CBLoL returns for its Winter Split
Riot·5/21/2015, 5:57:15 PM·0 votes·3,887 views
As the Nexus fell on April 18, INTZ e-Sports were crowned champions of CBLoL Summer 2015. They were immediately whisked away to the International Wildcard Invitational as favorites to take that title, and earn a spot at the Mid-Season Invitational.
Shaking off their jitters and jetlag, INTZ’s IWCI performances improved by the day. The team appeared to be shoo-ins for the MSI spot going into their finals against Turkey’s Beşiktaş e-Sports Club, seemingly possessing superior side wave control, objective control, and the best jungler at the tournament in Gabriel “Revolta” Henud.
While INTZ had some bright moments in the Finals, they were plagued by indecisive shotcalling and teamfighting in the mid to late game. Beşiktaş scrapped, fought, and triumphed over INTZ, leaving the Brazilian team to stew over their loss.
“Poor positioning around objectives was our downfall against Beşiktaş,” INTZ Head Coach Alexander “Abaxial” Haibel said. “[INTZ] got strong advantages early but made mistakes while trying to siege or set up flanks that led to botched team fights. We struggled to close even big leads against EU LCS teams too so I don't see our loss in the finals as a fluke even though many feel we were the better team.”
In the aftermath of INTZ’s defeat, questions of the region’s strength arose. Now, with the second season of CBLoL 2015 on the horizon, Brazil’s first Split champions aim to defend their domestic title and prove Brazil’s strength, with seven other teams at their heels.
In the wake of last minute roster changes, INTZ must now defend their title without their breakout star of the first Split, Revolta, who left the team for Vivo Fibra Keyd Stars. Without him, INTZ is no longer perceived as the strongest roster on paper, and the team dynamic changes once more. The vacuum left by Revolta also put INTZ into a tricky situation with their sister team INTZ Red who had just recently qualified for the Winter Split.
Ultimately, INTZ decided to move veteran support Leonardo “Alocs” Belo from Red to INTZ, role swapping Luan “Jockster” Cardoso back into his original position of jungler. INTZ Red acquired former KaBuM! Orange support Márcio "Eryon" Reis to fill the void left by Alocs.
Much of INTZ’s first Split success stemmed from Revolta’s early aggression. Jockster’s jungle style remains to be seen, as does the bottom lane synergy between Alocs and his new laning partner, AD carry Micael “micaO” Rodrigues. However, INTZ has experience with transitions, as they went through a similar transformation with former jungler, Thiago “Djokovic” Maia to Revolta at the start of the Summer Split.
Four of their five IWCI team members remain: Jockster, micaO, mid laner Gabriel “Tockers” Claumann, and top laner Felipe “Yang” Zhao. All three carries possess deep champion pools that allow INTZ flexibility in drafting. Additionally, in scrimming against teams from Europe and other Wildcard regions, all four of these players bring that competitive experience with them. It’s now up to this core of INTZ to prove that they were not simply Revolta and Company, but a strong team in their own right.
The acquisition of Revolta is one of many significant roster moves that Vivo Fibra Keyd Stars have made in the past year and a half, all in search of an elusive World Championship ticket.
Last year, their Korean imports Park “Winged” Tae-jin and An “SuNo” Sun-ho, along with domestic AD carry Felipe “brTT” Gonçalves, earned Keyd the CBLoL 2014 Championship, but not the following CBLoL 2014 Brazilian Regional Qualifier. This year, the signing of former CJ Entus players Kang “DayDream” Kyung-min and Kim “Emperor” Jin-hyun were unable to get even a domestic title for Keyd, as the team fell to INTZ e-Sports in the Summer 2015 Finals.
Revolta is no stranger to missing out on a possible World Championship berth, as his 2014 CNB e-Sports team lost to KaBuM! e-Sports in the CBLoL Regional Final. Reunited with former CNB teammates Murilo “takeshi” Alves and Whesley “Leko” Holler, this new Keyd team has a familiar, sepia-tinged nostalgia. Veteran Keyd support Caio “Loop” Almeida should provide a steady presence for the team, and André “esA” Pavezi has been touted as an up and coming Brazilian AD carry since his days on Seven Wars e-Sports.
From past experiences, Keyd knows that they cannot rely on talent alone. Their domestic success, and any potential international attempts, will rest on how well the team comes together as a unit.
Can KaBuM! Send Another Team to Worlds?
Can INTZ Defend Their Crown?
In the wake of last minute roster changes, INTZ must now defend their title without their breakout star of the first Split, Revolta, who left the team for Vivo Fibra Keyd Stars. Without him, INTZ is no longer perceived as the strongest roster on paper, and the team dynamic changes once more. The vacuum left by Revolta also put INTZ into a tricky situation with their sister team INTZ Red who had just recently qualified for the Winter Split.
Ultimately, INTZ decided to move veteran support Leonardo “Alocs” Belo from Red to INTZ, role swapping Luan “Jockster” Cardoso back into his original position of jungler. INTZ Red acquired former KaBuM! Orange support Márcio "Eryon" Reis to fill the void left by Alocs.
Much of INTZ’s first Split success stemmed from Revolta’s early aggression. Jockster’s jungle style remains to be seen, as does the bottom lane synergy between Alocs and his new laning partner, AD carry Micael “micaO” Rodrigues. However, INTZ has experience with transitions, as they went through a similar transformation with former jungler, Thiago “Djokovic” Maia to Revolta at the start of the Summer Split.
Four of their five IWCI team members remain: Jockster, micaO, mid laner Gabriel “Tockers” Claumann, and top laner Felipe “Yang” Zhao. All three carries possess deep champion pools that allow INTZ flexibility in drafting. Additionally, in scrimming against teams from Europe and other Wildcard regions, all four of these players bring that competitive experience with them. It’s now up to this core of INTZ to prove that they were not simply Revolta and Company, but a strong team in their own right.
Will Revolta Bring Keyd to Worlds?
The acquisition of Revolta is one of many significant roster moves that Vivo Fibra Keyd Stars have made in the past year and a half, all in search of an elusive World Championship ticket.
Last year, their Korean imports Park “Winged” Tae-jin and An “SuNo” Sun-ho, along with domestic AD carry Felipe “brTT” Gonçalves, earned Keyd the CBLoL 2014 Championship, but not the following CBLoL 2014 Brazilian Regional Qualifier. This year, the signing of former CJ Entus players Kang “DayDream” Kyung-min and Kim “Emperor” Jin-hyun were unable to get even a domestic title for Keyd, as the team fell to INTZ e-Sports in the Summer 2015 Finals.
Revolta is no stranger to missing out on a possible World Championship berth, as his 2014 CNB e-Sports team lost to KaBuM! e-Sports in the CBLoL Regional Final. Reunited with former CNB teammates Murilo “takeshi” Alves and Whesley “Leko” Holler, this new Keyd team has a familiar, sepia-tinged nostalgia. Veteran Keyd support Caio “Loop” Almeida should provide a steady presence for the team, and André “esA” Pavezi has been touted as an up and coming Brazilian AD carry since his days on Seven Wars e-Sports.
From past experiences, Keyd knows that they cannot rely on talent alone. Their domestic success, and any potential international attempts, will rest on how well the team comes together as a unit.
Can KaBuM! Send Another Team to Worlds?
Many international fans’ first encounter with Brazilian League of Legends was at the Season 4 World Championship when KaBuM! e-Sports bested EU LCS Summer Playoff winner Alliance in a Best of 1. In their own region, KaBuM! was a surprise momentum team, tearing through Playoffs following the role swap of support-turned-AD carry Gustavo “Minerva” Alves’ with Daniel “Dans” Dias. Supplemented by spectacular highlights from mid laner Thiago “TinOwns” Sartori, KaBuM! relied on aggressive engages and dives to overwhelm opponents.
Upon returning to Brazil, Minerva left the team and jungler Daniel “Danagorn” Drummond was sent to the organization’s sister team, KaBuM! e-Sports Black. Over the course of the 2015 Summer Season, Black completely overshadowed the now-renamed KaBuM! e-Sports Orange with impressive 5 vs. 5 teamfight mechanics and compositions. Black sometimes looked shaky, but had a definitive playstyle, where Orange looked lost.
Orange recently re-earned their CBLoL spot with a 3-1 victory over IMP e-Sports in the relegation tournament. Their playstyle remains one of a blunt instrument, brute forcing their opponents into submission. The reacquisition of Minerva along with support Pedro “ziriguidun” Vilarinho -- both of whom were not available during the Promotion Tournament -- bodes well for another momentum-fueled run.
Meanwhile, their sister team’s pickup of former JAYOB e-Sports top laner Arlindo “element” Leal Neto should compliment Black’s penchant for teamfighting. Unfortunately, Black recently released their mid laner Bruno “Goku” Miyaguchi due to health reasons, and it may take them a bit more time to integrate new guy Guilherme “Vash” Conti onto the team. Of the two sisters, currently Orange seems like KaBuM!’s best chance at another International Wildcard title.
How Will paiN Gaming Use Mylon?
As Brazil’s most well-known organization, paiN Gaming has never lacked talent. Unfortunately, prior iterations of the team have failed to properly utilize their players’ abilities and turn it into anything beyond occasional domestic dominance.
Former Keyd top laner Matheus “Mylon” Borges is a significant upgrade to paiN’s roster. However, the difference between his style of play and that of former top laner Leko will require a reallocation of team resources. Previously, Leko was most left to his own devices on Rumble, Maokai, and Gnar. Meanwhile, Mylon is a carry top who recently showed off his prowess on Teleport/Smite Shyvana in their 2nd Place finish at XMA Mega Arena 2015. He demands attention from opponents, which should free up their other carry threats, mid laner Gabriel “Kami” Santos and AD carry brTT.
The question for paiN Gaming remains the same as it was last Split: how do they maximize their talent in the best way possible? Mylon is a fantastic addition who will take the team far, and if paiN can integrate him properly, they contend for the title of best in Brazil once more.
Raising a Region
This Winter Season of CBLoL boasts stronger talent across all eight teams than the previous Summer Split. With lingering questions surrounding Brazil’s top teams, the Winter title, and a chance to redeem the region in the eyes of an international audience is up for grabs. CBLoL begins with Revolta and Vivo Fibra Keyd Stars taking on his old team, the reigning champions INTZ e-Sports, on May 23.
Related Articles
Many international fans’ first encounter with Brazilian League of Legends was at the Season 4 World Championship when KaBuM! e-Sports bested EU LCS Summer Playoff winner Alliance in a Best of 1. In their own region, KaBuM! was a surprise momentum team, tearing through Playoffs following the role swap of support-turned-AD carry Gustavo “Minerva” Alves’ with Daniel “Dans” Dias. Supplemented by spectacular highlights from mid laner Thiago “TinOwns” Sartori, KaBuM! relied on aggressive engages and dives to overwhelm opponents.
Upon returning to Brazil, Minerva left the team and jungler Daniel “Danagorn” Drummond was sent to the organization’s sister team, KaBuM! e-Sports Black. Over the course of the 2015 Summer Season, Black completely overshadowed the now-renamed KaBuM! e-Sports Orange with impressive 5 vs. 5 teamfight mechanics and compositions. Black sometimes looked shaky, but had a definitive playstyle, where Orange looked lost.
Orange recently re-earned their CBLoL spot with a 3-1 victory over IMP e-Sports in the relegation tournament. Their playstyle remains one of a blunt instrument, brute forcing their opponents into submission. The reacquisition of Minerva along with support Pedro “ziriguidun” Vilarinho -- both of whom were not available during the Promotion Tournament -- bodes well for another momentum-fueled run.
Meanwhile, their sister team’s pickup of former JAYOB e-Sports top laner Arlindo “element” Leal Neto should compliment Black’s penchant for teamfighting. Unfortunately, Black recently released their mid laner Bruno “Goku” Miyaguchi due to health reasons, and it may take them a bit more time to integrate new guy Guilherme “Vash” Conti onto the team. Of the two sisters, currently Orange seems like KaBuM!’s best chance at another International Wildcard title.
How Will paiN Gaming Use Mylon?
As Brazil’s most well-known organization, paiN Gaming has never lacked talent. Unfortunately, prior iterations of the team have failed to properly utilize their players’ abilities and turn it into anything beyond occasional domestic dominance.
Former Keyd top laner Matheus “Mylon” Borges is a significant upgrade to paiN’s roster. However, the difference between his style of play and that of former top laner Leko will require a reallocation of team resources. Previously, Leko was most left to his own devices on Rumble, Maokai, and Gnar. Meanwhile, Mylon is a carry top who recently showed off his prowess on Teleport/Smite Shyvana in their 2nd Place finish at XMA Mega Arena 2015. He demands attention from opponents, which should free up their other carry threats, mid laner Gabriel “Kami” Santos and AD carry brTT.
The question for paiN Gaming remains the same as it was last Split: how do they maximize their talent in the best way possible? Mylon is a fantastic addition who will take the team far, and if paiN can integrate him properly, they contend for the title of best in Brazil once more.
