Call Your Shot - LCS Summer Predictions

The League of Legends eSports scene is thriving, and I’d like to hear your input on the direction it is heading. To achieve that, I’ll be doing a weekly segment titled “Call Your Shot” where I’ll be asking the community a question to find out where you think things are going. I’ll be rounding up the comments and formulating an answer at the beginning of the next episode. This week’s topic is looking ahead to the Summer LCS. Who do you think has what it takes to bring home the title and the $50,000?

 

Spring winner, TSM, looks to continue their winning ways heading into the Summer LCS. An inconsistent Spring LCS was completely turned around with the replacement of Shan "Chaox" Huang. The team went 9-2 after the addition of new AD Carry, Jason "WildTurtle" Tran, and rode that momentum into the playoffs, where they won two close series and claimed the championship. Their regular season record was tops in the league, and they handled all comers in the playoffs, so it will be hard to bet against them heading into the summer season. Fans got a small taste of things to come with Top laner, Marcus "Dyrus" Hill, and Support player, Alex "Xpecial" Chu, representing North America at the All-Star festivities in Shanghai where they performed very admirably. Questions still remain, though. Was the hot streak simply a by-product of a rejuvenated team? Will the long layoff between seasons negatively affect the champs?

 

The surprising GGU team scratched and clawed their way to an impressive second place finish in the Spring LCS. A mid-season shakeup seemed to be just what the doctor ordered for GGU, as they said goodbye to Support player Lyubomir "BloodWater" Spasov, and replaced him with Miles "Daydreamin" Hoard. After the change, GGU went 6-4 down the stretch to squeak into the last available playoff spot. Most people gave them little chance against NA powerhouse Dignitas, but the plucky young team proved all doubters wrong with a win, and on the back of strong play from Brandon "DontMashMe" Phan, took out Team Curse to book their ticket to the finals. Did team GGU catch lightning in a bottle with an improbable playoff run, or did the team come into form and show their true colours as a force to be reckoned with on the NA scene?

 

Another team labeled as a "bottom 4" team heading into the season, Team Vulcan finished strong, going 3-1 in the final week to earn a 5th place spot in the league standings. The addition of new shot caller and Support player BloodWater seemed to give Team Vulcan renewed focus in the playoffs and they beat fan favourite CLG in a surprising upset to move them into the semi-finals and avoid relegation. The impressive outing was halted by eventual winners TSM, but Vulcan proved that they can play with the best of the NA scene with their victory over Curse in the 3rd place match. Hope springs eternal for the revitalized Vulcan team and they look to build on their success heading into the summer season. With their success, though, comes attention. Will teams develop new strategies and focus on preparing for Vulcan since they've shed off their "underdog" mantle? How will the team stand up to the added scrutiny that winning can bring?

 

The season started out very promising for the veteran Team Curse as they held the #1 spot for much of the season. However, the team seemed to lose focus down the stretch, going 1-4 in the last super week. Despite the down week, Curse still finished in the number 2 slot and earned a bye into the semi-finals and a place in the Summer LCS. The good vibes weren't enough to lift them out of their slump, however, and they were beaten in the semi-finals by the pesky GGU squad. The pain didn't end there, as they also lost in the loser's final to earn a disappointing 4th place finish. A season of dizzying highs led to a disastrous finish but it wasn't without bright spots, as Jungler Brandon "Saintvicious" DiMarco was selected to represent North America in the All-Star weekend. Can Curse shake off the sting of defeat and resume their winning ways or was the dominant regular season just a mirage? Do they have the mental fortitude to move past the finish or will they struggle to shed a "choker" label?

 

Nothing is ever easy for the long suffering fans of Counter Logic Gaming. The team combined surprising victories against rival teams like TSM and Curse with even more surprising losses against underdogs like Vulcan and GGU. Their up and down season was still in jeopardy during the final week, but a 1-3 record, combined with a pair of MRN losses was enough to back into the playoffs as the 4th seed. They capped off their roller coaster season with a disappointing finish, posting a 1-2 loss to Team Vulcan in the quarter-finals and dropping into the promotional tournament.

Everything was on the line for the veteran team and they managed to beat former teammate Michael "bigfatlp" Tang and his Azure Cats squad to earn a spot back in the Summer LCS. Despite the win in the promotional tournament, the season was a bitter disappointment for CLG and prize money wasn't the only thing they lost out on. The defeats in the Spring LCS led to a roster shake-up, as founder George "HotshotGG" Georgallidis stepped down as the team's Top laner to take on a coaching and managing position. Support player Zaqueri "Aphromoo" Black decided to leave and Steve "Chauster" Chau was moved to his position. Former teammate, and former foe, bigfatlp returned, this time as the Jungler and ex-MRN member Nientonsoh taking HotshotGG's place in the Top lane .

Perhaps the lone bright spot for CLG during the season was the play of AD Carry Yiliang "Doublelift" Peng whose performance earned him a selection to the North American All-Star Team. With the roster changes seemingly complete, can CLG return to its glory days atop the NA scene, or will ups and downs continue to be the norm for this once dominant team?

 

Team Dignitas burst out of the gate at the start of the Spring LCS, posting a 9-2 record in the first four weeks, led by newcomer and Top laner Alan "KiWiKiD" Nguyen's dominating performances. The team cooled off as the season went along, though, finishing in third place with a 17-11 record. Losing some key games with Jungler Alberto "Crumbzz" Rengifo sidelined proved to be costly, as the team barely missed out on a bye into the semi-finals.

With the possibility of dropping down to the promotional tournament looming ahead, the team faced off against GGU in the quarter-finals. They were stunned in the first game but came back strong in the second to even the series up at 1-1. The third and deciding game was a back and forth affair which eventually saw Team Dignitas' nexus explode, ending their chances in the Spring LCS and forcing them to play for their lives in the promotional tournament. The team bounced back and handled the challenge with renewed vigor, easily earning a spot in the summer season

Standout Mid laner William "Scarra" Li's performance in the LCS was enough to earn him a spot on the All-Star team representing North America. His play abroad earned praise from domestic and foreign commentators alike, and Dignitas fans hope his good play will carry on into the Summer LCS. Team Dignitas showed that they can be a dominant team in the NA scene.

 

Two up-and-coming teams will see their way into the Summer LCS. Cloud 9 earned their way into the summer season by beating previous LCS participant Complexity very handily in a 3-0 sweep. Having proven their mettle on the MLG circuit, Cloud 9 enters the LCS as a team about which very little is known. They've beaten such teams as Velocity eSports in the past, and they've shown a good mix of fresh strategies and solid mechanics.

Velocity eSports is in the same boat. They enter the LCS having earned a spot by working their way through the MLG circuit, and the promotional series, where they beat Team Marn in a close 3-2 series. Can these two teams strike while the iron is hot and continue their winning ways into the Summer LCS? Vulcan and GGU have shown that underdogs have what it takes to make a big splash in the LCS. Can Cloud 9 and/or Velocity eSports continue the trend of lesser known teams upsetting more established squads?

 

With these questions in mind, which teams have what it takes to win it all and bring home the Summer LCS grand prize? I'm asking you to Call Your Shot and leave a message in the comments or find me on Twitter @Mitch_Tilk . Feel free to respond to anything written above, or pose a new question. I'll be rounding up the responses and the best will be included in next week's column.