Flash Wolves fly the LMS banner at MSI
The LMS finally has a new champion! Coming up as the second seed, the Flash Wolves upset ahq in a blowout sweep of the Playoffs, earning them their first domestic title.
Moving onto the 2016 Mid-Season Invitational in Shanghai, the Wolves are looking ahead to tougher challenges. For Maple, he’s proven himself to be unopposed in the region, but now is the chance to best both European and Korean mids. For Karsa, now is the time to show that his insistence on staying with the Wolves has paid off. For SwordArT, now is the trial to be considered among the best supports to have played the game. The curtains are parting and the lights are ablaze -- for the Flash Wolves, it’s game time.
A New Start
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The 2015 Season was a time of great change within the Southeast Asia region. The region, which produced the Season 2 World Championship team Taipei Assassins, split into two, with teams from Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau splintering from the GPL to form the League Master Series. The nascent region, which most agreed would be the stronger of the two, aimed to disrupt the Southeast Asia's trend toward quiet exits on the Worlds stage.
And initially, signs looked good. LMS' vanguard of ahq and Flash Wolves would prove their worth, with Semifinals finishes at both the Intel Extreme Masters IX tournament and the 2015 Mid-Season Invitational, finally earning a second guaranteed spot at Worlds. Both teams would then make it to Worlds, and even advance to the Quarterfinals, making the LMS the only region alongside LCK to have all of its teams survive till bracket stage.
Geographically, the LMS is situated within the greater web of East Asian esports, where the flow of players, strategy, and information are shared through the Korean servers. The dual influences of LPL and LCK is reflected within the regions teams, with ahq and Machi embracing Chinese-style aggression and the Flash Wolves and TPA being dubbed the “Korean” teams with an emphasis on tempo control and macro game. What sets the region apart from the LPL is that top teams have declined the use of Korean imports in favor of tighter team coordination with local talent.
This year in Shanghai, the LMS is again fighting for another privilege on the international stage: a coveted 1st seed Group Stage slot at this year's World Championship. Last year, both LMS teams were placed within 2nd seed slots, meaning that their path to Quarterfinals had to go through a top team from another region. This time MSI is not only for fame, but a chance for greater glory on the road to Worlds.
Perennial underdogs, forgotten lands, and overlooked tales. This is what the LMS is built on. One of only three regions to have hoisted the Summer’s Cup, the LMS has continued to surprise and exceed expectations. Sending both ahq and FW into the Quarterfinals at Worlds last year, the LMS teams from the LMS are noted for their resilience in battle and their defiance to odds. Perhaps the most visible faces of LMS are Westdoor and Maple, two assassins that have excelled at their slaying craft. Likewise, the region is poised to deal another deadly strike from the shadows.
Can you hear them Howling?
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Battling through a slow start this season, the Flashes Wolves finally adapted to the retirement of beloved top laner Steak to end the season in top form. In the LMS Spring Playoffs, Flash Wolves would go undefeated, ripping through Machi and dealing a massive blow to ahq to win their first domestic title. Now they’re eyeing for a grander title in Shanghai.
Flash Wolves boast the cleanest team play out of the LMS. They’re known for having a dominating KDA and closing out games rapidly. Precision is the way of the pack. The Wolves play the map and execute dives in a cold and calculating manner -- if the situation even barely cuts in their favor, they will dive, and usually come out ahead based on their individual talents. Many lesser teams often fall prey to this intimidation and will give up objective after objective to the Wolves.
- TOP: Yu “MMD” Li-Hung
- JUNGLE: Hung “Karsa” Hai-Hsuan
- MID: Huang “Maple” Yi-Tang
- ADC: Hsiung “NL” Wen-An
- SUPPORT: Hu “SwordArT” Shuo-Jie
The core of the Flash Wolves is its trio of stars: Maple, Karsa, and SwordArT. Maple has long been considered the best mid laner in LMS. Armed with a plethora of champions, he’s a high-pressure mid laner that has a knack for assassination-oriented champions. Karsa, another player who is arguably the best at his position in the region, is a heavy ganker who’s made a name for himself on Nidalee. Finally, in the bottom lane is SwordArT, the calm shotcaller of the team who frequently orchestrates roams with Maple and Karsa.
The most common setup for this team is to create a pick from its three stars on the enemy mid lane or in the enemy jungle. The first death from the opponent will often trigger a dive on the side lanes, quickly opening up large leads that snowball across the map. All under 20 years of age, these star players might be young, but they’re tested and disciplined hunters. Travelers beware.
Pack Hunters
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The Flash Wolves are returning to the world stage with more or less the same team structure, but with better individual play and a more suitable meta. MMD is a clear mechanical upgrade over Steak, and perhaps going under the radar a bit. NL has also had a career split, with the best KDA and kill-per-game stats, while taking the sole pentakill of the split against ahq.
Current compositions of tank top and carry jungle are right up the Flash Wolves' alley. Karsa is a monster on the AD carries of the jungle and his pocket pick Lee Sin will leave any immobile carry hovering a finger over their Flash. MMD is an excellent Poppy player, and proudly sees himself as following the traditions of Steak, handing over resources to Maple and NL so they can accelerate their builds.
The first test of any international team facing the Flash Wolves is surviving the mid lane. Much like their victories against Korea's KOO Tigers (now ROX Tigers), if Maple is allowed to go unchecked, the rest of the map will quickly fall to his pressure. Flash Wolves' games rarely feature messy teamfights and back-and-forth action; if they get a lead, the battlefield usually turns into a one-sided slaughter. Teams facing the Wolves will need to match their teamplay with care, less they’re overrun.
Some questions do remain of this squad. While their mid lane-jungle synergy is top-notch, it is yet to be seen if top laner MMD and marksmen NL will be able hold their own against the best laners in the world. The Wolves also seemed to lose a bit of their sharpness when playing at Worlds last year, perhaps due to nerves brought on by the international spotlight.
The World on these Shoulders
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After many defeats and hardships, finally the Wolves stand triumphant over their long-time rivals, ahq. They’ve improved in almost every facet, while keeping the old formula intact. Now is the time they test and see if they’re really headed down the right path. This will be the 4th international tournament for Maple, can he finally lead his pack to achieve more than a semi-final finish?
The relevance of the LMS is also riding on the Wolves' shoulders. As the smallest major region, there’s long been both surprise and doubts at the results. Will the Flash Wolves prove themselves to be among the three titans of East Asia? Can they really overcome the deficits of scale and carve their names out against the odds? The answers await in Shanghai.
