TeamLiquid S3 World Championships Primer
We've come a long way since professional video gaming was playing in space suits. Despite the scandals and technical difficulties, Season 2 World Championships proved the power of Riot's ambition: a then unprecedented prize pool, an athletic venue, and a clash of international styles that resonated in fundamental changes to the game. But while Season 2 finals were at the Galen Center, Season 3 will be in the Staples Center. While Season 2 featured twelve teams over two weekends, Season 3 will have fourteen teams play over three weeks.
And while Season 2 had teams fighting for circuit points at MLG and IPL, Dreamhack and Gamescom, IEMs around the world, Riot brought the Asian league model to the NA and EU scenes. We watched the old guard fight for their rights as professional gamers; we had are hearts in rising amateur teams to pull amazing upsets; we saw the rise of new regional powerhouses.
Across the world, teams innovated or lost. The fast push of Azubu Blaze or the control style of TPA seem relics now. And with increased regional separation, the tension of styles is even higher. The last time we saw true international competition was back in Spring. Since then, the regional divide has exploded: EU plays Aatrox and Karma; NA has come out with Ashe/Zyra; Fizz is the terror of China; Korea has taken fast push and split push to whole new levels.
From all these regions, season championships and regional playoffs have filtered down 14 teams. While not all the teams are well known, they each deserves a moment in the spotlight. Here we take a look at the regions being represented and the teams that will be competing. The Season 2 World Championship set a high bar, but Season 3 has set the bar higher.
Welcome to the World Championships.
The Little Ones
Mineski, GamingGear.EU and Gamania Bears are the best teams from around the world that do not play in the Big 4 regions of North America, Europe, China, and Korea. They are the forgotten little brothers to the LCS/LPL/OGN teams but that doesn't mean they don't stand a chance against them. In a world where everyone can analyze the recorded footage of the major leagues, sometimes it can be advantageous to keep a low profile. Your tendencies are not as apparent and it's not as easy for your opponents to figure out your champion pool. And of course who can forget about last year's run by the Taipei Assassins, who were part of this group of outsiders looking in at the major NA and EU servers.
If there is one word to describe these three teams, it would be upset. Each of them upset a favored team in their respective qualifiers. Gamania Bears took down Taipei Snipers, the sister team of last year's champions. Mineski bested Singapore Sentinels and Saigon Jokers, the top two placing teams from the Season 2 SEA regional qualifiers. And lastly GamingGear.EU defeated paiN Gaming, the favourite going into the Wildcard Tournament at Gamescom. They have proven that they have what it takes to take on bigger and better opponents but now the real test begins. Time will tell if they can become one of the big fish in the sea or if they'll be swallowed up and left on the side to be forgotten by everyone.
North American LCS
If there's a mindset that America personifies it's "go big or go home," and, as the biggest PC game ever, League of Legends is a representative of the best parts of that ideal. It's why NA LoL players consistently top the streaming numbers of any other gamers on Twitch. It's why the World Championships sold out the Staples Center. Three NA teams went big in this season's LCS, earning them a shot at the biggest names from around the world. With a tremendous Summer Split performance, Cloud 9 stands atop the NA playing field, and, having outmatched their American opponents, looks towards Europe and Asia for its first real challenges. Following them are TSM, the long-time fan favorites without whom a League Season Finals would not feel official. Finally there's the third place Vulcun, a dark horse even in the region, but one with the skill to surprise any opponents who underestimate them.
Yet the difficulties of international competition loom large over NA ambitions. After a telling performance during the All-Stars competition, the odds are stacked against even the most skilled of the American rosters. Luckily for C9, TSM, and Vulcun, there is something to be said for the home court advantage. A stadium filled with the cheers of the biggest crowd in the history of North American eSports will certainly favor the native rosters. Underdogs they may be, but NA will have legions of fans on their side, rooting for an upset of strongest teams from across the globe. For a region of big personalities, big talk, and big passion, the 2013 World Championships could be its biggest victory.
European LCS
Much like its cousin across the pond, the European LCS opened with the veterans looking strong before power gradually shifted toward newcomers and upstarts. Fnatic reigned supreme, backing up their impressive pre-season performance at IPL5 by winning both the Spring and Summer playoffs. Gambit stayed a threat all season long despite the loss of EDward mid-season, with Diamond shaping huge chunks of the metagame with his champion selection. While Alternate and Meet Your Makers came out of the gate fast in the summer, it was the slow-starting Lemondogs who rose to top the regular season standings, running an impressive 14-4 after adding Mithy at support mid-season. Season 2 Championship veterans SK Gaming and Evil Geniuses couldn't put together solid runs, fading against the stronger summer competition. EG experienced a resurgence late after temporarily adding a new jungler and analyst, but collapsed against Gambit for the last spot at Worlds in the Summer playoffs. Ninjas in Pyjamas kept things interesting all season, surging from behind in the Spring to a respectable finish after midlane star Bjergsen hit the age limit required to compete. The Summer Split was just as tumultuous as the Ninjas had 4 roster changes while they fought up from a slow start before ultimately ending up in relegation territory after losing the 5th place match to Alternate.
EU continues to be a bastion of mid-laner oriented play, with midlaners getting the most farm on the majority of the teams. With the likes of Alex Ich, xPeke, Bjergsen and Froggen holding down midlane roles, teams are starting to convert midlaners to cover other positions, notably with Fizz guru Tabzz switching to AD Carry for the Championships bound Lemondogs and Extinkt playing top for Ninjas in Pyjamas. While early in Season 3 EU produced arguably more star Supports than AD Carries, talent in the position has increased with LCS newcomers like Creaton, Freeze and Puszu making impacts at the end of the season as the metagame shifted away from the early season focus on utility ADCs like Miss Fortune and Varus. Jungle has been another strong point in the region, with spring season veterans Dexter and Malunoo finding success with new teams in the Summer, while old hands like Diamond and Cyanide continue to be lynchpins in their teams' success.
Going into Worlds, Europe will have the hardest path to the championship of the major regions, owing to Europe's last place finish at All-Star weekend. Lemondogs' lack of international experience will be tested when they join SKT1, OMG, Team Solomid and GamingGear.EU in Group A. Lemondogs will have to adapt to the international styles of play well to stand a chance. Gambit and Fnatic will duke it out in Group B with favorite Samsung Ozone and credible underdog threats in Mineski and Vulcun. With Fnatic taking a 4-0 sweep of Gambit in the Summer Split regular season, the odds may be in their favor for advancing. Both teams are international veterans with past success against Asian teams in international play, and with all due respect to Lemondogs, seem like Europe's best chance for a deep run in the Championship.
Chinese LPL
Season 3 for China has been a time of change, just as it has for every other region. Just as we saw old teams like Curse, TSM, CJ Frost, and EG enter season 3 on strong form, WE and iG entered season 3 looking strong as ever in China. WE started season 3 with wins at IPL5 and G-League, while iG conversely took a win off WE in Starswar League. WE and iG's domnance over the Chinese scene looked strong as ever.
However, just like in the other regions, new challengers soon arose to meet the old titans. OMG's rise has been the Cinderella story of Chinese LoL, rising over the first half of LPL Spring from an unimpressive second-tier team to the dominant force in Chinese LoL, taking a convincing win in the round robin stage of both LPL splits, and the title of LPL Spring. Positive Energy (formerly WE's B-team WE.i-Rocks), broke their stigma of being WE's punching bags, finishing with a second place win in the first season of LPL and surpassing their sister team in both splits. And Royal Club, while showing inconsistent performances over the first half of the season through multiple roster shakeups, has found a distinct style for themselves that has propelled them to the forefront of the scene and into Chinese regional first seed, with a bye into the round of 8.
But with change comes uncertainty, and uncertainty is the only term that could be used to describe any predictions for the two teams' standing at Worlds. Both teams are totally untested in foreign tournaments. Royal, while playing a style that has been playing a unique style that has been highly successful in LPL, is not as well-rounded as some of the other contender teams at the tournament--the aggressive Fizz+Annie gank style they have used repeatedly in LPL is not without its weaknesses, and it remains to be seen whether the teams at Worlds will have the flexibility and understanding to exploit those weaknesses. OMG on the other hand, while overall a more solid team, has shown a distinct weakness in the past in series play. They are the undisputed kings of the LPL's Bo1 round robin format, but in Bo3 and Bo5s they have shown comparatively unpolished play, both in their loss to Royal at the Chinese regional finals, and at IEM Shanghai before that. How this will carry over to Worlds is a question that could very well determine how they finish in the tournament.
OMG began season 3 inconspicuously as one of several Chinese "tier 2" teams, in a scene dominated by the hegemony of WE and iG. With their lineup suffering losses from Tabe's departure and Wh1t3zz' retirement around the time of S2 Worlds, many people chose not to give the team a second look. Indeed, their lineup sported no notable names in the period after S2 Worlds, and they hardly could be said to have anything that distinguished themselves. However, like many S3 teams, you would have been foolish to expect things to stay as they were at the start of Season 3. With the start of LPL Spring, a transformation occurred on stage. While the team had a fairly lackluster start to the season, with a middling 6-4 record in the first 5 weeks, the team's record started to pick up in the second half of the season. Spectators and teams alike took note of OMG's new "freight train" style, as they suddenly began picking up unexpected wins against the otherwise undisputed top 2 teams. From week 5 to week 9, OMG won 13 straight games, propelling them all the way to the top seeded spot in the Spring playoffs. The highlight was their match in week 6 against WE--where they took a 6k gold lead againd WE and slow-rolled their way to a victory against the then-undisputed titans of China. Another team being able to crush WE so convincingly was unheard of.
From that point forward, OMG were the new masters of Chinese LoL, and while they showed weakness to other teams like WE, iG, and TPA in series play (a weakness that viewers will certainly be watching for going into Worlds this time), on paper they are definitely the strongest team from China.
If Royal is a team whose success lies with their stellar bottom lane, then OMG is their polar oppositie. Indeed' OMG's play generally revolves heavily around their two solo laners and the movements of Lovelin, now in the jungle. Cool is widely lauded as the strongest mid laner in China, taking the season MVP spot in both Spring and Summer splits of LPL, and has even been hyped by Wh1t3zz as being "better than Faker". Compared to Royal, OMG typically are known to play a much more conservative style. Throughout both seasons of LPL they have been noted for their "safe" play--typically they will use the advantageous position of one or both solo laners to break open the game, and from there slow-roll an advantage into a game winning one. However, compared to their other Chinese counterparts, their teamfighting execution is somewhat sloppier than other top-tier teams (most notably WE), and their bot lane could be said to be the least stable of the top tier Chinese teams--San very rarely has had the stellar performances often shown by Weixiao, Uzi, or NaMei (though this could partly be due to Cool stealing the show).
Korean OGN Champions
After Azubu Frost's tough loss to the underdog Taipei Assasins in the Season 2 World Championship Grand Finals, the Korean scene has further evolved into what many people in the scene knew would eventually come into. A year has gone since that final, and the Korean region, without a doubt, is the toughest region to participate in. This is evident by how the past three winners of the marquee OnGameNet Champions tournament have all been different - NaJin Black Sword (Winter 2012-13), Samsung Galaxy Ozone (Spring 2013) and SK Telecom T1 (Summer 2013). Coincidentally, these three teams are Korea's representatives at this season's World Championships.
Having a look at how the game has evolved in Korea over the last year, League of Legends has taken over the role of Brood War as the nation's game - almost any high school aged student that you can talk to will have played or at least, heard of League of Legends. People will know who MadLife is as akin as what the name BoxeR was a decade ago. The popularity of the game is so immense, the once revolutionary Yongsan e-Sports Stadium has forced OnGameNet's hand into building a new broadcast studio because Champions crowds flood the stadium every night.
With the flood of talent transitioning from games ranging from the Korean-made MOBA Chaos Clan Battle to the world-wide popular RTS Starcraft, Korea would quickly develop a second generation of top League players - those whose first experience of the game were on the Korean server. This new generation of players, such as Flame, DanDy, Faker, Piglet and Mata have taken over the torches carried by the pioneers of Korean League, such as MakNooN, CloudTemplar, RapidStar, Woong and (help me name a 1st generation support).
As seen at the All-Star weekend in Shanghai, China earlier this year, Korea is a force to be reckoned with. It is funny to view that most of the players from that team (Shy, inSec, Ambition, PraY, MadLife) are not the dominating players they once were. Out of this group, only PraY will be the World Championships this year. This 'statistic' shows a testament to how the Korean scene has shifted and evolved in the past six months.
Through winning the All-Star event, Korea were rewarded the opportunity to send an extra team over to Los Angeles to represent their country. It is safe to say that the three Korean teams are the biggest favorites to take the title of Season 3 champions. For what the World Cyber Games represented for Korea during the Brood War era, the same can now be said for the World Championships - the most important global tournament in the e-Sports scene today. For one of Najin, Samsung or SK Telecom, it is time to finish off what Frost started and make the mecca of e-Sports proud.
MVP Oz… The Samsung Galaxy Ozone team was not always called MVP Ozone, nor were they the same team that is seen now. They entered the Korean scene as MVP White, and won NLB Summer 2012. They went on to compete in Chinese tournaments abroad, and the results were respectable. Going into OGN Winter 2012 with high expectations, it was not meant to be. Najin Sword defeated them with a clear 3:0 victory in the quarterfinals. The MVP team fell into a slump, but bounced back when OGN Club Masters started with a revamped roster. Using this momentum, they were able to gain a new sponsor, Ozone. Afterwards, they were able to win OGN Spring 2013 and the AMD-Inven Tournament. The big improvement for MVP Ozone happened between Winter 2012 and Spring 2013, the team matured and improved drastically.
Before that they were compared to CLG and often called CLG Korea as their play style focused heavily on their ADC, Imp, to win the game. Homme, who was especially called out as MVP O’s weak link in the previous season, seemed to have trained in a Hyperbolic Time Chamber to achieve his current Hommegod level. Having four world class players(Imp, Dade, Dandy, Mata), and Homme, reaching his highest skill level, Ozone was able to win OGN Champions Spring 2013 in a dominant fashion. In the last season before the World Finals, Ozone lost to SKT T1 in the semifinals, but were able to claim 3rd place. With SKT T1’s victory in the Finals of OGN Summer, MVP Ozone were successfully locked in to the 2nd spot for the World Championship. After the end of OGN Champions Summer, MVP Ozone would secure what is most likely the biggest deal in League of Legends history. Samsung, who had been looking for a League of Legends team, acquired MVP Ozone, and rename it to Samsung Galaxy Ozone. Considering their recent results, and their strong individual players, Samsung Galaxy Ozone, are one of the favorites to win the Season 3 World Championships. From one of the lower teams in OGN to having a strong chance of winning the World Championship, Samsung Galaxy Ozone can become the best team in the world – truly from rags to riches.
We've come a long way since professional video gaming was playing in space suits. Despite the scandals and technical difficulties, Season 2 World Championships proved the power of Riot's ambition: a then unprecedented prize pool, an athletic venue, and a clash of international styles that resonated in fundamental changes to the game. But while Season 2 finals were at the Galen Center, Season 3 will be in the Staples Center. While Season 2 featured twelve teams over two weekends, Season 3 will have fourteen teams play over three weeks.
And while Season 2 had teams fighting for circuit points at MLG and IPL, Dreamhack and Gamescom, IEMs around the world, Riot brought the Asian league model to the NA and EU scenes. We watched the old guard fight for their rights as professional gamers; we had are hearts in rising amateur teams to pull amazing upsets; we saw the rise of new regional powerhouses.
Across the world, teams innovated or lost. The fast push of Azubu Blaze or the control style of TPA seem relics now. And with increased regional separation, the tension of styles is even higher. The last time we saw true international competition was back in Spring. Since then, the regional divide has exploded: EU plays Aatrox and Karma; NA has come out with Ashe/Zyra; Fizz is the terror of China; Korea has taken fast push and split push to whole new levels.
From all these regions, season championships and regional playoffs have filtered down 14 teams. While not all the teams are well known, they each deserves a moment in the spotlight. Here we take a look at the regions being represented and the teams that will be competing. The Season 2 World Championship set a high bar, but Season 3 has set the bar higher.
Welcome to the World Championships.
The Little Ones
Mineski, GamingGear.EU and Gamania Bears are the best teams from around the world that do not play in the Big 4 regions of North America, Europe, China, and Korea. They are the forgotten little brothers to the LCS/LPL/OGN teams but that doesn't mean they don't stand a chance against them. In a world where everyone can analyze the recorded footage of the major leagues, sometimes it can be advantageous to keep a low profile. Your tendencies are not as apparent and it's not as easy for your opponents to figure out your champion pool. And of course who can forget about last year's run by the Taipei Assassins, who were part of this group of outsiders looking in at the major NA and EU servers.
If there is one word to describe these three teams, it would be upset. Each of them upset a favored team in their respective qualifiers. Gamania Bears took down Taipei Snipers, the sister team of last year's champions. Mineski bested Singapore Sentinels and Saigon Jokers, the top two placing teams from the Season 2 SEA regional qualifiers. And lastly GamingGear.EU defeated paiN Gaming, the favourite going into the Wildcard Tournament at Gamescom. They have proven that they have what it takes to take on bigger and better opponents but now the real test begins. Time will tell if they can become one of the big fish in the sea or if they'll be swallowed up and left on the side to be forgotten by everyone.
1.
Gamania Bears
The Gamania Bears are one of the newest teams competing at Worlds. While they don’t have the history of many teams, their novice track record is impressive so far. In the three major tournaments they competed in, they haven't finished below 2nd place. In two of these tournaments, including the Taiwanese Qualifiers, they dropped into the loser's bracket very early but still managed to make it all the way to the finals. In their run, the Bears eliminated tournament favorites such as ahq and Taipei Snipers, the sister team of the Season 2 World champions, Taipei Assassins. The team is not invincible by any means, but when they play to their full potential they look scary.
With a name like Steak, you better play incredibly manly, and the Bears' Top laner lives up to this name. He likes to force a lot of 1v1s, but also hold his own in a 2v1 lane. When Steak is bullying lanes hard, the Bears usually do really well. Their other solo laner, Maple, also does his part in terms of applying pressure and snowballing the game. Playing assassins such as Ahri and Fizz, he does a good job of shutting down the enemy Mid laner as well as roaming to help out the rest of his team. This is made all the easier due to the numerous ganks that Winds provides from the Jungle. While the Bears are a new team and not yet well known, if they play like they did in the qualifiers, they could make a decent run at Worlds.
With a name like Steak, you better play incredibly manly, and the Bears' Top laner lives up to this name. He likes to force a lot of 1v1s, but also hold his own in a 2v1 lane. When Steak is bullying lanes hard, the Bears usually do really well. Their other solo laner, Maple, also does his part in terms of applying pressure and snowballing the game. Playing assassins such as Ahri and Fizz, he does a good job of shutting down the enemy Mid laner as well as roaming to help out the rest of his team. This is made all the easier due to the numerous ganks that Winds provides from the Jungle. While the Bears are a new team and not yet well known, if they play like they did in the qualifiers, they could make a decent run at Worlds.
2.
Team Mineski
Coming out of the SEA Regional Qualifiers, Mineski is a virtually unknown team to the world audience. In their home country of the Philippines they are considered one of the top teams, but they actually only took second place in the Philippine Qualifiers. They didn't earn the chance to compete in the SEA Qualifiers, but due to travels issues with Exile, they were awarded the Philippine slot. Mineski took full advantage of this opportunity. Their route through the qualifiers was far from easy as they lost in the first double elimination round and had to win three more single elimination games before reaching the finals. In the finals, they met up against the Singapore Sentinels who had sent them to the loser's bracket. SGS only needed to win one game due to their winner's bracket advantage, but Mineski went 2-0, and once again SGS's dreams of competing at Worlds were crushed
Mineski plays a very aggressive brand of League of Legends. Their games in the SEA Qualifiers were filled with tons of action and kills. Their Jungler Ka1gu provided immense pressure throughout the tournament and even pulled out a surprising Jungle Karma pick. Their laners seemed to take turns carrying games with each lane contributing heavily to at least of one their wins. Their play style is not without it's risks though. Their hyper-aggression often lead to over extension and giving up counter kills to their opponent. They would rack up the kills, but gave up almost as many. In order to advance at Worlds, Mineski will need to come out hard and fast, but also reduce the number of mistakes they make.
Mineski plays a very aggressive brand of League of Legends. Their games in the SEA Qualifiers were filled with tons of action and kills. Their Jungler Ka1gu provided immense pressure throughout the tournament and even pulled out a surprising Jungle Karma pick. Their laners seemed to take turns carrying games with each lane contributing heavily to at least of one their wins. Their play style is not without it's risks though. Their hyper-aggression often lead to over extension and giving up counter kills to their opponent. They would rack up the kills, but gave up almost as many. In order to advance at Worlds, Mineski will need to come out hard and fast, but also reduce the number of mistakes they make.
3.
GamingGear.eu
Formed only five days after SEA competitor, Mineski, Season 3's International Wildcard, GG.EU has been a major competitor in the CIS/EU East amateur scene since November of 2012. Overshadowed (at least in the West) by the other "GG" of the CIS scene, GG.EU nevertheless spent their last year as a team making a name for themselves through minor European tournaments such as the Go4LoL events and with a 3rd place spot at the EMS Spring 2013 Nordic and East tournament. After suffering a painful 0-3 loss at DreamHack Summer 2013, the Lithuanian roster bounced back less than a week later at the Regional CIS Championship, taking the first place prize and earning themselves a spot at the International Wildcard Tournament. There they took down the other five contenders for the Wildcard spot with a 7-1 tournament in which they only dropped a single game to paiN Gaming, a premier Brazilian squad and the 0-2 second place finishers.
As GG.EU is relatively unknown to the LCS-watching community, some analysis of their games against paiN Gaming may enlighten potential fans to their strengths and weaknesses in the upcoming Championships. The team dynamic centers around the powerful duo of the team's captain and jungle, Alunir, as well as their mid-laner, Mazzerin. As a frequent Jarvan VI player, Alunir often utilizes the Champion's mobility to map out long and complex paths to ensure his ganks succeed. Mazzerin is easily the most flashy and aggressive player of the roster and commits strongly to kills in lane to carry the team. The mid-laner also possesses one of the largest Champion pools on the team and drew bans for both his Gragas and Orianna (and spurring him to play as Fizz). The GG.EU top laner, Nbs, appears to favor bruisers due to his frequent Renekton picks, while the bot laners DeadlyBrother and Inspirro tend towards the duo AoE lanes of Twitch and Zyra/Sona. Together the squad fights well, but their play was uncommon for the Season 3 meta in other regions as it lacked 2v1 lanes and heavy objective pressure. Ready or not, the CIS representatives will soon discover whether or not they're truly prepared to take on the rest of the world.
As GG.EU is relatively unknown to the LCS-watching community, some analysis of their games against paiN Gaming may enlighten potential fans to their strengths and weaknesses in the upcoming Championships. The team dynamic centers around the powerful duo of the team's captain and jungle, Alunir, as well as their mid-laner, Mazzerin. As a frequent Jarvan VI player, Alunir often utilizes the Champion's mobility to map out long and complex paths to ensure his ganks succeed. Mazzerin is easily the most flashy and aggressive player of the roster and commits strongly to kills in lane to carry the team. The mid-laner also possesses one of the largest Champion pools on the team and drew bans for both his Gragas and Orianna (and spurring him to play as Fizz). The GG.EU top laner, Nbs, appears to favor bruisers due to his frequent Renekton picks, while the bot laners DeadlyBrother and Inspirro tend towards the duo AoE lanes of Twitch and Zyra/Sona. Together the squad fights well, but their play was uncommon for the Season 3 meta in other regions as it lacked 2v1 lanes and heavy objective pressure. Ready or not, the CIS representatives will soon discover whether or not they're truly prepared to take on the rest of the world.
North American LCS
If there's a mindset that America personifies it's "go big or go home," and, as the biggest PC game ever, League of Legends is a representative of the best parts of that ideal. It's why NA LoL players consistently top the streaming numbers of any other gamers on Twitch. It's why the World Championships sold out the Staples Center. Three NA teams went big in this season's LCS, earning them a shot at the biggest names from around the world. With a tremendous Summer Split performance, Cloud 9 stands atop the NA playing field, and, having outmatched their American opponents, looks towards Europe and Asia for its first real challenges. Following them are TSM, the long-time fan favorites without whom a League Season Finals would not feel official. Finally there's the third place Vulcun, a dark horse even in the region, but one with the skill to surprise any opponents who underestimate them.
Yet the difficulties of international competition loom large over NA ambitions. After a telling performance during the All-Stars competition, the odds are stacked against even the most skilled of the American rosters. Luckily for C9, TSM, and Vulcun, there is something to be said for the home court advantage. A stadium filled with the cheers of the biggest crowd in the history of North American eSports will certainly favor the native rosters. Underdogs they may be, but NA will have legions of fans on their side, rooting for an upset of strongest teams from across the globe. For a region of big personalities, big talk, and big passion, the 2013 World Championships could be its biggest victory.
1.
Cloud 9 HyperX
Two months ago Cloud 9 was a relatively unknown team. They existed in various forms all the way back to Orbit Gaming with the only remaining players from that roster being LemonNation and Hai. After failing to qualify for the Spring Split of the LCS and losing Nien and WildTurtle to teams that did qualify, the team underwent some drastic changes. Their current roster came together and a lot of buzz built around the team as they did incredibly well in the Challenger scene. Upon qualifying for the LCS, OGN commentator, MonteCristo, tweeted how he believed C9 (then Quantic) was the best team in North America. Expectations for C9 coming into the Summer Split were colossal, making the fact they lived up to them that much more impressive.
C9's success can be attributed to several factors. They seem to put much more emphasis on picks and bans than other NA teams. It's not often that the Pick/Ban Phase ends and C9 looks like they've been out-drafted. In terms of skill, all of C9's lanes are talented and they are often able to win lanes without intervention from the Jungle. This allows Meteos to farm the Jungle more efficiently and gain an advantage over the enemy Jungler. The team also puts a high priority on objective control and team fights. In NA their coordination is unparalleled, and they are able to win fights while behind in gold due to superior team fight execution. C9's biggest weakness is their lack of practice against international opponents, but Worlds will give them a chance to showcase their talent and hopefully prove that the North American region isn't as hopeless as many people think.
C9's success can be attributed to several factors. They seem to put much more emphasis on picks and bans than other NA teams. It's not often that the Pick/Ban Phase ends and C9 looks like they've been out-drafted. In terms of skill, all of C9's lanes are talented and they are often able to win lanes without intervention from the Jungle. This allows Meteos to farm the Jungle more efficiently and gain an advantage over the enemy Jungler. The team also puts a high priority on objective control and team fights. In NA their coordination is unparalleled, and they are able to win fights while behind in gold due to superior team fight execution. C9's biggest weakness is their lack of practice against international opponents, but Worlds will give them a chance to showcase their talent and hopefully prove that the North American region isn't as hopeless as many people think.
2.
TSM Snapdragon
"TSM TSM TSM." One of the most iconic phrases associated with the North American League of Legends scene. There is no escape from the myriad of TSM fans whenever they show up to a tournament. The team has been accruing fans since early 2011 and has consistently been near or at the top of NA tournaments for over three years. This consistency is one of the hallmarks of TSM and it has made them the only team to attend Riot's World Championships for three consecutive years. Additionally, TSM has had one of the most stable and experienced lineups coming into the Season 3 World Championships. Reginald, TheOddOne, Xpecial, and Dyrus are returning from the S2 Championships and three have been with the team since the S1 Championships. Not only that, Xpecial and Dyrus represented North America at the All-Stars Event and performed well there. The only question mark on the team is their newest addition, WildTurtle. He went wild in the NA LCS after replacing Chaox in the middle of the Spring Split but has since simmered down. His aggressive style can work wonders alongside Reginald but sometimes it can also backfire when he goes in too hard by himself. The most important factor for WildTurtle is how well he holds up under pressure even though he lacks the international experience the rest of his teammates have.
Even though TSM has plenty of experience playing against teams from around the world, the majority of that experience has been on the losing end. They had some moderate success against European teams but they have been thwarted again and again by the likes of Gambit Gaming and Asian teams in general. But as we saw during the NA LCS Regional Playoffs, TSM has the ability to play well when it matters and show flashes of brilliance. At the same time, the Regional Playoffs also showed that they are prone to tilting and lose all momentum when things don't go well for them. Coming in to Group A, TSM definitely has a chance to make it out of the groups in second place if they play their cards right against OMG and Lemondogs but they will need to play to their strengths and not allow their limited champion pool hinder them too much. TSM will need to take the home court advantage and use the crowd's energy to give them that extra boost to take the win for North America.
Even though TSM has plenty of experience playing against teams from around the world, the majority of that experience has been on the losing end. They had some moderate success against European teams but they have been thwarted again and again by the likes of Gambit Gaming and Asian teams in general. But as we saw during the NA LCS Regional Playoffs, TSM has the ability to play well when it matters and show flashes of brilliance. At the same time, the Regional Playoffs also showed that they are prone to tilting and lose all momentum when things don't go well for them. Coming in to Group A, TSM definitely has a chance to make it out of the groups in second place if they play their cards right against OMG and Lemondogs but they will need to play to their strengths and not allow their limited champion pool hinder them too much. TSM will need to take the home court advantage and use the crowd's energy to give them that extra boost to take the win for North America.
3.
Vulcun Techbargain
At the start of Season 3 and the inception of the LCS, no one would imagine Vulcun TechBargains as an NA representative in the World Championships. Of course, at the very beginning of Season 3, the Vulcun roster was part of Team FeaR, a team known better for the streaming antics of their ADC Aphromoo than their tournament victories or strategic mastery. So when their most famous player left to support for CLG, little was expected of FeaR when the NA LCS Spring Qualifiers arrived. Yet they were one of two teams in the Qualifiers (the other being Curse Gaming) to take no losses in their entire run, earning them their coveted spot in the LCS. The Spring Season itself began after Vulcun acquired the FeaR roster, and they spent the early weeks of the LCS season faltering under the oppressive strength of the NA fan favorite: Curse, CLG, Dignitas, and TSM. However, the middle of the split brought them a welcome gift: the addition of support and shot-caller BloodWater, whose tactical abilities and team leadership helped propel Vulcun to the top of the "low tier" teams for a fifth place end of their season. Vulcun excelled further in the Spring Playoffs, attaining third place in spite of intense competition from the very teams that outpaced them in the regular season.
Yet Vulcun only truly excelled in the Summer Split. Instead of a fluke, Vulcun proved that their results in the Spring Playoffs were a true indicator of their skill. After staying neck in neck with the teams that eclipsed a split prior, Vulcun eventually pulled ahead of the biggest names in NA. They played a similar style as the first place Cloud 9, one that focused on objective control, teamfight dominance, and decisive strategic choices when they found a lead. Their 20-8 record made them the clear favorites against the 3rd place TSM in the Summer Playoffs, but TSM still managed to creep ahead of Vulcun in their previous even match history. Interestingly, Vulcun's subsequent victory over Dignitas makes them the team with the most consistent NA LCS Playoff record: two consecutive bronze medal finishes. While the victory is an impressive one for the once-overlooked team, Vulcun's greatest challenge lies in the World Championship position they have earned. As successful as they've been throughout the Summer Split, Vulcun needs to prepare as if they're fighting to avoid relegation at Worlds. Weaknesses such as Zuna's over-aggressive tendencies or the team's overall substandard farming will be pounced upon by the top teams of the European, Chinese, and Korean regions. Without a pass out of the group stages, Vulcun's in for a tough road, but if they can tap into the tempo that propelled them to second place this split, there's hope yet for these NA underdogs.
Yet Vulcun only truly excelled in the Summer Split. Instead of a fluke, Vulcun proved that their results in the Spring Playoffs were a true indicator of their skill. After staying neck in neck with the teams that eclipsed a split prior, Vulcun eventually pulled ahead of the biggest names in NA. They played a similar style as the first place Cloud 9, one that focused on objective control, teamfight dominance, and decisive strategic choices when they found a lead. Their 20-8 record made them the clear favorites against the 3rd place TSM in the Summer Playoffs, but TSM still managed to creep ahead of Vulcun in their previous even match history. Interestingly, Vulcun's subsequent victory over Dignitas makes them the team with the most consistent NA LCS Playoff record: two consecutive bronze medal finishes. While the victory is an impressive one for the once-overlooked team, Vulcun's greatest challenge lies in the World Championship position they have earned. As successful as they've been throughout the Summer Split, Vulcun needs to prepare as if they're fighting to avoid relegation at Worlds. Weaknesses such as Zuna's over-aggressive tendencies or the team's overall substandard farming will be pounced upon by the top teams of the European, Chinese, and Korean regions. Without a pass out of the group stages, Vulcun's in for a tough road, but if they can tap into the tempo that propelled them to second place this split, there's hope yet for these NA underdogs.
European LCS
Much like its cousin across the pond, the European LCS opened with the veterans looking strong before power gradually shifted toward newcomers and upstarts. Fnatic reigned supreme, backing up their impressive pre-season performance at IPL5 by winning both the Spring and Summer playoffs. Gambit stayed a threat all season long despite the loss of EDward mid-season, with Diamond shaping huge chunks of the metagame with his champion selection. While Alternate and Meet Your Makers came out of the gate fast in the summer, it was the slow-starting Lemondogs who rose to top the regular season standings, running an impressive 14-4 after adding Mithy at support mid-season. Season 2 Championship veterans SK Gaming and Evil Geniuses couldn't put together solid runs, fading against the stronger summer competition. EG experienced a resurgence late after temporarily adding a new jungler and analyst, but collapsed against Gambit for the last spot at Worlds in the Summer playoffs. Ninjas in Pyjamas kept things interesting all season, surging from behind in the Spring to a respectable finish after midlane star Bjergsen hit the age limit required to compete. The Summer Split was just as tumultuous as the Ninjas had 4 roster changes while they fought up from a slow start before ultimately ending up in relegation territory after losing the 5th place match to Alternate.
EU continues to be a bastion of mid-laner oriented play, with midlaners getting the most farm on the majority of the teams. With the likes of Alex Ich, xPeke, Bjergsen and Froggen holding down midlane roles, teams are starting to convert midlaners to cover other positions, notably with Fizz guru Tabzz switching to AD Carry for the Championships bound Lemondogs and Extinkt playing top for Ninjas in Pyjamas. While early in Season 3 EU produced arguably more star Supports than AD Carries, talent in the position has increased with LCS newcomers like Creaton, Freeze and Puszu making impacts at the end of the season as the metagame shifted away from the early season focus on utility ADCs like Miss Fortune and Varus. Jungle has been another strong point in the region, with spring season veterans Dexter and Malunoo finding success with new teams in the Summer, while old hands like Diamond and Cyanide continue to be lynchpins in their teams' success.
Going into Worlds, Europe will have the hardest path to the championship of the major regions, owing to Europe's last place finish at All-Star weekend. Lemondogs' lack of international experience will be tested when they join SKT1, OMG, Team Solomid and GamingGear.EU in Group A. Lemondogs will have to adapt to the international styles of play well to stand a chance. Gambit and Fnatic will duke it out in Group B with favorite Samsung Ozone and credible underdog threats in Mineski and Vulcun. With Fnatic taking a 4-0 sweep of Gambit in the Summer Split regular season, the odds may be in their favor for advancing. Both teams are international veterans with past success against Asian teams in international play, and with all due respect to Lemondogs, seem like Europe's best chance for a deep run in the Championship.
1.
Fnatic
The Summer Split was stormy and even Spring Champions Fnatic weren’t immune to the turmoil. The reasons behind it are still unknown, but after releasing Nrated and acquiring Puszu, it took Fnatic until the playoffs to begin to look like their old selves again. It’s hard to argue that their current botlane of Puszu and Yellowstar is better than their old and the confirmation that Rekkles wouldn’t be playing at Worlds has put a lot of people off Fnatic’s chances, especially considering the star bot lanes from the other regions. However, the strength of Fnatic has been carried by the other three positions through 2013: Soaz can still pull out anything, Cyanide is the most solid jungler Europe has right now and Xpeke consistently carries and leads his team to victory. The question is then, is that enough against the rest of the world?
Well that’s the thing, Fnatic have never fully relied on individual skill. The team has four players from the Season 1 finals (two winners, two runners-up) and one player that also made the Season 2 finals (Yellowstar). It’s international experience and smart play that win Fnatic games and they have about as much of both as you can get. Yes Fnatic had a poor season, but they went 7-1 in the playoffs and showed some of their best play yet, just watch Game 4 against Lemondogs. Champions have always had that hidden something, that extra power that shows up in important games. It’s that quality that stops promising teams from taking those important games and Fnatic have it in abundance. So Fnatic have a decent shot - they will have to play through the group stages but their favourable draw we could see Europe make a surprise foray into the higher ranks of the tournament. One thing is for certain, without bringing in Rekkles, expect an awful lot of “What if…”
Well that’s the thing, Fnatic have never fully relied on individual skill. The team has four players from the Season 1 finals (two winners, two runners-up) and one player that also made the Season 2 finals (Yellowstar). It’s international experience and smart play that win Fnatic games and they have about as much of both as you can get. Yes Fnatic had a poor season, but they went 7-1 in the playoffs and showed some of their best play yet, just watch Game 4 against Lemondogs. Champions have always had that hidden something, that extra power that shows up in important games. It’s that quality that stops promising teams from taking those important games and Fnatic have it in abundance. So Fnatic have a decent shot - they will have to play through the group stages but their favourable draw we could see Europe make a surprise foray into the higher ranks of the tournament. One thing is for certain, without bringing in Rekkles, expect an awful lot of “What if…”
2.
Lemondogs
While Cloud 9's rise from challenger woes to North American dominance was perhaps more meteoric royal road, Lemondogs takes the crown for catching an entire scene off guard. They crushed Against All Authority 3-0 to earn a spot in the Spring LCS, but struggled to find their pace. Like many struggling LCS teams, Lemondogs looked for a roster change, kicking a super toxic wewillfailer and bringing Mithy as their new support. For Lemondogs, this bot lane mixup worked wonders that other EU LCS teams failed to replicate: Lemondogs crushed the rest of the split to take first place. Whereas Team Alternate and MYM seemed to lose the spark that had them initially conquering the standings, Lemondogs consistently went positive after Week 4 and clinched it with a 4-1 super week.
The most prominent stars for Lemondogs are Nukeduck and Tabzz, their Mid and AD. Nukeduck leans heavily towards flashy champions, either outplaying on Twisted Fate, or incinerating opponents on assassins: Ahri, Fizz, Zed, even busting out Talon in Week 7 to out-carry xPeke's Kassadin. But while Nukeduck, may be the flashier player in the front lines, Tabzz holds his own. A former Mid laner for Millenium, EU's glut of strong mid players meant Tabzz was reappropiated as AD. Yet he seems to have retained the aggressive Mid mindset, boasting one of the highest KDAs in EU. At the same time, these two positions represent Lemondogs' biggest vulnerabilities. The S3 world championships will be full of strong Mid laners who can go toe-to-toe against Nukeduck, while placing map pressure on Tabzz. As shown in the regional playoffs, Lemondogs' lack of experience in tournament play means that when the stakes are high and they cannot find early momentum, they seem far more weaker than their individual skill would suggest. The international stage will be a true test of their progress from amateur team to world class professionals.
The most prominent stars for Lemondogs are Nukeduck and Tabzz, their Mid and AD. Nukeduck leans heavily towards flashy champions, either outplaying on Twisted Fate, or incinerating opponents on assassins: Ahri, Fizz, Zed, even busting out Talon in Week 7 to out-carry xPeke's Kassadin. But while Nukeduck, may be the flashier player in the front lines, Tabzz holds his own. A former Mid laner for Millenium, EU's glut of strong mid players meant Tabzz was reappropiated as AD. Yet he seems to have retained the aggressive Mid mindset, boasting one of the highest KDAs in EU. At the same time, these two positions represent Lemondogs' biggest vulnerabilities. The S3 world championships will be full of strong Mid laners who can go toe-to-toe against Nukeduck, while placing map pressure on Tabzz. As shown in the regional playoffs, Lemondogs' lack of experience in tournament play means that when the stakes are high and they cannot find early momentum, they seem far more weaker than their individual skill would suggest. The international stage will be a true test of their progress from amateur team to world class professionals.
3.
Gambit BenQ
One of only three teams returning from the Season Two championships, Gambit Gaming faced a harder path to make it back to Los Angeles this year, and the climb there will be steeper still. Like many veteran Western teams, the Summer Split was a wake-up call and Gambit looked vulnerable after losing their All-Star support EDward in a shock transfer to Team Curse. Gambit has two huge assets as a team going into the World Championship: extensive live event experience and a streak of fearless innovation. While they limped into the World Championships with a narrow defeat of Evil Geniuses for the last European spot, the Russians also limped into IEM Katowice's knockout stage via tiebreaker after being 1-2 in pool play. The result? Back-to-back 2-0 victories against strong Korean teams in the semi-finals and finals to take the first place money. When coordinated and firing on all cylinders, the Russians have proved themselves capable of taking a game or match off of any team in the world. Nailing consistency has been the struggle for them in Season 3, however, due in part to enduring a grueling travel regimen back and forth from Russia during the LCS that hampered their practice schedule as they were unable to reside full time near Cologne like most of the LCS teams.
Alex Ich and Diamond remain the backbone of the team at mid and jungle respectively in the classic European style. Alex brings an amazingly diverse champion pool, covering the spectrum from assassin to tanky, burst to sustained damage. Gambit usually operates with Alex Ich in first position with the lion's share of the farm and Genja taking the second position. In contrast to Alex's broad repetoire, Genja and Voidle stuck to a narrow spectrum of bottom lane champions in Season 3, although they have shown more diversity outside the LCS. Genja in particular went through a phase of playing ADCs as AD Casters, building Tear and flat AD for ranged poke on Varus, Ashe and Miss Fortune at the expense of sustained autoattack damage in teamfights. While Genja's experimentation didn't meet with as much success, Diamond's champion choices had huge impacts on Europe's jungle metagame. From Volibear to Nasus to Karma (yes, everyone was practicing with and against her in the jungle after he debuted it in the LCS) Diamond continued his trendsetting from Season 2. Darien had an inconsistent season, snowballing impressively at times and dying almost as soon as he'd respawned in others. After losing the EU Spring Championship to Fanatic and dropping all 4 regular season games against them in the Summer, recovering their form against their continental rivals will be key for Gambit to make it out of Group B and into the Quarterfinals.
Alex Ich and Diamond remain the backbone of the team at mid and jungle respectively in the classic European style. Alex brings an amazingly diverse champion pool, covering the spectrum from assassin to tanky, burst to sustained damage. Gambit usually operates with Alex Ich in first position with the lion's share of the farm and Genja taking the second position. In contrast to Alex's broad repetoire, Genja and Voidle stuck to a narrow spectrum of bottom lane champions in Season 3, although they have shown more diversity outside the LCS. Genja in particular went through a phase of playing ADCs as AD Casters, building Tear and flat AD for ranged poke on Varus, Ashe and Miss Fortune at the expense of sustained autoattack damage in teamfights. While Genja's experimentation didn't meet with as much success, Diamond's champion choices had huge impacts on Europe's jungle metagame. From Volibear to Nasus to Karma (yes, everyone was practicing with and against her in the jungle after he debuted it in the LCS) Diamond continued his trendsetting from Season 2. Darien had an inconsistent season, snowballing impressively at times and dying almost as soon as he'd respawned in others. After losing the EU Spring Championship to Fanatic and dropping all 4 regular season games against them in the Summer, recovering their form against their continental rivals will be key for Gambit to make it out of Group B and into the Quarterfinals.
Chinese LPL
Season 3 for China has been a time of change, just as it has for every other region. Just as we saw old teams like Curse, TSM, CJ Frost, and EG enter season 3 on strong form, WE and iG entered season 3 looking strong as ever in China. WE started season 3 with wins at IPL5 and G-League, while iG conversely took a win off WE in Starswar League. WE and iG's domnance over the Chinese scene looked strong as ever.
However, just like in the other regions, new challengers soon arose to meet the old titans. OMG's rise has been the Cinderella story of Chinese LoL, rising over the first half of LPL Spring from an unimpressive second-tier team to the dominant force in Chinese LoL, taking a convincing win in the round robin stage of both LPL splits, and the title of LPL Spring. Positive Energy (formerly WE's B-team WE.i-Rocks), broke their stigma of being WE's punching bags, finishing with a second place win in the first season of LPL and surpassing their sister team in both splits. And Royal Club, while showing inconsistent performances over the first half of the season through multiple roster shakeups, has found a distinct style for themselves that has propelled them to the forefront of the scene and into Chinese regional first seed, with a bye into the round of 8.
But with change comes uncertainty, and uncertainty is the only term that could be used to describe any predictions for the two teams' standing at Worlds. Both teams are totally untested in foreign tournaments. Royal, while playing a style that has been playing a unique style that has been highly successful in LPL, is not as well-rounded as some of the other contender teams at the tournament--the aggressive Fizz+Annie gank style they have used repeatedly in LPL is not without its weaknesses, and it remains to be seen whether the teams at Worlds will have the flexibility and understanding to exploit those weaknesses. OMG on the other hand, while overall a more solid team, has shown a distinct weakness in the past in series play. They are the undisputed kings of the LPL's Bo1 round robin format, but in Bo3 and Bo5s they have shown comparatively unpolished play, both in their loss to Royal at the Chinese regional finals, and at IEM Shanghai before that. How this will carry over to Worlds is a question that could very well determine how they finish in the tournament.
1.
Royal Club
Royal's ascension into the top of the Chinese competitive scene came through a long series of roster swaps as a young team guided by old talent struggling to find it's identity. Originally starting as an inauspicious team picking up the scraps from EHOME's collapse, Royal thrust themselves into the spotlight at the TGA Grand Prix on the eve of IPL5, where after picking up Tabe, the team crushed their groupstage and upset IG, putting them in the finals against WE. Lackluster performance over the next few months saw Royal replacing both their solos with Godlike (then #1 on Chinese solo queue) and a returning Wh1t3zz, and the team gave us a glimpse of their potential with a convincing win over Najin Sword (who were hot off their OGN win) in Starswar League. Unfortunately, Tabe left the team soon after, and the first season of LPL saw the team putting up mediocre results as the team bounced around several stand-in supports. Only with Tabe's return, not just as support, but as captain and drafter in Summer LPL did the team really rise to it's current form.
Uzi is, without a doubt, Royal's shining star. Called a "genius" at AD play at the start of his career, Uzi's raw, unbridled talent has been honed by experience and by the command of a captain who used to be called the best AD in China, Uzi has, over two seasons of LPL cemented himself as China's strongest AD player, and a serious contender for the title of "best AD player in the world".
Overall, though, Royal is a team that is not well-rounded or perfect in terms of their performance. Lucky's play in all aspects as a jungler have been shown to be somewhat lacking. Godlike has not made the transition perfectly from pub to competitive play, with the breadth his champion pool being somewhat questionable, and his ability to recover from 1v2s being somewhat clumsy as well. Wh1t3zz as well has shown a very awkward champion pool--while he excels at several unconventional mids, he is also unreliable on many of the conventional picks (his Zed is uninspired, and Tabe has notably avoided picking Orianna for him at all). Ultimately, though, Royal's success is driven by the fact that despite these shortcomings, they are a team who is in tune with their identity and their limits, and who have discovered a style that suits their strengths as a team. Their success in the latter half of LPL Summer has coincided with the success of what has simply been called Royal's Fizz+support Annie team comp.
Uzi is, without a doubt, Royal's shining star. Called a "genius" at AD play at the start of his career, Uzi's raw, unbridled talent has been honed by experience and by the command of a captain who used to be called the best AD in China, Uzi has, over two seasons of LPL cemented himself as China's strongest AD player, and a serious contender for the title of "best AD player in the world".
Overall, though, Royal is a team that is not well-rounded or perfect in terms of their performance. Lucky's play in all aspects as a jungler have been shown to be somewhat lacking. Godlike has not made the transition perfectly from pub to competitive play, with the breadth his champion pool being somewhat questionable, and his ability to recover from 1v2s being somewhat clumsy as well. Wh1t3zz as well has shown a very awkward champion pool--while he excels at several unconventional mids, he is also unreliable on many of the conventional picks (his Zed is uninspired, and Tabe has notably avoided picking Orianna for him at all). Ultimately, though, Royal's success is driven by the fact that despite these shortcomings, they are a team who is in tune with their identity and their limits, and who have discovered a style that suits their strengths as a team. Their success in the latter half of LPL Summer has coincided with the success of what has simply been called Royal's Fizz+support Annie team comp.
2.
OMG
OMG began season 3 inconspicuously as one of several Chinese "tier 2" teams, in a scene dominated by the hegemony of WE and iG. With their lineup suffering losses from Tabe's departure and Wh1t3zz' retirement around the time of S2 Worlds, many people chose not to give the team a second look. Indeed, their lineup sported no notable names in the period after S2 Worlds, and they hardly could be said to have anything that distinguished themselves. However, like many S3 teams, you would have been foolish to expect things to stay as they were at the start of Season 3. With the start of LPL Spring, a transformation occurred on stage. While the team had a fairly lackluster start to the season, with a middling 6-4 record in the first 5 weeks, the team's record started to pick up in the second half of the season. Spectators and teams alike took note of OMG's new "freight train" style, as they suddenly began picking up unexpected wins against the otherwise undisputed top 2 teams. From week 5 to week 9, OMG won 13 straight games, propelling them all the way to the top seeded spot in the Spring playoffs. The highlight was their match in week 6 against WE--where they took a 6k gold lead againd WE and slow-rolled their way to a victory against the then-undisputed titans of China. Another team being able to crush WE so convincingly was unheard of.
From that point forward, OMG were the new masters of Chinese LoL, and while they showed weakness to other teams like WE, iG, and TPA in series play (a weakness that viewers will certainly be watching for going into Worlds this time), on paper they are definitely the strongest team from China.
If Royal is a team whose success lies with their stellar bottom lane, then OMG is their polar oppositie. Indeed' OMG's play generally revolves heavily around their two solo laners and the movements of Lovelin, now in the jungle. Cool is widely lauded as the strongest mid laner in China, taking the season MVP spot in both Spring and Summer splits of LPL, and has even been hyped by Wh1t3zz as being "better than Faker". Compared to Royal, OMG typically are known to play a much more conservative style. Throughout both seasons of LPL they have been noted for their "safe" play--typically they will use the advantageous position of one or both solo laners to break open the game, and from there slow-roll an advantage into a game winning one. However, compared to their other Chinese counterparts, their teamfighting execution is somewhat sloppier than other top-tier teams (most notably WE), and their bot lane could be said to be the least stable of the top tier Chinese teams--San very rarely has had the stellar performances often shown by Weixiao, Uzi, or NaMei (though this could partly be due to Cool stealing the show).
Korean OGN Champions
After Azubu Frost's tough loss to the underdog Taipei Assasins in the Season 2 World Championship Grand Finals, the Korean scene has further evolved into what many people in the scene knew would eventually come into. A year has gone since that final, and the Korean region, without a doubt, is the toughest region to participate in. This is evident by how the past three winners of the marquee OnGameNet Champions tournament have all been different - NaJin Black Sword (Winter 2012-13), Samsung Galaxy Ozone (Spring 2013) and SK Telecom T1 (Summer 2013). Coincidentally, these three teams are Korea's representatives at this season's World Championships.
Having a look at how the game has evolved in Korea over the last year, League of Legends has taken over the role of Brood War as the nation's game - almost any high school aged student that you can talk to will have played or at least, heard of League of Legends. People will know who MadLife is as akin as what the name BoxeR was a decade ago. The popularity of the game is so immense, the once revolutionary Yongsan e-Sports Stadium has forced OnGameNet's hand into building a new broadcast studio because Champions crowds flood the stadium every night.
With the flood of talent transitioning from games ranging from the Korean-made MOBA Chaos Clan Battle to the world-wide popular RTS Starcraft, Korea would quickly develop a second generation of top League players - those whose first experience of the game were on the Korean server. This new generation of players, such as Flame, DanDy, Faker, Piglet and Mata have taken over the torches carried by the pioneers of Korean League, such as MakNooN, CloudTemplar, RapidStar, Woong and (help me name a 1st generation support).
As seen at the All-Star weekend in Shanghai, China earlier this year, Korea is a force to be reckoned with. It is funny to view that most of the players from that team (Shy, inSec, Ambition, PraY, MadLife) are not the dominating players they once were. Out of this group, only PraY will be the World Championships this year. This 'statistic' shows a testament to how the Korean scene has shifted and evolved in the past six months.
Through winning the All-Star event, Korea were rewarded the opportunity to send an extra team over to Los Angeles to represent their country. It is safe to say that the three Korean teams are the biggest favorites to take the title of Season 3 champions. For what the World Cyber Games represented for Korea during the Brood War era, the same can now be said for the World Championships - the most important global tournament in the e-Sports scene today. For one of Najin, Samsung or SK Telecom, it is time to finish off what Frost started and make the mecca of e-Sports proud.
1.
NaJin Black Sword
"They don't deserve it."
"I can't believe they're going to Worlds over KT Bullets."
"Have they even done anything since Champions Winter?"
"They've been slumping ever since MakNooN left."
As Season 3 draws to a close, League of Legends fans across the world doubt Najin Black Sword's presence at the World Championship. The undeniable fact is that their era of dominance is over. After routing Azubu Frost in three games to claim the title of Winter Champions, and posting Najin's first major victory over the MiG/Azubu organisation, Sword have never really reclaimed the spark that they once had. The men of Najin Black Sword are undergoing some serious growing pains at the moment, as they adjust to the loss of MakNooN's aggressive calls and dives. Though Watch and Cain have seriously stepped up their play, the lack of a dominating mid lane presence and uninspiring play by the top laner in agony Expession has hindered Sword's progression as a team, resulting in their being knocked out of the group stage of Champions for the first time in history.
The ray of hope may lie in rookie mid laner Nagne, who has played a few games for Sword on a rotational basis, as well as Korea's most respected marksman PraY. Nagne and Expession will see high-level international play for the first time as they fly to Los Angeles to take the trophy they came so close to earning last year. Although plagued with failure in recent months, Sword have won two NLB tournaments in a row, effectively cementing themselves as Korea's 5th placed team, ahead of CJ Entus Blaze but behind CJ Entus Frost. In a region where the level of competition is higher than Piglet's win rate on female champions, 5th place is still nothing to scoff at. Sword are the sole Asian team at the World Championship with true international experience, which may just give them the edge to win. As the first seed (but possibly weakest seed) from Korea, they are no slouches and must be considered to be strong contenders. After all, no one wins Champions through luck. All three Korean Champions of Season 3 are attending Worlds, and to discount Najin Black Sword as a second-rate team would be a deadly mistake.
"I can't believe they're going to Worlds over KT Bullets."
"Have they even done anything since Champions Winter?"
"They've been slumping ever since MakNooN left."
As Season 3 draws to a close, League of Legends fans across the world doubt Najin Black Sword's presence at the World Championship. The undeniable fact is that their era of dominance is over. After routing Azubu Frost in three games to claim the title of Winter Champions, and posting Najin's first major victory over the MiG/Azubu organisation, Sword have never really reclaimed the spark that they once had. The men of Najin Black Sword are undergoing some serious growing pains at the moment, as they adjust to the loss of MakNooN's aggressive calls and dives. Though Watch and Cain have seriously stepped up their play, the lack of a dominating mid lane presence and uninspiring play by the top laner in agony Expession has hindered Sword's progression as a team, resulting in their being knocked out of the group stage of Champions for the first time in history.
The ray of hope may lie in rookie mid laner Nagne, who has played a few games for Sword on a rotational basis, as well as Korea's most respected marksman PraY. Nagne and Expession will see high-level international play for the first time as they fly to Los Angeles to take the trophy they came so close to earning last year. Although plagued with failure in recent months, Sword have won two NLB tournaments in a row, effectively cementing themselves as Korea's 5th placed team, ahead of CJ Entus Blaze but behind CJ Entus Frost. In a region where the level of competition is higher than Piglet's win rate on female champions, 5th place is still nothing to scoff at. Sword are the sole Asian team at the World Championship with true international experience, which may just give them the edge to win. As the first seed (but possibly weakest seed) from Korea, they are no slouches and must be considered to be strong contenders. After all, no one wins Champions through luck. All three Korean Champions of Season 3 are attending Worlds, and to discount Najin Black Sword as a second-rate team would be a deadly mistake.
2.
Samsung Ozone
Before that they were compared to CLG and often called CLG Korea as their play style focused heavily on their ADC, Imp, to win the game. Homme, who was especially called out as MVP O’s weak link in the previous season, seemed to have trained in a Hyperbolic Time Chamber to achieve his current Hommegod level. Having four world class players(Imp, Dade, Dandy, Mata), and Homme, reaching his highest skill level, Ozone was able to win OGN Champions Spring 2013 in a dominant fashion. In the last season before the World Finals, Ozone lost to SKT T1 in the semifinals, but were able to claim 3rd place. With SKT T1’s victory in the Finals of OGN Summer, MVP Ozone were successfully locked in to the 2nd spot for the World Championship. After the end of OGN Champions Summer, MVP Ozone would secure what is most likely the biggest deal in League of Legends history. Samsung, who had been looking for a League of Legends team, acquired MVP Ozone, and rename it to Samsung Galaxy Ozone. Considering their recent results, and their strong individual players, Samsung Galaxy Ozone, are one of the favorites to win the Season 3 World Championships. From one of the lower teams in OGN to having a strong chance of winning the World Championship, Samsung Galaxy Ozone can become the best team in the world – truly from rags to riches.
3.
SK Telecom T1
Originally formed out of ex-Blaze Repeared and his amateur team, SKT T1 has evolved to drop their former Team 1 entirely. Team 2, a motley crew of Korean ladder heroes and second-string pro players, took OGN Spring by storm. Faker exploded onto the scene with some legendary LeBlanc play, and SKT #2 sealed a top spot in their group. But despite a cumulative 5-0 record against the CJ Entus sister teams, “Faker & friends” could not stop MVP Ozone from claiming the title of Spring Champions.
In the months since, SKT has solidified beyond just being the Faker show. Piglet and PoohManDu have demonstrated the power of friendship and risen as one of the strongest Bot lanes in Korea. Impact remains extremely versatile in his champion pool, able to threaten with carry champions or support the S-tier caliber of Faker and Piglet. Faker continues to be absolutely unstoppable. But perhaps most important of all, SKT improved their team play: in-game tempo control and out-of game series mentality. They overcame MVP Ozone and twice KT B to secure their place as OGN Summer Champions and the Worlds qualifier seed – indisputably the current reigning Korean team. Although they have no international experience, they currently have a very strong Bo5, especially their 2-3 reverse sweep of KT B. As such, SKT T1 may very well be the favorites to win the tournament. Although very much tied overall with MVP Ozone on individual player skill, SKT have demonstrated that they do no choke under pressure. Moreover, against the uncertain strategies of foreign teams, and conflicting region styles, SKT have the skills to quickly adapt and adjust mid-series. While SK Telecom is relatively new to League of Legends, the organization heralds from a venerable eSports dynasty. The current top team out of Korea, they keenly look to awaken a new legend as Season 3 World Champions.
In the months since, SKT has solidified beyond just being the Faker show. Piglet and PoohManDu have demonstrated the power of friendship and risen as one of the strongest Bot lanes in Korea. Impact remains extremely versatile in his champion pool, able to threaten with carry champions or support the S-tier caliber of Faker and Piglet. Faker continues to be absolutely unstoppable. But perhaps most important of all, SKT improved their team play: in-game tempo control and out-of game series mentality. They overcame MVP Ozone and twice KT B to secure their place as OGN Summer Champions and the Worlds qualifier seed – indisputably the current reigning Korean team. Although they have no international experience, they currently have a very strong Bo5, especially their 2-3 reverse sweep of KT B. As such, SKT T1 may very well be the favorites to win the tournament. Although very much tied overall with MVP Ozone on individual player skill, SKT have demonstrated that they do no choke under pressure. Moreover, against the uncertain strategies of foreign teams, and conflicting region styles, SKT have the skills to quickly adapt and adjust mid-series. While SK Telecom is relatively new to League of Legends, the organization heralds from a venerable eSports dynasty. The current top team out of Korea, they keenly look to awaken a new legend as Season 3 World Champions.
Art by Caulo (Deviantart)
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