EU fans think they’re soooo good just because they beat NA (again), but let me ask you — which team is more likely to lose a game this weekend? *Camera cuts to a Liquid fan literally beating a dead horse. The LMS’ Flash Wolves surprised everyone with their strong group performance but were ultimately beaten out for the top spot by the LPL’s Royal Never Give Up. They’re joined in Paris by Fnatic and KING-ZONE DragonX. Who will claim regional supremacy at the year’s halfway mark? Here’s 10 thoughts going into Paris!
EU >NA
Can NA import EU’s tournament wins? (I’ll be pitching that idea at the next NA LCS meeting). Despite the mounting pile of evidence in favor of EU fans, I’m sure we’ll see the NA retinue back in full force come Worlds. And I wouldn’t have it any other way. The past just doesn’t actually matter when a new tournament hits. Imagine it’s 19 minutes into a game — it’s not like a team is going to be like, “Well, actually, NA normally does bad in Group Stage so I guess we should just throw this one.” Even if it seems like that’s the case sometimes. For this particular bout, though, EU definitely came out on top. The teams were fairly evenly matched, but I think Caps managed to be the best player on the Rift throughout the games, and that ultimately propelled Fnatic over Liquid. EU mids!
Caps can be the next great EU superstar
Or maybe he’ll be the next great NA import. Heh. Caps dazzled in the Group Stage and showed off his ability and willingness to play whatever champion the team required. Without a doubt, though, he shined most when he was given the tools to carry– the likes of Yasuo and Zoe electrified audiences all over the world. He’s been super vocal about how it’s not enough for him to just conquer Europe, and now is his chance to elevate himself into the conversation for being among the world’s best. Fnatic wouldn’t have made it out of Groups if not for Caps’ heroics, but they’ll need him to be something greater than a hero if they wish to advance.
KING-ZONE didn’t look very good
Whew, really putting myself out there with this one. I’m being fairly conservative because Korea always seems to turn up in Best-of-5s. It’s like people bashing LeBron for coasting through the regular season before he sweeps their team in the playoffs (heyo Raptors fans). But even in KZ’s wins, they were frequently sloppy. Khan didn’t look like the best player at this tournament (like I’d predicted last week). And they’ve already swapped Cuzz in for a few games. At the end of the day, this roster hasn’t actually won anything either, so maybe the Korean representative is actually mortal this year. There’s blood in the water and some very hungry wolves nearby.
Flash Wolves’ new fangs
The Group Stage MVP came down to Uzi, Caps, Maple, and SwordArT for me. The latter two probably had it in the bag, but they ended up suffering a string of losses after qualifying for Paris early thanks to their 6-0 start. I’m chalking the losses up to them testing things out, but it could also be a sign that other teams figured out how to play against their style and picks. They utilized champs like Soraka and Janna more freely than other teams, and I think it’s great to see them sticking to their guns (maybe the first time anyone has referred to Soraka and Janna as guns). The question now, though, is whether they’re able to adapt over the course of a Best-of-5 if other teams have truly adapted.
How to contain Uzi:
- Ban Kai’Sa.
- Ban Kog’Maw.
- Buy Riot Games and force designers to increase the ban limit to 30.
- Ban every ADC.
- Literally build a box around him.
- Camp bot lane.
- Camp bot lane again.
- Counter pick the support matchup to get a favorable lane.
EVOS showed they belong
Though they ultimately fizzled out with a 2-8 record, the Vietnamese squad showed they could hang in there with the best of them — especially in the early game. Their relentless aggression made them very exciting to watch, but I think they ultimately bit a little too much at bait. They had a tendency to overstay their welcome on the map or overextend without proper vision control, which is generally what prevents a team from being able to macro efficiently. Can’t blame the dudes for wanting to brawl, though. Right now it feels like Vietnam is a prize fighter that just gets thrown into bad situations. They’re the classic punch first and ask questions later kind of team that should probably stop and ask a couple questions if they hope to perform better on the international stage. Or, I guess, punch even harder.
Pour one out for Team Liquid
A wily veteran struggles at the beginning and is chastised for seemingly wasting his potential. Then he finds it in himself to go the distance. The training montage kicks in. He’s on the biggest possible stage with all the blaring lights showing off his bruises in a tough fight against his opponent. The opponent eventually wins, but not after a grueling gauntlet of rounds. Plot to Rocky or Team Liquid’s 2018 MSI run? Liquid’s surge to even force a tiebreaker should give NA some pride. Yeah, it’s not ideal. And yeah, ultimately, it’s still a disappointment. But when’s the last time an NA team has shown this kind of fight? When’s the last time an NA player (Doublelift in this case) has played like a bonafide superstar? I say hell yeah to Liquid’s rally. But I also hope they use it as momentum to eventually give NA fans a reason to be proud that’s not caveated by anything.
Did Thanos get Rekkles?
Have you ever had a friend die in game and then yell at you for not helping them? Maybe even yelling, “You have like full health!?” I am wondering if that’s what we’re seeing here. At a glance, yeah, Rekkles didn’t have strong performances in the Group Stage. People call him a KDA player, but it’s not like he isn’t aware of that perception — he’s just doing what he thinks will lead to the win. ADC just happens to be one role where we kind of expect them to 1v5, but in their current state especially, they’re dependent on others initiating and enabling them (Kai’Sa disrupting this perception certainly didn’t help Rekkles here). The team just isn’t on the same page right now, and Rekkles is a part of that, but it’s not just him. Turns out having a rookie top laner (and Bwipo is playing well enough) thrust in so close to MSI disrupts team structure quite a bit.
Parity in the group stage
It’s been a while since we’ve had this kind of a parity. I think the general consensus is still that we’ll get a KR vs. CN final, but I also think this is the least certain it’s been in a long time. It’s hard to say if this is an aberration — if both KR and CN 3-0 their respective opponents, then we’d have our answers, for example. But I will say it was really refreshing to watch after going through so many hopeless tournaments where one or two teams looked absolutely dominant in the group stage. Like, if we isolated this group stage from a historical context, then it really is difficult to identify the clear favorite. Each team seems to have its own set of weaknesses and strengths, and each team has at least one player who’s demonstrated the ability to absolutely take over a game.
So… who’s the favorite?
Korea China. RNG rattled off six straight wins to finish the Group Stage in first place. And because they arrived in Berlin later than most teams, I suspect some of the initial sluggishness was because of jet lag (yes, it’s more than just a meme excuse). Even amongst the star cast of ADCs, it was Uzi who rose above them all. He seemed to only get stronger as the group went on, too, and in particular it was his Kai’Sa that looked unbeatable. It’s like the champion was made for him as it rewards mechanically strong players. The only question mark for this roster is which mlxg will show up to play — if it’s the infamous mlxd version, then RNG may find itself struggling. But if he plays well, then Uzi may finally add an international trophy to his name after so many close calls.
