Uzi: AD Carry to Mid
Riot·3/17/2014, 7:12:54 PM·0 votes·2,074 views
Royal Club Huang Zu became famous last year for their "raise the puppy" strategy, in which four of the team's players selected support-oriented champions to help "the puppy", AD carry Jian "Uzi" Zihao, become a lethal DPS monster. The execution of this strategy carried them all the way to the Grand Finals at the Season 3 World Championships. Shortly after Royal Club came in second, however, it was announced that the AD carry touted by many as the best in the world, would be moving to the mid lane.
Over the past few months, Uzi has transformed into a mid laner frequently seen roaming Summoner's Rift to feed kills to the rest of his team. Here's a look at the steps Uzi took to transition between two roles he considers "pretty much the same."
Following the transformation of his play throughout the off-season, it might be fair to say that his transition from team star to team player wasn't so seamless. The first major tournament in which Uzi competed as a mid laner was the 2013 GALAXY Esports Carnival. There, Uzi played AD based champions exclusively, including a somewhat ill-considered Vayne in the mid lane. Then, during the Demacia Cup, he played Gragas and Kassadin and managed to find large leads over OMG's Cool, but he remained stationary, farming in lane while the rest of his team fell behind.
"For me, the AD type champions such as Riven, Kha’zix suit my play style the most. But I will practice more on AP champions as well to expand my play style," Uzi said. From his off-season experience, he learned that he needed to broaden his champion pool and adapt to game situations.
"The role swap to mid isn’t about having more control over the game’s outcome but accommodating the overall strategy of our team," Uzi insisted. Then, when asked specifically about the Syndra pick, he said almost exactly the same thing. "Playing Syndra in mid is done to accommodate team tactics and strategy in the game."
While, from a larger standpoint, Uzi claims "I didn’t think there is much difference between playing mid and AD carry." It's clear to see the steps he took in his transition. Not only did he have to improve his champion pool, but the way he approached the game altered over the off-season. In the Demacia Cup, his presence wasn't felt, but his frequent roams in LPL are a large part of what made the team's three wins possible. Indeed, despite his insistence that the roles feel the same, Uzi humbly concludes his assessment of his new role in the team with "I have a lot of things to work on. After all, I am new as a mid laner."
As for his team, Uzi is practical, but speaks well of the other players. "From my perspective, Royal Club is a slow-start team and the current team ranking in LPL isn’t satisfactory for now, but I have a lot of faith in my teammates. The goal for LPL Spring is to play in Summer Season." Considering RC is currently tied for fifth with Energy Pacemaker, the team could potentially achieve more.
Of course, Uzi's desire is still to play in North America after LPL Spring comes to a close. "This depends on the arrangement of Royal Club. Personally speaking, I am looking forward to playing in NA. Because back in Season 3 Worlds, it was the first time in my life that all fans on site were chanting my name, which was very exciting for me."
Whether he comes to the Californian shores as a mid laner, however, is yet to be determined. "As to future swaps, it is hard for me to tell because I always want to try out more roles in the game." In the meantime, Uzi has ground to cover in his current role for Royal Club, and success in LPL is the priority.
Special thanks to Darren Zhong for his assistance.
Kelsey Moser uses her economics degree as a mousepad for her marathon League sessions. Now (Syndra) balls deep in China's LPL, she enjoys spring rolls, pentas, and "Obama" in the bot lane. Chat with her on twitter @karonmoser.
FROM PUPPY TO GUARD DOG
One look at one or Royal Club's compositions from the semifinals with GoDlike playing Shen and WhiteZz on Kayle, and it isn't hard to come to the conclusion that everything was about Uzi. According to Uzi, however, the opposite holds true now. "League of legends is a team-based game played by five teammates and team is the most important," Uzi explained when asked about the reasoning behind the role swap. The move at its core was a team decision.
Following the transformation of his play throughout the off-season, it might be fair to say that his transition from team star to team player wasn't so seamless. The first major tournament in which Uzi competed as a mid laner was the 2013 GALAXY Esports Carnival. There, Uzi played AD based champions exclusively, including a somewhat ill-considered Vayne in the mid lane. Then, during the Demacia Cup, he played Gragas and Kassadin and managed to find large leads over OMG's Cool, but he remained stationary, farming in lane while the rest of his team fell behind.
"For me, the AD type champions such as Riven, Kha’zix suit my play style the most. But I will practice more on AP champions as well to expand my play style," Uzi said. From his off-season experience, he learned that he needed to broaden his champion pool and adapt to game situations.
ROAMING THE MAP
When Royal Club won their first LPL games against Positive Energy, Uzi played Syndra and Gragas, and he was seen frequently ganking for his struggling teammates, LeY and XJJ, in the bottom lane. While Uzi will often go toe-to-toe with other mid laners in LPL, both side lanes tend to fall behind in farm and kills and require some support from either Uzi or the new jungler, kmi.
"The role swap to mid isn’t about having more control over the game’s outcome but accommodating the overall strategy of our team," Uzi insisted. Then, when asked specifically about the Syndra pick, he said almost exactly the same thing. "Playing Syndra in mid is done to accommodate team tactics and strategy in the game."
While, from a larger standpoint, Uzi claims "I didn’t think there is much difference between playing mid and AD carry." It's clear to see the steps he took in his transition. Not only did he have to improve his champion pool, but the way he approached the game altered over the off-season. In the Demacia Cup, his presence wasn't felt, but his frequent roams in LPL are a large part of what made the team's three wins possible. Indeed, despite his insistence that the roles feel the same, Uzi humbly concludes his assessment of his new role in the team with "I have a lot of things to work on. After all, I am new as a mid laner."
SETTLING IN AND MOVING FORWARD
After Uzi reflected on his recent past, he had a few remarks pertaining to the rest of LPL Spring and his hopes for the future. His most difficult matchup so far has been against World Elite's sukiM, and Uzi spoke highly of him. "sukiM did show a higher level of performance than me, which took me a little by surprise. He is probably one of the best mid players in LPL. I look very much forward to playing against him in the next game."
As for his team, Uzi is practical, but speaks well of the other players. "From my perspective, Royal Club is a slow-start team and the current team ranking in LPL isn’t satisfactory for now, but I have a lot of faith in my teammates. The goal for LPL Spring is to play in Summer Season." Considering RC is currently tied for fifth with Energy Pacemaker, the team could potentially achieve more.
Of course, Uzi's desire is still to play in North America after LPL Spring comes to a close. "This depends on the arrangement of Royal Club. Personally speaking, I am looking forward to playing in NA. Because back in Season 3 Worlds, it was the first time in my life that all fans on site were chanting my name, which was very exciting for me."
Whether he comes to the Californian shores as a mid laner, however, is yet to be determined. "As to future swaps, it is hard for me to tell because I always want to try out more roles in the game." In the meantime, Uzi has ground to cover in his current role for Royal Club, and success in LPL is the priority.
Special thanks to Darren Zhong for his assistance.
Kelsey Moser uses her economics degree as a mousepad for her marathon League sessions. Now (Syndra) balls deep in China's LPL, she enjoys spring rolls, pentas, and "Obama" in the bot lane. Chat with her on twitter @karonmoser.
