In a dim room with a flickering light, Kai’Sa and Master Yi are seated on metal folding chairs at a small table. Their weapons are sprawled across the table, and in the corner of the room, leaned against the wall, is a half-dead looking person who’s actually just Karthus. The three of them are counting the money they’ve secured from their definitely-not-a-pyramid-scheme business (it’s a funnel scheme!). They’ve added Lucian and Irelia to their ranks — though these two aren’t as successful. This is lore canon btw. It’s 2018, and the League of Legends meta is still in flux as we head into Week 3 of the NA LCS.

[3-1] Come one, come all. Pick a role, any role!

Huni draws his role out of a hat before each game, and then Coach Inero does his best to fit a composition around that. He’s now played four roles in four games — the only positions he still needs are support, head coach, and the C9 bench. This flexibility comes at a price, though —Altec being tossed onto Vladimir all week is part of their blood sacrifice to the League gods to bless them with good fortune. Honestly, this makes FOX one of the most exciting teams to watch in the League right now. These oddball compositions have upended what standard play looks like, which is great for us fans. International play is already a clash of regional differences, so that just makes me even much more excited for this split because it’s the road to Worlds. FOX will hopefully keep experimenting and then reiterating as teams respond to them.

[3-1] Ban Kai’Sa?

Remember when Doublelift played an insane Kai’Sa at MSI and then the Summer Split started and Kai’Sa was one of a few viable marksmen in the meta and teams decided to not ban it from him? Is this one of those cases where coaches know better than us? TL dominated CLG and TSM last weekend and look like they’re ready to defend their title, even in a meta that’s not super friendly to ADCs, which was core to their spring run. What I was most impressed with this weekend, though, was that Olleh had zero deaths — him coming back into form and limiting his bad aggression can be the key that elevates Liquid to a new level, just like ocean levels all across the globe…

[2-2] This isn’t even their final form

From 0 to 100 — the 100 Thieves two week short story. Actually, they had to claw back to beat C9 this week (or maybe it’s less them clawing back and more C9 taking a nap mid game), so it seems things aren’t clicking on all cylinders just yet. The sample size is still too small to make any definitive claims, but they seem to be leaning into more marksmen-oriented comps, which makes sense for a younger player like Cody. This team should still be one of the scarier rosters when it comes to standard play this split, but if the meta dictates more unorthodox approaches, I wonder if this team will be capable of making the adjustment.

[2-2] Slow and steady

TSM uses Harden. CG uses Flamethrower. It’s super effective! Clutch has now beaten TSM in four out of five matches if you go back to the Spring Playoffs. They both play a fairly controlled and risk-averse style, but it seems Clutch has been better at generating the game-winning play. I think Febiven is also one of the few midlaners who’s capable of matching if not besting Bjergsen at all phases of the game, which nullifies one of TSM’s historically biggest advantages in the NA LCS. If you can make the game more chaotic — like what CLG did to them (Febiven had a couple random deaths that you don’t usually see from him) — then maybe that’s the best way to unravel this team, which otherwise likes to keep things in front of them.

[2-2] Huhi is doing an A-Z stream in the LCS

Huhi has played four different champions to start the split, and all four are different in style. There’s of course his signature Aurelion Sol, who should at the very least continue to draw a ban from opponents, which is a great privilege CLG enjoys. Or they pick it and he pops off. He also had a dominant game on Syndra (a more classical backline press-R-mage), which is otherwise not seeing as much play in the current meta. The two games he struggled more on were Zoe, a poke champion, and Renekton, a bruiser. If he’s trying to run through his checklist, that means we can expect a marksman mid and an attack-damage assassin soon. This eccentricity is the very embodiment of CLG — it is their greatest strength, but its inconsistency is also their greatest weakness.

[2-2] They like anime, boba, and League of Legends

The Guardians have now fielded two new midlaners this split thanks to Deftly playing Kai’Sa in the funnel comp win over C9. Honestly, they really look like a different team so far this split. We’d seen flashes of them improving over the second half of spring, so maybe this was a natural progression, but they’ve still exceeded most expectations with their strong start. Which is maybe kind of sad when you consider they’re still only 2-2, but that’s also good for third place in the league right now! Mickey still hasn’t had a standout game yet, but maybe he doesn’t need to with the way this team is playing together. They’re also supposedly playing really well in scrims, which makes me wonder how long do they need to keep this up before we recognize them as contenders?

[2-2] Nearly first!?

If, like me, you watched the end of the OPT match against FLY, you might have taken some time to reflect on your life. You might have said, “I should have gone to church today.” Maybe you called your mother and told her you loved her. Maybe you hugged your dog or your cat. We all need some more love in our lives after that one. OpTic is now a thrown game away from being tied for first in the league, but their wins still feel kind of unimpressive. Subbing Allorim in for Dhokla this week seems to have paid off immediately — barring a major collapse, I’d be surprised to see Dhokla come back to the starting roster this split. Allorim even sounds like some kind of medicine, so he may be exactly the cure they need.

[2-2] Early inconsistency

Last week, I was lowkey ready to write a “wild predictions” article where I would have wildly predicted TSM going undefeated this split, and now I’m glad I had second thoughts. It was just a couple of truly lackluster games from TSM last weekend — maybe they’re still struggling to align with Grig when it comes to early plays. Though I also felt like TSM was a little greedy in their drafts. I’m not sure they had much priority in any lane, so that probably made things more difficult for Grig. That said, this may be the time for them to rotate MikeYeung in for a few games — the intent at the beginning of the split seemed to be that the two would share time as starters. I’m curious to see what this roster looks like with Mike in this meta. Maybe announcing the six-man roster was a sign of this inconsistency all along.

[1-3] Bench dilemma

At the C9 Headquarters this week, a helicopter lands on the lawn as owner — code-named Jack — steps out to talk about the team’s issues. Jack, lighting Graves’ cigar: So why are we losing?

Reapered: We lack initiative in the mid game.

Jack: What’s the solution?

Reapered: We need some more experienced shotcalling, an even demeanor, and the players need to be willing to make plays.

*Smoothie, Sneaky, and Jensen poke their heads around the corner.

Jack, noticing them: I’ve got it.

*The benched trio’s ears perk.

Jack: Get Hai on the phone.

Look, pretty much everyone is going to call for Keith’s head in particular and Goldenglue’s head just because he’s not Jensen. I don’t think this team has been particularly bad, though — they’re losing because they aren’t playing out the mid and late game properly. Might an experienced shotcaller like Smoothie help? Or a playmaker like Jensen who can just open up an unexpected hole for your team? I mean, probably. It’s a really tough situation for Keith and Glue — they’ve struggled on the stage in the past, and then they’re put into this situation where fans are looking for any excuse to bring the benched boys back. That said, I’d personally expect to see them back this week if not the next.

[1-3] Lingering struggles

FLY honored each other for being tilt-proof after their win over OPT — their first on the season. Honestly, though, they should have definitely lost that one — at least through two weeks, they appear destined for another disappointing split. It’s weird because this feels like a meta that someone like WildTurtle would excel in, as it allows players to flex through the roles more freely. More than any other ADC in the league, I’d have pegged him as most likely to be able to go mid or play mages in the bot lane. And yet here we are. As is true for the other teams, the sample size is still maybe too small to make any sort of sweeping claim — their new players are mostly proven entities, too, so it’s not like they’re just going to magically start showing superstar prowess. Matches against CLG and GGS this week aren’t necessarily easy, but they need to be able to compete with these two teams who also missed the playoffs in the spring if they don’t want their morale shattered already.