EPT
To Rule the Bot Lane
This World Championship has had a glut of bot lane talent. From the former World Champion duo Bang and Wolf, to the domestically dominant Zven and Mithy, to powerhouse names of Forg1ven and Uzi, it would seem this Worlds is set to test the strength of the duo lanes of the world. Still, despite all the hype around the veterans, a novice duo has outshone their venerated competition.
Ruler is a new name to the League scene but already he’s built a reputation as an excellent pickup. Joining Samsung seemed like an odd fit for the team and odder still was the fate of the player he replaced. CoreJJ is not a new name in the scene but his time as Samsung support is far different than what LCS fans might remember. Best friends and jovial, they’ve already made an impact on the World stage.
Fresh out of solo queue, playing under the name Bung, Ruler was thrown into a highly competitive environment. Already he has fought several world finalists and domestic champions such as PraY and Doublelift. “They are excellent ADs and I have a lot of respect for them” he said. “And I think I can continue to learn if I play more games against players like them.” So far he’s proven rock solid under pressure. Despite being underappreciated, he has held his own against a gauntlet of big names. In Korea he was criticized for a small champion pool but he has shown improvement already with his first competitive Caitlyn game here at Worlds. Playing it masterfully his traps punished the experienced botlane of Mata and Uzi and showed he is quick to adapt to new metas. He also has proven to be among the best Jhins of the tournament crushing Sneaky in their 3-0 sweep of Cloud9. When asked if he had other picks he had to show he responded with “I have other picks I can show if I get the opportunity.”
Of course he is only one half of the bottom lane and the other half that propelled the team to worlds is CoreJJ. While he hasn’t been the starting support for most of the regular split, his impact in the postseason cannot be overstated. While the leadership of Wraith lead Samsung to playoffs, the surprise sub in of CoreJJ gave the team a pressure point that has taken both domestic and international foes off guard. He brings an aggressive tempo to the bot side and turned the scaling aspect of the team into one that can snowball out of lane. More importantly however, he has formed a profound bond with Ruler that makes the laning phase feel effortless. “We both live in the gaming house and he is the one I hang out with the most,” Ruler said when asked about his relationship with CoreJJ. “He’s very nice.”
While the rest of the lanes on Samsung steal the attention, both CoreJJ and Ruler have quietly shown their strength. Despite statistically lagging behind ADs such as Uzi, Ruler hasn’t demanded nearly the same amount of resources to be funneled into him. With impeccable play the team is looking to go far this tournament to vindicate their World’s qualification over KT Rolster. “Anything less than Semis is a failure” was their sentiment after groups. But with the way the knockout stages have been set up it's likely that isn’t even enough. While the team is heavily favored against H2k, Ruler and CoreJJ have the most to prove against the established power of Forg1ven and Vander. Not content to just be carried by their top half of the map, the bot lane duo come into the match hungry to establish their rule over the AD and Support throne.
