Solving the compLexity puzzle: how to avoid relegation
Riot·6/23/2014, 5:27:25 PM·0 votes·390 views
CompLexity, formerly known as Determined and compLexity.Black, is a team of redemption, a team full of second chances. Their mid player and one of the team's leaders, Neil "PR0LLY" Hammad, was part of compLexity's 2013 Spring Split run, and now returns for another shot at the NA LCS. Kevin "Kez" Jeon (formerly of Cloud9 Tempest) gets his second chance after his last team failed to qualify for the LCS. The rest of the team went through two promotion tournaments to finally earn their spot in the big leagues.
With Kez manning the jungle for the first time, compLexity found their second win of the split against Curse, and their new strategic focus was the star of the show. Despite an early kill deficit, members of compLexity huddled around lanes in hopes for counter-ganks. They constantly put down vision and controlled the map through knowledge. Each time a player from compLexity moved toward an enemy, objective, or even a ward sweep, another member of the team followed. Through teamwork, they won the day.
For all the bumps compLexity experienced thus far, they still have a reasonable chance to avoid relegation. The two teams ahead of compLexity are Evil Geniuses (EG) and Curse (2-8 and 3-7 respectively). EG is in trouble again despite their roster swaps, while Curse continues to struggle. compLexity's victory over Curse, albeit an upset at the time, could be used as motivation to leapfrog into sixth place.
The road looks rough for the compLexity boys. Every week will be a test, and they’ll have to pull out some big surprises to find victory. From their upset victory over Team Coast in promotions to wins over Cloud9 (C9) in Week 1 and Curse in Week 3, the comeback in the standings is entirely possible. All that's required is a little time and adjustment in play, and compLexity could be a team that should stay in the next split. But, as of now, Complexity's future is left to be determined.
The Struggle is Real
compLexity’s 2-8 record may not reflect the skill level on compLexity, as the squad is filled with talented players. Cmprised of several experienced LoL players like PR0LLY, Robert "ROBERTxLEE" Lee, and Jonathan "Westrice" Nguyen, they’re certainly not hurting for skilled team members. The latter two players, in particular, were terrors in the Challenger Series. So far this split, it seems that they’re struggling with consistency. Without a true LCS veteran, finding a rock, a player with great experience, is a major issue. Sure, Westrice, PR0LLY, and ROBERTxLEE have been around the scene for a long time, but they’ve got a very small amount of experience playing on the LCS between them. The demand of high-level, week in, week out play against the best teams in North America takes a long time for a new team to adjust to, and compLexity’s attempts at adaptation have yet to bear fruit.
A New Vision
That isn’t for lack of trying on their end, however. In the Challenger Series, the game play revolved around the rotations and aggression of jungler, Brokenshard. He was the backbone of the team, regularly rotating to help middle and roaming for both buffs and ganks to create early momentum. His playmaking ability was a core element of the compLexity’s overall strategy. Unfortunately for the team, due visa issues, Brokenshard no longer able to play as a member of the starting roster. A replacement was needed, and jungler Kez was picked up to take the slot. Immediately, the team needed to adjust their style of play. Rather than relying on a single player to create plays and take advantages, the team relies entirely on multiple members rotating for teamfights and pushes.
With Kez manning the jungle for the first time, compLexity found their second win of the split against Curse, and their new strategic focus was the star of the show. Despite an early kill deficit, members of compLexity huddled around lanes in hopes for counter-ganks. They constantly put down vision and controlled the map through knowledge. Each time a player from compLexity moved toward an enemy, objective, or even a ward sweep, another member of the team followed. Through teamwork, they won the day.
Climbing from the Bottom
Each week, compLexity flashes moments of brilliance and improvement, but still falls to simple mistakes. Against Team SoloMid in Week 4, compLexity looked lost. TSM took advantage of the miscommunication from compLexity and picked off countless champions in bad positions. The bad habits of the team - forcing plays and overextending - created a big deficit in the match. The failure to fully commit to a fight or an objective cost multiple opportunities for a comeback against TSM's lead. Despite the loss, they stood face-to-face against CLG's pressure and teamfight from the early and mid game, but eventually fell to constant pickoffs. The improvements that originated from their match against Curse were littered throughout the match: good rotations, smart trades, and strong pushes for objectives, and an understanding of when to back off. They were just never able to do them all consistently enough to put together a victory against the red hot CLG.
For all the bumps compLexity experienced thus far, they still have a reasonable chance to avoid relegation. The two teams ahead of compLexity are Evil Geniuses (EG) and Curse (2-8 and 3-7 respectively). EG is in trouble again despite their roster swaps, while Curse continues to struggle. compLexity's victory over Curse, albeit an upset at the time, could be used as motivation to leapfrog into sixth place.
The road looks rough for the compLexity boys. Every week will be a test, and they’ll have to pull out some big surprises to find victory. From their upset victory over Team Coast in promotions to wins over Cloud9 (C9) in Week 1 and Curse in Week 3, the comeback in the standings is entirely possible. All that's required is a little time and adjustment in play, and compLexity could be a team that should stay in the next split. But, as of now, Complexity's future is left to be determined.