Game of the Day: Team SoloMid vs Team Dignitas

By Helmight

            While TSM and Dignitas don’t have quite the same rivalry as SK and Fnatic or TSM and Cloud 9 do, both teams know better than to play poorly when their coach’s hairstyle is on the line. Locodoco and Scarra shook hands on-stage before the game, promising to get a bowl cut should their team falter and setting the stage for the wild game that TSM and Dig would play. In the end though, it was TSM’s newly anointed coach who would take the trip to the barbershop as Dignitas took the win, 14 kills to 10.

            TSM had been accused by Crumbzz in a pregame interview of playing not to lose, instead of to win, and perhaps because of that TSM opened the game with an aggressive early-game invasion of Crumbzz’s red buff. However, they made the mistake of leaving Bjergsen in the midlane, allowing Dignitas to collapse on the hapless TSM squad and pick up first and second blood. Despite the early losses, TSM’s aggression continued and paid off after two four-man dives under Dig’s bot tower equalized the score. Though Amazing’s Jarvan continued to look for ganks against Imaqtpie’s Jinx, Dignitas managed to pull their marksman out of the fire and pressure other objectives, garnering a slight early-game advantage.

            However, TSM’s pressure continued unabated, and the pair of teams would clash twice during consecutive sieges of Dignitas’s mid inner tower. Though Dig always appeared to be at a disadvantage, clutch plays by Imaqtpie and Shiphtur’s Orianna allowed them to answer Team SoloMid and take kill advantages from the fights. An inability to pressure objectives following the fights meant that the game stayed almost perfectly even through the middle of the game.

            The first break came after Dyrus left his team to splitpush bot, a move which gave Dignitas their first Baron of the game and then TSM’s inner middle tower without a fight. Jumping out to a 4k gold lead, Dignitas looked perfectly positioned to create a good teamfight – but the waveclear from TSM’s Jarvan, Syndra, and Lucian prevented Dig from snowballing the lead further and kept their inhibitors safe from harm. Finally, Dignitas was forced into another Baron attempt that ended with Crumbzz barely smiting the Baron as TSM collapsed on them. Fortunately for Dignitas, four of the five team members escaped – and a clutch Super Mega Death Rocket snipe from Imaqtpie took down Amazing and kept TSM from pressuring anything.

            Though Dig managed to grab the middle inhibitor, TSM never gave up fighting and forced Dig into a third and final Baron attempt. An amazing Teleport by Dyrus split Dignitas’s team outside of the pit and for a moment it looked like TSM was poised to wipe Dig off the map – however, Imaqtpie was left untouched. Dignitas’s marksman kited TSM backwards, staying alive thanks to ZionSpartan and Shiphtur’s shields and picking up three kills for his team. After Bjergsen was chased down by Zion a moment later, it was a simple matter for Dig to push into the base for the victory.

           

Player	Champion	K/D/A
ZionSpartan	Lulu	3/0/7
Crumbzz	Nocturne	0/5/10
Shiphtur	Orianna	6/0/5
Imaqtpie	Jinx	5/0/7
KiWiKiD	Braum	0/5/12
Dyrus	Shyvana	0/1/7
Amazing	Jarvan IV	4/6/6
Bjergsen	Syndra	1/3/5
WildTurtle	Lucian	4/1/4
Gleebglarbu	Thresh	1/3/8

  

Questions? Comments? Leave them below?

Dignitas Rising

 By Helmight

            Earlier this year, Grab the Lantern covered the acquisition of ZionSpartan and Shiphtur by Dignitas, stating that there were two possible outcomes of such a move. One was that the former Coast players don’t integrate well with the team and keep Dig in a solidly middle-of-the-pack condition; the other was that the two star players would carry Dignitas higher in the standings.

After Week 2 of the NA LCS, I think it’s safe to say that the latter scenario has occurred. Zion and Shiphtur have proven in their first six games with the organization that they are threats to be feared and have led Dig to a 5-1 record. This includes victories over both Team SoloMid and Cloud 9, the two teams that absolutely dominated the Spring Split.

Early ganks by Crumbzz in the mid or top lane have rarely failed to give Zion or Shiphtur first blood and allow Dignitas’s solo laners to start snowballing their advantage. This allows Crumbzz to spend as much as he needs ganking for Kiwikid and Imaqtpie, helping the duo lane get rolling as well. By the time teamfights roll around, Dig’s already got enough of an advantage to stomp their opponents and take objectives.

And it’s Zion and Shiphtur always leading the charge for Dignitas. In four of their five wins, Dig’s new top and midlaner have had one or fewer deaths combined - quite an impressive feat – and typically have the majority of their team’s kills. Without a doubt, these two players have become the crux of Dig’s strategy.

So how does one defeat the new Dignitas then? The answer was revealed by Curse in their Super Week showing against Dig: beat them in the laning phase, and keep Zion from playing carry champions. While ZionSpartan shines on Shyvana and Jax, being forced onto Dr. Mundo prevented him from becoming the unstoppable splitpushing monster he’s used to. In addition, Crumbzz’s inability to pull off successful ganks kept Curse from falling too far behind and let them come back in the midgame.

Unless other teams find ways of stopping Dignitas’s new solo laners though, it’s very probable that Dig will stay on top of the NA LCS this split – and possibly find their way into the World Championships. Only time will tell if Dig can stay hot. 

Questions? Comments? Leave them below!

Dignitas grabs ZionSpartan and Shiphtur

By Helmight

According to LoLEsports.com,  Dignitas has just signed Shiphtur and ZionSpartan away from Team Coast in a surprising move. David Slan, the coach and general manager for Coast, has said "Rather than have these two guys miss the Summer LCS Split, we made the decision to allow ZionSpartan and Shiphtur to be acquired by Team Dignitas." This is something I don't think any of us saw coming. Shiphtur and ZionSpartan are not only regarded as the best players on Coast, but also some of the best players in the LCS. So, what does this mean for both rosters now?

For Dignitas, the acquisitions are huge. Scarra's retirement meant that they were down one of their best players and Goldenglue wasn't nearly strong enough to compete at a professional level, let alone fill Scarra's shoes. Meanwhile, Cruzerthebruzer has left a lot to be desired in the toplane, managing to not die too often but also accomplishing nothing substantial for his team either. Though Dignitas did quite well for themselves early in the season, they were unable to keep pace with Team SoloMid and Cloud 9 and eventually fell into a solid fourth place - decent, yes, but not where they wanted to be.

With the addition of Coast's stars, Dignitas now has the shot of talent they need to come back swinging for the Summer Split. If ZionSpartan and Shiphtur are able to synergize well with the rest of Dig's roster, I wouldn't be surprised to see them stealing third place away from Counter-Logic Gaming.

Meanwhile, Coast is in a bit of a strange spot now, having signed away their two best players. It's no secret that their solo laners were the key to Coast's success for much of this season, and with their departure Coast is left with a lackluster bottom lane and jungler. Even if they manage to acquire players that synergize well with the rest of the team, I'm doubtful of Coast's chances to make it back to the LCS. Shiphtur and ZionSpartan pretty much carried the team through the Spring Split, and unless Coast can somehow find players of their caliber again, I don't think we'll be seeing them in the promotion tourney.

At any rate, the deal is certain to shake things up for the Summer Split. It'll be interesting to see how Coast's solo laners perform with a solid team behind them, and how the rest of the LCS responds to the new Dignitas.

Questions? Comments? Leave them below!

IEM Katowice 2014 Finals: A Recap

By Helmight           

             

            Intel Extreme Masters Katowice 2014 concluded this Sunday with a showdown between OGN’s KT Rolster Bullets and EU LCS’s Fnatic. Though both teams had fought hard to earn their place in the finals, KTB stomped Fnatic in three games to take home the trophy.

            Game 1 was a hotly contested, hour-long match for the two teams. Though sOAZ’s Shyvana struggled against Leopard’s Olaf in the top lane, xPeke managed to go even in farm despite Ryu’s aggressive LeBlanc plays and Fnatic’s botlane had a decisive advantage. It only took a single gank from Cyanide’s Elise to get Fnatic’s ball rolling with a double kill bot and an early dragon.

            Despite their early advantages though, Fnatic was never able to get far enough ahead that they felt comfortable sieging on the Bullet’s inner towers. As a result, KTB was able to farm up and equalize the kill score thanks to the constant threat of their roaming assassins. Though the European squad made moves towards Baron, the Bullets’ vision control proved to be too much and the Koreans were the first to gain the buff after a devastating teamfight. Though Fnatic fought hard for the rest of the game, they weren’t able to stave off the Bullet’s onslaught.

            The second game had Fnatic switching up their tactics, taking early-game lane bullies like Pantheon and Renekton in an effort to win hard and win early. However, the Bullets countered Fnatic’s comp with an unusual Ryze pick in the top lane and with Mafa playing Karma. It appeared as though Fnatic’s early game dominance would go to waste during the laning phase, but a clutch teamfight at dragon yielded a double kill for xPeke and the objective gold. Fnatic immediately tried to put the pressure on the KT squad’s towers, but smart rotations from the Bullets prevented the European team from making the most of their advantage.

            It was at the dragon pit that Fnatic finally broke. As the Europeans pushed for their second dragon of the game, inSec leaped in and stole the objective from under their noses – then escaped thanks to Kha’Zix’s ultimate. By the time the fight ended, the Bullets had lost two members but aced Fnatic, handing them a solid lead that they’d hold for the rest of the game. As the early game ended, so too did Fnatic’s hopes of victory: the Bullets smart rotations and objective pressure kept them from mounting any sort of comeback.

            Game 3 was entirely lopsided in favor of the Bullets. While first blood went to Fnatic after YellOwStaR’s hook landed on Ryu at the top tower, xPeke was rendered impotent by his inability to farm mid against the Bullets’ duo lane.  sOAZ’s Aatrox meanwhile couldn’t handle the early aggression put out by Leopard on Renekton – by the time Cyanide finally showed up to gank, it was easy for Leopard to simply kill sOAZ and walk away from Fnatic’s jungler.

            Midgame proved to be too much for Fnatic, as KTB claimed each and every dragon and stole away Fnatic’s buffs. With the gold lead rising against them, Fnatic tried sending Rekkles to splitpush bot, only to have the Korean squad group up and shove the top lane. With Rekkles too far away to help, Fnatic lost their jungler and their inhibitor for only a single kill onto Score’s Lucian. Finally, after chasing Fnatic away from their desperate Baron attempt, the Bullets shoved down the mid lane for the eventual win.

Super Week Results and Predictions

By Helmight

 

            With the conclusion of the second Super Week of this season and the coming of the All-Star break, both the NA LCS and EU LCS have been shaken up. Some teams rose, some teams fell, and others worked their butts off to stay in the same place. Let’s take a look at the changes.

NA LCS:

            It is perhaps no surprise that Team SoloMid and Cloud 9 are still sitting pretty on the top of the standings. After 4-0 finishes from both teams through Super Week, I would be quite surprised indeed if either of them fell from their pedestals. Instead, the question to be asked is whether or not C9 can reclaim their first-place throne before the All-Star break.

            While their Super Week performance didn’t hand them the third place spot, it certainly cemented Counter Logic Gaming’s position there. However, third place will also be where CLG will stay for the rest of the season – they’re four games out of second place, and are two ahead of the remainder of the NA teams. Certainly it’s something to be happy about given their early-season struggles, but it’s disappointing to think of where they might have been at this time had Dexter joined them sooner.

            Despite being the first team to beat Cloud 9 this year, Dignitas has had a fairly lackluster midseason. CLG’s sudden rise to prominence didn’t do them any favors, but going 1-3 in Super Week definitely hurt their chances of making a run for third place. The game they lost against Curse was especially crippling – had they won, Scarra and the team would have been a game away from CLG and two games up on Curse and Team Coast. As it stands though, Dignitas will simply need to play out of the rest of the season and prepare themselves for the Summer Split.

            And speaking of Curse, they’ve made a pretty fantastic run for themselves. With a 5-11 record two weeks ago, they were facing relegation and losing hope of seeing the Summer Split. After a few clutch victories during Super Week and Team Coast’s fall from relevance, Curse have finally emerged from the bottom three spots and sit only a game behind Dignitas. Beating Dig next week will move Curse up to fourth – the highest they’ve been this year – and leave them in a great position to head into the All-Star break.

            Finally, Team Coast fans are guaranteed to be disappointed after their 0-4 finish to the week. While they had been sitting at a comfortable 7-9 record before Super Week, Coast was unable to employ the same tenacity and determination that had brought them out of the bottom three during the middle of the season. With luck, Coast will be able to make it back into the LCS from the relegation tournament – but they will certainly not be playing their way out of 7^th place.

EU LCS:

            Super Week was not kind to ROCCAT. While the Polish team has surprised many by leading the pack in their first ever LCS season, their 1-3 record last week has dropped them from first place. With only a game separating them from the leaders, it’s certainly possible that ROCCAT will be able to claw themselves back to the top of the league – but it will all come down to the consistency of Gambit and SK Gaming.

            SK meanwhile has come out of nowhere. For a team that started the season at the bottom of the roster, SK has shown remarkable resiliency and has managed to climb up to challenge Gambit for dominance of the EU LCS. Gambit meanwhile has been the most consistent of the European teams, refusing to ever fall more than a game out of first place and executing well at all stages of a match. These two will be interesting to watch as the split winds to an end.

            In addition to the two-way tie for first, the EU LCS has also been unable to get rid of its three-way tie for fourth. Though the Supa Hot Crew’s 0-4 finish to Super Week has dropped them from relevance, Alliance’s incredible 4-0 record has catapulted them right into the spot formerly held by SHC. Fnatic and the Copenhagen Wolves meanwhile have simply held their ground with respectable 2-2 finishes each. The real question is which team will be able to break the tie and rise to fourth place alone. Copenhagen has been the most consistent of the three teams and has a real shot at breaking away from the others, but Alliance’s red-hot performance during Super Week could be a sign that they’re ready to make a shot at the top three teams. Fnatic meanwhile has been shaky and inconsistent, but still has enough talent to hold their own. Next week will most likely decide where these three teams end up.

            If anything, the EU LCS is shaping up to be a lot more exciting than the NA scene. With only two games between the first place team and the 6^th place team, things could change very quickly. Given how the league has played out so far, nothing can really surprise me anymore. It could be the former last-place Alliance or the fallen Fnatic team taking home first place by the time they break for the All-Star matches – but it’s just as likely that Gambit or SK hold onto their advantages. Only time will tell.

PSA: CHECK YOUR BRUSHES!!!

     Ever since the pre-season vision changes, the traditional “ward wars” have changed substantially. One of the major changes was made to pink wards, which allows them to exist on the field permanently, but also makes them visible. Since they have the possibility to last forever now, the only thing that can prevent them from doing their job is you.

     It simply amazes me that after nearly three months now of watching professional league and playing solo queue, people still don't understand that you have to constantly check the brush for pinks. Of particular note are those small, pesky lone bushes on both sides of the river. These are by far the most common spots to place pinks, and yet people always seem to avoid checking them. Maybe it’s the reputation that they have – too many teams use them to stage ambushes - but since vision is a super important part of League I cannot stress hard enough how vital it is to check them.

     To be completely honest, it’s not very hard to do. All it takes is training yourself to walk through any bushes you come across when you're roaming, rotating, or preparing to take dragon or Baron. If there is in fact a pink in the bush, you can immediately clear it and deprive your opponent of vision. Clearly though, you’ll need to be safe about it – if the enemy team is rotating to stop you, it’s not the best time to clear the ward. Even if you don’t kill it though, you've still gained valuable information about that particular area of the map and can clear the vision ward at a later time.

     In short, checking the brush is immensely important in keeping vision under your team’s control and it’s not hard to do at all. So please: check your bushes.

                 - Jujubez