Anarchy in the K.R.
Riot·6/1/2015, 10:44:56 PM·0 votes·6,544 views
Trading in the distinctly iron-on look of their Promotion Tournament t-shirts, Anarchy debuted in Champions Korea dressed in starched white shirts. The five teammates excitedly bounced in their seats, resembling boys on their way to their first day of school.
One of the English commentators quipped that they hardly look like anarchists.
Anarchy then proceeded to spend the next few hours proving that their team is, if not wholly subversive, capable of at least disturbing the balance in SBENU Champions Summer 2015 by beating the well-established NaJin e-mFire 2-1. Following the win, mid laner and series MVP Young-min "Mickey" Son described their win in the post-game interview as "fascinating," as if the win was a surprise even to him.
It was certainly a shock to the viewers and casters alike, who had expected Anarchy to remain winless at the bottom of the standings with fellow former Challenger team SBENU Sonicboom. However, if their first few performances are anything to go by, Anarchy thrives on disproving others’ expectations.
Your Future Dream
After winning Series 1 in Challengers Korea Spring 2015, Anarchy followed up their strong first series performance by bombing out in Series 2, losing to unknown amateur team Hungry in the Round of 16. It was thoroughly disappointing performance for Anarchy, especially when Hungry was then trounced by MKZ in the Round of 8. Anarchy earned a reputation familiar to many up-and-coming teams in both China and Korea. They were a mechanically gifted team that often lacked direction and was wildly inconsistent. Fortunately for Anarchy, their points total across both series was enough to garner second place in the overall standings, earning Anarchy a spot in the Champions Summer Promotion Tournament. Throughout Challengers Spring, Anarchy’s most notable player was jungler Jun Hyeong "Bubbling" Park, who was also tearing through the solo queue ladder. It came as a surprise when the team replaced him with former KT Rolster Arrows and OMG 2 jungler Tae Yoo "Lira" Nam. With Lira and the return of top laner Dae-ho "cvMax" Kim, Anarchy bested Series 2 champions Winners in Group A of the Promotion Tournament, continuing to defy expectations.
Or Just Another Country
While Bubbling caught viewers’ attention both as Anarchy’s jungler and a solo queue star, the ace of Anarchy was former Korean solo queue idol Mickey. This season will mark the mid laner’s first Champions experience, but he brings with him much-needed competitive experience -- albeit unsuccessful -- from China’s LoL Pro League. Cited as a promising talent, Mickey was plucked from Korean solo queue by the World Elite organization and put on Team WE Academy. Due to a penchant for playing Lee Sin mid, WE Academy initially put Mickey in the jungle. After a few outings on Lee Sin and Rengar, he was shortly swapped to the mid lane, replacing Han Wei "Xiye" Su. Mickey played a variety of champions -- including a Lucian mid against OMG -- but only found success on a handful of them. He became known for his assassin play and specifically his prowess on Zed. WE Academy unfortunately floundered in 2014 LPL Summer, finishing in last place with a dismal record of 9-19. By his own admission, Mickey was a bit hesitant about his professional gaming career following his time in China. Had Anarchy lost in the Promotion Tournament, he likely would have returned to school. Now in Champions Summer 2015, Mickey seems both determined and happy, ready to make a statement in Korea’s top league.
