The Dark Horse of the LPL: Qiao Gu
Qiao Gu is currently first in the LPL standings, tied with EDG. It might be unexpected from a first glance. After all, they’re a team that could just as easily pass off as a boy band with their colorful lineup of dyed hair.
In their team photo, Yu "TnT" Rui is sporting bright purple hair. Tae Song "Doinb" Kim has green hair, which has since faded into silver. Da-Hoon "Swift" Baek and Hong Wei "TcT" Zhang both went for orange while Bao "V" Bo opted for a more conservative shade of brown.
"In the beginning, each one of us said we’d pay Doinb 100RMB to dye his hair green because it’s such an exotic color. After that, it just snowballed and everyone else started dyeing their hair," says TnT, "Our team slowly became a rainbow."
Their hair might’ve caught our attention, but their team dynamic kept our attention. If their synergy in hairstyles were any indication of their team synergy, Qiao Gu would be the team to beat in the LPL.
Qiao Gu’s Splash into the LPL
Before Qiao Gu entered the LPL, they were an up and coming team in the LSPL. They were known for taking out big names like OMG and Team WE in the Demacia Cup, a tournament that pits LPL and LSPL teams against each other.
Naturally, they came into the LPL as the upstart newcomers. From what we could see in Qiao Gu’s time in the LSPL, they were a team that relied on heavy early aggression and mechanical outplay. Their pick and ban tended to compliment their individual strengths, and they styled on their opponents, even if they were counter picked.
Qiao Gu’s debut into the LPL Summer Split against LGD Gaming was a perfect demonstration of their team identity.
In their first skirmish, Qiao Gu decided to make a five man roam bot lane, securing four kills, rendering LGD helpless.
This would be their first impression --a young, aggressive team, unafraid to take risks in order to snowball an advantage. And despite being a team of three Chinese players and two Korean players, they demonstrated a perfect level of turret juggling and team synergy, rivaling any veteran team in the LPL.
When asked if there were any issues in terms of communication, TnT says, "We’ve been together for a long time. Sometimes, we’ll need a translator, but to be honest, there aren’t any glaring issues anymore."
Qiao Gu proved they could play in the LPL. The question was: would they thrive?
Got the Mechanics Like Swagger
With an incomplete roster, LGD was just a stepping stone. Instead, Qiao Gu would have to prove themselves against OMG in Week 2. Although OMG showed signs of indecisiveness in the Spring Split, their new line up would prove to be a force to be reckoned with.
Qiao Gu only managed to take one game away from OMG, but it was in this Best of 2 where we caught a glimpse of their mechanical brilliance.
They purposely picked Irelia into Gnar, even though it would be an unfavorable matchup for Irelia. The team was confident with her and she was a comfort pick for V. His skill on the champion showed. He provided relentless pressure in top lane, constantly bullying out his lane opponent.
Qiao Gu could get away with being counterpicked because they're a team with mechanically gifted laners. But this dependence on comfort picks would have to change if they wanted to make waves in the LPL.
It wasn’t enough to just be mechanically gifted. Instead, they would have to look to their macro play across the map. And Swift would be the key to this.
Swift’s Jungle Efficiency
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Swift, known for his impressive jungle pathing, is always able to maximize lane pressure on the map while keeping up in farm with the opposing jungler.
For example, in Qiao Gu’s game against OMG in Week 1, he managed to snowball his mid lane, securing LeBlanc a kill on Orianna while completely out-farming OMG’s new rookie jungler at the same time.
But normally, even after Qiao Gu secures a kill, the pressure on that lane doesn’t stop. Their goal is to continue pushing the advantage they’ve obtained so they can translate that into rotations and objectives.
No, Qiao Gu doesn’t rely on comfort picks anymore. That might’ve let them survive in the LPL, but their goal isn’t to just avoid relegations. They’re a team that wants to make Worlds.
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"Right now, we’ll look at the state of each player to see who has the advantage," TnT says, "Everyone likes to remind each other what to do. There’s no definitive shot caller for our team. We look at who has the biggest advantage in the game. We look at who can help the team benefit the most from their advantage."
Whoever gets ahead on Qiao Gu will have to take on the mantle of leadership. It’s the sort of mantra that fits in perfectly with their play style now. Once Qiao Gu gets a lane rolling, they want to pressure that lane so they can eventually press their advantage and take objectives as a team.
But it’s a play style that had a few kinks to iron out. Although Qiao Gu is able to capitalize on their advantages, Swift has occasionally shown some over aggression that usually costs them a kill. For example, in Qiao Gu’s game against Unlimited Potential in Week 3, he botched an over-aggressive turret dive early game that fed a kill to the opposing top laner.
But still, they’re working on it. Their little mistakes don’t go unnoticed. They know they have to fix their errors if they want a shot at being a contender at Worlds. Li "LiNkO" Lin-Ke, Qiao Gu’s manager, has stated in his Reddit AMA that, "Qiao Gu has a lot to work on that’s not perfect yet."
When asked about his view towards Qiao Gu’s current team dynamic, TnT explains, "Even if you’re a strong bot lane in this meta, it doesn’t mean you’ll win the game. In the LPL, the loser is the team who gives up their advantages."
The Selfless Dynamic Duo
They might not be the strongest yet but TnT and TcT are slowly becoming one of the most touted bot lanes of the LPL.
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Some might recognize TcT as Mor, the former support of the NA LCS' LMQ. But this isn’t the first time he’s played with TnT. In fact, they played together before Mor made his move to America. In order to honor their camaraderie, they’ve decided to forgo the matching skins in lieu of matching names. Having played with each other before, there’s a level of comfort between the two players that brings out the best in each other.
"To be honest, I don’t think we’re the strongest bot lane," says TnT, "I feel like EDG and OMG might have the strongest bot lanes."
It doesn’t matter that they don’t consider themselves the strongest bot lane in the LPL. It’s not a title that's important to them. Besides, unlike OMG, Qiao Gu doesn’t consistently try to build around one individual player. TnT isn’t nearly fed the same resources like Jian "Uzi" Zi-Hao. But he doesn’t need it. For him, it’s about making due with what he has.
The team likes to pick Sivir for TnT. For TcT, it’s usually Janna or Nautilus. Qiao Gu wants a bot lane that can provide utility for the rest of the team. The hope is to help their other lanes -- to work as a team.
When asked about his synergy with TcT, TnT says, "We’re always thinking about what’s best for the team."
Staying Vigilant
The season isn’t over yet and the placements aren’t set. Even though Qiao Gu is currently looking at the rest of the competition from their comfortable position in first place, they’re still working on improving everyday.
Still, they have hopes and TnT says that their goal "is to qualify for Playoffs and then go on to qualify for Worlds." They’re modest words. At this rate, they won’t just qualify for Worlds. They might just go on to be contenders for the title.
Who do you think will come out ahead at the end of the split -- Qiao Gu or EDG? Let us know in the comments below!
