InSec & Zero Acquired by China's Royal Club
Thomas Watts and Michael "Chexx" Kiefer also contributed to this article.
Today, Star Horn Royal Club announced that they will be welcoming Yoon "Zero" Kyung-sup and Choi "InSec" In-seok to their team. This is a big move for the Chinese scene, as LPL teams have frequently received criticism for their jungle performances at international events. Additionally, Chinese fans and players have been noted for their national pride. So while teams in the west have welcomed players from other countries, this is the first instance of Korean players starting on a Chinese League of Legends team.
For the World Championship-contending Chinese team, which has been in flux since the retirement of Whitezz and Tabe at the end of Season 3, this is a radical step. Royal Club has in recent weeks been experimenting heavily with its roster, going so far as to briefly remove high-powered Uzi from AD carry after Season 3 Worlds. The struggle has been evident in their performance, as well, having placed at the bottom of the pack in the 2014 LPL Spring Split.
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But now the Koreans are here. Over the past few weeks, Uzi has reportedly been scouting talent on the Korean server, playing several games on his Challenger account with not only Zero, but also Samsung Gunza.. Zero, the new support player for Royal Club, was previously a substitute player for KT Arrows. Though he has only played jungle for the Arrows competitively, his preferred role is support. Zero has a less impressive resume than InSec, but he could provide insight into how to solve the problem of vision control in China: a problem which has held them back in recent months on the international stage.
InSec will take over for kmi, who while has performed well previously, particularly on Jarvan IV, doesn't hold a candle to InSec's dominance of the jungle. InSec brings with him a deep understanding of map pressure and objective-sneaking, a skill he utilized to devastating effect on his previous team, KT Rolster Bullets. That style of play has the potential to completely disrupt the LPL, where the jungle position has arguably been the weakest. Chinese teams will be forced to tighten their map control, particularly in the areas of warding and buff invasion, if they hope to keep up with InSec's flashy moves.
Of course, that's best-case-scenario. It almost goes without saying, but the introduction of Korean players to the Chinese scene is fraught with challenges. For starters, InSec and Zero will have the very basic issue of communicating with their new team. Further, InSec's team-fighting style relies on his ability to find a flanking angle and cause chaos among the enemy carries, or be the guy in the front making plays happen. The downside to this style is that inSec's timing has to be perfect, or he may frequently get himself killed due to being so deep behind enemy lines. With this kind of style in the group, it's easy to see how much work their communication will need.
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Outside communication, InSec and Zero might experience a fan backlash. Many fan responses to the idea of Korean players entering LPL since World Elite’s new Korean coach, Hiro, has appeared on the scene have been negative. In addition, a recent Chinese-language interview with the Chairman of L.ACE has revealed that LPL teams will be restricted to only two foreign players going forward to prevent a dilution of the Chinese talent pool. So while the organization is offering to subsidize teams pulling in foreign coaches, the general attitude toward foreign players doesn't appear to be the warmest.
EDG’s rise in the fans’ esteem, after their controversial formation before LPL Spring 2014, proves that Chinese fans can be won over by success. If InSec and Zero can make Royal Club a top LPL team, hearts may melt. Until then, InSec and Zero have a hard journey ahead.
Their first trials begin at the Demacia Cup June 9 2014.
