this week being Mikyx’s Sion. Opting for a Senna and Sion botlane instead of a Tahm Kench farming support, G2 found a winning combination. Senna’s stun into the decimating smash by Sion turns minions into a unique engage and makes opponents hesitant to even step near their own wave.

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This unorthodox engage allows Rekkles to deal upfront damage onto Neon, however Wunder’s TP to extend the fight is what makes this a win for G2. Long fights are another running theme in G2’s play, as their teamfights often span across the rift and lead to G2’s relatively long game times (averaging 35.5 minutes). 

G2 performs incredibly well in these long fights, demonstrated below.

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The TPs at the bottom of the river and in the enemy jungle lock Astralis in place, with G2 in full control. The constant pressure that occurs after the initial 2-for-1 lets G2 extent this fight into an eventual 4-kill trade in their favor. The proclivity G2 has toward these re-engages to find greater advantages or turn initially losing skirmishes around, however, could also open G2 to be punished for overstepping in the future. 

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<img src='https://stacked-assets.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/posts/post_77_1.jpeg' alt='FNATIC' style="width: 100%; max-width: 90%;" />
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# MAD Lions

Across both games, Elyoya finished with a 18/4/4 line primarily facilitated by his outstanding game on Kayne versus Excel. Despite Dan’s best efforts to counter-jungle and put Kayne behind, Elyoya still found an early blue Kayne transformation which made him into the one-shot assassin threat the champion is made to be. 

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Elyoya’s constant gank threat and lane presence only propelled him to scale further until Excel couldn’t make an objective play as long as Elyoya was alive. 

Overall, Elyoya has been very impressive in his debut season as he holds the highest kill participation among junglers (72.9%) while also maintaining some of the best 10-minute differentials, ranking 1st among junglers in XPD/CSD/GD. 

All members of the MAD roster have performed well individually, however throughout this 3-game tear the roster has been firing on all cylinders, locking up 3rd place and competing for 2nd.

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<img src='https://stacked-assets.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/posts/post_77_2.jpeg' alt='SKWIN' style="width: 100%; max-width: 90%;" />
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# SK Gaming

SK had a critical undefeated week that put them in a 4th place tie with Fnatic. The team showed excellent teamfight and dive execution, with Tynx and Jenax putting on MVP performances for the team this week.

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On his signature Jarvin pick, Treatz finds a long engage and avoids the initial burst by utilizing his stopwatch, allowing Tynx to find a 3-man sleep for Jenax to capitalize on. Playing most of this game from behind, Jenax put on a clinic as he facilitated most of their winning fights and showed how effective Aatrox is even when at a deficit. SK played their games this week on a knife’s edge but found the wins to put them above .500 and have slowly been improving as unit.

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# Fnatic

This was a poor week for Fnatic, as they fell to the 10th place Vitality and lost narrowly to the surging MAD Lions. Fnatic were comparatively stagnant this week as their usually high-paced tempo was slowed down in the early game.

The aggressive style that Fnatic heralds typically makes towers just as open for a fight as any other part of the map, but miscalculated dives cost Fnatic massively this week.

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This dive was destined for failure as Nisqy realm warped directly under the tower and right into Aatrox’s knock-up combo, negating any effectiveness they could’ve had in the fight. In addition, the tower aggro was mismanaged heavily, as Bwipo was the initial tank but stepped out of range, shifting the damage onto Selfmade and splitting the remaining 2 Fnatic members between Milica and Skeanz.

This week was an outlier for Fnatic, who are still a top 4 team with one of the best botlanes in the LEC. Upset remains 1st among ADCs in GD/XP@10 and had some highlight reel worthy plays while Hylissang continued to successfully roam across the map. Still, Fnatic cannot afford many more of these ‘off weeks’ if they hope to find their way into better seeding for the Spring playoffs.

LEC Week 5 Recap

After some time off to celebrate the Lunar New Year, the LCK returned with most teams continuing to stay the course, with very few changes to the standings. With half the Spring split over, here are the standout performances from this past week. 

# Up: BRO Not in Last Place

This might seem a bit sarcastic, but honestly it has been AWESOME to see Fredit BRION not only upset DWG KIA a few weeks ago, but get two more wins since then, including one this week against Liiv SANDBOX. They are currently tied with Afreeca Freecs and Nongshim RedForce at 3-7, but have the worst match differential of the three. 

<div class='twitter-tweet' style="width: 100%; display: flex; justify-content: center; max-width: 100%">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Umti: &quot;I am speed.&quot;<br><br>BRO grab an ACE at minute 30 and even the score in this game! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LCK?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LCK</a> <a href="https://t.co/4MY2BYt4N8">pic.twitter.com/4MY2BYt4N8</a></p>&mdash; LCK Global (@LCK_Global) <a href="https://twitter.com/LCK_Global/status/1362025605189890052?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 17, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div>

Could newly acquired ADC Lee "Prince” Chae-hwan have been the difference maker in this matchup? Prince did eventually make his LCK Spring debut one game later against T1, but that result was also an 0-2 loss. The bottom of the table has one of the closest races for best of the worst, we’re loving every moment of it. 

# Down: Playing Renekton Mid
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<img src='https://stacked-assets.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/posts/post_76_1.jpeg' alt='HLE' style="width: 100%; max-width: 90%;" />
<h2>HLE vs NS Game 2- LCK Global
</h2>
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Just... why? Before we get to the fact that it did work and helped Hanwha Life Esports reverse sweep after losing the first game, the way this draft went makes very little sense. Chovy drafted Renekton with their final pick before the second ban phase, with HLE knowing that the bot lane for NS would be Samira and Alistair. It looked like a blind pick for top. And then they drafted Gragas and Galio.

Both of those champions are flex picks, with Gragas being a possibility for top or support, and Galio an option at mid or support. With those possibilities, it seemed most likely that Renekton would be top, Galio would be mid, and Gragas would be support. Instead, we got this beautiful disaster. It’s not a down for the result (as Chovy went 7-3-8), rather it’s down because the fact that it actually worked is bonkers.

# Up: Even More History

In Week 4 of the LCK, a bunch of league and personal bests were entered into the record books. That trend continued into Week 5. DWG KIA ADC Jang "Ghost" Yong-jun became one of 13 players in the LCK to have 1000 kills. 

<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_76_2.jpeg' alt='Ghost' style="width: 100%; max-width: 90%;" />
<h2>Ghost 1000 Kills- LCK Global
</h2>
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Ghost still has a long way to go if he eventually wants to take the top of that list, with many well-known names to knock off. Park "Ruler" Jae-hyuk, Kim "Deft" Hyuk-kyu and all-time leader in kills, Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok, to name a few. Speaking of Faker...


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<img src='https://stacked-assets.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/posts/post_76_3.jpeg' alt='LCK All Time Kill Record' style="width: 100%; max-width: 90%;" />
<h2>All-Time Kill Record - LCK Global
</h2>
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# Down: You Already Know It’s About T1

Another 50/50-week leaves T1 at an even record on the season and in 5th place for playoff seeding. They have two series wins ahead of the teams just outside of playoffs, and a better match record than KT Rolster, but still no consistent roster. A 1-2 loss to DRX led to even more changes in their matchup against previously mentioned last place Liiv SANDBOX. 

<div class='twitter-tweet' style="width: 100%; display: flex; justify-content: center; max-width: 100%">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">T1 overpowers LSB in this final fight and they take the first game of the series! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LCK?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LCK</a> <a href="https://t.co/sKETjso81d">pic.twitter.com/sKETjso81d</a></p>&mdash; LCK Global (@LCK_Global) <a href="https://twitter.com/LCK_Global/status/1363472709766631427?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 21, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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The only two roles that were left untouched from the week’s loss were top, with Choi "Zeus" Woo-je looking like a mainstay, and support, where Ryu "Keria" Min-seok has started every game. We got our third player starting at jungle, with Moon "Oner" Hyeon-joon making their debut and looking decent on Graves and Nidalee. This win might look good on paper, but it is against the currently weakest team in the LCK. I’d expect more swaps to happen before playoffs start.

LCK Spring Week Five: (Mostly) Business as Usual

With the LCS regular season now in full swing, we wanted to take a look back at what was arguably the biggest change to professional North American League of Legends in recent memory. The Lock In tournament appeared to be a success by any measure, giving fans an early look at their favorite teams and plenty of high-powered preseason action. From 100T’s dominant start to Cloud9’s reverse sweep, to TSM’s early struggles and Team Liquid’s championship performance, preseason narratives were being written in a way never seen before in the LCS.

To get a look at the action behind the scenes, we reached out to Chris Greeley, LCS Commissioner and Director of Esports at Riot Games, to discuss the recent changes to the LCS. We cover viewership expectations, how the changes came about, lasting impacts of the pandemic on LoL Esports, and more. Check out our full interview with Greeley below.



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<img src='https://stacked-assets.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/posts/post_75_1.jpeg' alt='LCS Lock In' style="width: 100%; max-width: 90%;" />
<h2>Image via LoL Esports
</h2>
</div>


<section>
<strong>TS</strong>
<strong>What are your expectations in terms of viewership for this new LCS?</strong>
</section>


<blockquote>
<h3>"The three weeks of Lock In were some of the most viewed opening weeks of a season that we’ve ever had."</h3>
<h4>CHRIS GREELEY, LCS COMMISSIONER AND DIRECTOR OF ESPORTS AT RIOT GAMES</h4>
</blockquote>


<section>
<p>CG</p>
<div>
<p>We were extremely proud of the reaction to our opening this year, and the positive feedback on our first-ever Lock In tournament. The three weeks of Lock In were some of the most viewed opening weeks of a season that we’ve ever had. That kicked off our year with a lot of positive momentum that we hope to continue through this year.</p>
<p>
We’re always optimistic about viewership numbers and have made adjustments to our weekly schedule to better suit the viewing patterns of our fans. Our expectations are less focused around specific targets in numbers -- we’re more focused on community resonance and making sure we’re offering a compelling product that fans want to keep coming back to. We believe that if we meet our goals in those areas, strong viewership will follow.
</p>
</div>
</section>


<section>
<strong>TS</strong>
<strong>What “triggered the alarms” and made you understand that you needed a change in the format of the League?</strong>
</section>



<section>
<p>CG</p>
<div>
<p>The LCS format is something we’re constantly refining and building upon, because it’s a two-way dialogue. We keep our ears and eyes as open as possible to feedback from all sides of the ecosystem - players, teams, owners, fans, etc. - and we work to incorporate that wherever possible. It’s never a finished product, and we’re always open to fresh ideas on how to make the LCS a better experience for everyone involved.</p>
<p>Every offseason we meet with the LCS teams to discuss potential format changes to the upcoming season. All of the teams were excited about the prospect of more competitive games and a season kick-off tournament. When we decided to adjust the format this year by adding the Lock In Tournament, and shifting Spring Playoffs into the Mid-Season Showdown, we did so after a lot of thought and conversation with owners and team staff to make sure the final execution worked for the greater part of the league community. Last year proved the league was ready for a change to the summer playoff and Worlds qualifications, and this year, we’ve taken that a step further. 
</p>
</div>
</section>


<section>
<strong>TS</strong>
<strong>How involved were the participating LCS teams in making decisions for the creation of the new format?</strong>
</section>


<section>
<p>CG</p>
<div>
<p>While we have talked about many of these concepts in the past, it was team staff that helped lead the conversation on these changes and the teams were key players in these changes, as well. That open line of communication has helped mold the LCS into something we all can be proud of, and helped us make a better product than we could on our own. The Lock In Tournament absolutely delivered on everything we hoped it would -- it helped create compelling stories before spring season, helped teams gain their footing after the off season, and it was an exciting moment for fans to “come back home.” We hope to see the same positivity around the upcoming Mid-Season Showdown. 
</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_75_2.jpeg' alt='New LCS' style="width: 100%; max-width: 90%;" />
<h2>Image via LoL Esports
</h2>
</div>



<section>
<strong>TS</strong>
<strong>What do you think will be the differentiating factor of the LCS in relation to the rest of the leagues?</strong>
</section>


<blockquote>
<h3>"There’s a real opportunity to set the tone for the next ten years of North American League of Legends. Each regional league carries its own culture and history, and that’s an important piece to keep in mind when creating a broadcast and competitive strategy for the league."</h3>
</blockquote>

<section>
<p>CG</p>
<div>
<p>I’m excited by the new voice we’re developing with the recent league rebrand. There’s a real opportunity to set the tone for the next ten years of North American League of Legends. Each regional league carries its own culture and history, and that’s an important piece to keep in mind when creating a broadcast and competitive strategy for the league.
</p>
<p>
Our new brand gets closer to capturing what League esports is to NA today, and what we hope to become down the road. And as our league continues to mature, and our community grows, we will continue to fine-tune that voice and our brand to keep evolving with our sport.
</p>
<p>
As another piece to this -- we’re overall happy with the progress we’ve made this year when it comes to supporting the NA talent development pipeline. But we also acknowledge there’s more work to be done, and we are only at the starting line. A healthy and active talent development pipeline will go a long way to differentiating the LCS from other regional leagues, as we continue to promote NA’s stars of tomorrow. 
</p>
</div>
</section>


<section>
<strong>TS</strong>
<strong>How do you feel about institutional investors taking stakes in LCS teams?</strong>
</section>


<blockquote>
<h3>"We want the LCS to be a healthy, sustainable ecosystem for many years to come, and it’s important to us that investors have a similarly long-term view."</h3>
</blockquote>

<section>
<p>CG</p>
<div>
<p>We’re always excited to welcome new investment into the LCS ecosystem, and we’re glad teams are capitalizing on a broader set of potential opportunities. At the same time, we set high standards for potential partners and investors when it comes to our values and how well they mesh together. The LCS and our member franchises carefully look at each opportunity for investment and partnership. We want the LCS to be a healthy, sustainable ecosystem for many years to come, and it’s important to us that investors have a similarly long-term view.
</p>
<p>
Deeper investment into LCS teams by committed partners, who have similar values to us, will only help expand how we resonate with our community and make sure we keep delivering a compelling product. 
</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_75_3.jpeg' alt='LCS' style="width: 100%; max-width: 90%;" />
<h2>Image via Riot Games
</h2>
</div>


<blockquote>
<h3>"It’s on us to build on that momentum as the world emerges from the pandemic, to retain the new fans we’ve gained when they have more options for entertainment."</h3>
</blockquote>


<section>
<strong>TS</strong>
<strong>What, if any, lasting changes do you think the pandemic will have on the business of LoL Esports, and LCS more specifically?</strong>
</section>


<section>
<p>CG</p>
<div>
<p>One side effect of the pandemic has been an elevated interest in esports and gaming. Viewership and attention has noticeably increased across the board, which is beneficial in the short term. However, it’s on us to build on that momentum as the world emerges from the pandemic, to retain the new fans we’ve gained when they have more options for entertainment.
</p>
<p>
One change that we have made between last year and this year is also part of our rebrand - we’re putting our community, including our fans, teams and players, front and center. That has always been important to us before the pandemic, but being in a remote environment has made that even more of a priority.
</p>
<p>
And, as another lasting change -- I think the pandemic will make the moment even sweeter, when we finally (and safely) get to reopen our doors to fans. 
</p>
</div>
</section>


<blockquote>
<h3>"We hope to get back to live events as soon as it’s possible to do so safely."</h3>
</blockquote>

<section>
<strong>TS</strong>
<strong>Final words for the NA fans?</strong>
</section>


<section>
<p>CG</p>
<div>
<p>We hope to get back to live events as soon as it’s possible to do so safely. And we couldn’t have made it through this past year without your incredible support. So in short, thank you - and we can’t wait to see you again soon. 
</p>
</div>
</section>

Stacked Q&A with Chris Greeley, LCS Commissioner

As the LCS gears up for the third week of its spring split, each team brought front office representatives to a LCS Media Day, where they fielded questions on everything from the state of the league to the states of their teams.

Chief among the questions were rumors of team owners asking Riot to lift or adjust the import rule, which only allows a team to have two players on their rosters who are not North American residents or “grandfathered-in” players.

Teams were also asked about the state of the amateur leagues and the academy scene beneath LCS, with most teams offering that while strides were being made, changes are still needed to create robust North American talent. Steve Arhancet, Team Liquid co-CEO, said that if the import rule were to be adjusted, he’d like to see a change to the academy system as well, with Jack Etienne, CEO of Cloud9, echoing the same sentiments.

Check out the sections below for a summary of each team’s media day.

# 100 Thieves
GM Christopher “PapaSmithy” Smith said that when their offseason started early last summer after getting knocked out of the playoffs by EG in Round 1, they went directly to focusing on 2021. Smith said they weren’t happy with their competitive performance, and started to ask questions about their development, particularly at an organizational level and not just in the LCS. Smith said that it wasn’t about just getting to Worlds as a team, but more about accountability, and being both a front runner and a contender.

# Cloud9
Cloud9 CEO Jack Etienne brought head coach Kim “Reignover” Yeu-jin out, and much of the discussion was about academy and the import rule, with Etienne and Reignover emphasizing the need for more games in the academy scene. He cited Cloud9’s approach, which he lauded as unique, with an integrated LCS and Academy team that gave shots to players such as Blaber, Zeyzal and Fudge. They also addressed the loss of former head coach Reapered, and Etienne said that the transition was “really smooth,” noting that groundwork was being laid for this transition as far back as late 2019. Reignover specifically discussed criticism of Cloud9’s drafts, saying that they were playing to their strengths and what they practiced, considering the drafts a success.

Of interest was also Gary Hoyt, their performance psychologist, who discussed Cloud9’s efforts to steel players’ mental health, and specifically how to deal with criticism coming from the internet – a testament to Cloud9’s commitment to player health.

# CLG
Daniel “Tafokints” Lee said that CLG’s Spring Split record was “not the start we were looking for.” But, that could change, as jungler Mads “Broxah” Brock-Pedersen is set to make his debut this weekend, after self-quarantining in the CLG house.

On the subject of performance, Lee noted that he didn’t think CLG’s 1-5 record was representative of their skill level. He also said that while he believed they would soon rise through the ranks, they didn’t want to paint Broxah as a savior and cause any undue pressure, counter to a narrative that stuck to Broxah last year as he showed up to a 9th place Team Liquid roster.

# Dignitas
Director of Esports James Baker said that they’re “not here to win this year,” but that they were there to build a foundation for success for the years going forward. Baker took pride in Dignitas’ ability to field five North American players along with being the team to finally gave veteran jungler Joshua “Dardoch” Hartnett a chance, by building a team around him. Moreover, Baker said the answer for this success came down to two things: structure and systems, and that they’re one of the only teams in the LCS that knows how to work with veterans. Jumping in, Head Coach Jimmy Harrison said their results are better than what people probably expected and that it’s a result of the culture that they’re building.

# Evil Geniuses
Evil Geniuses wanted to let us know that they were happy with where they are despite being one of the newest teams. Greg Kim, EG’s Director of Esports, said after their showing in the Lock In tournament, he knew they were going to be one of the “most exciting teams to watch” in LCS play. Similar to other teams, Kim said they started taking steps towards improving the amateur scene, and that they’ve seen a lot of “nice success” there.

When asked about their aggressive playstyle, GM Andrew Barton said that viewers could “definitely expect” to keep seeing plays around midlaner Daniele “Jiizuke” di Mauro. Barton said that the hope with support Lee “IgNar” Dong-geun would be that he elevates Jiizuke into being EG’s focal point. We’ll have to see going forward.

# FlyQuest
While they fielded questions on the import rule and the academy scene, FlyQuest also spoke about the signing of star LATAM jungler, Brendan Joel “Josedeodo'' Villegas, its new “BeeQuest'' initiative, and the flexibility that each member of the roster brings. Tricia Sugita, FlyQuest CEO, said that although they were in the midst of that rebuild, she still expected FlyQuest to be a Worlds caliber team. GM Nick Phan referred to Josedeodo as a “gem” and said that the team valued versatility first, then coachability second. Sugita and Phan said they hope their FlyQuest stream will continue to bring in new demographics of fans to their organization.

# Golden Guardians
Head Coach Nicholas “Inero” Smith said that Lock In was a cool experience and got the players reps operating under a different kind of stress. Inero says they’re doing good overall, and that this was a big rebuild project. GM Danan Flander, says that they beefed up their support staff considerably, and that they want to get people energized and see new faces in the organization.

On the import rule, Head of Esports Hunter Lee said that the discussion was a product of the “NA cycle of suck,” and recognition that the “competitive fundamentals of NA are poor.” Lee said it’s an okay conversation to have, but he said he wasn’t convinced that changing it would help anything for NA at Worlds.

# Immortals
Immortals started their time with Director of Competitive Esports Mike Schwartz discussing the many changes that have been made this year with the organization. Schwartz said that they dealt with unique challenges after acquiring Optic Gaming’s old LCS slot straight into a pandemic, noting that they “built the plane while it was flying.” 

In addressing the OPL events, where the league was dissolved and talent became classified as NA residents, Schwartz said that the ruling was a “boon” for them, as they constructed a roster that only utilizes one import slot in jungler Andrei “Xerxe” Dragomir, instead of three.

# Team Liquid
Head Coach Joshua “Jatt” Leesmann addressed the question on everyone’s mind - what is up with Team Liquid? The team fell to a 3-3 start immediately after winning the Lock In, and it’s been a topic of discussion since. Despite that, Jatt said he’s not committed to changing much because they’re a strong team, and he wants to show that further through the split. For more on media day with Jatt, [check out our writeup here](https://stacked.gg/article/lcs-media-day-with-coach-jatt).

# TSM
Unlike most teams, TSM brought out LCS Head Coach Søren “Bjergsen” Bjerg and mid-laner Tristan “PowerOfEvil” Schrage alongside GM Parth Naidu, instead of a CEO or another executive. Instead of innovation in organization, Naidu emphasized their efforts to create a healthy, close-knit team, a potential benefit of being one of the oldest and most well-established organizations in the LCS. Bjergsen emphasized that while the team’s performance was lackluster in the beginning, they’ve taken steps to improve, moving to a 4-2 record with some solid gameplay through the first two weeks of the LCS. Specifically, Bjergsen pointed to review sessions as being the most challenging activity he’s worked with as head coach. Bjergsen said he came in skipping fundamentals that he felt weren’t needed, but now that he’s getting on the right track, he’s getting through to more and more complexity.

LCS Mini-Media Days Wrapup

In a move to provide press access to teams during the pandemic, the LCS put on a series of three mini-media days this week involving coaches and front office staff from each team. Unsurprisingly, Coach Jatt was the focus of several questions for Team Liquid. From Lock In Champions to starting the season 3-3, Team Liquid are undeterred from their mission and look ahead optimistically to the rest of the season.

** Opening Remarks**

**Jatt:** I think we started the year really well with the Lock In win and have had a few missteps in the past 2 weeks… but we are still, I’d say, really committed towards improvement and even though there’s definitely reasons to change some things, just not that much because I think we are an incredibly good team and we’ll continue to show improvement throughout the split.

**Thomas Tischio, Dot Esports: What’s the biggest thing that you think needs to be changed about the LCS academy scene and amateur scenes to better promote younger talent?**

**Jatt:** Especially in the amateur and academy systems, volume is a really important thing, so being able to get volume of quality practice, volume of high-quality games. So while I completely agree with the ramping of the amateur system, I think there’s been some unfortunate consequences in the Spring of having a lower volume for the Academy games. On the team side, a lot of it is about integration between the academy team with the entire coaching staff or how much you are one big professional Team Liquid rather than 1 LCS team and 1 Academy team that operates on their own. Having a more unified strategy for both teams is important for developing talent and making them LCS ready.

**Thomas Baker, The Game Haus: How much do you think the drafts against TSM and 100T affected the outcomes of those games? Will those losses affect Team Liquid’s approach to drafting future games?**

**Jatt:** I think every draft is quite important. How you practice throughout the week to prepare for the draft and how you execute the draft itself. I’d be lying if watching the results of the draft and seeing how it played out did not impact the way you draft in the future.
I don’t want to say exactly how it’s going to impact our drafts in the future because I don’t want to give any intelligence to our opponents next week (GG, C9, and EG), but yes absolutely those drafts will impact our future.

**Jay Silver: What was your goal when you were developing this coaching staff and what are the long-term goals with these individuals?**

**Jatt:** One of the most important things when having a coaching staff is just making sure that it was going to be a team of professionals and having a strong culture fit for the team that I knew I would be able to work with on a day-to-day basis and be productive. Because you are going to run into so many obstacles, throughout the season, whether its wining Lock In and then starting the season 3-3 and feeling like you should be better, or whether it’s picking the wrong strategy to practice for two weeks and then realizing you have to pivot last minute.

Your ability to have the same foundational ideas about how a team should run and be able to align on that early is really important. So I’d say that was one of the things that I did, especially with Kold, our Strategic Coach, he’s doing incredible so far. 

Yaltz I got to work with a little bit last year when he was the TL Academy Coach and he was an analyst for us a little bit at Worlds, so he moved up to Head Analyst for the main team. 

Spawn is someone I’ve known for over half a decade, through casting, and friendship, and other things and I thought he’d be a great fit for Academy Head Coach. 

Albert who is a two-way coach between Academy and the LCS is someone I got a chance to work with at Riot, so I had a pretty good feel already with these guys, and then through a fairly arduous interview process, just saw the team being able to come together and execute at a high level.
I think so far it’s exceeded my expectations, we’ve been doing very well I think, not withstanding these last 2 weeks, but we’ll prove a lot more in the coming weeks.

**Jared Gott, Stropse: What steps has the organization taken when it comes to advancements in analytics?**

**Jatt:** One of our partners SAP has been continuing working with us to give us more diverse analytics tools in terms of how we can better track our scrim data, how we can better scout our opponents through Solo Queue. So I’d say that’s one step we’ve been taking that is coming along quite well for us. But on top of that is just a way to try and stay as data informed as possible, like there is more data for League of Legends out there everyday and it’s one of the biggest things in trying to find a competitive edge on our opponents.

We can sit here and complain about our server population size or about the quality of Soloqueue and those are actually important things for the overall improvement of a team, but in terms of how we actually define our edge I think analytics is one of the ways we could do that because I don’t think it’s something that is widely used very well.

I don’t actually have the answers yet, still, but it’s something that we’re very interested in and have that partnership with SAP to help us.

**Thomas Baker, The Game Haus: I feel like Alphari and his acquisition in the offseason, as well as his early dominance in-lane has overshadowed the fact that you guys also acquired Santorin who was an amazing jungler last year. Curious to hear what he brings to the team, in your eyes, and how that might differ from the jungle situation last year.**

**Jatt:** Santorin brings a huge amount of experience to the table. He is one of those players we’ve been talking about who has been in North America for a very long time, all the way back in 2015, has lots of international experience, he’s been on lots of winning teams. He’s been on lots of bad teams too which I think gives him an incredibly unique perspective on dealing with adversity and finding ways to improve.
I’d say he is just very, very analytical in nature which I really appreciate from a jungler, but then has the mechanics to back it up. Being able to climb to rank 1 on the Solo Queue ladder – seemingly whenever he puts his mind to it. He is just an experienced, flexible player that I think is going to be an asset to any team he’s been on, but is going to be extra powerful when paired with the skilled laners that we have on Team Liquid.

LCS Media Day with Coach Jatt

When two-time 2020 LCS finalists FlyQuest announced their Season 11 roster, expectations were tempered and so much as thinking of a third concurrent finals appearance was considered ambitious at best.

The complete exodus of the FLY roster that brought the organisation to their very first Worlds qualification saw the hotly-contested talent dispersed amongst the league. Perhaps it was to be expected that top-tier import superstars like Tristan “PowerofEvil” Schrage and Lee “Ignar” Dong-geun would find new homes for the 2021 season, but even franchise player Jason “WildTurtle” Tran departed for not necessarily greener pastures (sorry, CLG fans).

# The Team of Tomorrow

<div class='twitter-tweet' style="width: 100%; display: flex; justify-content: center; max-width: 100%">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">&quot;I think the perspective from Latin America to NA is like, they&#39;ve always watched this league when they were younger ... and you have this dream, that you want to be there to play with the ones you&#39;ve always watched.&quot; <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LCS?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LCS</a><br><br>Who is <a href="https://twitter.com/Josedeodo?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Josedeodo</a>? <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FLYWIN?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FLYWIN</a> <a href="https://t.co/FWW1vCY7Bz">pic.twitter.com/FWW1vCY7Bz</a></p>&mdash; LCS (@LCSOfficial) <a href="https://twitter.com/LCSOfficial/status/1358461123863875586?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 7, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div>



In place of their former star talent that now shines in rosters such as Team Liquid, TSM, and Evil Geniuses, FLY have brought on a healthy mix of rookies and veteran talent alike. While outstanding upstarts Cristian “Palafox” Palafox and David “Diamond” Bérubé had been making waves on Cloud9 Academy last year, the most exciting components of this roster are the slightly more established players.

Eric “Licorice” Ritchie, who was once an MVP frontrunner and led Cloud9 to North America’s most prestigious international accolade to date (Worlds semifinals), is certainly formidable and looks to be returning to form somewhat. However, the two players that command the most attention in this roster are the “pseudo-rookies,” with some professional experience but much more to prove.

Those players are, of course, Brandon Joel “Josedeodo” Villegas, and Johnson “Johnsun” Nguyen. Josedeodo made his explosive debut onto the LCS stage following a standout performance at Worlds, representing the LLA - Liga Latinoamérica - and demonstrating that he could contend with [the best of the best](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KsRl33mgOo&t=56s). Johnsun doesn’t have quite as many accolades, but entered this off-season as one of the most high-profile acquisitions in the marksman position after a strong debut on Dignitas last year.

FLY’s 2021 season is, evidently, all about growth and development. They have a good balance of established talent and rookies that need a little guidance and are certainly capable of upset victories - see their season opener versus TSM, for example.

# Are We There Yet?

Despite the seemingly sound roster that has been assembled, the insane upsides that these individual players have, and the solid drafts that come out game after game, FLY find themselves languishing towards the bottom of the standings. Whether this is a result of strength of schedule (besides the aforementioned TSM game, FLY have had to square off against EG, TL, [100Thieves](https://stacked.gg/article/weekend-spotlight-100-thieves), and C9) or the roster not having found its footing yet, FLY’s 2021 could be going better.

A few weeks against lower-ranked teams should allow FLY to score a couple of crucial wins, and - for a team that many doubted would even make playoffs - we could see the squad exceed expectations. 

<div class='twitter-tweet' 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/Josedeodo?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Josedeodo</a> <a href="https://t.co/vw9RDgBu6V">pic.twitter.com/vw9RDgBu6V</a></p>&mdash; FlyQuest (@FlyQuest) <a href="https://twitter.com/FlyQuest/status/1361107361910444032?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 15, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div>

FLY’s early games have been fantastic for a newer team, largely stemming from Josedeodo’s relentless jungle aggression. Johnsun’s stellar positioning in later fights has contributed to FLY’s (admittedly somewhat limited) success as well. Diamond’s eye for engages has been solid, but oftentimes FLY’s teamfighting capabilities have lived or died based on his decision making. If FLY can iron out their inconsistencies - and remain on the same page while doing it - then this team should be able to take the early game leads that they consistently build and run with them straight to the finish line.

# FLY’s Quest for 2021
FLY’s rebrand over the past year dramatically improved perceptions of the organisation - sarcastically referred to in the past as either “Team Snickers” (due to a sweet sponsorship that was a little too nuts) or “Team Sigilyph” (due to an unfortunate logo design’s resemblance to the Pokémon), and their efforts to aid environmental causes and charitable initiatives have not gone unnoticed. Even with the departure of their fan-favourite players of yesteryear, ourselves at Stacked and countless other fans worldwide still find it hard to not cheer for this team. 


<div class='twitter-tweet' style="width: 100%; display: flex; justify-content: center; max-width: 100%">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Our <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Beequest?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Beequest</a> has raised $1690 so far for the bees!<br><br>Remember that every kill and victory our <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LCS?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LCS</a> or Academy team gets and every Ocean Drake counts to help the bees!<br>Let&#39;s make a change together! 🐝<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ShowcaseGreatness?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ShowcaseGreatness</a> <a href="https://t.co/ZSWK3OrzXj">pic.twitter.com/ZSWK3OrzXj</a></p>&mdash; FlyQuest (@FlyQuest) <a href="https://twitter.com/FlyQuest/status/1362140393484275724?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 17, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div>

In fact, this emphasis on community has continued to define FLY’s 2021. Their first-of-its-kind [Spanish broadcast](https://stacked.gg/article/flyquest-expands-to-a-global-audience) will not only give global fans more options for tuning in, but also allow the fervent supporters of Josedeodo to once again rally behind the pride of the LLA.

While 2021 for FLY may not be the quietly consistent 2020 run that saw them skyrocket to the top of the standings, [this year is a commitment to growth](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_omOsYkyvc&t=1s). This commitment should reward everybody’s second-favourite organisation with an even better reputation for developing players... though, should they suffer from success again, it may not be much of a rebuild after all.

FLY’s Season So Far

After defeating Cloud9 in the preseason Lock In tournament, it felt natural to declare Team Liquid as the best team in the LCS. Led by one of the best Supports in CoreJJ star toplaner Alphari, the TL squad looked poised to dominate the regular season if by nothing other than sheer talent. As of right now, we are two weeks into the season and TL sit at a 3-3 record, far short of expectations. 

Team Liquid’s ambitions certainly go beyond that of the LCS regular season; this is a team that wants to qualify for, and compete at, Worlds 2021. With a lackluster start, they have some kinks to work through if they want to reach their full potential.

# Rocky Start to the Season

<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_71_1.png' alt='Gameplay' style="width: 100%; max-width: 90%;" />
</div>


Team Liquid dropped their first game of the season to Immortals, but it was the manner in which they lost that felt bad. Notching the first kill of the season was a solo kill from IMT’s Revenge onto Alphari, which is one for the highlight reel.

<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/R8sW4lzbw_g?start=592" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
</div>
</div>

Alphari was counter picked in the toplane with a tough Kennen into Irelia matchup, but TL further allowed their botlane fasting Senna/Tahm Kench strategy to be counter picked by IMT’s Blitzcrank. When it came to fighting for objectives, the Blitzcrank was able to zone TL’s entire team.

<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/R8sW4lzbw_g?start=1625" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
</div>
</div>

# Drafting Woes and Easy Mistakes

There have been a few concerning drafts that TL have made in their first six games, most jarring being their game against TSM. With TL on red side, they failed to secure winning lanes through counter picks, instead using their R1 and R2 picks on Graves and Jhin with no synergy. Later in the draft, they had the opportunity to counter both TSM’s Azir and Gnar picks, but instead went with Zoe and Kennen.

In a recent LCS media day attended by Stacked writer Matt Thibault, head coach Jatt commented on their recent drafting struggles, “I think every draft is quite important. How you practice throughout the week to prepare for the draft and how you execute the draft itself. I’d be lying if watching the results of the draft and seeing how it played out did not impact the way you draft in the future.” 

Fortunately for TL, these are all fixable problems and there is still plenty of League to be played.

# The Path Forward

While the drafting can and almost certainly will improve, much of the season's hopes rest on the shoulders of Alphari who was brought over from Europe before the season started. So far, his performances have been stellar. Alphari leads all toplaners in Kill Share % at 30.6% and CSPM at 8.4. Moving forward, TL need to decide if they want to prioritize picks for Alphari or continue leaning on him as a weak side toplaner, carrying the burden of opponent bans and blind picks. 


Season Update: Team Liquid

After a relatively quiet week thanks to a Lunar New Year break from the LPL and LCK, we’re right back to business. A healthy amount of upsets in both the LEC and LCS this past weekend means any given game is up for grabs, but we’re starting to see a few teams break away from the pack.

Given all four major regions are going to be well under way this coming week with some spectacular clashes, we’ve picked a match from each for you to keep in mind.


<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 collapse BIG onto KT and the fight gives them the game 3 win! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LCK?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LCK</a> <a href="https://t.co/EZnpY54H4y">pic.twitter.com/EZnpY54H4y</a></p>&mdash; LCK Global (@LCK_Global) <a href="https://twitter.com/LCK_Global/status/1362001067425165315?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 17, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div>

# LCK: HLE (5-3) v DK (8-1)
**Time:** Saturday, 20th February / 11:00 GMT, 03:00 PST

On paper, this match-up looks fairly one-sided. After all, the reigning World Champions DWG KIA have only lost one series since returning to domestic competition (against Fredit BRION no less). On the other hand, Hanwha Life Esports may have finally found a winning formula that can capably support Jeong “Chovy” Ji-hoon as he attempts to hoist the Worlds trophy himself.

Facing off against Chovy in the midlane is Heo “Showmaker” Su, however, and suddenly the HLE prodigy may find his hands full. Historically, these two elite players have been fairly evenly matched, with Chovy pulling ahead individually only slightly.

The issue for Chovy is that League of Legends is fundamentally a team game, and Showmaker’s surrounding pieces are infinitely more valuable. Whether it’s the flexibility from toplane stalwart Kim “Khan” Dong-ha, or the utility of perpetually underrated carry Jang “Ghost” Yong-jun, DK enter this as strong favourites.

The main concern for HLE fans should be how the toplane will match up. HLE’s top and jungle duo have been notoriously inconsistent, while DK’s have been nothing short of championship material. 

Definitely pay attention to the Chovy versus Showmaker midlane masterclass, but don’t be surprised if it’s a top/jungle gap that decides this series.

**Prediction:** HLE 0-2 DK

# LEC: S04 (5-4) v G2 (7-2)
**Time:** Saturday, 20th February / 19:00 GMT, 11:00 PST

When these two teams last faced off, it was FC Schalke 04 Esports that played spoiler, prematurely ending G2 Esports’ hopes of a perfect record mere days into the split. While the team records may have a fairly sizeable gap between them, we have to consider S04’s difficulty of schedule and wins over top LEC teams.

While most of S04’s roster proved themselves during the miracle run of yesteryear, it was the two newcomers to the squad that made all of the difference in their victory over G2. Both Sergen “BrokenBlade” Çelik and Dino “Limit” Tot effortlessly threw themselves into the enemy backline, winning key fights for the team.

Unfortunately, it is these two members that have been notoriously inconsistent, and if they are forced out of their comfort zone - with Aatrox and Rell being banned away, for example - then we could very well see G2 run away with the game.

On the G2 side, the team enters Week 5 with a top-of-the-table standing and the scars to prove it. A 50-minute bloodbath between themselves and fellow first-place contenders Rogue made for one of the most exciting games this split, and could provide G2 with the momentum to effortlessly take this one home.

<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 href="https://twitter.com/G2esports?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@G2esports</a> TAKE DOWN <a href="https://twitter.com/Rogue?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Rogue</a>! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LEC?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LEC</a> <a href="https://t.co/XV9pICTxF0">pic.twitter.com/XV9pICTxF0</a></p>&mdash; LEC (@LEC) <a href="https://twitter.com/LEC/status/1360708677267824640?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 13, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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While G2 individually outclass their opponents, the relentless aggression of S04 could take the team by surprise again. They could also lose to Astralis on Friday and enter Saturday in full tilt, but time will tell.

The match-up to watch will be in the toplane, as BrokenBlade will be tested yet again by Martin “Wunder” Hansen’s near-infinite champion pool.

**Prediction:** S04 0-1 G2

# LCS: TSM (4-2) v 100T (5-1)
**Time:** Saturday, 20th February / 23:00 GMT, 15:00 PST

Prior to last weekend, it would’ve been easy to brush off this match-up as being completely one-sided in favour of 100Thieves. Fortunately for fans of TSM, however, we are finally beginning to see the all-star roster waking up.


<div class='twitter-tweet' style="width: 100%; display: flex; justify-content: center; max-width: 100%">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">No troll but the last 2 TSM games they played are some of the cleanest games shown this year in LCS, but this game right now vs IMT might overall be the cleanest. I have no idea what&#39;s going on lol <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LCS?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LCS</a></p>&mdash; LS (@LSXYZ9) <a href="https://twitter.com/LSXYZ9/status/1361081227839610882?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 14, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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Clean victories over Team Liquid from either side means that we now see both of these teams skyrocketing up the standings, with TSM looking to knock 100T down a notch.

The toplane matchup between Heo “Huni” Seung-hoon and Kim “Ssumday” Chan-ho has delivered time and time again, but perhaps the most exciting matchups will be in the middle and bottom lanes.

For 100T, the midlane tends to be all about facilitating the rest of the team to carry - for TSM, expect a more selfish, resource-intensive playstyle that is equal parts rewarding and frustrating to watch. Looking at the botlane, we not only have the battle of the elite Oceanic marksmen, but also two supports with something to prove. Hu “SwordArt” Shuo-Chieh’s blockbuster contract turned a few heads this off-season, but Choi “huhi” Jae-hyun tore them right off with his game-defining Sett play.

A heavy emphasis on engage supports from both sides means that we should be watching the botlane here, but this game is guaranteed to be entertaining regardless of where you look.

**Prediction:** TSM 1-0 100


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<img src='https://stacked-assets.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/posts/post_70_1.jpeg' alt='FPX' style="width: 100%; max-width: 90%;" />
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# LPL: FPX (7-1) v WE (5-3)
**Time:** Monday, 22nd February / 11:00 GMT, 03:00 PST

Rounding out this action-packed edition of Games to Watch is what has quickly become one of the LPL’s marquee matchups. A surging FunPlus Phoenix takes on a formidable Team WE, and while the relative performances of these teams have been night and day as of recent, WE’s elite status early in the split means that FPX still need to respect them.

Chen “Breathe” Chen has been the most pleasant surprise of the LPL toplane this split, and he will have to prove that he is worthy of the hype by facing off against Jang “Nuguri” Ha-gwon. Nuguri is gelling along fairly well with the rest of FPX now, and his volatility in-lane could prove troubling for an otherwise solid Breathe.

The real test here, however, is for rookie FPX jungler Zhou “Bo” Yang-Bo. The up-and-coming mechanical beast was only recently introduced to the squad, and while he has stepped up massively so far, he will be against WE’s Jiang “beishang” Zhi-Peng - who many consider to be the best jungler in the LPL.

Until this year, this was the battle of utility midlaners. Now, with Cui “Shanks” Xiao-Jun taking the reins for WE, we could very well see Kim “Doinb” Tae-sang challenged in a mechanical matchup.

**Prediction:** FPX 2-1 WE

4 Games You CAN’T Miss – Week 5

Weird weekend for Immortals, that’s for sure. After losing to Dignitas on Friday, they got a huge victory over Evil Geniuses on Saturday, only to end the weekend with a hard loss against TSM. After the last game we spoke with Revenge and Xerxe about their current situation.

<section>
<strong>TS</strong>
<strong>Even though you didn’t have the best weekend, what positive things [did] you get from these games?
</strong>
</section>

<section>
<p>R</p>
<div>
<p>Every loss comes with some experience, even the wins. We could get more experience on stage, which is very different from scrims, considering we are a brand new team. We’re always improving how we play the map and how we react to things when they get intense.</p>
</div>
</section>


<section>
<p>X</p>
<div>
<p>I think it’s very important that we get to play more together, since we’re new and we didn’t get many chances to play together, considering I got to NA a few weeks ago.</p>
</div>
</section>

<section>
<strong>TS</strong>
<strong>What differences [have] you noticed between the NA soloqueue and Europe? 
</strong>
</section>

<section>
<p>X</p>
<div>
<p>Well, NA has fewer players than Europe, so you kinda notice that the quality is a bit lower. I don’t think there’s other differences, other than the amount of players.</p>
</div>
</section>

<section>
<strong>TS</strong>
<strong>What happened between Saturday and Sunday?</strong>
</section>

<section>
<p>R</p>
<div>
<p>Every loss comes with some experience, even the wins. We could get more experience on stage, which is very different from scrims, considering we are a brand new team. We’re always improving how we play the map and how we react to things when they get intense.</p>
</div>
</section>



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</div>


<section>
<strong>TS</strong>
<strong>What do you think about the whole Udyr meta and what changes do you expect in the jungle meta for the next few weeks?</strong>
</section>

<section>
<p>X</p>
<div>
<p>It’s hard to say how the meta is going to change. Nerfing the camps experience is huge, so it’s impossible to know how this is going to change. We just have to wait for the patches to hit the live servers and I’ll figure it out. I think Udyr is really fun, actually, you just run around slapping people and it looks really silly. It’s hilarious.</p>
</div>
</section>

<section>
<strong>TS</strong>
<strong>This week you had to deal with some [world class] toplaners, how did you feel about that?</strong>
</section>

<section>
<p>R</p>
<div>
<p>I didn’t feel there’s a huge difference between us, talking about skills. It’s more about how we play to win the game with our teams, and that’s going to be different for every toplaner on every team. From what I showed this weekend, I think I’m not too behind these players by any means, in terms of laning, which is the most important part of the top lane right now.</p>
</div>
</section>

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<img src='https://stacked-assets.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/posts/post_69_1.jpeg' alt='LoL' style="width: 100%; max-width: 90%;" />
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<section>
<strong>TS</strong>
<strong>We get that the results are not ideal, and you always want to win, but we notice that the level of the teams is more even than last year. Everyone seems to be able to beat the rest of the teams. Do you think the bottom teams are getting better or vice versa?</strong>
</section>


<section>
<p>X</p>
<div>
<p>Yeah, at the beginning of the season it’s normal that all the teams are on a similar level. As the season goes on, I think we will see some teams improving faster than others.</p>
</div>
</section>

<section>
<p>R</p>
<div>
<p>Every team can lose to every team right now. I don’t think there’s a dominant team right now. That’s normal on the Spring Split, though. Every team is learning to play together, learning about their weaknesses and their opponents. It’s gonna take the teams some time, it’s only been 2 weeks, not counting the Lock In.</p>
</div>
</section>


Currently, Immortals are 7th in the LCS standings with a 2-4 record, though notably against both Team Liquid and Evil Geniuses. They will have to play against 100Thieves, CLG and FlyQuest, starting this coming weekend. You can check out their full schedule [here](https://lolesports.com/schedule?leagues=lcs).

Xerxe on the current Jungle meta: “I think Udyr is really fun actually, you just run around slapping people … it’s hilarious”

After Fnatic’s victory against SK and Excel, we spoke with Bwipo about their current situation, the level of Fnatic and, especially, his Riven pick. 


<section>
<strong>TS</strong>
<strong>
Ok so… first of all, what’s up with that Riven?
</strong>
</section>

<section>
<strong>B</strong>
<div>
<p>So, Riven is a pick we’ve been preparing for a while and I would pick her whenever I have the chance. This was the game. My lane matchup was pretty free, so I could at least farm. It wasn’t 100% winning or losing matchup, more about skill.</p>
</div>
</section>

<section>
<strong>TS</strong>
<strong>
Any tips for the main Riven around the world?
</strong>
</section>

<section>
<strong>B</strong>
<div>
<p>Yeah, farm your creeps (lol). Nah, I know she has a strong early game and people like to start jumping around, which is fine, I did that too, but it’s important to get level, creeps and gold. If your early game doesn’t go that great, at least you will have gold and objects to get the kills later in the game.</p>
</div>
</section>

<section>
<strong>TS</strong>
<strong>
What do you think about the current level of Fnatic? 
</strong>
</section>

<section>
<strong>B</strong>
<div>
<p>I think we’re pretty solid. I would say we’re top 3, easily. Of course Rogue and G2 are playing well, so we will see what happens in our rematches. Schalke04 is also an interesting team, I would say they’re top 3 like us, or top 4. But if we continue finding this pick for me, I will be very happy and very comfortable with it, and continue performing well.</p>
</div>
</section>

<section>
<strong>TS</strong>
<strong>
You mentioned a few teams, and it looks like right now, everyone can beat everyone, literally. Do you think it is because the bottom teams got better? Or vice versa?
</strong>
</section>

<section>
<strong>B</strong>
<div>
<p>I think it is a bit of both, but I also think it has to be with the meta. The current meta is very versatile and it allows teams to be able to get in control even if things are going bad. It’s very easy to recover the control of a certain game if the draft didn’t go great. Right now, drafts are a big deal, more than in the past. Right now there’s a lot of champions in the meta, so there’s no specific answer for certain situations. For example, we like to play Samira, or Senna.</p>
</div>
</section>


<section>
<strong>TS</strong>
<strong>So based on that, do you think the coaching staff has a bigger impact with this meta than last year?
</strong>
</section>

<section>
<strong>B</strong>
<div>
<p>I think it matters as much. Coaching is always a really important role for any team, in any circumstances. It makes the work for the players a lot easier, or it should do that. It’s always a good thing to have someone paying attention to your good things and your mistakes. But it also works the other way around. Players with bigger champion pools make the coach’s job much easier.</p>
</div>
</section>

Rising to the Occasion: Stacked Interview with Bwipo

The old guard has started to fall. With players like Sneaky, Doublelift, and Bjergsen stepping back, the time for a new chapter led by new names is starting to be written. With the amateur and academy scene more competitive than ever, every player is giving their all to one day reach the pinnacle of professional play. Kosta "Scoooped" Lazaris is one of those players.

A player since middle school, Scoooped (who has three O’s in his name because Scooped was taken) got involved in League when his brother started playing it. Placing Silver in his first season, Scoooped Challenger ranking was a long time coming. 

“A couple years later I hit Diamond, and my first season hitting Challenger was season nine,” said Scoooped. “It was also the first year I tried to go pro.”

This is the first time Scoooped has played on a team since 2019. The ADC has previous experience with Team Matrix and Lucky Esports, but after a brief stint with Mirage Esports, Scoooped wasn’t sure about his future.

“I was indecisive on what I wanted to do. I wasn’t able to do Scouting Grounds,” said Scooped. “This season I’ve decided I’m going to try one more year and see how it goes.” 

Enter Revival. Revival is an esports organization that has been around since 2019, previously only competing in Overwatch Contenders. Their League team, announced in January, is Revival’s first foray into any other Esport. Even so, Scoooped says his decision to sign wasn’t affected by lack of experience or based on brand name. It was all about his teammates.


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“I saw all five players stacking up really well. Some teams you’ll join, you’ll see some weak links that are outclassed when you play other amateur teams,” said Scoooped. “I knew we could win; I knew we could be a top team.”

And win they have. Revival have hit the ground running, playing in a multitude of tournaments since their announcement. This includes many of the popular amateur tournaments, such as RCL Winter, The Upsurge Premier League (where they are currently tied for first in their division), and an impressive second place finish in Big League Season 4. This includes going against (and beating) LCS-affiliated organizations like Cloud9 Amateur and 100 Thieves Next during Challengers Uprising Season 2.

### I think it is hard to go from amateur to academy to pro, because most teams don’t want to give chances. They want to import. But I do hope they give more chances to talented NA players.
#### Scoooped, Bot Laner for Revival

<div class='twitter-tweet' style="width: 100%; display: flex; justify-content: center; max-width: 100%">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">You love to see it!<br><br>Our League of Legends team takes the win against <a href="https://twitter.com/100Thieves?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@100Thieves</a> Next in Round 4 of the <a href="https://twitter.com/Challengers_Up?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Challengers_Up</a> ! GG!<br><br>✨ <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/OnceMore?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#OnceMore</a> <a href="https://t.co/GoIoXgPaNu">pic.twitter.com/GoIoXgPaNu</a></p>&mdash; Vite Ramen Revival (@TheRevivalGG) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheRevivalGG/status/1361161841418756098?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 15, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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“I know that a lot more orgs are wanting to get into the amateur scene, keeping an eye out on it,” said Scoooped. “I think it is hard to go from amateur to academy to pro, because most teams don’t want to give chances. They want to import. But I do hope they give more chances to talented NA players.” 

While their run in Challengers Uprising ended after a loss to Golden Guardians Academy, Scoooped and team have continued to improve. All of the tournament play they have done early on has been a bit overwhelming, with the botlaner saying the team struggles sometimes to find time to practice between games. Despite these scheduling issues and a bit of fatigue, Scoooped is excited about how far Revival can go and where he may end up when it’s all said and done. 

“A year from now I at least want to play academy. If I keep improving and putting in the hours, I think I could be playing in LCS by Summer 2022,” said Scoooped. 
Revival takes on Boise State University in Upsurge week five this Friday at 8PM EST.

Once More: The Odyssey of Scoooped

The final week of the first half of the LEC saw the strongest teams continue to show off their strength and begin to distance themselves from the pack at the top of the standings. Meanwhile, the race to make the playoff cut has grown more complicated as the middle five teams continue to trade wins. MAD Lions, Excel, SK, Rogue, and even Astralis all went 1-1 while the previously surging Schalke fell flat with an 0-2 week. 

# G2


<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 href="https://twitter.com/G2esports?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@G2esports</a> TAKE DOWN <a href="https://twitter.com/Rogue?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Rogue</a>! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LEC?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LEC</a> <a href="https://t.co/XV9pICTxF0">pic.twitter.com/XV9pICTxF0</a></p>&mdash; LEC (@LEC) <a href="https://twitter.com/LEC/status/1360708677267824640?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 13, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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After consecutive 1-1 weeks, G2 managed to pull themselves into a first-place tie with Rogue, whom they defeated in one of the longest, tensest games of the year. G2 flexed their early game strength in both matches through excellent map control and teamfighting, as they now hold the highest dragon control percentage (68%), elder dragon control (100%), and the 2nd highest combined K/D (1.40) in the LEC. Despite this, G2 struggled to close out their matches and their game against Rogue personified this.

G2’s individual mechanical ability makes them a teamfight menace, however Rogue’s scaling composition was well-designed to isolate and catch out G2 members.

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Caps proved invaluable this game on the Ekko however, as his opportunistic engages facilitated much more beneficial teamfights by diving onto the backline and neutralizing Han Sama’s Vayne. Fortunately, G2 executed on a much better engage before taking Rogue’s nexus.


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After Caps creates an opening by once again targeting Hans Sama, G2 thrives in the chaos of the teamfight. While G2 has historically faltered in the regular season, this week saw G2 firing on all cylinders and hinted at the potential this roster has promised.

# Fnatic

Bwipo’s Riven game against SK Gaming sent shockwaves through the LEC as one of the most dominant toplane showings of the year, as he finished with a 11/0/9 line and delivered countless highlight reel plays. Bwipo left the early game with equally dominant lane stats as he had +3000 GD@15 and a 2-level advantage over Jenax.

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After a lengthy delay and subsequent remake, Fnatic made short work of Excel with Hylissang being the conduit through which Fnatic made almost all their plays. Hylissang showed impressive map presence, as before 10 minutes he managed to get Upset a 3-kill and +20 CS advantage, then roaming toplane to similarly enable the solo laners.

No team has been able to match Fnatic’s aggression in recent weeks and with only slight mid-game stumbles, it seems that once Fnatic acquire a lead there’s no looking back.

# The Middle 
While G2, Rouge, and Fnatic seemingly have kept a healthy lead in the LEC, the remaining competition has only grown scrappier.

<div class='twitter-tweet' style="width: 100%; display: flex; justify-content: center; max-width: 100%">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">We did it!! A big win to end the first round of Split matches, and a good birthday present for <a href="https://twitter.com/MacCLol?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MacCLol</a> <br><br>GG WP <a href="https://twitter.com/S04Esports?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@S04Esports</a>!!<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/goMAD?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#goMAD</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MADWIN?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MADWIN</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LEC?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LEC</a> <a href="https://t.co/G6M4g68e9o">pic.twitter.com/G6M4g68e9o</a></p>&mdash; MAD Lions LoL English (@MADLions_LoLEN) <a href="https://twitter.com/MADLions_LoLEN/status/1360659826783760387?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 13, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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MAD Lions have often been compared to G2 and Fnatic because of their aggression but find themselves struggling to break out after consecutive 1-1 weeks. With the second highest combined kills per minute (0.91), MAD suffers from much of Fnatic’s early troubles of pursuing fights without a clear expectation of winning. MAD Lions have managed to improve their synergy though as Armut became a catalyst for the team, heralding a 62.5% KP and 31.7% KS (the highest among toplaners).

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Excel had a promising streak to start, but their passive and midgame-dependent style proved helpless against the relentless aggression of Fnatic. Excel’s early-game struggles are exemplified by their league-low percentages in first tower rate (0%), first blood (22%), and herald control (35%), desperately needing to improve their early objective control and aggression if they hope to turn things around.

Astralis, hoping to make a late push for playoffs, made the mid-season roster swap of switching Nukeduck for long time EU rank 1 player and highly anticipated midlaner MagiFelix. Magifelix’s debut on his signature Corki paired incredibly well with Zanzarah’s Skarner pocket pick below.

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Ultimately, this was Astralis’ most successful week despite dropping their second game. Whether or not they can make themselves a late season playoff contender remains to be seen, but this swap appears promising for now.

LEC Week Four: The Top Flexes and the Middle Gets More Confusing

100 Thieves and Team Liquid both had impressive showings at the LCS Lock In but have had varying success translating that into regular season success. Both coming off a loss, this game was the first step in resecuring their footing at the top of the standings. Ultimately, 100 Thieves pulled away in a 30-minute game to grant them a 5 -1 record and drop the preseason champs to an even 3-3.

# The Sidelanes

While Jensen and Damonte farmed in the midlane on their respective control mages, the sidelanes hosted all the early game action. In the toplane, Ssumday blind-picked Renekton into the infamous Quinn counter pick. This is an inherently losing matchup for Renekton not only due to the usual range disadvantage that typically garners a negative CS differential, but also because Quinn can easily evade any engages from Renekton by virtue of her Vault ability.

Despite this disadvantage and an early toplane gank by Santorin, Ssumday played this matchup incredibly well. At 10 minutes Ssumday was up 4 CS and had went even in gold as he managed to take tower plates, setting himself up to be far more impactful in the mid-to-late game teamfights. 

Botlane was characterized by constant aggression and skirmishing on both sides facilitated by the opportunistic supports. Though FBI found first blood, Huhi’s early aggression was to his own detriment.

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After hitting a promising hook onto Tactical, Huhi and FBI fall prey to Rell’s incredible mobility and stun that turn the fight into a win for the TL botlane. Overall, TL set up Tactical to be a mid-game menace which was especially important as they would need him to take a tank-slayer role in teamfights against Renekton and Olaf. Alphari even worked to get Tactical fed.

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Here we see a beautiful 1-2 combo with Alphari capitalizing on his enhanced movement speed to get a hit on FBI, allowing Tactical to burst FBI down for the kill.

# Midgame Teamfights

Gaining early leads for their ADC, Team Liquid were in a position to reasonably win teamfights despite the objective advantages that Closer had earned for 100 Thieves.


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CoreJJ found a three-man Rell ult and double stun which Tactical followed up on, laying down consistent damage amplified by his Kraken Slayer. The focus being drawn to the top half of the fight was advantageous for the bottom three members of the fight, who were able to neutralize Ssumday before collapsing and helping to clean up the remaining 100 Thieves members.

Despite this win, poor positioning cost Team Liquid the game, as seen in this costly Baron fight.

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To start the fight, Damonte’s TF ult and Ssumday’s TP were perfectly timed to force the engage before Alphari could show up, splitting up the TL squad into four separate positions. 

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Tactical was able to kite and deal decent damage to the tanks once again, however he and Alphari are essentially left on their own as Jensen and CoreJJ were stuck in the river for the entire fight where they have no impact. 

The baron buff allowed 100 Thieves to crack TL’s base, where they once again scattered TL and rendered Jensen useless.


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The initial hook by Huhi and follow up damage onto Lilia denies TL the sustain that could have potentially prolonged this fight. After this, 100 Thieves smartly disengaged to regroup and dive onto TL’s tank-buster before taking the nexus.

# Conclusions
Both teams traded well across the map, never letting a kill or objective go unanswered, but ultimately TL looked disjointed when it mattered the most. 

This was 100 Thieves’ strongest showing of the season, as Ssumday came up huge in what is almost always a losing matchup. Closer was 100 Thieves’ MVP however as he held full control over the jungle and neutral objectives.

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Ultimately, 100 Thieves showed an incredible ability to gain advantages against a tough laning focused composition. Tied for first with Cloud9 entering the last week of the first round-robin, 100 Thieves will hope to carry this momentum into their game against a heating up TSM.

Weekend Spotlight: 100 Thieves vs Team Liquid

With four out of ten weeks in the books for the LCK, a break in play to observe the Lunar New Year is a perfect time to take a look back at our [preseason predictions](https://stacked.gg/article/lck-power-rankings-dwg-kia) and see how they’ve held up.

# Underperforming

There are two teams that instantly stand out for me in this category: Liiv SANDBOX and Nongshim RedForce. I was incredibly high on NS, thinking they had the potential to be the number four team behind the trinity of DWG KIA, Gen.G, and T1. They find themselves at the bottom three currently, with their loss to Afreeca Freecs being the most concerning. A 3-5 record isn’t a life sentence to the bottom of the table when 2nd through 4th are only two games ahead at 5-3, but they need to win against teams like AF.

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Liiv have only won two games this season, but an upset over Hanwha Life Gaming in the most recent week of play might have this team trending upwards. In an aggressive roster move, SANDBOX signed recently released, former FunPLus Phoenix ADC, Lee "Prince" Chae-hwan to their roster, meaning they now have three options in the botlane. This could be the change they need to become a playoff contender.

The last team I’ll include in here are T1, who were heavily underperforming preseason expectations before having a rebound week with two straight wins. They’re in the middle of playoff contention and could finish as high as third if they stick with their best roster (which is the one that swept week four). 

# Meeting the Mark
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<h2>DWG KIA Starting Roster – LCK Global</h2>
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DWG KIA look just as strong as ever, despite a shocking loss to Fredit BRION. I’d love to see backup Kim "Chasy" Dong-hyeon get a start one of these days over Kim "Khan" Dong-ha, who while serviceable, has only looked dominant on Sion and Gangplank. 

Fredit BRION did get that one big win, but it is the only win they’ve had all season, finding themselves at the bottom of the table as expected. Afreeca Freecs are on the outside looking in on playoff possibilities, but could compete for the final seed.  Gen.G have struggled, but hold onto second place. KT Rolster and HLE are both competing for higher seeds for Spring playoffs. These teams are all around where they were predicted to be. 

# Overperforming

This section is solely for one team: DRX. DRX only kept jungler Hong “Pyosik” Chang-hyeon from last year, losing names like Doran, Chovy and Deft to other teams they are now competing against in the top half of the leaderboard. The team is at +0 on match record despite having a 5-3 series record, but these rookies have come in and far exceeded expectations.


<div class='twitter-tweet' style="width: 100%; display: flex; justify-content: center; max-width: 100%">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">DRX BECCA ON RELL STEALS BARON! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LCK?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LCK</a> <a href="https://t.co/bCyasGuAf8">pic.twitter.com/bCyasGuAf8</a></p>&mdash; LCK Global (@LCK_Global) <a href="https://twitter.com/LCK_Global/status/1358387250610929664?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 7, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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Beyond Pyosik, the only starter with stage experience is Hwang "Kingen" Seong-hoon who previously played for Bilibili Gaming in the LPL and KT Rolster. DRX’s midlaner and botlane were former members of DRX Academy, with very little combined experience at the tier one level. They were all previously on the team back when it was known as Kingzone DragonX, and now they have finally gotten to show their worth after being overlooked. 

It was a poor performance in the KeSPA Cup that had me doubting DRX, but as I learned from NS, preseason play isn’t always a leading indicator. They’ve defeated Gen.G but have yet to beat Hanwha or DWG KIA. Their matchup against T1 on the 19th will be a great test to see if this team can continue to hang with the big-name talent. 


LCK Spring – Power Rankings Revisited

After being featured in our games of the week highlights, it feels like a given that we would have to revisit this game after it played out. After a fairly convincing early-mid game from FlyQuest, the match turned out to be fairly one-sided, with expected favourites 100Thieves coming out on top.

To make matters worse for FlyQuest, we saw Evil Geniuses - one of their competitors for the upper-middle of the pack position - upset the then-undefeated Cloud9. FLY versus 100T was just one game, but another tally in the loss column puts playoff contention ever so slightly further from reach.

Regardless, there were some major positives to take away from this game.

# Ssumday versus Licorice
The clash between Kim “Ssumday” Chan-ho and Eric “Licorice” Ritchie has, in the past, represented the best of what LCS toplane talent has to offer. Coming into this year, expectations for Licorice were at an all-time low - the former MVP was removed from his starting position on Cloud9 this off-season - and the hype around Ssumday was still deservedly huge. Even so, this matchup was way closer than it had any right to be, largely due to Licorice’s strong laning on Gangplank versus a pretty heavily prioritised Renekton.

Top lane is typically an island, and synergy with the rest of the roster is a little less important than with other roles. Unfortunately for FLY, by the time teamfights rolled around it became abundantly clear as to which of these superstars was gelling better with their new squads. The teamfight in the midlane around the 22:20 mark is a good example of how 100T are unafraid to commit to a decision as soon as Ssumday groups with the team, and a desperation response from Licorice just leads to even greater losses for FLY. 100T are able to rack up four kills, dragon, and a baron from this exchange.

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FLY should’ve played a little further back and used Cannon Barrage, Encore, or Emperor’s Divide to disengage preemptively, but instead they found themselves run down by a very coordinated 100T. Calling Licorice to forfeit his lead in order to desperately attempt to Teleport in and save the day removed any kind of lead that this GP built for himself.

# An Empire Divided

Given their late-game insurance policies - Azir, Gangplank, et cetera - it should’ve been a no brainer that FLY cede a couple of objectives throughout the mid game and focus on late game teamfighting. This emphasis on safety without slowly bleeding out is what should have been drilled into their primary carries’ minds, and yet some unfortunate attempts at playmaking came from the FLY midlaner. Fans should be very happy to see that rookie mid Cristian “Palafox” Palafox is unafraid to make plays, but attempting to Shurima Shuffle without a key component - namely, the Azir ultimate itself - was a little bit of a thinking emoji.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Guys I think we 9x the Azir that game</p>&mdash; FLY Palafox (@palafoxlol) <a href="https://twitter.com/palafoxlol/status/1360381256064585730?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 13, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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100T again demonstrated their synergy here, with Choi “huhi” Jae-hyun’s Tahm Kench protecting his relatively immobile, yet teamfight-defining, carries in almost every fight. Huhi as an individual also demonstrated that he is one step above his counterpart, pulling the entire enemy team across the map as Tahm Kench thanks to well-thought out Teleport and Abyssal Voyage plays. 

# Expectations Moving Forward

This loss followed by a 1-1 weekend against CLG and Cloud9 puts FLY at 2-4, tied for 7th place in the LCS. For a rebuilt roster, the scoreline isn’t so bad - especially since the rookies seem to be growing on a weekly basis - but for an organisation that made the LCS Finals two-for-two throughout 2020, it’s a bit of a fall from grace. FLY’s losses so far have, to be fair, been entirely against top-performing teams and time will tell how they hold up against more similarly-ranked teams.

For 100T, this was another sloppy win that, while adding to their almost spotless record, is another worrying sign for when teams catch up with their synergy. Even so, with C9’s defeat, the boys in black and red are holding on to their 1 seed with a 5-1 record to start the season.

Weekend Spotlight: 100 Thieves Take Down FlyQuest

Barely a month into the start of the LCS, there have been reports of teams lobbying Riot Games to remove the import rule on LCS and Academy rosters, clearing the way for full teams of players who aren’t NA residents.

The news was [broken](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHKuglyL1OM&feature=emb_title) on February 2nd by Travis Gafford, with an excerpt going viral on the League of Legends subreddit the next day, who brought up the topic on an episode of his regular series Hotline League. Gafford claimed that some, if not all, of the LCS teams were pushing Riot to remove the import rule, opening up the ability to bring in as many foreign players as they wanted.

The current import rule only allows an LCS team to have two “import slots” for non-residents, defined as players with lawful permanent residence outside of North America. An exception is made for “grandfathered in” NA residents, referred to as IMP residents, according to the [official LCS rulebook](https://nexus.leagueoflegends.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/2020-LCS-Rule-Set-v20.1_6bkbwz26cgp7fngeat6a.pdf). Examples of IMP residents include Nicolaj “Jensen” Jensen, current Team Liquid mid-laner, and Lucas “Santorin” Tao Kilmer Larsen, current Team Liquid jungler. As IMP residents, players don’t take up an import slot, leaving it open to players in other regions. For example, in the case of Team Liquid, its two import slots are taken by Barney “Alphari” Morris and Jo “CoreJJ” Yong-in.

Academy, on the other hand, can only have one import slot, but it also benefits from an [“emerging region” slot](https://nexus.leagueoflegends.com/en-us/2019/11/2020-academy-update-emerging-region-import-policy/), which means that a team can import a player as long as the player is a resident of any regions which Riot considered an “emerging region”, such as Brazil, Turkey, and other countries.

Riot declined a request by Stacked to comment on the ongoing issue.

The Reddit thread discussing the topic has over 3,000 upvotes on r/leagueoflegends, and almost 2,000 comments. The ramifications of removing the import rule are varied and far-reaching, but it’s difficult to speculate how such a change would be implemented and who would be affected.

While the move is obviously welcomed by LCS team owners, other stakeholders may feel differently. For North American players, it would create a much stiffer form of competition, putting some jobs at risk. 

In [an email interview with Stacked](https://stacked.gg/article/crumbz-on-american-players), Alberto “Crumbz'' Rengifo talked about recent incoming talent from LATAM and OCE, even with the current rules. North American players, he says, are already feeling the heat.

“Now, Americans don’t know where the competition is coming from, and they will either have to improve or get replaced,” Rengifo said.

This move would also have ramifications for leagues around the world - what would stop better-funded organizations and teams from simply buying out a championship team from Europe or Asia? What measures would be put in place to stop that? Further, what would happen to other leagues, as their stars would potentially be poached by the highest bidder? What would happen to global viewership as a whole? Riot has no shortage of variables to consider when evaluating this rule.

Nick Phan, the General Manager of FlyQuest, was very blunt about what it would mean to lift the import restrictions in an interview with Stacked.
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“If we were able to, over the next couple of years, create more accessibility for minor regions, I think that does a better service to us than just creating no import restrictions whatsoever,” Phan said.

Going into Week 2 of the LCS regular season, no further news has been leaked regarding the import rule, and the debate still rages online and around the community. Tristan “PowerOfEvil” Schrage, mid-laner for Team SoloMid, was more lukewarm about what the rule would mean for players and said that it would affect owners and organizations far more than it would affect the players.

“The only thing that I could say that would maybe change for the players is that it would be more competitive to get a spot as a North American player, possibly since now you’re not only competing against North American [players] for the free slot, you’re competing against the whole world as well,” Schrage said in an interview with Stacked.

LCS Import Rumors Swirl, Controversy Ensue

Happy Lunar New Year, everyone! You may be wondering why Lunar New Year made its way into our games of the week, but it’s actually incredibly relevant. Given the observation of the holiday, the LPL and the LCK are both taking a week off, so for those of you that have an allergy to Best-of-3s we have good news: this week is all about the LCS and LEC.

Fortunately, there are still some fantastic games coming up this week, with top-of-the-leaderboard clashes and tremendous upset potential alike in abundance. Without further ado, let’s get into it - here are Stacked’s Games of the Week!

# LCS: FlyQuest (1-2) v 100Thieves (3-0)
**Time**: Friday, February 12th, 3:00pm PST / 11:00pm GMT  

Given the records of these two teams, you may be wondering why this is a featured matchup. Looking at the schedule of each team, combined with us actually having watched the games, it’s easy to see why these squads are actually at pretty similar power levels.

FLY opened the split on a tear, upsetting TSM’s superstar roster with Brandon Joel “Josedeodo” Villegas’ Hecarim dominating with ease. Since then, however, the two-time LCS 2020 domestic finalists suffered back-to-back losses against two top teams in Team Liquid and Evil Geniuses. This match is important for FLY to take in order to show that they can hang at the top - especially considering that they play the remaining top team, Cloud9, later this week. 

For 100Thieves, the team with the most established roster of the LCS starting the season, falling short at match point versus C9 was a disappointment. 100T need to take a victory here to solidify themselves as deserving of Top 3 consideration. 

Yes, 100T have beaten the EG team that took down FLY already, but with their other two wins coming against Dignitas (who picked Rengar for Joshua “Dardoch” Hartnett and fumbled in a Krugs death) and a CLG team that simply decided… not to win, they need to make a statement here.

You should definitely be excited to see Josedeodo taking on Can “Closer” Çelik in the jungle, with both players being the standout performers of their emerging regions and already proving that they can compete with the best that NA has to offer. In addition, Eric “Licorice” Ritchie going blow-for-blow with king of toplane Kim “Ssumday” Chan-ho could be just what the former MVP and C9 franchise player needs to regain his stride.

**Prediction**: FLY 1-0 100T

<div class='twitter-tweet' style="width: 100%; display: flex; justify-content: center; max-width: 100%">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">1st Place vs 2nd Place:<a href="https://twitter.com/Rogue?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Rogue</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/G2esports?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@G2esports</a> face off in the <a href="https://twitter.com/Alienware?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Alienware</a> Match of the Week this Saturday! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LEC?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LEC</a> <a href="https://t.co/CYf2gPZSNh">pic.twitter.com/CYf2gPZSNh</a></p>&mdash; LEC (@LEC) <a href="https://twitter.com/LEC/status/1359899666138214405?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 11, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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# LEC: G2 Esports (5-2) v Rogue (6-1)
**Time:** Saturday February 13th, 12:00pm PST / 8:00pm GMT  

The Kings of Europe versus the perpetual New Kids on the Block - and you would be surprised as to which holds the better record. Yes, FC Schalke 04 Esports did Royal-Blue-Shell these teams in tremendously convincing upset victories, but there’s a reason as to why they are both still at the top of the leaderboard.

G2 enters this match with something to prove, having their usually near-perfect early season record already besmirched by not one, but two losses. Their recent loss to rival Fnatic should be the fire they need as the team looks to reclaim pole position on the leaderboard.

Rogue on the other hand are still carefree, happily winning away. The team qualified for Worlds last year but were unconvinced with their less-than-stellar results, making two roster changes in the off-season. Meanwhile Steven “Hans sama” Liv has had a spectacular return to form, cashing in on the hype he generated all the way back at Worlds 2017 in a similar fashion to his once-signature champion Draven.There are two very key matchups to highlight here. Firstly, we have the undisputed top 2 midlaners in Europe facing off. Rasmus “Caps” Winther is a proven, established talent with multiple World Finals appearances, and Emil “Larssen” Larsson is the young talent that echoes Caps’ early years. Seeing these two face off is guaranteed to be entertaining, highlighting why European midlaners garner so much respect around the world.

Enter the junglers in this matchup. The two Polish representatives have been on fire this split, with Marcin “Jankos” Jankowski’s ability to read the map and invade in tandem with his mid and support unrivalled. The G2 veteran is still among the elite of LEC junglers, but perhaps RGE focal point Kacper “Inspired” Słoma’s mechanical prowess could leave the veteran struggling to keep up.

**Prediction**: G2 1-0 RGE

# LCS: TL (2-1) v 100T (3-0)

**Time**: Sunday, February 14th, 1:00pm PST / 9:00pm GMT

This Valentine’s Day, we’ve been given a rematch of the Spring 2018 LCS Finals - though Ssumday is the only returning player.

Team Liquid, champions of the Lock In tournament, are without a doubt the best team in North America at the moment. Unfortunately, they enter this week 3rd in the standings having lost their opening game to Immortals of all opponents. If anything, this is just reassurance that TL and 100T are both inconsistent, meaning this game could go either way.

It would still be wise to hedge your bets on TL, however, as alongside their victory in the Lock In tournament, they have taken two very convincing victories so far this Spring Split.The matchups to watch here are in the botlane - two of the top three duo lanes in the League as well as two of the bloodthirstiest - and toplane. Ssumday versus Barney “Alphari” Morris is a 1v1 deserving of the Worlds stage, and this should be Alphari’s first real test in North America (...Mohamed “Revenge” Kaddoura’s Irelia aside).

**Prediction**: TL 1-0 100T

Stacked 3 Games You CAN’T Miss (Week 4)

Crownshot is making a quick return to the LEC. Team Vitality have announced that they’re making a change in the botlane, signing Crownshot as the teams new starting ADC. Crownshot most recently served as the ADC for SK Gaming, but announced before the 2021 Spring split that he would not be staying with the team.

<div class='twitter-tweet' style="width: 100%; display: flex; justify-content: center; max-width: 100%">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">We are adding <a href="https://twitter.com/CrownshotLoL?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CrownshotLoL</a> to our LEC team, effective immediately. 🤩<br><br>We felt a strong voice was needed to lead our team on the Rift and found in Crownshot a good match. He will start in the AD carry position on Friday. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/VITWIN?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#VITWIN</a> <a href="https://t.co/sT9szosVZ4">pic.twitter.com/sT9szosVZ4</a></p>&mdash; Team Vitality 🐝 (@TeamVitality) <a href="https://twitter.com/TeamVitality/status/1359181134744199176?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 9, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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Crownshot had announced just a month ago that he was joining Gen.G as a content creator, and that he would soon be moving to Korea for the new role. It seems that the plan was shelved when this opportunity to continue his pro career came up.

Team Vitality have not had a good performance thus far in Spring split, tied with Origen for last place sitting on a 1-6 record. Crownshot will be replacing Comp, the team's rookie ADC who has struggled to help the team find victories. Comp sports the second lowest KDA of all LEC ADCs at 1.8, although does have decent CS advantages in the early game averaging a +5.7 CSD@10minutes. Comp’s numbers point to a young player with a decent laning phase, but struggles to make an impact mid-to-late game in teamfights and beyond. This could be a reflection of a poor roster overall, as it isn’t solely Comp’s fault the team hasn’t had any success thus far. On the other hand, these things happen with younger players, and some time on the bench could be good for his development. Being benched is never an easy pill to swallow, and the move certainly comes with its critics. Can Crownshot really turn the season around, or are Vitality better off investing in rookie talent?

Vitality has had a rough time closing games out, which is surely the impetus behind the Crownshot signing as he is a LEC veteran that will bring more stability and shotcalling to the roster. Some fans and analysts are wondering what this move means for the team, especially with the accompanying distraction a mid-season move like this brings with all the public controversy from media and fans.

<div class='twitter-tweet' style="width: 100%; display: flex; justify-content: center; max-width: 100%">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">I don&#39;t think that Comp was the main problem of Vitality but at the same time I feel very happy to see Crownshot back on the game <a href="https://t.co/Uycd6P2yra">https://t.co/Uycd6P2yra</a></p>&mdash; Pablo Suárez (@BloopGG) <a href="https://twitter.com/BloopGG/status/1359184486190178313?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 9, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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Comp, understandably miffed, responded to the news by posting to Twitter a screenshot of his Rank 1 EU West account.

<div class='twitter-tweet' style="width: 100%; display: flex; justify-content: center; max-width: 100%">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="und" dir="ltr">✊ <a href="https://t.co/HheDRLfAwD">pic.twitter.com/HheDRLfAwD</a></p>&mdash; Markos Stamkopoulos (@VIT_Comp) <a href="https://twitter.com/VIT_Comp/status/1359227045167923200?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 9, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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While it is never fun to see a young player benched, Crownshot has tons of fans and there is a general positivity around his returning to the LEC. Hopefully he can give this roster the catalyst it needs to salvage the season. 


Comp Out, Crownshot In – Team Vitality Signs New AD Carry

Still early into season 11, much of competitive League of Legends is still in flux, but one trend has made itself apparent: top difference matters. Across the four major regions, toplane has the highest champion diversity, averaging 22 unique picks. Consequently, self-sufficient toplaners with flexible champion pools are more valuable than ever. The ability of a team’s toplaner has far reaching impacts from domestic performance to international success, with the LPL leading the pack with world class toplane talent.

The term ‘weak side toplaner’ is often thrown around, but defining what a successful weak side player looks like has become more important as their agency over the outcome of games has only increased.

Playing weak side entails intentionally receiving minimal resources during the laning phase primarily in terms of jungle presence. Time spent helping the chosen weak side laner could otherwise be spent on gaining map/objective control or helping determined carries get ahead. Due to their inherently isolated position on the map, toplaners are most often tasked with playing weak side and its since been the staple of any reliable top player.

# Case Study 1: Odoamne

Odoamne has been a massive contributor to Rogue’s dominance in the LEC and is a prime example of a weak side toplaner. Odoamne is incredibly independent as he averages a 70% isolate rate, meaning he spends virtually the entire laning phase without jungle proximity. Despite being left alone and vulnerable to enemy ganks, Odoamne averages only one death per game. It takes incredible map and cooldown awareness to avoid falling to enemy dives when playing weak side with no backup.

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In this clip, Odo’s awareness has him backing up to his second tower well before the dive is executed, completely avoiding Razork’s ult.


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Odamne dominates the laning phase, leading all 10-minute differential stats as he ranks 1st in GD@10(+300), XPD@10(+245), CSD@10(+12.1), and CSPM (8.3) amongst LEC toplaners, a testament to his impeccable wave management.

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Here we see how Odoamne creates such massive differentials by rarely allowing opponents to freeze the wave in an advantageous position for a gank. Instead, Odoamne often allows opponents to push and crash the wave into his tower, subsequently zoning them out from CS as most won’t risk overextending themselves so far toward the tower. 


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Odoamne’s reliable laning has facilitated Rogue’s 100% first tower kill rate and enabled their ability to regularly lane swap.

# Case Study 2: Alphari

Like Odoamne, Alphari is consistently able to win lane without needing resources to be funneled into him, giving Team Liquid flexibility in finding different win conditions. Alphari does not always have the same lane dominant stats as Odo, but exhibits an equally important characteristic of weak side players: the ability to mitigate deficits in a losing matchup.

While Team Liquid’s stacked botlane duo surely helps, TL still managed to win 5/8 games (63%) where Alphari fell behind in XP, Gold, or CS@10minutes. Where Alphari led at 10-minutes, TL won 28/34 games (82%). Cloud9 on the other hand, a highly toplane dependent team, won only 19/38 games (50%) when Fudge trailed at 10-minutes.

Further, Alphari is elite at absorbing pressure not just in the game, but also in the drafting phase. In the Lock In finals, Alphari was the target of 14 bans and either last picked or blind picked into the toplane matchup 4 out of 5 games. Nonetheless, Alphari found a way to get it done and led Team Liquid to their first 2021 championship.


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The trust that comes with an experienced toplaner who can play weak side with little to no support makes a team far more dynamic. The role and playstyles needed from toplaners is continuously expanding as tanks, split pushers, and supportive champions have all proven themselves viable. Top of the standing teams like G2 and Damwon found success in their regions in part by making the toplane a ground for experimentation. Many more patches will determine the future of toplane, but as it stands, the best teams in the world are the ones utilizing their toplane to the fullest.

Top Difference: Winning and Losing in the Toplane

With the signing of superstar LLA jungler Brendan Joel “Josedeodo” Villegas, FlyQuest signalled two things. 

First was that they were willing to venture outside of the major regions of the League of Legends pro scene to get the talent that they wanted. Josedeodo was a strong performer for the LLA’s R7, gaining notoriety in Worlds 2020.

Second was that they were willing to take fans, new and old, on a rebuild that would capitalize on the talent that they possessed.

The addition of Josedeodo has helped pull a swarm of fans from the LLA into the LCS, ready to watch as Josedeodo and FlyQuest turned on the jets and showed the league what they were made of.

With the advent of his signing, FlyQuest [announced](https://twitter.com/FlyQuest/status/1357056427337125895) on February 3rd that they would be running an LCS co-stream in Spanish, to give primarily Spanish-speaking fans a way to enjoy LCS content in a language other than English. 

The co-stream was an idea that was readily capitalized on by fans. While the LCS regularly pulls in hundreds of thousands of viewers across its multiple streams, FlyQuest’s spanish-only broadcast reached around 3,400 viewers at its peak on February 6th, according to Twitch analytics site [streamcharts](https://streamscharts.com/twitch/channels/flyquest). It may seem small in comparison, but the advent of the stream is a strong step in the right direction for the LCS and FlyQuest as an organization.

In an interview with Stacked, Ricky Gonzalez, the Vice President of Content at FlyQuest, described how the organization knew that this was a moment to be capitalized on.

“We've already seen a significant growth in interactions and engagement from fans across LATAM with FlyQuest, and that's a testament to the passion and excitement those fans have for League of Legends and the players from their region,” Gonzalez wrote in an email.

It’s easy to assume Josedeodo has drawn these fans to NA. One only needs to look at his Twitter--according to analytics tracking site [Socialblade](https://socialblade.com/twitter/user/josedeodo), Josedeodo gained over 25,000 followers in September 2020, stemming from his incredible Worlds 2020 performance that secured his former team, R7, a spot in the knockout round of the bracket. Since then, he’s continued to be dominant, showing up in LCS and immediately showing off his prowess in the LCS Lock-In and first weekend with strong performances on Hecarim and Udyr, and his twitter account is growing to match.

Nick Phan, the General Manager of FlyQuest, spoke to Stacked about FlyQuest’s plans for the LCS co-stream and Josedeodo’s role in the idea. He said that with the new roster, they had to plan for what they wanted to do with it.

“When we are constructing competitive rosters, you do have to think about the consequences, good or bad, of x player or y player. So when we knew that we were going into 2021 with somewhat of a rebuild, we had to think ‘how do we make this team marketable?’” Phan said.

Phan also said that bringing Josedeodo over was also the spark for a lot of ideas.

“When I first thought of bringing Josedeodo over, just independently, I was like ‘ok, if we’re going to have to rebuild, this gives us an opportunity to create a lot of different media opportunities that otherwise we won’t have,’” Phan continued.

While the LCS is a North American league, the game has a global focus and is immensely popular around the world, drawing millions of people to watch and play the game. Branching out is a traditional way to spread brand and media awareness, as seen with corporations and traditional sports teams. We’ll have to see what the future holds, and whether FlyQuest has truly unlocked a new segment of LCS fans, just waiting to be tapped by the right jungler.


FlyQuest expands to a global audience with new spanish LCS co-streams

When Challengers Uprising announced its first foray into the amateur scene last year, there were quite a few questions around how successful a brand new league could be. Despite featuring some of the most impressive talent around in the amateur scene when it came to staff and resources, years of seeing similar leagues fail to deliver left the masses cautiously optimistic at best. 

One incredibly successful debut season later, and Challengers Uprising is on top of the world (of amateur League of Legends, anyway). High-level production values, an emphasis on formats that promote both exposure and competitive integrity, and a dedication to sourcing the best talent available has CUP head and shoulders above any other equivalent broadcast. Huge sponsors like Nike, Red Bull, and more are already on board, further legitimizing the promotion.

CUP Season 1 finalists, 100Thieves Next, saw all of their talent individually promoted to Academy during this offseason. Again, the emphasis on the development and exposure of some of North America’s finest up-and-coming talents is something that CUP prides itself on, and it has done fantastically with it so far. In fact, this year sees CUP recognised as one of Riot’s official Proving Grounds partners, and games are streamed on the Academy channel for the benefit of everyone involved.

This year, CUP features some of the best in next-generation talent, a handful of LCS veterans, a few LCS development squads, and even the Golden Guardians’ Academy team.

We sat down with occasional Play-by-Play - but mostly king of the Analyst Desk - Marc “Raafaa” Alexander Arrambide to discuss what to expect from these hyped up amateur teams this year, as well as what to expect from the CUP broadcast itself.


### Yes, we have creative freedom in how we want to express ourselves, but our focus is to always put the players in the spotlight.
#### Marc "Raafaa" Alexander Arrambide

<section>
<strong>TS</strong>
<strong>
Thank you, Raafaa, for sitting down with us today. Let’s get straight to business here - we want to know which teams you think should look the most promising in CUP Season 2.
</strong>
</section>

<section>
<p>R</p>
<div>
<p>Golden Guardians Academy is a given, since this is the first Academy team that has ever participated in an amateur tournament. We’ll be given a chance to see just how an Academy roster will fare against the rest of the competition.
</p>
<p>
There are a distinct top 4 or 5 teams among the amateur squads that I believe will be the strongest of the pack. In no particular order, they are:
- Barrage.NA  
- Maryville University  
- No Org (Formerly known as ANEW Esports)  
- SolaFide Esports  
- Evil Geniuses Prodigies  
</p>
<p>
However, there are some dark horses in Revival, WildCard, and Zoos Esports (formerly known as ANEW Blaze) that have taken games/sets off of the top half. These all need to be taken seriously as potential contenders as well.
</p>
</div>
</section>


<section>
<strong>TS</strong>
<strong>
Very interesting to note that EG’s amateur roster was the only one listed of all the LCS partnered teams. What do you think separates them from the rest, especially given 100x (100Thieves Next)’s success in the past?
</strong>
</section>



<section>
<p>R</p>
<div>
<p> Evil Geniuses Prodigies in their current form are simply the strongest amateur team affiliated with an LCS organisation right now. 100x could be a sleeper team - as there are rumours from scrims that they are improving fast and gelling together well - but they still need to solidify their fundamentals and team macro, which is where their accomplished coaching staff are already making progress.
</p>
<p>
Cloud9 Amateur has one of the best rookie junglers in Lawrence “eXyu” Xu (he has collegiate experience courtesy of his time at the University of California, as well as having played in a few amateur competitions over the past two years). C9 Amateur has also recently acquired Brindon “Breezyyy” Keesey, the former 100T Academy support, and while some of the individuals on this roster still have a long way to go, you cannot fault C9’s history as an organisation for their development of rookie talent.</p>
</div>
</section>

<section>
<strong>TS</strong>
<strong>
As a side note to these Amateur teams, what do you think of GG’s decision to use their Academy team? I know that it’s a good litmus test to see how amateur teams can match up versus Academy rosters, but wouldn’t you rather have seen a complete developmental squad here?
</strong>
</section>


<section>
<p>R</p>
<div>
<p>There were actually rumours that GG had been looking to assemble an amateur roster over the off-season, but things fell through. That being said, they picked up two very fresh amateur players in Tae-ho Timothy “RoseThorn” Kim and Jong-yun Jay “Yunbee” Choi off of their Honda Scouting Grounds 2020 performances this past fall. 
</p>
<p>
Combined with the relatively proven talent on the rest of this roster, the experience that the veterans surrounding these rookies have should help the new kids on the block get caught up to speed relatively quickly.</p>
</div>
</section>


<section>
<strong>TS</strong>
<strong>
Excellent. One last thing -- what do you think separates CUP, and the product that you and the rest of the staff produce, from the other amateur broadcasts out there?
</strong>
</section>


<section>
<p>R</p>
<div>
<p>Challengers Uprising is built upon staff that all have one collective vision: the stories of the players involved. Yes, we have creative freedom in how we want to express ourselves, but our focus is to always put the players in the spotlight.
</p>
</div>
</section>



<section>
<strong>TS</strong>
<strong>
Thank you, Raafaa. You can all tune into Challengers Uprising this week on the LCS Academy channels!
</strong>
</section>

Amateurs Rise Up: What to Expect from CHALLENGERS UPRISING

Already off to a hot start, the LEC has only gotten more competitive and unpredictable as we leave Week 3. Most teams are separated by less than one game from either climbing to the top half of the league or falling out of playoff contention. Next week marks the end of the first round robin as the playoff pictures solidifies – one way or another.


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<h2> Image: Schalke 04 Esports
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# Schalke 04
Thanks to Schalke upsetting Rogue, there are no undefeated teams remaining in the LEC. Schalke executed dive compositions incredibly well this week, largely in thanks to Limit (who maintained his 100% win-rate on Rell) and Gilius, exemplified here:


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Schalke replicated this dive all weekend, as the primary engages showed excellent target selection by jumping on Rogue’s damage dealers and splitting the fight. This gave Neon open season to free fire and clean up the fight with his Killer Instinct. Schalke took this strategy to a 2-0 week, building on their success last week and rocketing into the top three.

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<h2>Image: Fnatic
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# Fnatic
Fnatic have branded themselves as one of the most exciting teams in the world to watch with their relentless pace, averaging 1.15 combined kills per minute across their games – the highest across any major region. Fnatic have refined their aggressive playstyle, improving their team K/D from .69 to 1.11. More than just brawling team fights, Fnatic have learned to more efficiently pick their battles while keeping up the pace in just the span of 2 weeks. 

Fnatic capped off the week by defeating longtime rivals, G2, in convincing fashion. Bwipo performed incredibly well this game, putting on a clinic with Volibear.

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Bwipo not only infiltrates G2’s backline, zoning off Rekkles and dealing massive damage, but also pincers Jankos between the main Fnatic squad and the collapsing threat of Nisqy. 

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<h2>Caption: Bwipo executes a perfect backline split, zoning off Rekkles and Jankos.
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Countless times throughout this game, Bwipo hunted down the former Fnatic carries with opportune ults. Nisqy’s outplay potential has also contributed to recent success, as he followed his 1v2 on Irelia last week up with another on Azir.

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Fnatic can still look unorganized and overly aggressive in the early game, but in extending their winning streak to three games, it seems Fnatic is finding their footing.

# Excel

In past weeks, Excel has suffered from making Patrik their singular win condition. Patrik holds the team’s highest kill share (36.7%), damage share (32.1%), gold share (27.0%), and facilitated almost all their winning teamfights. Anytime Patrik left lane with negative differentials, Excel ultimately lost. This week’s performance was all about showing that Excel is more than a one-dimensional team.

In Game 1 against Misfits, Excel mostly capitalized on Misfit’s misplays. Game 2 however was a display of control as Dan monopolized the jungle’s neutral objectives, conceding only one rift herald. Those advantages snowballed into dominant teamfights throughout the game, as seen below.

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Kryze and Tore were able to find persistent re-engages that still allowed Patrik to clean-up fights while not completely relying on his damage. This was a crucial 2-0 week for Excel, picking up wins against fellow middle-of-the-pack teams and keeping their playoff hopes alive – for now.

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<h2> Image: G2 Esports
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It was a mixed week for G2 - while they recovered from their first loss against Schalke with a decisive win over Vitality, their second defeat soon followed. In their game versus Fnatic, both teams elected for skirmish heavy drafts and despite early kills, G2’s topside fell behind and Rekkles faced a massive gold and item deficit (-826@15). G2’s disadvantages proved disastrous once they began committing to full teamfights.

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Here we see G2 engaging in a futile fight, with no objectives up. Rekkles entered without his one item, powerspike, and subsequently had little impact on the skirmish. Wunder and Mikyx’s split engage left the backline vulnerable, which Bwipo capitalized on with his TP flank.

This game had plenty of external factors that could explain away G2’s poor performance, but the last two weeks have shown that, at least for now, the LEC’s golden boys are far from invincible. 

LEC Week 3 Recap

Both teams came into this game with questions to answer: will C9 continue its hotstreak, or can TSM stabilize and correct its tailspin? A win for either roster would be a statement victory, and this classic matchup guarantees some good League of Legends. 

C9 started the game off strong with a toplane gank onto Heo “Huni” Seung-hoon’s ignite/teleport Camille, with Robert “Blaber” Huang flashing in the way of his hookshot to secure the kill. They transition into taking an easy first dragon through mid priority, and Blaber grabs rift herald while Huni and Tristan “PowerOfEvil” Schrage execute a dive onto Luka “Perkz” Perković’s Azir. They trade both of their lives for the kill, as Philippe “Vulcan” Laflamme swoops in to clean up.  

Again TSM attempt a dive, this time onto Vulcan’s level 6 Alistar — he cleanses the crowd control from Hu “SwordArt” Shuo-Chieh’s Leona with his ult and turns for a counter engage, grabbing an easy 2 kills on TSM’s botlane and a 2k gold lead for C9 at 10 minutes. 

C9 then attempts to force a fight before dragon spawns, leading into an atypical 5v5 botlane scrap. 

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This is an awkward fight for both teams. Jesper “Zven” Svenningsen misses his Miss Fortune ult on Kai’sa, who doesn’t even have to blow flash to escape. 

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They continue chasing regardless, despite PoE having TP advantage over Perkz. If you watch Mingyi “Spica” Lu, you can see that TSM knows they want to re-engage— his seismic shove and unraveled earth are off cooldown, both of which could be used to make room for their escape. Instead, he holds them for the re-engage onto Zven, but the play starts to fall apart around Huni’s teleport. 

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If you look at the minimap, you can see that Ibrahim “Fudge” Allami is crashing a wave into Huni’s tower around the time C9 engages. This is a bad spot for Huni to be in. He’s already down 10cs, making it a big sacrifice for him to TP bot at this particular moment — he does so anyway, but the timing is staggered with PoE’s, and late enough that what could’ve been an easy 4v5 wipe in TSM’s favor only nets them 2 kills in exchange for Huni’s life. 


A bad moment for both teams, but TSM gets the better end of the trade. They reset instantly after the fight and send Huni bot with them to get priority over dragon, which C9 concedes. TSM transitions into top river, where they secure rift herald and a pick on Perkz with Corki package. Two neutral objectives in a row are a nice pickup for TSM, but C9 maintains an impressive farm lead on Fudge, Blaber, and Perkz, keeping them more than 3k gold up. 

The game comes to a climax around the first baron fight, where C9 narrowly avoids falling victim to another Spica smite steal. 

Vulcan is a bit greedy in running interference on Spica here, opting to space out his headbutt and pulverize in an attempt to maximize the amount of time TSM’s jungler is cc’d. A nice stun from SwordArt means that Spica is still able to flash into the pit, but TSM is unable to add another baron steal to the board due to a nice 50/50 secure by Blaber. 


<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_55_3.jpeg' alt='3' style="width: 100%; max-width: 90%;" />
</div>


From here, the game is a wash for the C9 roster. TSM put up a valiant effort for a team that’s 10k gold down, refusing to go down without a few more teamfights. Unfortunately for them, C9’s gold lead is large enough that they can take sloppy fights and still come out on top. It takes another baron secure and Hail Mary 4v5 teamfight from TSM, but C9 eventually closes out the game.

Weekend Spotlight: Cloud9 and TSM Clash

While DWG KIA is still the team to beat in the LCK, the battle over who is second best continues to rage on with teams suffering upset losses to stop them from being sole securers of a coveted playoff bye. 

# Up: A Demigod Rises

Finally! A mostly consistent roster that can win back-to-back games. T1 are starting to look like the team they were expected to be. It wasn’t a perfect sweep of the week, with the lineup losing one match to Nongshim RedForce. One interesting thing to note is this loss was the only game ADC Park "Teddy" Jin-seong played throughout the week, with Lee "Gumayusi" Min-hyeong playing the four matches T1 won (during his birthday week no less).  

<div class='twitter-tweet' style="width: 100%; display: flex; justify-content: center; max-width: 100%">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">How does T1 Zeus survive this?! 😳 T1 take this final fight and the first game of the series! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LCK?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LCK</a> <a href="https://t.co/L1ZnAjWcBb">pic.twitter.com/L1ZnAjWcBb</a></p>&mdash; LCK Global (@LCK_Global) <a href="https://twitter.com/LCK_Global/status/1356886884513812481?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 3, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div>

One of the biggest stories was the debut of Choi "Zeus" (pronounced Zayus) Woo-je, who finally made his debut after becoming eligible to play last week. This has been the fourth role swap that T1 has had in as many weeks, with only their support player not changing. Zeus was virtually unkillable throughout the entirety of his play (except in game two against Nongshim) and could be the spark that T1 needs to solidify a spot in playoffs. 

# Down: No Team is the True Number Two

The battle that will continue to brew over the second seed in standings is an up for fans, but a down for teams hoping to break away from the pack. Gen.G, Hanwha Life Esports, and DRX all could have separated themselves with an undefeated week, but none could accomplish this. DRX had the tallest task, vanquishing the aforementioned Gen.G before dropping to DWG KIA. The loss for HLE is the one that stings the most.

<div class='twitter-tweet' style="width: 100%; display: flex; justify-content: center; max-width: 100%">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">FATE&#39;s Azir is SO strong this game, and <a href="https://twitter.com/LiivSANDBOX?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@LiivSANDBOX</a> take the series win over HLE! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LCK?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LCK</a> <a href="https://t.co/qfrxaK8TGN">pic.twitter.com/qfrxaK8TGN</a></p>&mdash; LCK Global (@LCK_Global) <a href="https://twitter.com/LCK_Global/status/1358350071348088833?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 7, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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Hanwha got swept by LIIV Sandbox, a team that before this series had only picked up one series win. Yoo "FATE" Su-hyeok took control of the game, dominating midlane on Azir and Zoe, heavily out dueling Jeong "Chovy" Ji-hoon. The loss is a huge upset, and if Hanwha had won this match, they would have been firmly in control of second seed. Thanks to match differentials, Gen.G is currently winning the tiebreaker. HLE will have a shot at Damwon next week to prove themselves as worthy of being a top team.


<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_54_1.jpeg' alt='Deft' style="width: 100%; max-width: 90%;" />
<h2> Deft – Hanwha Life Esports</h2>
</div>

# Up: History is Made

Standings aside, there were some amazing individual milestones reached this past week. While Kim "Deft" Hyuk-kyu couldn’t get HLE to second place just yet, the botlaner was able to secure his 300th career win in the LCK. While this is a big accomplishment, there was one player managing to top this, reminding us why he has been the golden child of League of Legends Esports for so long.

<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_54_2.jpeg' alt='Faker' style="width: 100%; max-width: 90%;" />
<h2> Faker – LCK Global</h2>
</div>

None other than Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok, who was back and starting for T1 this week, getting the two wins that were previously mentioned and propelling them back to even on the season. Not to be outdone by Deft, Faker hit two enormous achievements; the first being 600 games played, and second, notching 400 wins in the LCK. Despite getting offers from other regions, Faker has always been dedicated to staying in South Korea and the T1 organization. What a legend. 

# Down: RedForce on the Outside Looking In

After an astounding preseason performance and a good start to the regular season, the last few weeks have been turbulent. Their loss in week three to Afreeca Freecs really showed where they stood in the hierarchy of teams, as the Freecs are now one spot ahead of them. Two losses in week four have them one game and two spots outside of making playoffs, a rapid fall from grace only two months removed from making the KeSPA Cup finals. 


LCK Spring Week Four: Records on Records on Records

When the Lock In tournament was announced, it was heralded as an opportunity for some of the more ambitious rosters in the League to be put to the test as early as possible. This seems to have been informative for Counter Logic Gaming, who - mere days before the start of the split - have announced their decision to move Eugene “Pobelter” Park to their Academy roster.

Pobelter had a tumultuous 2020 but came in clutch for CLG as a last-minute substitution following a brief stint as a positional coach over at Team Liquid. The veteran midlaner - and multiple-times LCS champion - looked like the sole redeeming factor of CLG’s fairly tragic 2020 season.

That being said, Pobelter isn’t without his own faults - noted for struggling when the stakes are high, particularly internationally, the original 200 IQ player is a known quantity. Yes, he’s good - great, even - but it has been a long while since the midlane prodigy has been able to match wits with the likes of his TL replacement in Nicolaj “Jensen” Jensen or a pre-retirement Søren “Bjergsen” Bjerg. Something that has never been called into question, however, is Pobelter’s work ethic and motivation, which makes it more unusual that teammate Jason “WildTurtle” Tran suggested Pobelter’s transfer to CLG’s Academy line-up was due to attitude issues.

CLG’s 2021 was already off to a rocky start with Mads “Broxah” Brock-Pedersen’s unfortunate visa situation and the team’s lackluster Lock In results, and this move raises even more questions. Cloud9 did something similar in 2018 when their franchise players suffered from attitude issues, which eventually led to North America’s greatest international achievement in years. Somehow I doubt that CLG’s changes here will have the same result, but let’s take a look at who Pobelter will be shoulder to shoulder with for the weeks to come.

# The New Kids on the Block

Alexey “Rjs” Zatorski will be Pobelter’s replacement on the main CLG lineup for this week’s games, at least. The respected sololane talent had ventured abroad to play in the CIS and Korean regions before coming back to join CLG Academy as a toplaner for the 2020 season. A fairly uninspiring showing there led to his return to his roots in the midlane, but fans are rightfully underwhelmed given his 1-3 season-to-date record as the CLG.A midlaner.

Even so, CLG.A’s full roster does show a great deal of promise, with Raymond “Griffin” Griffin (formerly known as Wiggily) once being MVP material in the LCS. Wiggily is currently filling in for Broxah on the main team, however, so we’ll touch on some of the more relative unknowns on the squad.

Take Robert “Katsurii” Gouv, for example - the Oceanic marksman has proven himself against players that are now in the LCS and Academy leagues themselves, managing to stand out in a fairly competitive position. His Chiefs teammate Romeo “Thien” Tran has joined CLG alongside him, and CLG’s synergy across the map should hopefully be enough to hold this squad together through thick and thin.

The major player that is worthy of discussion, however, is Osama “Hooks” Alkhalaileh. Once CLG Academy’s marksman under the tags of Zaganox/Auto, a roleswap and some time on 100Thieves’ amateur team later, Hooks is now a bloodthirsty support ready to guide the rest of his team to the finish line.

With Griffin still covering for Broxah, we have yet to see CLG Academy at their full potential. So far, however, things haven’t looked too stellar - the team posts a 1-5 record at the time of writing - but maybe Pobelter and Griffin together will be enough to take this squad to the next level.

CLG Academy and the Preemptive Benching

STACKED talks to Ricky Gonzalez, VP of Content at FlyQuest, on their debut Spanish-language broadcast for the 2021 LCS season featuring broadcast talent from the LATAM region. This is a first amongst LCS teams, and hopefully not the last, as North America ushers in a new era of Latin American players and fans.

<section>
<strong>TS</strong>
<strong>
What were some of the challenges you encountered when planning the project?
</strong>
</section>

<section>
<p>RG</p>
<div>
<p>I'd say the biggest challenge in a project like this is simply the amount of work it takes to produce an 18-hour broadcast every week. We commend all of the broadcast teams across Riot for their incredible work in delivering quality streams for League of Legends - it's not easy! Second would be making sure that we selected talent, casters and producers that know the Spanish-speaking audience and what resonates best among the fans. We've got incredible on-air talent fronting the show and some really talented people behind the scenes to make sure we’re delivering a great product to Spanish-speaking fans of League of Legends.</p>
</div>
</section>


<section>
<strong>TS</strong>
<strong>
What were the main motivations for starting the project?
</strong>
</section>



<section>
<p>RG</p>
<div>
<p> We wanted to create more avenues of content that enable Spanish-speaking fans to participate in the excitement of both the LCS and these new players that are joining the ranks of top-tier organizations across NA. We think delivering a quality broadcast of the LCS in the Spanish Language will only help bring the League community together, regardless of nationality or spoken language.</p>
</div>
</section>



<section>
<strong>TS</strong>
<strong>
The communities of North America and Latin America seem more united than ever. What do you expect from the future?
</strong>
</section>



<section>
<p>RG</p>
<div>
<p>We truly hope to build on that connection between fans from LATAM and NA, and we'll be unrolling more content and initiatives that serve that purpose in the very near future. We're excited to be one of the first organizations in NA to build around bringing these communities together.
</p>
</div>
</section>


<section>
<strong>TS</strong>
<strong>
Do you expect a larger LATAM audience with the signing of Josedeodo?
</strong>
</section>


<section>
<p>RG</p>
<div>
<p>We've already seen a significant growth in interactions and engagement from fans across LATAM with FlyQuest, and that's a testament to the passion and excitement those fans have for League of Legends and the players from their region. As more talented players from LATAM join the LCS, and as we unroll more content that caters to the Spanish-speaking audience across the globe - we certainly hope for those audiences to become full-fledged fans of the LCS.
</p>
</div>
</section>

<section>
<strong>TS</strong>
<strong>
Will we see more LLA/other LATAM imports to the LCS in the future?
</strong>
</section>

<section>
<p>RG</p>
<div>
<p>I can't comment on the competitive operations of FlyQuest/other organizations - but part of what excites me the most for our “FlyQuest Presents: LCS En Vivo” broadcast is that we'll be able to highlight even more of the talent on the rift in LATAM!
</p>
</div>
</section>

FlyQuest Presents: LCS En Vivo

Another week, another round of excellent matchups that you absolutely cannot miss. Regular seasons worldwide are now underway, and this week in particular has some spicy scheduling.This week’s games are so hype, that we aren’t even touching two classic matchups – we already know you’ll be watching. We are, of course, referring to Cloud9 taking on TSM in the LCS and G2 Esports being challenged by LEC rivals Fnatic. 

<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 matchup you&#39;ve been waiting for:<a href="https://twitter.com/G2esports?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@G2esports</a> & <a href="https://twitter.com/FNATIC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FNATIC</a> face off in the <a href="https://twitter.com/Alienware?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Alienware</a> Match of the Week this Saturday! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LEC?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LEC</a> <a href="https://t.co/LnSoblB2Yo">pic.twitter.com/LnSoblB2Yo</a></p>&mdash; LEC (@LEC) <a href="https://twitter.com/LEC/status/1357343224357036042?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 4, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div>

These storied, title-contention matchups speak for themselves, but there are a few other games going on that are equally deserving of your attention.

# FC Schalke 04 Esports (3-2) vs Rogue (5-0) - LEC
**Time:** Friday, February 5th, 12:00pm PST / 8:00pm GMT+0

Coming into this split, you wouldn’t expect both of these teams to be bringing us the marquee matchup of the week. Rogue’s undefeated streak over the past two weeks should paint them as clear favourites, but S04 are coming off an upset victory over the usually untouchable G2. 

Both teams made significant changes over the offseason, with former S04 top Andre “Odoamne” Pascu being brought in as a guiding light for the talented up-and-coming RGE players. RGE’s other change was the choice to promote their Academy support, Adrian “Trymbi” Trybus, who has stepped up accordingly. RGE are still developing, but they show a great deal of mechanical prowess, alongside deadly killer instinct in exploiting early game leads.


On the other hand, we have 60% of an S04 line-up that made a miracle run to playoffs last Summer with no signs of slowing down. A rocky start to the 2021 season for them was completely voided by their slaying of Kings of Europe G2, and suddenly S04 are looking like a real contender. Noted personality – and proven leader – Erberk “Gilius” Demir spearheads this squad, but it’s the return to form of former TSM top Sergen “BrokenBlade” Çelik that keeps the Schalke Tank powering along.


This could be a close game, but given the confident, aggressive playstyle of both teams - especially in the jungle - it is more likely to be a onesided stomp. The question is, who stomps who?

**Prediction:** S04 0-1 RGE

# Evil Geniuses (0-0) vs 100Thieves (0-0) - LCS
**Time:** Saturday, February 6th, 5:00pm PST / 01:00 GMT+0 (+1)

While Team Liquid and Cloud9 came out of the Lock In tournament as the clear [top two teams](https://stacked.gg/article/2021-lock-in-finals), the rest of the standings are murkier. A hot start to the tournament for EG was cooled by their complete dismantling by a surging TL, while 100T actually found themselves at match point versus C9 - [only to be reverse swept](https://stacked.gg/article/100t-vs-c9-road-to-the-finals).

Though just one game, this matchup hopes to answer several questions. Firstly, have 100Thieves learned enough since their heartbreaker at the hands of C9? Have EG already peaked, with the likes of TL being their ceiling? Could one of these teams end up looking so good that they challenge for second - or even first?

This is the battle of the two toplaners that have elevated the level of competition in North America. In the EG corner we have World Champion and multiple-time LCS Champion Jeong “Impact” Eon-young, while representing 100T as always is franchise player Kim “Ssumday” Chan-ho. 

Impact had a strong Lock In performance, notching the 2nd highest Kill Participation% amongst toplaners and positive laning stats for all 10 and 15minute differentials. Ssumday on the other hand, carried a great deal of 100T’s games too - a sidelane menace and prominent teamfighter.

Most analysts predict EG to deteriorate over the course of the split while other teams catch up to them. 100T look to capitalize on their early synergies if they hope to be one of those teams.

**Prediction:** EG 1-0 100T

# FunPlus Phoenix (6-1) vs Top Esports (3-2)
**Time:** Saturday, February 6th, 3:00am PST / 11:00 GMT+0


The LPL Summer Champions of 2019 and 2020 face off in what is sure to be an absolute bloodbath of a best-of-three. After a disappointing showing at the Demacia Cup, the Phoenix has risen again - with FPX actually entering this match with a far more convincing record than their counterparts.

The loss of World Finals MVP Gao “Tian” Tian-Liang to medical leave was a heavy blow to FPX, but new jungler Zhou “Bo” Yang-Bo has risen to the occasion with guidance from FPX’s star shotcaller in the midlane.

For Bo, this matchup is a trial by fire - Hung “Karsa” Hao-Hsuan was considered the best in his role just last year, and remains an elite talent. Fortunately, reigning World Champion toplaner Jang “Nuguri” Ha-gwon is right there with Bo, and FPX look near unstoppable.

TES on the other hand have proven that their sololaners have at least the mechanical prowess to keep up with their counterparts. It’s just a matter of whether they can make their aggressive plays and not get punished too heavily, nor be too flustered if they do.

This match is likely to be a good indication of what the top teams in the LPL will be capable of come international competition. 

**Prediction:** FPX 1-2 TES

3 Games You CAN’T Miss – Week 3

Veni, vidi, vici. Team Liquid fought off Cloud9’s reverse sweep to win $150,000 in prize money and another championship title at the LCS Lock In. It wasn’t [just a great offseason for TL](https://stacked.gg/article/why-team-liquid-won-offseason), it was also a great preseason. The LCS regular season is set to officially begin, leaving fans with questions and observations lingering in the air from what we did and didn’t see from North America’s new rosters.

# “You Haven’t Even Seen my Final Form”

Due to visa issues, both Immortals and Counter Logic Gaming were forced to play academy members throughout the tournament. Immortals were missing three of their starting members, including former OPL superstar Quin "Raes" Korebrits and his botlane duo partner Mitchell "Destiny" Shaw, while CLG were missing two members, critically including their world class jungler in Mads "Broxah" Brock-Pedersen for the entirety of it. 

<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_49_1.jpeg' alt='Broxah' style="width: 100%; max-width: 90%;" />
<h2> Broxah - via Riot Games
</h2>
</div>

Despite missing big chunks of these rosters, both teams were able to pick up at least one win during the group stage (with CLG getting an upset over 100 Thieves). Immortals even squeaked on to the knockout stage. Even without the star power they were expecting, both teams were able to find some success and could further climb in power rankings when at full strength. 

# Perkz has a lot to Prove
The meme of Cloud9 losing the offseason was looking to finally be mute and done with when the organization announced the signing of Luka "Perkz" Perković. One of the best talents available in Europe, Perkz would finally be back to his primary role of midlaner after playing ADC for G2 and winning the Mid-Season Invitational in 2019. Expectations were sky high, his former teammates believed he would be smurfing, Perkz claimed he wouldn’t die once in the tournament, and the results were… just alright. 


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Primarily playing Twisted Fate, Perkz went 3-3 on the champion while averaging a 4.8 KDA. He looked best on Galio, who he played twice, to a perfect win rate and a KDA of 10.0. Still, compared to other midlaners, such as Nicolaj "Jensen" Jensen and Tanner "Damonte" Damonte, both players with their last names as IGNs did much better, with KDA’s of 16.0 and 23.0 respectively on Galio (with Jensen having a KDA of 22.0 on Orianna). 

There is no doubt that Perkz improved throughout the tournament, after dying 7 times in his debut game against Evil Geniuses (his tournament high). He looked more in sync with jungler and former Spring Split MVP Robert "Blaber" Huang as they continued to play together. Perkz can still be the best midlaner (if not best player) in the LCS, but his numbers and team play will have to keep improving if he wants to live up to the hype that was promised.

# Top Teams Possibly Making Changes

Beyond Perkz, Cloud9 has some other issues they may need to sort out. It took them going the full distance against TSM and 100 Thieves (which were both reverse sweeps) to make it to the finals, with Jesper "Zven" Svenningsen being the biggest of carries, securing back-to-back pentakills in the semifinals. A lot of criticism for the team’s slow play has fallen on the shoulders of toplaner Ibrahim Fudge" Allami.

Despite having good showings on Camille, Gragas, and Malphite, Fudge was constantly exploited as Cloud9’s weakest link through the tournament. Unexpected picks like Graves did not pan out, with the former academy champion having to play defensively under his own turret while waiting for help. When he was able to play the game the way he wanted to, there were moments of brilliance, but consistency was not being found.

<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 THE FUDGE!? <a href="https://twitter.com/Cloud9?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Cloud9</a> is online in game four! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LCS?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LCS</a> <a href="https://t.co/LmBtXGJF20">pic.twitter.com/LmBtXGJF20</a></p>&mdash; LCS (@LCSOfficial) <a href="https://twitter.com/LCSOfficial/status/1356027860402618370?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 31, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div>

While Cloud9 might not have an immediate replacement for Fudge if they did decide to go in a different direction, TSM’s academy player Liyu "Cody" Sun is getting some attention. Despite having former World’s runner up Hu "SwordArt" Shuo-Chieh, botlane has been one of the team’s biggest weaknesses. Lawrence "Lost" Sze Yuy Hui still has time to prove he can be a dominant ADC, but his days may be more limited than expected if fans get their way. 

The LCS kicks off tomorrow with TSM vs FlyQuest at 3 PM PST/6 PM EST [at the LCS Twitch](https://www.twitch.tv/lcs). 

Thoughts Going into the LCS Regular Season

Week 2 ended with Rogue on top as the only undefeated team, cementing themselves as a contender for the LEC title. Teams have continued to experiment with the new meta and work on their teamplay to varying degrees of success. While some were able to bounce back from their Week 1 performances, others continued their downward trend. 

# Schalke 04

Schalke addressed many of their issues from Week 1, capping off the week by taking down perennial LEC favorites, G2. Everyone turned around their individual performances as Gilius pulled off the LEC’s first successful Udyr game giving Schalke a consistent dragon advantage and dynamic early game. Broken Blade stepped up his performance by punishing Wunder’s Kled pick and turning his lane win into a massively impactful teamfight presence. 
Schalke’s botlane also had a strong showing as Neon maintained excellent teamfight positioning, holding the second highest Kill Participation% among ADCs at 40%, while Limit found better engages particularly on Rell through this impressive Magnet Storm.



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# MAD Lions
MAD Lions are another team that turned their losing record to a positive one. MAD were the second team to win against Excel with an Ivern composition, though this time in the jungle as Elyoya showed just how much sustainability this pick can bring.

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Elyoya’s shielding compounded with the lifesteal items Armut built prevented an otherwise surefire death at a critical junction in the game. MAD Lions ended the week by winning the bloodiest game in the LEC so far against Fnatic, averaging over a kill per minute. Armut’s Wukong pocket pick ended with an impressive 11/6/5 line, proving an invaluable tactical asset to the team. In the play below, Armut baits out an engage from Hylissang that turns into the game winning teamfight, placing MAD comfortably tied for 3rd place.



<video id='auto-play-video' loop="true" playsinline autoPlay muted style="border-radius: .3125rem; max-width: 100%" src="https://stacked-assets.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/posts/post_48_1.mp4"  />

# Fnatic
Though on the other side of MAD Lions’ win, Fnatic still managed an impressive showing. Unlike their most dominant game of the season against Vitality, where Fnatic drafted a relatively comfortable draft with 3/5 of their picks having a 100% pick/ban rate, Fnatic took much greater risks against MAD. Nisqy’s Irelia was bound to struggle diving into MAD’s Taliyah and Azir picks. Despite this, Nisqy still managed one of the most impressive outplays in the LEC.

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Ultimately, Selfmade’s risky Evelynn pick did not see the same success as it did at Worlds 2020 and a critical teamfight in the baron pit lost them the game. Overall, Fnatic showed they were able to cohesively play their classic aggressive style while taking much smarter fights than first two games.

# Misfits

Misfits were the biggest disappointment to come out of Week 2, as they went 0-2 after glimpses of brilliance in Week 1. This is especially disappointing considering how well HiRit has been performing since his LEC debut, landing in the top half of most laning stats (+146 GD@10/+124 XPD@10) and being one of the best carry tops in the league. The team has been terribly indecisive around objective control and have not been synergizing with Razork, only posting a 40% baron control rate.

Vetheo has not been able to find his stride ever since teams started target banning Zoe, the only champion he has been able to find success on. His performance on other control mages have been dismal as well, as his game on Syndra against SK featured him going negative in all laning stats. Being the youngest player in the LEC, Vetheo has plenty of time to improve but if Misfits want to make a playoff run, he needs to start quickly.

LEC Week 2 Recap: Schalke & MAD Recover While Misfits Missteps

Doublelift had a long, tumultuous career. He may not have reached the great heights of other iconic players like Faker, Uzi, and Rekkles, but he was indisputably the best ADC in the LCS for a long, long time. Like any great loss of talent, Doublelift’s retirement begs the question — who will take his position at the top?

With so much young talent in the mix, it’s difficult to declare a clear #1 based on history alone. Luckily, LCS Lock In Semifinals and Finals saw four of the leading contenders in Zven, Tactical, FBI, and Deftly go head-to-head in the botlane, giving us a look at how the top NA talents match up. 

# Zven vs FBI
This weekend’s first Bo5 was a classic story of veteran talent versus hotshot new player. FBI achieved an impressive 425 DPM on Miss Fortune to Zven’s 298 in the first game, and notched a CSD@15 of +4 in Game 1 over him and +19 in Game 2. The first two games in the series are relatively uneventful in the botlane, with most of the pressure falling topside due to 100T’s focus on Fudge who, along with the rest of C9, were getting run over. 

It isn’t until Game 3 and match point that FBI and Huhi pull the trigger on Zven at level 6, landing a headbutt/pulverize combo on the flashless Senna. Despite having Vulcan’s Tahm Kench to bail him out, Kai’sa’s ult in combination with Huhi’s phase rush and strategically saved stun allow them to chase Zven down. Despite a rough start, Zven pulls C9 back from the brink and almost singlehandedly saves the series — Fasting Senna’s lack of farm skews a few key laning stats, but he puts out an absolutely monstrous 1,235 DPM (compared to FBI’s 732, the second highest in the game), dealing 41% of his teams total damage by the time the nexus falls. 

If that performance weren’t enough of a statement, Zven goes on to score back-to-back pentakills (the only pentakills through 42 games of the Lock In tournament) in Games 4 and 5 to reverse sweep 100T. 

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FBI and Huhi get another 2v2 kill on Zven in Game 5, but as in Game 3, Zven stays relevant and plays a key role in C9’s ultimate victory.

# Deftly vs Tactical
Deftly and Tactical are both relatively new to the pro scene, the former debuting on Golden Guardians in 2017 before disappearing for a few years and the latter being brought up from TL Academy to split time with Doublelift.  

While EG put up a fight against TL in the semifinal Bo5, it would be a stretch to call any of the games close. For this reason, the series stats will tend to favor Tactical— 471 DPM to Deftly’s 291, and 9.6 CSPM to his 8.5. Surprisingly enough, it’s EG that score the series’ only 2v2 botlane kill on CoreJJ, who alongside Tactical had been dominating TL’s botlane opponents in group stages. 

# Tactical vs Zven
Saving the best for last, the crown jewel matchup of the weekend — few can disagree that Tactical/CoreJJ and Zven/Vulcan are the two botlane duos in NA. The series opens with an exciting 2v2 fight, with Zven and Tactical trading kills onto each other. The momentum only continues into Game 2, with an insane level 6 combo by Tactical and CoreJJ to hook Zven for an easy kill. The rest of the series is less exciting, with much of the action happening up top. Both Tactical and Zven put on impressive performances, the former ending with an average 426 DPM and the latter 465. 
 
The nature of the support/ADC relationship makes it difficult to analyze players of either role in isolation, and all of the ADCs in the conversation are paired with the undisputed best supports in NA. At a glance, Zven’s performance over this past weekend was the most standout of any of the 4 ADCs, despite not taking home the trophy. One tournament does not a GOAT make, however, and time will tell who fills the void left by Doublelift.


Battle for Best in NA – ADC Spotlight

After an over two-year hiatus from professional play, Hong “Pyosik” Chang-Hyeon brought Udyr back into the jungle. The jungle-centric meta that has reigned since Worlds 2020 has empowered champions who have fast clear times to maximize the impact they can have on lanes and the overall game state. This is why we currently see such a large jungle pool with plenty of viable “off-meta” picks, but also accounts for the high concentration of bans targeting junglers.

Pantheon, Taliyah, and Olaf are widely considered some of the strongest junglers, but are nearly permabanned across the four major regions with most having well over a 60% ban rate. Udyr however, is consistently available, boasting a 0% ban rate in the LEC, 2% in the LCS, and 7% in the LPL and LCK. Though junglers like Graves are typically open, Udyr provides a readily available alternative with greater game impact that fulfills all the roles a carry jungler needs in this meta.

In the LCK, where Udyr has been picked 11 times, he has one of the fastest full clear times along with the 2nd highest CSD@10 (+2.8) and CSPM (6.2) amongst jungle champions. Udyr quickly climbed the ranks of LCS draft boards, where it has been picked 12 times with a 58% win-rate courtesy of aggressive junglers like Blaber and Santorin. In the LCS Lock In semifinals between Team Liquid and Evil Geniuses, Santorin showcased Udyr’s potential kiting, then demolishing, Svenskeren’s Olaf. 


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Here we see Udyr’s ability in forcing opponents off neutral objectives and completely neutralizing the opposing jungler. Santorin had already built a significant CS advantage (+20), but also secured objective control. Santorin was able to maintain river control by utilizing prior objective wins, namely the rift herald pressuring mid, and through persistent re-engages. Even without the support of CoreJJ’s Thresh Lantern, Udyr is able to easily access enemy backlines multiple times throughout an extended teamfight, as shown by Pyosik in the original game that popularized the pick.

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Pyosik showed the world just how well Udyr’s passive synergizes with the Turbo Chemtank build, which increases movement speed by 75%. When paired with Phase Rush or Ghost, there are very few champions capable of escaping Udyr without summoner spells up. Seen in the clip above, even when being barraged with burst damage and stuns, Udyr can still rundown enemies to win teamfights.

Udyr’s health is another advantage of the pick, and some have even found success in the less popular Sunfire Aegis build which takes a much more traditional tank approach for the champion.

While Udyr has clear upside potential, the pick suffers when placed on passive junglers or if put in a position where he cannot gain early leads. Seen through Zanzarah’s performance, the champion cannot be carried on movement speed alone if there is no damage or shielding to back up his engages. Udyr is mechanically demanding and requires constant map awareness in looking for angles on both objectives and ganks. While he’s found little success in the LPL and LEC where he posts a 20% win-rate, it seems that the pick is only increasing in popularity with players coming up with creative playstyles that best enable The Spirit Walker.

Udyr - Not Your Average Bear

The two teams with the most anticipated rosters going into 2021, Team Liquid and Cloud9, met in the finals in the ultimate preseason test of their new look rosters. Up to this point, TL had consistently been the best performing team while Cloud9 spent the knockout stage gradually finding their footing. These two teams fought in a tense, back-and-forth series with Cloud9 almost pulling off their second reverse sweep of the tournament. Team Liquid however crowned themselves the LCS Lock In champions with a dominant Game 5 performance.

# Team Liquid’s Rolling Start

In Game 1, TL displayed their impressive objective control by denying Blaber the aggressive start that Udyr needs to scale by getting a double herald, dragon, and 6-to-1 tower advantage by 20 minutes. Cloud9 was still able to trade across the map, but TL’s attention toward toplane (which would prove to be a continuing thread this series) gave Liquid the edge.



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Though TL’s overconfidence almost lost them their lead in an extended teamfight, Blaber and Zven’s isolated deaths gave TL the baron which enabled their push into C9’s base. Without even needing to cash in on their baron power play, TL was able to convincingly end Game 1.


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CoreJJ started Game 2 with the first Blitzcrank pick of 2021, earning an early advantage with first blood over Cloud9’s proven Senna/Tahm Kench duo.

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Team Liquid edged only a slight lead in the early game once again as Blaber’s Olaf terrorized the opposition by accruing multiple dragons and finding picks across the map. One teamfight however broke the game open for TL, enabled by a flawless hook from CoreJJ.

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Watch Alphari later in this play as he patiently tracks Cloud9’s backline while building his rage bar and eventually landing a three-man stun.
 
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The follow up damage was able to clean up C9’s carries, spelling doom for the boys in blue. Alphari proved invaluable this game despite being the target of four toplane bans, asserting influence over the game on a Gnar blind pick. 

# Cloud9 Turns the Tide

Game 3 produced another close early game, but Blaber’s Olaf was out in full force as he secured Cloud9 a three dragon advantage @20 minutes. Fudge’s Chemtank Malphite build, and the follow-up damage/shielding from Zven’s Senna ult, made this a deadly teamfighting composition as this chokepoint engage firmly put Cloud9 ahead in every possible metric.

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This initiation shows how they long ranged damage from Zoe and Senna renders any possible peel or follow-up damage useless from Team Liquid by either the Syndra or Thresh. The final push into TL’s base provides another opportunity in showing just how well this composition synergizes, taking us to game four.

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In their two initial wins, Team Liquid found success largely by picking apart C9’s rookie toplaner, Fudge, forcing him battle with Alphari to further exploit the ‘top difference.’ Fudge’s Game 3 Irelia pick however, heralded perhaps his best performance of the tournament yet, scaling early and providing a constant re-engage threat for C9 as he decimates TL’s backline below.


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Cloud9 gained the largest lead over TL thus far, but we see TL put on a valiant last ditch effort to save Game 4 with one of the best Magnet Storms since the release of Rell by CoreJJ.

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Cloud9 was able to mitigate Team Liquid’s baron play and ultimately won by breaking into TL’s base with Twisted Fate, taking the game to match point.

# Liquid’s Decisive Final

The final game was dominated by the toplane matchup, as Gangplank was much more of a challenging lane opponent for Fudge’s Irelia. Santorin’s incessant Udyr pressure on Fudge kept him at a debilitating two level disadvantage, making him an easy target for TL all game.

The fight below shows the sheer value of Udyr, as his movement speed, even without Turbo Chemtank, is enough to catch up to the toplane skirmish to not only save Alphari but get an early double kill. 

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While TL’s world class botlane brought them success all Lock In, it was the topside that won this game and series. TL’s objective control only snowballed their lead further, breaking into C9’s base at 19 minutes and closing out the game only moments later.

# Conclusions

After a strong tournament, Team Liquid finished as the Lock In’s inaugural champions. While question marks remain around teams who didn’t play at full strength or need time to gel, TL showcased dominance and immaculate team play across all positions. Alphari stood out in the tournament, going from a bottom team in the LEC to winning the LCS’s first major trophy and proving himself the most valuable offseason pick-up thus far. Looking ahead to the regular season, one thing is certain: Team Liquid is leading the charge.

2021 Lock in Finals: Battle of the Offseason Kings

The LCS regular season is a few days away and, with the Lock In tournament concluded, public opinion begins to take hold. Last week we [spoke with Razleplasm](https://stacked.gg/article/razleplasm-on-current-lcs), LCS caster, about the current state of the League. Today we had the pleasure of speaking with Alberto “Crumbz” Rengifo about new imports, new rosters, and the future of NA. 


<section>
<strong>TS</strong>
<strong>
Are you excited for all the changes this new LCS will have? 
</strong>
</section>

<section>
<p>C</p>
<div>
<p>Yes! It’s been a pleasure to watch how all the LCS teams have developed. This year you can clearly see the distinctions between the budget and the expectations of each team. Teams like Team Liquid or Cloud9 are definitely going for the title and [for] international success, while teams like Immortals or Golden Guardians can find success just by getting better and developing their new players.</p>
<p>New format and rebrand is quite interesting but, honestly, I will remember these few years as the Corona years. I remember the past years for the places we travel, live events or the interactions we had with players and colleagues. This year we won’t have anything like that, which represents an opportunity to find new ways to enjoy the LCS. Since I’m alone it feels like there’s much more responsibility to take on my own and I’m really enjoying that.</p>
</div>
</section>


<section>
<strong>TS</strong>
<strong>
Which team do you looks the most powerful and why? 
</strong>
</section>



<section>
<p>C</p>
<div>
<p> Evil Geniuses look really good. I could talk about Cloud9 right now but it will be boring, you expect them to be good. With EG, I think they are already showing a good synergy between all the players, empowering their individual strengths. That says a lot about the quality of Peter Dun as a coach. </p>
</div>
</section>


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<h2>Crumbz – Riot Games
</h2>
</div>


<section>
<strong>TS</strong>
<strong>
What do you think about imports coming from OCE and LatAm? Do you think it could benefit the rest of the League?
</strong>
</section>



<section>
<p>C</p>
<div>
<p>I really like the fact that there are new imports coming to NA from regions like OCE and LATAM. Promoting players coming to NA has been a good strategy in several disciplines. Now, Americans don’t know where the competition is coming from, and they will either have to improve or get replaced. Also I think it gives a really good opportunity for players of those regions.</p>
</div>
</section>


<blockquote>
<h3>"Nobody believes because they didn’t see evidence of that being possible. It happened with Europe and G2 winning the MSI. After that, the rest of the teams realized that winning against G2 could put them in the [Worlds] finals and they worked even harder."
</h3>
<h4>CRUMBZ,LCS FREELANCE COMMENTATOR</h4>
</blockquote>




<section>
<strong>TS</strong>
<strong>
What do you think NA needs to get international results?
</strong>
</section>


<section>
<p>C</p>
<div>
<p>It’s almost there. The quality of players and coaches has been improving year after year. You can see there’s a lot of players who have been the best in their roles in different regions. The region will grow exponentially when one of them gets to the Worlds finals, because that’s [what is] needed. Nobody believes because they didn’t see evidence of that being possible. It happened with Europe and G2 winning the MSI. After that, the rest of the teams realized that winning against G2 could put them in the [Worlds] finals and they worked even harder.
</p>
</div>
</section>

<section>
<strong>TS</strong>
<strong>
What do you expect to be the differentiating factor of NA compared to [other] regions?
</strong>
</section>

<section>
<p>C</p>
<div>
<p>This year it will definitely be mental and physical health. Keeping healthy makes you play better, and that’s something all the teams are starting to recognize. I think the LCS has emphasized those issues, and we’re closer to making a big difference inside the matches. Keeping motivation high is also one of the most important tasks of professional teams. If they succeed this year we should be proud.
</p>
</div>
</section>


Crumbz on American Players and New Imports: “They Will Either Have to Improve or Get Replaced”

The spotlight will always be on DWG as we watch their season unfold, and that’s how it is in these weekly recaps. After a rough week two loss, the reigning World Champions are in first place once again. 

# Up: DWG KIA Defeats its Major Challengers

Damwon went through a gauntlet to stay on top of the mountain. Entering this week, both Gen.G and Hanwha Life Esports were tied for first, precisely who the kings of the LCK had to go through. Their first series against Gen.G was a bit dicey, losing the first match of the set which took almost an hour. The last two matches told a different story, with Jang "Ghost" Yong-jun having a combined stat line of 12/0/7 in botlane to reverse sweep the series.  

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">ShowMaker&#39;s Zoe damage is absolutely insane in this final push to the HLE nexus! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LCK?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LCK</a> <a href="https://t.co/yb52aOyxTN">pic.twitter.com/yb52aOyxTN</a></p>&mdash; LCK Global (@LCK_Global) <a href="https://twitter.com/LCK_Global/status/1355132150123692040?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 29, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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HLE had high expectations to live up to, with all eyes on Jeong "Chovy" Ji-hoon to win the midlane matchup against Heo "ShowMaker" Su. After a victory that had three members of DWG go deathless, ShowMaker stepped up in the second match to do what he does best: demolishing enemies on Zoe, going 11-0-11. Wins over its two toughest opponents’ in the rankings set up the top dogs for an easy  (on paper) fourth week slate of games. 

# Down: T1 Continues to Play Musical Chairs

Despite fan opposition, T1 has decided to continue starting Lee "Clozer" Ju-hyeon in midlane over legend Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok. Elsewhere more changes were made to the starting lineup. Jungle and botlane had different looks, with veterans Moon "Cuzz" Woo-chan and Park "Teddy" Jin-seong starting both games this week. There were even rumors that Choi "Zeus" Woo-je would be starting in toplane, with him turning 17 today (happy birthday!) and being eligible to play.

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<h2>Zeus – T1
</h2>
</div>

While they were able to snap a three-game losing streak against Liiv SANDBOX, Afeeca Freecs swept T1 to keep them in eighth place. T1 currently has three options: either commit to a roster of veterans, try to create a mix of old and new players that is consistent, or run with the young guns and let them build experience. It may be time to give up on Spring and think about the rest of the year. Summer, and qualifying for Worlds, is much more important than the Mid-Season Invitational. 

# Up: The Freecs are Trending Upwards

Speaking of Afreeca Freecs, they have done much better then expected so far. While their loss last week to Liiv SANDBOX was questionable, back-to-back sweeps over Nongshim RedForce and T1 catapults them straight into fifth place, with NS and KT Rolster tied below them in sixth. 

<div class='twitter-tweet' style="width: 100%; display: flex; justify-content: center; max-width: 100%">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">AF Bang picks up a QUADRAKILL and they will take the series against T1 2-0! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LCK?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LCK</a> <a href="https://t.co/kk2XR58iUF">pic.twitter.com/kk2XR58iUF</a></p>&mdash; LCK Global (@LCK_Global) <a href="https://twitter.com/LCK_Global/status/1355816033982922756?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 31, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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A lot of questions about this roster fell on the shoulders of former world champion Bae "Bang" Jun-sik, who had previously been playing at a lackluster level while in the LCS compared to his glory days. It was a slower start to the season for the AD carry, but with a good performance against his former team, Bang could be the spark that launches Afreeca forward. Opponents better consider banning Samira when they face him.

# Down: No Big Upsets

After last week sent my preseason power rankings off the rails, this week was not one of underdog stories. The middle of the table teams have and will continue to battle it out for playoff placement, but until we see DWG KIA, Gen.G, or Hanwha Life Esports fall to teams at the bottom of the table, we will just have to settle for minor upsets. Liiv SANDBOX is up next week, getting a shot at the crown against DK.

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<h2>Standings - LCK Global
</h2>
</div>


LCK Spring Week Three: The Kings are Back on Top

Team Liquid took care of business on Saturday, sweeping Evil Geniuses 3-0 in the Semifinals of the Lock In tournament. TL went into this series as favorites, and while they faltered briefly in Game 3, they delivered a stellar performance that sent Evil Geniuses packing. For TL, a spot in the finals cements their positioning as one of the best teams in the LCS, with an opportunity now to head into the regular season as the undisputed top team. 

Before the season, Team Liquid released their longtime toplaner, Impact, who had been on the roster since 2017. TL instead signed Alphari to a deal that nets him over $1 million, with Impact staying in the LCS getting signed to EG. This was a revenge game of sorts for Impact, with the opportunity to knock his former team out of the tournament and shock the LCS. Unfortunately for Impact and EG, they fell short falling to a 3-0 sweep.

<div class='twitter-tweet' style="width: 100%; display: flex; justify-content: center; max-width: 100%">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">3-0 Headshot</p>&mdash; Edward Ra (@Tactical) <a href="https://twitter.com/Tactical/status/1355680019943579648?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 31, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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TL decided to prioritize their Jungle/Support combo during draft phase in Games 1 and 2, picking Udyr and Thresh with their first two picks. These picks were in direct response to EG B1’ing Olaf in both games, with the idea that Thresh’s lantern and Udyr’s speed could bait out then kite Olaf’s ultimate in team fights. This wound up being an effective strategy, as CoreJJ and Santorin executed perfectly below. 


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Udyr has become a popular pick as of recent, with tank items being very strong and his jungle clear being one of the fastest in the game. He also has access to incredible speed that allows him to be all over the map, ganking lanes and securing objectives. He has been out of the meta for years, so it’s nice to see one of the original League of Legends champions on Summoners Rift make a comeback at the highest level of play.

Team Liquid’s botlane continue to terrorize their opponents, and this series was no exception. Tactical and CoreJJ are solidifying their incredible chemistry, which was shown off with this play in Game 2, where Tactical used Kalista ultimate to throw Thresh over a wall, allowing Thresh’s lantern to scoop up Tactical and secure a pick in the botlane on an overextended Impact. 

<video id='auto-play-video' loop="true" playsinline autoPlay muted style="border-radius: .3125rem; max-width: 100%" src="https://stacked-assets.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/posts/post_42_2.mp4"  />


Game 3 of this series was an objective mess. Both teams played with reckless abandon, consistently out of position from the get-go, leading to tons of fights without any objectives up. Team Liquid did not play with poise, but alas, the mixture of CoreJJ’s Rell ultimate and Jensen’s Orianna ultimate gave TL just enough of an edge. 

<video id='auto-play-video' loop="true" playsinline autoPlay muted style="border-radius: .3125rem; max-width: 100%" src="https://stacked-assets.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/posts/post_42_3.mp4"  />

While EG had a chance to steal this game away and avoid the sweep, they couldn’t help but be caught out of position too many times. Here’s one of the strangest moments of the Lock In tournament, where EG’s Svenskeren and Jiizuke chased too hard for a kill on Jensen, handing him a double kill instead. 


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For Team Liquid, they move on to the Lock In finals against Cloud9, a highly anticipated matchup between what most regarded as the top two teams in the LCS. The winner of this match takes home the inaugural Lock In championship, while cementing themselves as the best team in the LCS heading into Season 11. Check back tomorrow for our write up on the final matchup!

Team Liquid Defeat Evil Geniuses, Advance to Lock In Tournament Finals

New year, new opportunities for C9 to pull victory from the jaws of defeat. Up until Game 3 - and even for a good chunk of Game 3 - it looked like this series was a wash for 100T. They wiped C9 off the map by smartly exploiting their weak topside, aggressive early macro movement, and strong vision control. After a close Game 3, 100T threw what should’ve been an easy Game 4 to close out the series, looking impatient and tilted in the culminating game 5 loss to complete C9’s reverse sweep. 

# Hot Start for 100Thieves

Game 1 starts with a flop for 100T, failing to execute a 3-man dive onto Fudge’s Lulu top. While Perkz and Blaber arrive in time to save their toplaner and score a kill on Closer, this play is indicative of 100T’s game plan for the rest of the series: focus Fudge. And it works - Ssumday solokills Fudge under tower just a few minutes later and maintains a sizable CS lead over him for the rest of the game. 

### While Perkz and Blaber arrive in time to save their toplaner and score a kill on Closer, this play is indicative of 100T’s game plan for the rest of the series: focus Fudge.
####  

100T is only 1k gold ahead of C9 going into the first midgame teamfight, but it ends in disaster for the boys in blue. 

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This fight illustrates both the strength of 100T’s objective control and the weakness of C9’s team composition. Take a look at the map before the fight breaks out - C9 has absolutely no vision in river or their botside jungle. Without any sort of tank or engage, Blaber and Fudge are forced to take point on Kindred and Lulu, neither of which are strongly suited for the job. Blaber is able to get away with it thanks to support from Lulu and Perkz’s Orianna, but things quickly fall apart when C9’s focus is split.  

Fudge facechecks a bush and loses most of his health and ultimate, effectively forcing him out of the fight. At the same time, Blaber, Zven, and Perkz make a key mistake in pathing upward into their jungle rather than back out through mid. With no vision, they’re sitting ducks for Huhi’s engage and Damonte’s flank.  


100T continue to roll over C9 to close out Game 1, and Game 2 looks like the same story. Ssumday’s Renekton dominates Fudge’s Graves top with support from his team, while Fudge is forced to use his teleport to stay relevant in CS. 100T capitalizes on their TP advantage to secure early objectives. Blaber gives an honorable performance on Udyr, but in the end 100T win in convincing fashion. 

<video id='auto-play-video-1' loop="true" playsinline autoPlay muted style="border-radius: .3125rem; max-width: 100%" src="https://stacked-assets.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/posts/post_41_1.mp4"  />

# The Turning Point

Much like the first 2, Game 3 looks good for 100T. FBI and Huhi get a 2v2 kill on Zven, and Ssumday once again dominates Fudge in the toplane. Perkz and Blaber keep the gold relatively even by heavily outfarming their opponents, but C9 is still down 1k gold going into the first baron fight and turning point of the game. 


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This is a cocky play from 100T. Only Ssumday has flash, all of C9 except Fudge have theirs, and their vision control and gold lead aren’t strong enough to make up for the deficit.  Once Huhi’s Alistar engage only connects with Perkz’s Yone and Blaber’s Udyr, the fight is all but over for 100T. 

<video id='auto-play-video-2' loop="true" playsinline autoPlay muted style="border-radius: .3125rem; max-width: 100%" src="https://stacked-assets.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/posts/post_41_2.mp4"  />


Barring some spectacular play by Ssumday, they have absolutely no way of getting onto Zven, and C9 just have to run them down. 100T don’t go quietly after this fight, but C9 fight their way to securing dragon soul and whittle them down to save the series. 

# Beginning of the End – The Reverse Sweep

Once again 100T are in the driver’s seat for Game 4, securing the first 3 dragons and - surprise, surprise - running down Fudge in the toplane. The game comes to a head at soul point for 100T, forcing C9 to do or die. 

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While there are flashier ways to win a fight than pressing ult on Miss Fortune, it does the trick. 100T is forced to walk through it to contest the dragon, taking Closer out of the fight. FBI has a chance to salvage the situation, but pathing into the pit to avoid the MF ult rather than towards bot splits the fight. 

<video id='auto-play-video-3' loop="true" playsinline autoPlay muted style="border-radius: .3125rem; max-width: 100%" src="https://stacked-assets.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/posts/post_41_3.mp4"  />

His team is forced to walk through Perkz to help him, and C9 fittingly wins the fight without help from Fudge. 


### When you win Game 4, you just know you’re going to win Game 5 … You know it’s coming, enemy team knows it’s coming … it’s settled.
#### Perkz, C9 Mid Laner

By Game 5, the momentum had shifted completely with 100T looking desperate, tilted, and tired. Ever confident, [C9 Perkz tells STACKED](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=741tHOMALEA), “when you win Game 4, you just know you’re going to win Game 5 … You know it’s coming, enemy team knows it’s coming … it’s settled.” C9 goes on to mow down 100T in convincing fashion, completing the reverse sweep.

Both teams showcased a few crucial strengths and weaknesses in this season’s first Bo5, and a very close series offers the promise of a competitive season-to-come.

100Thieves vs. Cloud9 – Road to the Finals

Yone had one of the most highly anticipated champion releases in recent League of Legends memory. Being Yasuo’s brother, the hype of another sword and wind wielding skirmisher coming to Summoner's Rift was immense. When his abilities were [revealed](https://na.leagueoflegends.com/en-us/champions/yone/), it was clear his strengths would be similar to that of his brother’s: high mobility with burst damage, but with even harder gap closing potential. Before Yone was released, anticipation was further fueled by a special [Spirit Blossom-themed cinematic trailer](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9fFG4ZLp9Y). 

Yone’s appearance on the competitive stage was delayed after Riot made the decision to lock the champion for Worlds 2020.

<div class='twitter-tweet' style="width: 100%; display: flex; justify-content: center; max-width: 100%">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Also if you missed it <br><br>Lillia is enabled for worlds <br>Yone is not<br><br>We think we have enough time and info to get Lillia in a balanced state and Yone would be going in a bit too blind. We’ve had risky new releases in the past and they can end up 100% pick/ban.</p>&mdash; Mark Yetter (@MarkYetter) <a href="https://twitter.com/MarkYetter/status/1296480706370166790?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 20, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div>

Despite being released just two weeks after Lillia, Riot’s official stance was that Yone hadn’t been fully balanced for competitive play yet. While it was an understandable decision, locking such an anticipated champion away was a letdown for viewers of the 2020 World Championships.  

In soloqueue, this champion has been hit or miss with a current win-rate of around 48%. He was tricky to deal with upon release, as most players didn’t know to disengage when Yone uses his E, Soul Unbound, which gives him insane rush down potential and almost always leaves the opponent on the losing end of a trade. Yone is difficult to lock down, and even harder to fight against.  

Many questions about this champion were left unanswered. It’s clear he has potential as a midlaner, but where exactly does he fit in the competitive meta? With the start of Season 11, we finally have some match history to analyze Yone’s performance and what type of team comps he’s drafted into.  

# Perkz Plays Yone In Cloud9 Debut

Playing Yone into Syndra. one of the biggest lane bullies, Perkz was walking into a difficult matchup without some jungle help. The image below shows just how insane Yone’s reach can be with Soul Unbound, going from the dragon pit to the tier 2 bot lane tower in seconds.

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Perkz also highlighted how Yone is a risky pick in the midlane: while he got First Blood in the match, he also died a whopping seven times. Yone’s kit requires him to be on top of the opponents, and any team that can kite him correctly can avoid his burst damage, or have it absorbed by the front line. Evil Geniuses did a great job of picking him off in the jungle and locking him up with Renekton/Galio. 

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# ShowMaker’s Yone

ShowMaker, defending World Champion DAMWON Kia’s midlaner, picked Yone against Faker and SKT T1. Yone’s range allows him to be on top of the opponent in the blink of an eye, pictured in the play below using his Soul Unbound and Mortal Steel knock up to dash right to Faker (playing Azir), bursting him down with no chance of escape. 

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# Chovy Reveals Yone's Potential

Chovy put on an absolute clinic with Yone, securing another win for Hanwha Life. Chovy is known for his CS ability, and in a game matching up mid vs. Sett that favored his Yone heavily, he carried the game. While sporting a 40 CS lead just 14 minutes into the game, he killed the enemy jungle in the dragon pit and further snowballed the lead:  

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Chovy's Yone is unforgiving, as he solo killed Sett right after picking up Galeforce, an item that allows Yone to have even more movement. By the end of this game, Chovy had Flame Horizoned the enemy midlaner Lava, finishing with 10.8 CS per minute.  

With a few games now on the competitive stage, Yone certainly looks promising with hard carry potential. However, the meta is constantly evolving – even from region to region – and this will be an interesting champion to track as we are sure to see more Yone picks/bans in the coming months.

Yone Debuts in Competitive Play

When Immortals announced that their Academy roster would be taking the stage for the LCS Lock In tournament, fans were underwhelmed to say the least. However, despite facing adversity against some of the million-dollar superstar rosters of the LCS, IMT.A rose to the occasion and can walk away with their heads high. Head coach Jensen Goh sat down to talk with us again, confirming what we suspected after our [previous interview](https://stacked.gg/article/competing-at-the-top-immortals-academy-coach) - that this situation was indeed a blessing in disguise for the IMT.A squad.
<section>
<strong>TS</strong>
<strong>
Firstly, Jensen, thank you very much for taking the time to talk to us here at Stacked.GG again. Now that you’ve had a chance to play in the Lock-In tournament itself, what are your thoughts on NA League’s new format for the 2021 season?
</strong>
</section>

<section>
<p>JG</p>
<div>
<p>I think that it’s a fun taster to provide more games, a few best-of-X series, and prime the conversation around teams - as opposed to the usual speculation based on narratives around roster building. It’s kind of like a mini play-in stage at Worlds of sorts, with how the best-of-1 single round robin functions.</p>
</div>
</section>


<section>
<strong>TS</strong>
<strong>
Given the fact that you and your team were called up at the last minute, how did you feel that you performed? Rate your squad’s performance out of 10! What were you most proud of seeing on that stage, and how does it make you feel about the ongoing Academy split?
</strong>
</section>



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</div>


<section>
<p>JG</p>
<div>
<p>There’s quite a lot for us to work on as an Academy team, given that we haven’t actually managed to scrim as 5 just yet (NB: the main team’s sololaners played with the Academy roster for most of the Lock-In). I shared a bit behind the process of managing the visa and substitute issues in a video on my YouTube channel here:</p>

<p>
I’d probably give us a 4 out of 10 at this moment in time. We’re kind of a conditional pass, the kind of score that you would get in university when all you did was write down the applicable equations in an engineering exam - without really attempting to solve the problem. There are still a lot of fundamentals that we have to work on, from laning, coordinating around the jungle carry centric meta, and mid-game macro setups - whether they’re on 2 lanes or around the map. These are the big exam questions, and all we have are the equations - without the calculus fundamentals to solve them properly.
</p>



</div>
</section>


<div class='twitter-tweet' style="width: 100%; display: flex; justify-content: center; max-width: 100%; margin-bottom: 2rem;">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">We committed to playing a more finesse style that forces us to learn and exercise fundamentals in our prep and approach to today&#39;s game. We lacked those fundamentals and take a deserving loss to EGA ggwp to them</p>&mdash; Jensen Goh (@JensenGohLoL) <a href="https://twitter.com/JensenGohLoL/status/1354610858526089216?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 28, 2021</a></blockquote>
</div>



<section>
<strong>TS</strong>
<strong>
Which teams do you think overperformed in the Lock-In tournament relative to expectations? And, conversely, underperformed?
</strong>
</section>



<section>
<p>JG</p>
<div>
<p> GGS overperformed - most people had them as contenders for dead last alongside ourselves and they put up a decent fight in their group. The way that their players coordinate their lane states has been a big plus point for them.</p>
<p>
The big underperformer would be TSM. When we scrimmed them, they looked really good and clean, but I think that they are overreaching a bit in how ambitious they want to be. This results in a more error-prone approach to the game, and it’s probably a learning process for them now.
</p>
</div>
</section>


<blockquote>
<h3>"The big underperformer would be TSM. When we scrimmed them, they looked really good and clean, but I think that they are overreaching a bit in how ambitious they want to be."</h3>
<h4>JENSEN GOH, HEAD COACH FOR IMMORTALS ACADEMY</h4>
</blockquote>




<section>
<strong>TS</strong>
<strong>
How good of an indication do you believe that this tournament will be for the standings of the actual split? Are there any teams that you think will fall flat when put to the test, and any that you think will find their footing?
</strong>
</section>


<section>
<p>JG</p>
<div>
<p>C9, TL, TSM, and 100t are still the frontrunners for Spring split, with EG being a wildcard. It’s really hard to say with how little scrim time full rosters are getting, and the sub scenario still ongoing, but looking at the build of the teams and the initial directions that they seem to be going in, the most likely team to flounder seems to be EG and the most likely to improve (besides ourselves!) would be TSM.
</p>
</div>
</section>

<section>
<strong>TS</strong>
<strong>
Are there any players in Academy that you think we should watch out for? Potential substitutions coming in for LCS time, or just standout prospects!
</strong>
</section>

<section>
<p>JG</p>
<div>
<p>Han “Dreams” Min-kook (FLY.A’s support) hasn’t played yet, but he should be good. Otherwise, it’s too early to really tell. Academy is a development process in which you map a player’s trajectory based on the team’s style, and how they develop and grow into that approach. It’s a little early to make this call.
</p>
</div>
</section>

<section>
<strong>TS</strong>
<strong>
Tell us literally anything else that you want to tell us. Good luck with the split!
</strong>
</section>


<section>
<p>JG</p>
<div>
<p>Did you know that more than 50% of the world’s chameleon population is found on Madagascar?
</p>
</div>
</section>

IMT's Jensen Goh - Revisited

After an exciting round of games last week, leagues around the world haven’t stopped. With no shortage of high-stakes matchups and some unexpected upsets, League of Legends has been a pleasure to watch this season so far. It’s hard to keep up with all the different leagues, time zones, and teams, so we’re back again with three games you CAN’T miss this week.  


# DWG KIA (4-1) v Hanwhat Life Esports (4-1) - LCK

**Time:** Friday, 29 January 11:00 GMT+0  

While last year this may not have been the blockbuster match that it’s bound to be this time around, 2021 couldn’t be more different for the HLE organisation. Acquiring the main components of the DRX roster that barely fell short of taking the LCK title in 2020, midlaner Jeong “Chovy” Ji-hoon is one of the few players that can actually give Heo “ShowMaker” Su a run for his money.  

This is a matchup that midlane fans around the world should rejoice at, and it comes at a fantastic time. DK are fresh off an upset at the hands of what was believed to be the worst team in the LCK - Fredit Brion. While DK have since bounced back against the Afreeca Freecs, the BRO loss served as a reminder that no one is invincible.  

Elsewhere on the map, HLE marksman Kim “Deft” Hyuk-kyu will look to show audiences around the world once again why he has been considered elite for the majority of his career. Concerns for HLE will arise from how they handle explosive DK jungler Kim “Canyon” Geon-bu, who still manages to look like the best player in the world months after winning the championship (the aforementioned Fredit Brion series aside).  

This is probably going to be a DK win, but Chovy has 1v9ed his teams to relevance - and title contention - before.  


**Prediction:** DK 2-0 HLE

<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 href="https://twitter.com/RNGRoyal?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RNGRoyal</a> takes down V5 with 2-1 and remains unbeaten in 2021 season!<br><br>RNG will play against another unbeaten team <a href="https://twitter.com/TeamWE?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TeamWE</a> this Friday! <a href="https://t.co/Dpvs5LHP9V">pic.twitter.com/Dpvs5LHP9V</a></p>&mdash; LPL (@lplenglish) <a href="https://twitter.com/lplenglish/status/1354031239196332032?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 26, 2021</a></blockquote>
</div>

# Royal Never Give Up (4-0) v Team WE (5-0) - LPL

**Time:** Friday, 29 January 11:00 GMT+0

Yep, we have another top-of-the-table series happening in the other best region in the world at the exact same time. An embarrassment of riches, fans will have to choose which of these two electric games to watch live.  

WE alone have played 12 games already this split, winning 10 of them. Jiang “beishang” Zhi-Peng has been the driving force behind Team WE’s dominance, establishing early leads through the jungle position and being a reliable engage for the team. He navigates skirmishes with grace and has a streak of aggression reminiscent of LPL junglers of old. Beishang’s 2020 season was solid, but with the addition of two very reliable solo laners, the jungle beast has been unlocked.  

On the other side of the rift, we have an RNG spearheaded by franchise player Li “Xiaohu” Yuan-Hao… who has now roleswapped to the top lane. After a career spent being spectacular domestically but often underachieving come international competition, Xiaohu is once again looking fantastic up in the toplane and will hopefully carry this through all season long. The depth of his champion pool is almost unrivalled within the LPL right now, but it’s the former eStar core of Yan “Wei” Yang-Wei and Yuan “Cryin” Chen-Wei that have shown up big alongside him.  

While RNG is looking insanely good, having the best jungler in the league on your team is too valuable an asset for Team WE.  

**Prediction:** WE 2-1 RNG

<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_38_1.jpeg' alt='Vulcan' style="width: 100%; max-width: 90%;" />
<h2> Vulcan - Cloud9
</h2>
</div>

# Cloud9 (2 SEED) v 100T (1 SEED) - LCS

**Time:** Friday, 29 January 23:00 GMT+0


After their high profile acquisitions this off-season, it’s no surprise that we see two of the most hyped teams in the LCS clash in the semi-finals of the Lock In tournament.  

C9 finishing their group second was a slight upset, but then again so was 100T outright topping theirs. Neither of these teams posted a perfect record, meaning we can expect anything to happen here - but consistency aside, there is no denying that there is an insane amount of talent in this game.  

Matchup-wise, my main concern for C9 is how Ibrahim “Fudge” Allami will handle himself against North America’s number one toplaner Kim “Ssumday” Chan-ho. The former C9A top outright dominated in Academy for most of last year, but Ssumday was doing the same to actual LCS toplaners. Their tournament performances have been night and day so far, so this will be interesting to see.  

Conversely, while Tanner “Damonte” Damonte is exceptional at a handful of picks, Luka “Perkz” Perković does it all. Perhaps 100T take the skill matchup and fans are pleasantly surprised - after all, Perkz looked uncomfortable on flavour of the month midlaner Yone in his NA debut - but C9 have a lot more flexibility here come draft.  

To emphasise just how insane the depth of talent is in this game, both of these junglers 1v9ed their teams to victories on multiple occasions last year, and these are the 2nd and 3rd best performing botlanes in the entire league. This is going to be a series that we will likely - hopefully - see again in the regular LCS split.  

**Prediction:** C9 2-1 100T

3 Games You CAN’T Miss This Week

During the 2019 Spring Split, Fnatic struggled to find wins early in the season after losing a franchise player to G2 while simultaneously onboarding two new players to starting positions. Two years later, the old kings of Europe find themselves in this exact position again. The first two games raised initial concerns around this new roster, but they managed to pull themselves together for a strong finish. Fnatic have been here before, and have the pieces to come out on top.  

# What Went Wrong
The stats from the first two losses show that Fnatic were dealing ‘inefficient’ damage, as while they had the bloodiest games with the highest average combined kills per minute (1.05), the team had a combined K/D of only 0.69. While players like Upset had a high DPM (506), they frequently left the early game with negative laning stats. Individual performances aside, Fnatic showed poor map/objective control as a whole, posting the lowest average wards per minute (2.69) and tied for the lowest dragon capture percentage with MAD Lions at 36%.  

Ultimately, Fnatic were forcing fights they had no reasonable expectation of winning. Their teamfight against Misfits highlights this.  


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Looking into the positioning and set up of this fight, Fnatic had zero vision in the river or enemy jungle and were consequently punished by being flanked by Vander and HiRit. Further, Upset had poor positioning as he spent most of the fight blocked off, and only engaged once the fight had already turned in Misfit’s favor.

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Before the fight even started, Fnatic was down two mythic items on one of their main tanks and primary damage dealers. Initiating skirmishes while down in items is simply not an option in this meta, as it’s enabled teams to gain larger advantages once ahead and forcing teams in losing positions to show much more patience - especially against a goredrinker Renekton.


### Initiating skirmishes while down in items is simply not an option in this meta

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Fnatic’s game against Rogue saw a repeat of these same mistakes, starting fights at even greater objective deficits. 


# What Changed

The game against Schalke showed a pacing shift, as Fnatic played a much more cohesive game. Individual players like Bwipo were able to turn damage into kills in-lane and created clear advantages before engaging in fights.  

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As seen above, Fnatic players were ahead in dragons, gold, and items over Schalke 04, leading to a win despite losing Hylissang so early in this critical fight. Looking at the positioning of this fight when compared to their Misfits game, Upset was in a much better position to influence the outcome of this fight and the items/objectives gave him the rightful confidence to follow through. 

# Looking Ahead

Fnatic have crafted an identity in recent years around their highly aggressive playstyles that have brought them international and domestic success. Fnatic can still keep this aggressive play, but the current state of the game makes fighting from behind incredibly punishable and requires a higher degree of patience than before. Players like Hylissang and Bwipo may struggle early on as they are natural opportunists, which often results in them having boom-or-bust performances.  

Fnatic’s new coaching staff, YamatoCannon and Tolki, seem to have identified this issue early on. Given their prior experience, particularly Yamato’s time with Vitality and in Korea as the only Western coach to compete in the LCK, it certainly seems that Fnatic has the direction it needs. Whether or not Fnatic will reach their previous levels of success with this new roster remains to be seen, but if they can continue to recognize their faults and qucickly adapt like they have shown in Week 1, they certainly will remain a force in the LEC.

Fnatic’s First Week: A New Look for the Old Kings

When the Season 10 World Champions failed to make it back the next year, it became abundantly clear that something needed to change in the FunPlus Phoenix camp. The team’s identity would remain largely intact with Master of Dark Technologies, Kim “DoinB” Tae-sang, staying in the midlane, but changes needed to be made. The signing of Jang “Nuguri” Ha-gwon, the best toplaner at Worlds 2020, was seemingly the difference that this team needed.  

Unfortunately, even with their new star-studded roster, FPX’s 2021 season hasn’t been off to the best start. Worse yet, FPX’s MVP, Gao “Tian” Tian-Liang, now has to take a break from competitive play due to injuries. What fans of FPX can be thankful for, however, is that the team can indeed still pack a punch with the pieces that they have currently.  

So what if Suning have been struggling to find their footing at this stage of the Spring Split? The team was just in the World Finals not too long ago - the very same Finals where Nuguri spearheaded Korea’s DamWon Gaming to a championship - and this would be a rematch between two of the most promising toplane prodigies the game has ever seen. Nuguri would be facing off against Chen “Bin” Ze-Bin, one of the main reasons why Suning were able to make such a deep run during their first Worlds appearance.  

As it turns out, this series wasn’t about the toplaners so much as macro and teamfighting difference.  

FPX ran a classic teamfight-centric 5v5 composition in Game 1, featuring the likes of a newly returned Viktor as well as the Miss Fortune that shaped a majority of their 2020 successes. Game 2 was more exciting as DoinB brought his trademark Kled mid back into the meta - this time, however, with a Season 11 tech: Goredrinker. The item rendered the foul-mouthed mounted yordle borderline unkillable for most of the game, allowing DoinB to run rampant in the enemy backline time and time again.  


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# What’s Next?

For FPX, this series was a tremendous success. Their first games without Tian couldn’t have gone smoother, though rookie replacement Zhou “Bo” Yang-Bo had some fairly suspect Smites, while their often criticised botlane stepped up tremendously. That being said, FPX still have a long way to go when it comes to gelling into that cohesive killing machine that took the world by storm in 2020, but with DoinB leading the charge anything is possible.

On the other hand, Suning still seem to be reeling from the loss of their main shotcaller this off-season. Lê “SofM” Quang Duy is still the reliably aggressive monster he was before, and Bin has shown that he can roll with the punches. It’s important that this team is humbled early into the split so that they don’t get overconfident and fall flat later on, but should they continue on this downward trajectory then it may be time to get concerned.

The LPL is still heating up with some insane games coming up this week and beyond. Old names like Edward Gaming, Royal Never Give Up, and Team WE sit at the top of the standings, but Worlds hopefuls of yesteryear in the above two teams look to rise up alongside JD Gaming, Top Esports, and more. Need we say more? Get watching the LPL today!



Crouching Phoenix, Hidden Lion: FPX vs. Suning Recap

Over the last few years, Maryville University has become a powerhouse in collegiate Esports. The St. Louis institution dove into competitive gaming before most schools even considered it, allowing them to create an infrastructure that other programs are playing catch up to. One of the biggest examples of those successes is Maryville’s League of Legends team – from winning the national collegiate title in 2019 to competing in 2021’s LCS Proving Grounds, head coach Tanner "Zeu" Deegan believes this new roster will continue the programs winning ways.  

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“We center our recruitment around what our goals are, what our expectations are as a program,” said Zeu. “Even though we have new players, our goal has stayed the same. Everything that we do is about solidifying ourselves as a legitimate provider of talent into the Esports talent pipeline.”  

Beyond winning matches and championships, Maryville thrives in defeating other strong collegiate programs. Harrisburg University has become a rival of sorts to Maryville, but Zeu thinks it may be more of a one-sided affair.  

“It’s a rivalry in a sense that I respect their program, but it’s not a rivalry in the sense that we win 95% of the time,” said Zeu.  

Beyond collegiate, Zeu himself has experience at the professional level. A former coach of Golden Guardians’ Academy, the academy scene has changed a lot since he was involved in 2018, the first year of academy teams in the LCS. Being involved with the start of both programs has led to similarities.   

“Golden Guardians and Maryville were [at the beginning] working on building, finding what the scene would look like,” said Zeu. “Both programs were new-ish when I joined them, we were looking for short term results in matches but long-term results in program growth.”  

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<h2>Iconic and Niles – Maryville University
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A big part of why the program has a much newer roster than previous years are the departures of both Ethan "Iconic" Wilkinson and Aiden "Niles" Tidwell who are now part of the Golden Guardians main roster. While this move shocked many, their former coach Zeu was expecting his former players would go straight to LCS.  

### Both of them should have went pro before, so the fact that I still had them was kind of a crime. Every split, every semester that I had with them I was ready for them to get picked up.
#### Zeu, head coach for Maryville University  
  
    
“The answer is a little cocky, but I’m not surprised. It’s expected to be honest,” said Zeu. “Both of them should have went pro before, so the fact that I still had them was kind of a crime. Every split, every semester that I had with them I was ready for them to get picked up.”   

Zeu went on to say that the amount of talent he has in his program is unheard of, with him believing most of his players deserve to play at the pro level. With more and more teams like Evil Geniuses, 100 Thieves and Cloud9 sporting amateur teams, it allows Maryville to not only compete with the big orgs but to also recruit like them. Enter new toplaner Ryan "Chippys" Short from the now defunct OPL.  

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<h2>Chippys – via HTT
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“In terms of recruiting him to come to the university, it was pretty straightforward. Our results speak for themselves,” said Zeu. “The players here make the players around them better.”  

Chippys isn’t the only former pro player to make their way to collegiate. The current Maryville roster includes players like former TL Academy member Nathan "Oddorange" Ryan, previous TSM academy player Jordan "Shady" Robison, plus former LCS draft picks Michael "Wolfe" Taylor and Julien "Julien" Gelinas. This is a stacked roster with high expectations for success, whether it is with Maryville or in the big leagues.  

“Get ready to see a lot more Nileses and Iconics in LCS from Maryville in the future,” said Zeu.
Maryville has started it’s LCS Proving Grounds with a 2-0 record [after their latest win over Wildcard Gaming](https://www.twitch.tv/videos/889482124).


Maryville League of Legends - From Collegiate to LCS and Beyond

New year, new teams – they may have overhauled their rosters, but the classic showdown between TSM and C9 continues to deliver. Both NA titans showed up to play, making for an exciting series that was ultimately won in two decisive teamfights by C9.  

Both junglers opt for a full clear to start the game, giving Spica the first move on the map due to Graves’ superior speed. In conjunction with SwordArt, they attempt to dive Fudge, but TSM’s support/jungle duo show their hand before Huni’s slow-pushed wave is able to crash into the turret. This gave Perkz the precious seconds needed to teleport reactively, forcing the TSM trio to back off the play.  

Not a disastrous loss of time by any means, but had TSM pulled this dive off, the outcome of this series may have been different. As we saw with G2 against MAD Lions, a fed, armored-up Gragas is a problem early game.  

PowerOfEvil sets up the first kill of the game, with Azir ulting Perkz towards his tower as he tries to clear the last of the wave. The timing of the gank is a little awkward, but PoE, Spica, and SwordArt eventually chase down the kill for first blood. TSM uses this advantage to take an easy rift herald, but a flashless Azir makes for an easy dive target in response by Vulcan, Perkz, and Blaber.  

Objective trading comes to an end over the second dragon, with both teams gearing up for a 5v5 fight. While Perkz and PoE jostle over mid priority and the rest of the team dances around the pit, Vulcan sets up an spectacular flank by hexflashing from river into the redside tribrush. He uses red sweeper to reduce TSM’s vision, takes the long way around their blue, and ultimately beats a late PoE and lands a three man pulverize from behind that forces TSM off the dragon and secures the kill on SwordArt.


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For the next few minutes, C9’s summoner spell advantage puts them in control of the map: TSM can’t take any fair fights, with Jhin being particularly debilitated. C9’s dive comp already makes it extremely difficult for Lost to play the game, and a flashless Jhin may as well serve himself up on a silver platter.  

C9 pushes this advantage to grab an uncontested rift herald, but another key Azir ult from PoE leaves Perkz without a flash for the next dragon fight. SwordArt locks him down with Bard ult, and they pick up a free kill right as dragon spawns. TSM’s man advantage should mean an easy objective for them, but a positional mistake from Lost and some quick thinking on Vulcan’s part turns the teamfight on its head.

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There’s a lot going on here, but the key turning point is Vulcan’s engage onto Lost. Notice how as Vulcan approaches and threatens an engage, PoE tethers to him, positioning back as he moves forward.



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Crucially, Lost doesn’t do this - worse, he self-roots by casting Deadly Flourish. His eyes are on Kindred rather than his own positioning. Vulcan sees this and immediately q-flashes, an engage that is extremely difficult to react to, headbutting Lost into his waiting team.

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From there, the fight is all but over. What should now be a wash for C9 is stalled by a sneaky first baron secure by TSM, and later a phenomenal steal by PoE (STACKED’s Top Play of the Week).


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TSM valiantly clings to the game as long as they can, but C9 properly utilizes their advantage from these two key teamfights to mow down TSM in the ensuing skirmishes, eventually securing the game and a trip to the semifinals.

Clash of Titans – TSM vs. C9 Game 3 Analysis (LCS Lock In Quarters)

The LEC’s 2021 Spring Split began with a superweek, giving teams ample opportunity to show off their new rosters and show how they intend to play in this new meta. The offseason saw a massive influx of new talent from national leagues, hoping to compete with the top teams seemingly only interested in consolidating the best, established talent in Europe. While it’s still early, last week gave us insight into the strengths and weaknesses of some of Europe’s premier teams and potential international representatives.

# G2 

G2’s highly anticipated addition of Rekkles lived up to expectations, as he finished with the highest KDA (47.0) and DPM (583) in the LEC. G2 showed immense confidence not just through stellar individual performances, but also by limit testing their star-studded roster. In all three games, G2 picked champions outside the dominant meta in compositions significantly harder to execute on: namely the Ivern top game against SK. Team cohesion does not appear to be an issue here, as their set-ups and teamplay this weekend were immaculate.

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Historically G2 is a team that starts slow and heats up closer to playoffs, so seeing them performing this well early on should put the LEC on notice: G2 is worth the hype.

# Rogue

Rogue ended the week with the fastest average game time among teams with winning records at 29 minutes. Larssen’s continued success was a massive contributor to their wins, as he holds the highest KDA (36.0), CSD10, GD10, and DPM among midlaners. Larssen exclusively picked Twisted Fate however, and needs to show that he has improved on his relatively small champion pool which was his biggest criticism from last year.  

Hans Sama put himself in the upper echelon of ADCs and proved himself one of Rogue’s primary carries as he accounted for 43% of the team’s kill share. Rogue’s commanding map/objective control may be their best asset however, as Inspired facilitated the 100% control rate over Rift Heralds and first towers. Though Trymbi could stand to refine his engages, Rogue has greatly improved on their laning and teamfighting as Odoamne and Larssen’s persist re-engages and use of global ultimates have turned this team into a major threat.

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# Schalke 04

Schalke looked unstable and uncoordinated throughout all three games, including in their sole win against Vitality. Schalke holds the lowest average combined kills per minute at 0.46 and some of the worst gold differentials in the LEC. Individually, Abbedagge and Gilius have been the highlight of this roster so far, showing their sudden level-up in play from last year was not a fluke. Broken Blade however massively underperformed in his LEC debut, as he lost winning matchups (such as his Renekton game into HiRit’s Camille) and went negative in virtually all laning stats. 
Schalke needs to show that they are capable of winning games convincingly, instead of relying on sudden base-race opportunities.

# MAD Lions

Coming out of last season, Humanoid led midlaners in deaths and has only continued this trend by posting the 2nd highest overall deaths so far. Humanoid’s isolated deaths aren’t the team’s only hindrance however, as they have failed to execute on relatively simple plays. In their game against Astralis, Humanoid, Eyloya, and Armut repeated the exact same gank on WhiteKnight three times and only succeeding once.
This failure to execute may come from an overall failure to communicate or mesh with their new jungler, but against the LEC’s top teams, these mistakes are sure to be costly. Fans are certainly hopeful for a successful rebuild after the team’s incredibly disappointing Worlds showing. 


LEC Week One Recap: Rogue Contends for the Top and Schalke Stalls

With the Lock In Quarterfinals now behind us, we’ve had a chance to see the new-look LCS rosters in action with single elimination stakes on the line. Evidently, some rosters have gelled quicker than others. Let’s get into each series, and who came out on top. 

# Cloud9 Finding Their Footing, TSM Has Questions to Answer

After a shaky start to the tournament, Cloud9 gave a decent performance and came out on top against TSM, defeating them 2-1. This was the most anticipated first round matchup, and with good reason: both teams dominated the Spring split last year and made the largest player signings in the offseason. As of right now, both teams look like they needed this tournament as practice before the regular season.

Fudge, Cloud9’s new toplaner and currently the youngest player in the entire LCS, had himself a stellar series. Cloud9 took a risk putting such high expectations on a rookie, and so far it’s paying off. Just look at this highlight play with Gragas’ ultimate that helped C9 gain a lead early on in game 2:

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For TSM, they have some soul searching to do. The reigning LCS champs had a chance to steal this series in Game 3, but their draft limitations held them back tremendously. TSM allowed Cloud9 to draft what might be the most powerful Mid-Top combo possible right now with Camille and Galio. Second, TSM overturned their LCS-winning roster in an attempt to build a Worlds contender centered around the largest LCS signing ever, SwordArt, for over $6M. While there are countless externalities at play, SwordArt hasn’t had the impact the likes of CoreJJ and Vulcan have had, ranking 9th in KDA and notching CSD10, XPD10, and GD10 deficits across 7 games.

# Golden Guardians’ Growing Pains

Evil Geniuses took down Golden Guardians 2-0 in a swift victory. Golden Guardians put up a much better fight in the first game but were handily defeated in the second game.  

GG’s lack of experience showed in this series, as they were consistently out positioned in team fights, eventually leading to their downfall. They drafted Udyr in game one for Iconic in the jungle, as Udyr has recently come out as a flavor-of-the-week pick. GG hoped to win by having him zone with Orianna ball on him, but often Iconic found himself out of position, costing his team multiple fights.  

Game 2 ended up being a complete stomp, with EG showing why they are one of the top teams heading into Spring split. Impact has continued to dominate his lane matchups, showcasing his classic Renekton and Gragas, which are sure to draw bans going forward.  

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<h2>Photo: Impact – Riot Games
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# Team Liquid Defeats FlyQuest 

TL bested FlyQuest in a 2-0 series that showcased a sloppy performance out of both sides, often drawing team fights with no clear objective. This type of clumsy play led to a TL sweep anyways, but if Team Liquid want to become not just a dominant LCS team, but a team that can contend for a World Championship, they’re going to need to shape up.

TL’s botlane is far and away the best in the LCS. Tactical and CoreJJ are getting 2v2 kills in every game they play, carrying the team regardless of how other lanes perform. Having Santorin finally join the team has also given TL a nice boost.

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<h2>Photo: CoreJJ – Riot Games
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On the other hand, FlyQuest’s new toplaner Licorice had a disastrous performance, getting dominated by Alphari on both his Irelia and Gragas. Losing lane to Alphari is bound to happen, as he is one of the most dominant toplaners in the league, but being killed multiple times while out of position handicapped any chance FlyQuest had of winning.

Josedeodo made his LCS debut and is already a fan favorite, but without any winning lanes, it was difficult to have any real impact.. 

# 100 Thieves Take Care of Business

100 Thieves completely slaughtered Immortals and secured a spot in the semifinal round. To preface this series, Immortals decided to play their Academy team in this tournament, a decision that [STACKED discussed with Academy coach, Jensen Goh](https://stacked.gg/article/competing-at-the-top-immortals-academy-coach).

Unlikely as it was to win, IMT made the mistake of not banning Damonte's Twisted Fate in both games, a decision that proved to be costly. Damonte roamed early on with Destiny, securing kills that quickly snowballed both games away. 

# Semifinals Are Set

Looking ahead, we have our final four teams of the inaugural LCS Lock In tournament – 100T play Cloud9 on Friday, January 29th, and EG play TL on Saturday, January 30th.

LCS Lock In Quarterfinals – Winners & Losers

It’s only the third day of the LEC and we already have an upset. Granted, these were some of [our projected worst teams in the league](https://stacked.gg/article/lec-power-rankings-g2-back) - but even so, Astralis walking away with a win is certainly notable. The squad, largely consisting of a mix of former LEC players that had struggled to break back into the big leagues, was probably the single most criticised roster this offseason. Yes, budget years are entirely understandable given current circumstances, as discussed in our [article on LCS budget rosters](https://stacked.gg/article/money-on-their-minds-budget-rosters), but Astralis have managed to subvert expectations by investing in zero rookie talent. This was a similar criticism to one that we had of CLG: if you aren’t building a championship-level roster, what are you investing in if not the future?

Following their first two crushing defeats of 2021, coupled with the horrendous 2020 that the then-Origen superteam faced, this team should have been a free win - especially for the likes of Team Vitality, who were a clear cut above AST in the preseason rankings. VIT were even coming off a convincing win over Misfits Gaming, showing that perhaps we could see the French organisation contend for a playoff seed for the first time in what feels like forever. Unfortunately for VIT, one 44-minute slugfest later, it became abundantly clear that at least some members of the AST roster weren’t going down without a fight.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">FIRST WIN OF SPRING SPLIT</p>&mdash; Astralis LoL (@AstralisLoL) <a href="https://twitter.com/AstralisLoL/status/1353385101791531010?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 24, 2021</a></blockquote>
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# Old Guard vs Rookie Talent

For those of you familiar with the European Masters tournament (essentially EU’s inter-regional equivalent of Academy), some of the names in this game will look familiar. Former teammates turned opponents, the inter-team tension here fit the narrative. Take the AST toplaner, Matti “WhiteKnight” Sormunen for example - just 18 months ago he hoisted the EU Masters first-place medal alongside VIT support Labros “Labrov” Papoutsakis. A similar, more recent tale is that of AST jungler Nikolay “Zanzarah” Akatov and VIT top Mathias “Szygenda” Jensen, who claimed the most recent EM trophy together under the AGO Rogue banner.

For the unacquainted, you may still recognize some of these names as every member of this AST roster has played at least one split in the LEC before, with the exception of Zanzarah. VIT’s team is a completely different story, with rookie players across the board - all having at most one year of main roster experience.

While the gameplay in this match was nothing spectacular, it was a good example of how quickly teams can learn and improve. Take the pick that AST managed to find onto VIT midlaner Aljoša “Milica” Kovandžić around the top river - instead of overcommitting and getting greedy (as they did in their previous showings), the team successfully grew their lead over time. Yes, maybe when the game goes on for 44 minutes it’s a bit too much time afforded to this, but it was still promising to see.

This game also served as a reminder that teams shouldn’t count out Erlend “Nukeduck” Våtevik Holm, who - while he has certainly seen better days as of recent - was once one of Europe’s elite midlaners.

Should we assume that AST will win more games? Will it be through Zanzarah’s crazy picks and pathing, or Nukeduck’s overperformance? Time will tell, and while this victory may not change the final standings, it does bring to mind the old EU League of Legends saying: “this is the [LEC], where everyone beats everyone… and G2/FNC win.”

Surprisingly Not CS:GO: Astralis Take Down Vitality

If week one of LCK Spring was a standard affair, week two was nothing but upsets and shocking results. Let’s jump right into the biggest takeaways. 

# Up: Stonks for BRO are at an All-time High

It was assumed DWG KIA would dominate Fredit BRION on the way to a 3-0 start this split. Then, the unthinkable happened. Known affectionately by the shortened name “BRO,” the only team that was not in LCK during 2020 swept the reigning world champions. In match one, a great gank from Eom "UmTi" Seong-hyeon on Graves helped midlaner Kim "Lava" Tae-hoon secure the first kill of the series on Heo "ShowMaker" Su. From there, it felt like the UmTi and friends show.


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<img src='https://stacked-assets.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/posts/post_30_1.jpeg' alt='UmTi' style="width: 100%; max-width: 90%;" />
<h2>UmTi - LCK Global
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DWG KIA forced themselves into bad fights and trades, while the aggression from Fredit BRION couldn’t be stopped. Ace upon ace continued to be found for the underdogs, with dragons and baron fights going in their favor. Fredit BRION would be shut down later in the week by Nongshim RedForce, but what a great first win it was.



<div class='twitter-tweet' style="width: 100%; display: flex; justify-content: center; max-width: 100%">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">WHOA! BIG ACE BRO! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LCK?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LCK</a> <a href="https://t.co/dzopRMfeYU">pic.twitter.com/dzopRMfeYU</a></p>&mdash; LCK Global (@LCK_Global) <a href="https://twitter.com/LCK_Global/status/1352227665621598209?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 21, 2021</a></blockquote>
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# Down: Can the Real T1 Please Stand Up?

It wasn’t just DWG KIA that struggled this week. Gen.G dropped their first match of the split to Hanwha Life Esports, with Kim "Clid" Tae-min becoming [the first player to lose on Taliyah in the LCK](https://gol.gg/champion/champion-stats/131/season-S11/split-ALL/tournament-LCK%20Spring%202021/). But no one has fallen quite as much as T1. Midlane continues to be shuffled, with Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok getting the start in a 1-2 loss against Gen.G and Lee "Clozer" Ju-hyeon having the same scoreline against KT Rolster in the Telecom War match. T1 is very good at winning the first match of a series, and then losing the next two. This has happened in all three of their losses, putting them in a tie for seventh place. There is still plenty of time to recover, but it is not looking great early on.  

# Up: Old and New DRX Prosper

Everyone that has been part of DRX in the last few months seems to be thriving (except T1’s Ryu "Keria" Min-seok). Hanwha Life Esports pickups Jeong "Chovy" Ji-hoon and Kim "Deft" Hyuk-kyu have given them lane dominance in both bot and mid, evident by their amazing performances against Gen.G. Chovy was on a tear, going 11-1-8 and 10-0-6 (35.0 combined KDA) in the two matches they won in the series. 


<div class='twitter-tweet' style="width: 100%; display: flex; justify-content: center; max-width: 100%">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="cs" dir="ltr">CHOOOOOOOOOVYYYYY!<br><br>HLE Chovy grabs two solo kills! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LCK?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LCK</a> <a href="https://t.co/8vtHAkyyqF">pic.twitter.com/8vtHAkyyqF</a></p>&mdash; LCK Global (@LCK_Global) <a href="https://twitter.com/LCK_Global/status/1353328240803205120?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 24, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Not only are former DRX players prospering, but the new players are also. The new DRX lineup is currently tied with Hanwha Life Esports for third. Their only loss is to the team they are tied with, which was still a close three-game series. Previously I [had rated them to be finishing near the bottom](https://stacked.gg/article/lck-power-rankings-dwg-kia) of the table, but early on they look like a potential dark horse. 

# Down: Picking Gnar (like ever)


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<img src='https://stacked-assets.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/posts/post_30_2.jpeg' alt='Gnar' style="width: 100%; max-width: 90%;" />
<h2>Gnar - Riot Games
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While Gnar has a good win-rate in toplane in both the LCS and LPL, he has been a bad pick in LCK. The yordle has found success for HLE’s Park "Morgan" Gi-tae and DWG KIA’s Kim "Khan" Dong-ha, while everyone else who has played him has a 50% or lower win-rate. Across the league, he has lost 60.3% of the matches he’s been played in. For a ‘safe pick,’ most players end up being sorry for picking him. 

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<img src='https://stacked-assets.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/posts/post_30_3.jpeg' alt='Standings' style="width: 100%; max-width: 90%;" />
<h2>Standings - LCK Global
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LCK Spring Week Two: Giants Fall

I wouldn’t call this “The Great Awakening” by any means, but this is the first time that we’ve seen Team Liquid’s full roster. And they did defeat TSM with ease in a strong showing to close out the Group Stage.

Both teams were 2-1, setting the stage for a battle for second seed with first seed clinched by 100Thieves who took down both TL and TSM head-to-head. With the playoffs around the corner, the two powerhouses were playing for an easier seeding path to the preseason crown.

The game started to look like a bloodbath when CoreJJ (3/0/7) picked up a double on his Nautilus vs. Lost’s Kai’sa (1/5/0) and SwordArt’s Leona (0/4/2). This allowed Tactical’s Miss Fortune (5/0/10) to get ahead and stay ahead, catching fire as the game went on. Then came another pick on SwordArt near mid on the first dragon, and the game started to snowball from there.

“I’m not really sure what’s going on in bot lane every game, but my bot lane keeps killing them,” said Team Liquid mid-laner Jensen in a post-game interview with LeTigress. He wasn’t wrong.

Part of Team Liquid’s success was attributed to the strength of their bot lane, who consistently out-pressured TSM and roamed, making their presence known all over the map. Also contributing was Jensen (3/0/5) with yet another solid play around the midlane on Galio, the second part of a Galio/Camille comp that made its presence known, jumping all over the backline and interrupting team fights.

The question coming into this match was how well new TL top-laner Alphari and jungler Santorin would play with each other, and suffice to say, the answer is “pretty well.” Santorin’s Nidalee (2/1/5) fought back and forth with a gold lead against Spica’s Lillia (1/5/2), but Santorin asserted objective control early by taking the first rift herald and first three dragons in quick succession.

Alphari picked Camille (5/2/3) and, with Jensen’s Galio, proceeding to shellack every TSM player that came near them. By the 18:00 mark, TL had a 7k gold lead, 3 dragons, and was poised to get ready for soul and a baron. By the time it got to 20:00, TL had cracked an inhibitor.

By 22:00, they had soul, baron, and an 11.5k gold lead.

And by 25:00, the game was over. This is right on time for Team Liquid, who boasts the shortest average game time through Groups at 26:00/game.

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<img src='https://stacked-assets.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/posts/post_29_1.jpeg' alt='League Stats' style="width: 100%; max-width: 90%;" />
<h2>Photo Credit - Stacked Analytics Team
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This game is a showcase of what it means to have a roster playing at full strength, and boy did Team Liquid come to play. 

Only one year into his LCS career, Tactical is proving to be an incredibly fast learner who could be a Worlds ADC contender in short order. CoreJJ, reliable as always, is making an argument for being a Top 5 Support player in the world. The thought that this team is only getting better is a scary proposition for the rest of the league.

After the game, Tactical was looking forward.

“We’ve only had one week of practice with Santorin coming in, and so far I think we’re good at staying on the same page, usually. I think our communication’s really smooth,” Tactical said. 
He also chalked up everyone’s success in-lane, saying they got “a lot of random advantages from it.”

“I can imagine we’re getting pretty good, we just need some more time and we’ll do really well.”

TSM just looked...defeated. I can’t think of another way to put it - you don’t look at a tornado and blame the houses for getting destroyed.

Looking ahead to Quarterfinals, TSM was knocked out by Cloud9 on Saturday, and TL plays FlyQuest on Sunday.

Welcome to TL’s World: TL vs. TSM (Lock In Group Stage)

GG Niles talks to STACKED about Gnar picks, team synergy, and how his LCS debut is going. Watch the interview below, featuring Stacked writer, Matt Thibault: 

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GG Niles: "We're not just a bunch of gamers that have no life experience"

With the inaugural LCS Lock In tournament moving into the playoffs, we look back at some of the biggest takeaways from the Lock In Group Stage.

# 1. This meta is pretty solidified...

Of all the 153 champions available in professional play, only 52 have been picked or banned. This is just over a third of all potential champions, and of those 52, 13 have above a ⅔ pick and ban rate. Four of them have a 100% P/B rate: Olaf, Pantheon, Kai’Sa and Taliyah, leaving them clearly at the top of any tierlist. STACKED’s Dan Smyth-Temple discusses the state of the LCS Lock In meta more in-depth in [his article here](https://stacked.gg/article/lcs-lock-in-week-1).

# 2. ...but the teams are all over the place.

FlyQuest beat Evil Geniuses. CLG beat 100Thieves. There are too many teams (CLG, FlyQuest, Team Liquid, Immortals) that are playing without key parts of their squads, and it’s showing. The FlyQuest from last weekend that went 0-2 looked entirely different from the FlyQuest of yesterday with Josedeodo joining the ranks. Their bot lane ripped the previously undefeated EG duo of Deftly and Ignar apart, while nearly losing to an Immortals academy squad in the same day, leaving us scratching our heads and wondering just where FlyQuest stacks up.  

No one knows who’s the best or the worst of anything right now with just four games of match history apiece, each with varying circumstances. Perhaps unsurprisingly, there’s more clarity at the top: Team Liquid looks very strong, Cloud9 is finding its footing, TSM has some soul searching to do, and EG is not unbeatable.  

# 3. All Hail Galeforce

The ADC meta that we’ve seen so far revolves around one item - Galeforce. For 3,400 gold, you get 60 Attack Damage, 20% Critical Strike Chance, and 20% Attack Speed. It’s a Mythic item so that’s all you get in that tier, but you get a 3% movement speed buff for each subsequent legendary item built.  

The contentious point, however, is its active use. Every 90 seconds, it casts a dash that fires six missiles dealing a significant amount of magic damage to your nearest target while also scaling for up to 50% of your target’s missing health.  

### Galeforce is super obnoxious, and also super strong, and the only real comparison we have as a midlaner to something like Galeforce is something like [Hextech] Protobelt
#### Nicolaj “Jensen” Jensen

It’s safe to say that not everyone is happy with the item.  

“Galeforce is super obnoxious, and also super strong, and the only real comparison we have as a midlaner to something like Galeforce is something like [Hextech] Protobelt,” said Nicolaj “Jensen” Jensen, Team Liquid’s midlaner, in an interview with Stacked as he discussed the state of mid-lane items.  

ADCs like Jhin and Kai’Sa have taken over with this item, as Jhin boasts a 67% win-rate in six games, forcing only one ban so far, exclusively using this item.   

# 4. ...where’s Pantheon?

Pantheon has a 100% Pick/Ban rate solely because the angry, early-game focused champion has been banned out in every game in the first phase of every draft.  

Pantheon’s received a bunch of changes over the past year, moving his role between Support, Top, and Jungle intermittently, but has been polarizing due to his damage, crowd control skill and mobility around the map. We haven’t seen what he’s capable of in the hands of LCS pros yet, but for now, we’ll just have to hope for a nerf to see him picked in the future.  

# 5. Gnar is getting beat up, on and off the rift...but not as bad as you think

The little yordle with anger issues has been the focus of contention (and memes) everywhere from [Reddit](https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflegends/comments/kx375q/why_is_gnar_high_priority_in_pro_play/) to [Twitter](https://twitter.com/StackedLoL/status/1350950663006658561?s=20). Gnar’s gotten a lot of flack because, despite being a safe counterpick, he gets shoved in early and will die without his jungler’s attention and support (particularly on the squishier mini-Gnar variant of the champion).

### I think that people are blinding [Gnar] when he’s not blindable. The champion itself is very vulnerable to counterpicks, so I think it makes sense when people are picking Gnar into Renekton, for example, because it’s a lane counter
#### Aiden "Niles" Tidwell

Golden Guardians toplaner Niles is definitely pro-Gnar, but believes the champion is getting picked into bad situations.

“I think that people are blinding [Gnar] when he’s not blindable. The champion itself is very vulnerable to counterpicks, so I think it makes sense when people are picking Gnar into Renekton, for example, because it’s a lane counter,” Niles said.

Gnar’s stats, however, aren’t all bad. He was picked six times and banned six times, for a total presence through 60% of games. Decent. His win rate? 50%. Also decent.

The problem with Gnar is one of selection bias. When he goes even or relaxes in-lane, he goes unnoticed for much of the game. But, when someone is getting cranked and ganked on repeat – that’s when we notice that we have a rodent problem.



Five Takeaways From the LCS Lock In Group Stage

Cloud9 Jungler Blaber sits down with Stacked writer, Matt Thibault, after a decisive win over Dignitas. See more here:


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C9 Blaber on What C9 Fans Should Expect “Obviously We’re Going to get First”

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

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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.

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“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
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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

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<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
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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.


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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.

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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.

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</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. 

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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.

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</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.

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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.


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</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.

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