Express Esports Analysis

I’m a platinum player on the North American LoL server. I’ve played this game and watched professional League ever since the beginning of Season 2. I currently have two accounts in plat, and also a plat 3 ranked 3’s team. My goal with this blog isn’t to analyze entire games, as it probably takes another LCS level player to be able to understand all the minutiae and decision making involved in a game of professional league. Rather, I will try to discuss the performance of certain players throughout a game, or discuss one or two major teamfights.

[analyxes-blog]

Grinding to diamond

The ladder. Bane of every single player trying to rank up, whether they’re bronze or Master.

Playing ranked is as simple as queueing up for a ranked game either by yourself or with one other duo partner. However, the game changes drastically between normal games and ranked games. In general, ranked players tend to be much more competent and try extremely hard to win the game. While this competitive atmosphere is conducive to motivating a player to try their hardest in ranked matches, it may actually be counterproductive to improving one’s skill. 

Above is a graphic from lol.fr which shows each rank and its corresponding emblem.

Ranked for most people is where they “tryhard”, but simply expending effort does not necessarily equal an increase in skill. In fact, the pressure of ranked can often lead to tilting after a couple of losses. This phenomenon additively increases the stress of losing and ends up making players play far worse and also be more toxic in chat.

In order to climb the ladder (assuming that you need to improve skill as well), playing less ranked games may actually be the best way to improve. Often, highly ranked players will recommend practicing various mechanics such as CS’ing, pathing, warding, etc. in custom games against just the enemy minions. While this method may be effective, it is incredibly boring and most players will shy away from it considering that they play the game for fun.

Watching replays is also an extremely effective way to improve. Instead of barely skimming the mistakes made in a game, watching a replay allows one to analyze all of the mistakes and improvements that could be made upon them in any game. With the rise of such services such as replay.gg and op.gg, recording is easier than ever.

[analyxes-blog]

IS CHINA > THE ENTIRE WORLD?

Well, the answer appears to be YES. 

At IEM Katowice, which was this weekend, Korean and European fanboys alike were forced to take a break from their mindless bandwagoning to recognize the fact that both North America and China were clearly superior to the rest of the world.

The well known caster/analyst Montecristo, known for his constant and unapologetic Korean fanboying, predicted that the GE Tigers, who were undefeated in the LCK (the Korean equivalent of LCS), would sweep the entire tournament without dropping a single game.

On the other hand, fans of China were arguably the least excited about IEM Katowice, as the Chinese representative was WE (World Elite) which was ranked by far and away 12th and last place in the LPL (Chinese equivalent of the LCS). They were considered to be the worst team in the LPL by a large margin, with almost every single one of their players considered to be trash tier except their (Korean import) jungle, Spirit. They were representing China because the qualifiers for IEM were several months ago, before most of the top teams in China currently had solidified their rosters. 

At the beginning of IEM, the top North American team, TSM almost dropped a game to World Elite. This caused much ridicule of the team among the internet community and many people joked that NA was a terrible region.

However, as the tournament progressed, two things became clear. First, EU just sucked. They went from pools in the first day straight to losers bracket, after which both EU teams were promptly eliminated. Second, China was far stronger than anyone had imagined. Though 12th place in LPL, WE easily took wins over the tournament favorites of CJ Blaze and GE Tigers, both from Korea. Prior to the tournament, the GE Tigers had tweeted that they looked forward to facing CJ in the finals. However, the cockiness proved to be unfounded after they lost 1-2 against WE. 

Though WE ended up losing 0-2 against TSM in the finals, their strong IEM showing made it clear that Korea was no longer the most dominant region in the world. The fact that the 12th place LPL team was able to challenge-- and defeat the strongest LCK teams was a shock to the entire world. 

Now the only question is if North America can beat out China for this year’s world championship. 

[analyxes-blog]

Rift Recap: Fnatic Hammers Down Gambit’s Chance at an Upset

EU LCS has been nothing but a disappointment for Gambit Gaming fans. Ever since S2, when the original M5 team dominated the world scene and were serious contenders for the world champion title, the Russian LoL scene has been entirely dominated by Gambit.

Though many of the original players have left, much to disappointment of fans, Darien is still jungler for the team, and Edward is still support. However, the other three positions are all being filled by new players.

After a decidedly lackluster run in S4, Gambit decided to change things up for the new spring split of LCS. They replaced their ADC with Pinoy, who garnered many fans after his aggressive and dominant performance at MLG Anaheim. Gambit has historically done well at MLG events, and their success made fans hopeful that the era of Russian dominance had returned. However, those hopes were decidedly futile.

As a spectator and fan of Gambit, I've watched their games ever since EU LCS started and objectively speaking, they have done terribly. Even with Pinoy's flashy plays and solid performance from most members of the team, they still have not managed to earn any victories over the course of two weeks.

These losses have been disheartening, especially after MLG instilled false hope that Gambit could once again return to dominance. I enjoy the playstyle exhibited by Gambit, as they often pull out incredibly off-meta strategies, and utilize champions which are rarely seen in the competitive scene. Individual players on Gambit also have a large fanbase, especially Darien, who has had one of the longest pro careers in competitive League.

Despite these qualities, the consistent losses of Gambit are definitely causing fans to support other teams. While their flashy plays wow the crowd and can be brilliant, just as often they are ineffective. Perhaps, Gambit should practice slightly more meta, and aim for consistency of play if they want to be in the running for the Season 5 title. Regardless, I still enjoy watching Gambit play, because you never know what they're going to pull out.

[analyxes-blog]

Xpecial on Recent Changes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PT0bT5eNDg

The above video is Liquid Xpecial's most recent vlog on the recent roster changes for the Liquid (formerly Curse) team, and other things.

A quick summary of the points in his video log:

First video log in some time due to moving complications, etc.

Fenix and Piglet, the newest additions to Team Liquid, will probably not be able to play in Week 1 LCS due to visa complications. They might still be able to come back on time, but it is unlikely considering that the roster lock deadline for Week 1 is next Monday/Tuesday.

Due to the same circumstances stated above, Xpecial said to not expect that much from TL in the first two weeks, since there hasn't been much practice time, etc.

His predictions for 2015 Spring LCS:

Top 3: C9, TSM, TL

4-6: CLG, Dig, Gravity

6+: irrelevant

Though they haven't had much in-house practice time, the TL players have practiced a lot in solo q to figure out patch 5.1, and he is confident that they will be successful in the upcoming split

Each of his points raises a couple of interesting points that should be noted.

I personally think that the additions of Fenix in top lane, and Piglet in bot lane as ADC will be extremely valuable for Team Liquid. These were very smart acquisitions, especially seeing as Piglet is a notable player who won the S3 World Championships, and probably would have continued to dominate if his team as a whole didn't deteriorate.

Now that he has moved to the US to play, which is historically a weaker region than Korea, there is little chance that he will be a liability to his team as Team Liquid's former ADCs have generally been believed to be. Additionally, the fact that the full Team Liquid roster will not be there for the first one or maybe two weeks is disappointing, but is not too big of a deal in the context of the entire split. I am really looking forward to this new and improved Team Liquid's games in the LCS, and believe that they will definitely be top 3, as Xpecial predicts in this vlog. I also concur with his rankings, though CLG might also be able to place in the top 3 if they are able to realize their potential. TSM and C9 have historically been powerhouses in North America, and neither team has undergone major roster changes. Both teams also did extremely well at IEM Kiev, where they placed 2nd and 4th respectively.

The upcoming spring split will have higher quality teams than any season before, especially considering the infrastructure for the game that Riot has managed to establish. Though rankings can be predicted now, we might see some up and coming team dominate the scene.

[analyxes-blog]

All Chat, the reanimated corpse of Summoner’s Showcase

12/5/2014

Earlier today, Riot released its newest venture-- a talk show. Called All Chat, this show features three segments: Summoner’s Showcase, an interview with a content creator, and Name that Champion. The show’s success seems to hinge upon nostalgia for the Season 2 days of Summoner’s Showcase with Nikasaur. In fact, the official announcement for the web series even discusses its relation with the original Summoner’s Showcase:

“ll Chat isn’t Summoner Showcase, but it embraces what made that show special: a genuine connection with League players and an infectious enthusiasm for everything related to League.”

Just as their tagline states, the show focuses mainly on fan creations ranging from fanart to cosplay to player stories. The first episode (which was released today) focused mostly on fanart for the Summoner’s Showcase portion of the show. After that, there was an interview with Ben Bayouth, a fan and professional prop maker who has created giant to-scale versions of in-game weapons and creatures.

Personally, I found the show to be shallow and boring. And I know that I’m not the only one. In the comments of the video, one can find almost nothing but complaints about how scripted the show sounds and how unnatural the flow of dialogue is. While I don’t think that the show is THAT terrible, I still think that it is pretty bad. The complaints about the dialogue in the first video are definitely justified. The host, Melanie, seems to be incredibly uncomfortable while on screen. She talks extremely rapidly, continually looks at the camera while talking, and makes her laughs seem extremely forced.

Worst of all, the very idea of the show seems silly to me. Summoner Showcase only worked in Season 2 because people LOVED Nikasaur and had a fetish for every single piece of content that she generated. Even then, not that many people watched it, which is why it ended up getting cancelled. The S2 version of the show presented only fanart, and was a short segment with probably the most iconic Rioter at the time. The current iteration, All Chat, does the exact same thing except with added childishness and awkwardness thrown in.

Honestly, if Riot wants us to enjoy community creations, they should just have links to the online fanart and show videos/ interviews to showcase awesome things like statues or sculptures. In short, All Chat is just a worse version of an old unpopular show. If Riot wants anyone to watch this beyond the first two episodes, they need to make sure that the hosts sound more natural and that their scripts don’t sound like a Disney show for 8 year olds.

[analyxes-blog]

Mata departs Samsung White

Cho "Mata" Se-hyeong has parted ways with Samsung White

10/25/2014

Mata, known best for his role as the support for the season 4 world champions, Samsung White, recently announced on Facebook that he has decided to part ways with the team.

Though Mata himself has not given any specific reasons as to why he left to team it appears that the reason is not due to any disagreements with the management or the players on SSW. Because Mata has declined to offer any reason for his departure from SSW, there has been a lot of speculation surrounding the issue. Some fans believe that Mata left due to a fear of underperforming next season as a new meta emerges. However, most people have discounted such a reason as a joke, seeing as how Mata is quite possibly the best support player in the entire world at the moment. The most common belief is that Mata, feeling that he has accomplished his goal of winning worlds, is now seeking a position on a team from either China or the US for a higher salary.

Mata said on stream that he would be like to get offers from North American teams. If he does join a team that currently plays in North American LCS, there will be major impacts on Season 5. The current supports who are considered the best in North America are Xpecial and Lustboy, who most believe to be about equal in terms of skill. However, Lustboy was considered to be only about the fifth best support when he played in Korea. Even though his skill may have improved after joining Team Solomid, he probably still would be the third best Korean support at best. In contrast, Mata is commonly believed to be the best support player not only in Korea, but in the entire world. Any North American team that picks him up will have a substantial advantage going into Season 5. However, the current top teams in North America will probably not be able to secure that advantage.

TSM, or Team Solomid, recently lost their jungler, Amazing, who wanted to return to Europe after playing for TSM during Season 4. However, they picked up Santorin to replace him, meaning that there are no currently open spots on the roster. Lustboy, the current support for TSM, was only recently acquired and also is good friends with the current coach for TSM, Locodoco. Due to the recently introduced ruleset for LCS, there can only be two foreign players on any NA LCS team. Bjergsen, who is an all-star midlaner, will definitely get dropped, and Lustboy will probably not be replaced because of the reasons outlined above.

Cloud 9, who had a stellar performance at worlds, has stated that they do not plan to make any roster changes at any time.

LMQ is composed almost entirely of Chinese players and would have trouble communicating with Mata, who only speaks Korean. They have also stated that they do not plan to make roster changes.

Team Dignitas just only re-signed Kiwikid, who plays support for them, meaning that there are no open spots on  the team.

CLG, or Counter-Logic Gaming, had a disappointing season and almost got relegated. Their entire team is built around their botlane, with Apromoo on support and Doublelift as ADC, so they will definitely not make changes regarding that. However, their jungler also was dropped recently, so there is a spot open for jungle. If Mata can make the transition to jungle, then he may choose to join CLG if they make him an offer.

Either way, Mata would be an excellent acquisition for any team. He like many other Korean pro players, has chosen to leave his home region and seek contracts internationally. He is a world class player, and seeing him play in Season 5 would be fantastic.

[lolchampseries]

Season 4 World Champions - Samsung White

[lolchampseries]

Worlds 2014 - Imagine Dragons performing at the closing ceremony

[lolchampseries]

Worlds 2014 - Day 8 - Cloud 9 and KaBuM! e-Sports

[analyxes-blog]

Kabum is the Sven of group D. Brazil is America's greatest ally!

[betkyosglasses-blog]

m.inven.co.kr/webzine/wznews.php?idx=118627&site=lol

[analyxes-blog]

EDG's Underwhelming Performance in Group A

Sep 22nd, 2014

This weekend in Taipei, Chinese first seed Edward Gaming (EDG) was forced into a tiebreaker match against SEA second seed AHQ e-sports Club. EDG had shown overwhelming dominance in China, widely considered by many to be the second strongest region in the world after South Korea. Thus, it was a surprise to many when they only managed to win half of their 6 games and giving away 2 losses to Samsung White and one loss to AHQ. Coming into the Group A bracket as the second seed of a weaker region, AHQ was discounted by most fans. Against all odds, they managed to press EDG into a tiebreaker and almost caused the first upset at the 2014 Season 4 World Finals.

Quite frankly, EDG has failed the meet expectations given the hype surrounding them coming into Worlds. The clip above features a teamfight between AHQ and EDG in the tiebreaker which highlights some of the reasons why EDG's performance has been so lackluster.

The teamfight begins at 35 minutes into the game, and both teams have a fairly equal team fight given their champions. However, given the gold differential, which has EDG ahead by more than 15k, which is over one third of AHQ's total team gold at this point, EDG should have won this fight extremely hard. However, the fight ends up being far closer than the statistics dictate it should be. Why?

At 35:30, we see EDG Namei on Lucian use "The Culling" on Leona and Jinx underneath their bottom inhibitor turret. It is extremely effective, as it gets AHQ GreenTea on Leona to 65% health and forces AHQ to back off of defending the inhibitor turret.

At 35: 33, we see EDG Koro1 teleport into AHQ's base with homeguards up. Presumably, he was looking to either force a fight or zone out AHQ, and after he succeeds in the latter, backs off towards his team at bottom inhibitor turret. By 33:37, when Koro1 has returned to his team, AHQ's bot inhibitor turret is only a few hits from going down. Everything seems to be going in EDG's favor, but then things start to go sour.

AT 33:38, three things happen which begin to force the fight into AHQ's favor despite the fact that EDG has a massive gold and experience advantage.

In blue, we can see AHQ Westdoor near the edge of the screen. U and Koro1 are so far away from Namei, Clearlove, and Fzzf that the fight has seperated into U and Koro1 versus Westdoor, Prydz, and GarnetDevil.

In green, we can see EDG Koro1 go onto Prydz with W, which prevents him from being able to lock down Westdoor, who is by far the largest threat on AHQ.

Most importantly, in red, we see Namei and Clearlove walking straight into GreenTea's Leona ulti. EDG is very lucky that Prydz missed "The Equalizer", or else the outcome of the fight would have been even worse.

At 35:41, things go from bad to worse for EDG. Namei and Clearlove both got stunned at 35:40, but we see a clear breakdown of team communication at this point. While Westdoor is fighting U, Fzzf and Clearlove go back into the fight underneath the turret while Namei backs off, despite getting Fzzf's Face of the Mountain active onto him. There was no reason for Namei to back off here, since the only person near him was Naz, who had no chance of being able to assassinate him. The stun at 35:40 also highlights Namei's poor play this entire series at World's. He came in being hyped up as the top positional ADC in the world, yet failed to show results after losing EDG's second game against AHQ after getting hit by a Thresh hook.

The fight continues with U and Koro1 being taken dangerously low. EDG makes the dubious call of having Namei take down the turret instead of fighting, and Namei is basically negligible in the fight until 35:47.

At 35:47, the bot inhibitor turret finally falls. U makes the call to Void Rift back into the fight, despite the fact that he is 20% hp against a Zed with Guardian Angel. Koro1 also dies at this time.

Despite the fact that EDG is one member down, AHQ is unable to turn due to their low HP. At 35:51, U manages to stay alive thanks to his Zhonya's Hourglass. Clearlove also ults in to try and take down Westdoor. He is forced to blow flash and bola strike in order to pop Westdoor's Guardian Angel. At 35:57, we see Naz fall, as does Clearlove. Thanks to a misplay by GarnetDevil, who doesn't notice U coming out of Zhonyas, U is able to Void Rift over the wall and stay alive.  However, this has forced EDG into a 2v4 with Namei and Fzzf against the entire AHQ team except for Naz.

At 36:00. Namei manages to instantly kill Leona, while U comes back into the fight to take out GarnetDevil. EDG barely manages to pull this off, since the success of the burst hinged upon the fact the GarnetDevil wasn't able to react fast enough to kill the low HP U when he came in to try and burst. However, Westdoor has also ulted Namei and Death Mark is close to putting him into KO range.

At 36:02, Westdoor makes a great play where he is able to chase U down while simultaneously getting himself away from Namei and Fzzf. As a result, those two are left to fight against Prydz, who manages to bring Namei to dangerously low health. Following this, Prydz immediately falls at 36:03. Westdoor makes a great play at this point, using his living shadow from when he ulti'ed Namei to e-q burst Fzzf. Knowing that he won't be able to kill Namei without dying himself, Westdoor walks out of the base and recalls at 36:11. Meanwhile, Namei is healing up in AHQ base with his Bloodthirster. With full HP again, Namei easily takes down bottom inhibitor and the newly respawned middle inhibitor.

All in all, the fight went in EDG's favor, but under no circumstances should the fight have been so close with such a large gold difference. The fact that AHQ managed to trade 4-4 despite the missed Rumble ulti and GarnetDevil misplays demonstrates the fact that EDG is failing to move as a team. AHQ was able to split up EDG and zone out Namei, Fzzf, and Clearlove while taking down Koro1 basically for free.

If they are to win against Royal Club, who have historically been weaker than them, EDG needs to step up its game. Namei is choking hard under the pressure at worlds (or the food poisoning), and not being able to be the carry that EDG needs to win lategame.

[ggcmontecristo]

Riot’s announcements for North America and Europe regarding LCS playoffs, released today, contain two important details: a change in format and the dates of competition.

I applaud Riot’s decision to alter the format of such an important tournament to best-of-fives, which I consider by far the...