What we can Learn from the Season 3 Group Stage

Gogoing selects Veigar in the Group Stage

Aatrox, Yorick, Cassiopeia, Nidalee, and Veigar. Although at first glance such a team comp would seem like a result of bad communication in a bronze solo queue game, this exact lineup was used by China’s OMG on the last day of the group stage in Season 3 Worlds. Although some portions of their match against Lemondogs seemed even, in the end, OMG pulled off a victory after 37 minutes. Big plays from Yu ‘Cool’ Jia-Jun on Cassiopeia and Gao ‘Gogoing’ Di-Ping on Aatrox helped secure the win for the top tier Chinese superpower. Following the match, another unexpected move came from the lineup of Team Solo Mid as they faced GamingGear.eu. Almost all of the TSM lineup swapped lanes, as top and mid switched to support and AD carry, AD carry moved to mid, and support went up top. Knowing they faced elimination regardless of the game’s outcome, all five members of TSM wanted to end their incredible Season 3 run off on a high note by enjoying their final match. Despite an 8/2/7 score by the team’s jungler Brian ‘TheOddOne’ Wylie, TSM lost their final match of the group stage, albeit with smiles all around. After the two games, reactions to TSM and OMG were mixed.

Dyrus throws a lantern to Xpecial

On Twitch, Facebook, and Twitter, players expressed their feelings about the performances of the two teams in the Group Stage. Many thought that it was pure disrespect to choose such laughable team compositions on such a large stage, almost like TSM and OMG were mocking the other teams. In my opinion, there are several reasons, why the games added a much needed positive change to the professional League scene.

By going back and looking at the matches, and specifically the player cameras, I can’t imagine any malintent being the reason for the unique choices of champions in the two games. I frequently saw the players smiling, laughing, and for some, enjoying their final moments of the world championship run.

In addition, the games provided a different form of entertainment, straying from the endless comps of conventional champs such as Jarvan IV, Elise, and Lee Sin. Watching some of the best in the world express their talent through other champions demonstrates how much potential some of the lesser played champions have to be successful. Recently during Zed free week, I repeatedly saw team after team in solo queue losing because a player picked Zed, expecting to decimate the enemy, even without prior experience. From watching world class players still dominate on champions such as Yorick and Cassiopeia, I hope the League community can gather that the player wins the game, not the champion.

Specifically for TSM, I felt that longtime fans enjoyed seeing their favorite players in different roles, allowing for the style of the player to be applied with a different approach. Noticeably, as TSM’s top laner Marcus ‘Dyrus’ Hill played Thresh, his instinctive need to carry the game came out in full effect, as he landed hook after hook and aggressively flayed the enemy laners. In contrast, Alex ‘Xpecial’ Chu established early that his Vladimir would be played more passively, as he farmed rather than making big plays. Although entertaining for the fans, the experience can help the members of TSM understand each other’s roles, and to synergize more effectively in future seasons.

Most importantly, the community was reminded of the original intent of League of Legends, to enjoy yourself and have fun. So many players get caught up with winning games, analyzing matchups, and climbing the ranked ladder that they forget that they are playing a game. If you ever find yourself taking League too seriously, sit back, queue up, and have some fun.