XDG at All-Star 2014
Riot·3/17/2014, 10:53:43 PM·0 votes·823 views
It might not seem intuitive to look to the last place team when trying to find your picks for the NA All-Star team, but XDG has undergone significant transformations. They look stronger now than they have all season long, and there are bright spots on individual members that you shouldn't immediately dismiss despite their team record.
Even in XDG's darkest moments at the start of this season, Benny pulled his weight in the top lane. Benny's 4.7 KDA is the fourth-highest of any LCS top laner (NA or EU). That's even more impressive considering how few kills XDG has amassed as a team, compared to wrecking crews like TSM that trickle down KDA bumps to everyone on their roster.
After playing a lot of damage-focused champions like Kennen and Jayce last season, Benny has jumped headfirst into the current tank-heavy meta of top lane. He's showed strong performances on bruisers like Shyvana and Renekton. That adaptability and champion-pool depth would definitely come in handy on the All-Star team.
Xmithie's stats are misleading and in this case should actually be ignored. He belongs in the jungle, and he's finally returned to his best position after playing AD carry for the first 6 weeks of the split.
Last season, Xmithie's synergy with Mancloud was legendary, and made them one of the most globally feared teams in NA. In the past two weeks, he's already shown some sparks of rekindling that fire. In particular, his performance on Vi in Week 8 against Team Coast was inspiring. His rotations and reinforcements helped launch Mancloud to a 16 KDA.
Xmithie may still need to work off a little rust in his new/old role, but keep an eye on him this week to see how quickly he's progressing. When Xmithie is in his prime, he's a scary snowballer dedicated to helping his teammates achieve greatness. That's exactly what any player in the LCS wants backing them up in the mid lane.
It wasn't too long ago that Korean, Chinese, and other international teams were naming Mancloud as the mid laner they were most excited and scared to face in tournaments. Of all the players on XDG, he seemed to suffer the most from this year's roster changes. He's been a shadow of his former greatness as XDG struggled this split, but having Xmithie in the jungle and Zuna back on AD carry might be the stability he needs to recover.
We know Mancloud has the skills, temperament, and desire needed to be one of the best mid laners in the world. If he can figure out what's been blocking his performance this split, and find a way to overcome it, he could easily snap back into greatness. Like Xmithie, this is one you'll want to keep your eye on to see how the new roster continues to affect him.
Not only is Zuna one of the most-liked players in the LCS, he's also arguably the most flexible. Zuna is willing to do whatever the team needs to win, and won't complain about it. That flexibility and lack of ego is going to be incredibly valuable on an All-Star team where everyone is used to doing things their own way and personalities potentially clash.
Zuna is still adjusting to the AD carry position after swapping back to it in Week 7, and he's also having to break in a new support player alongside him in lane. His stats don't scream All-Star yet, but it's almost certain that he would do better alongside a veteran support like Xpecial on the All-Star team.
XDG's controversial AD carry also has a lot of the intangible skills that coaches look for in their star players. His aggressive, unpredictable playstyle may also thrive in the more chaotic environment that the less-coordinated All-Star teams host.
Sheep is probably the hardest sell for the All-Star roster. He's a new, fairly unknown player on a struggling team who's trying to find his footing. Facing off against insanely coordinated bot lane teams like TSM's and CLG's every week isn't helping his appearances any. But, despite all of the obstacles to success, Sheep has actually managed to do pretty well.
He's showed some champion pool diversity in his limited number of games, and has consistently been successful when allowed to pick Leona. His 2 KDA isn't breaking any records, but it's higher than most people would've predicted for a brand new player's first two weeks after jumping into the LCS mid-split.
Sheep is undoubtedly a risky pick for the All-Star team, but there's some value in the opposing teams having no idea what to expect either.
Josh Augustine's favorite champion is Thresh, he's never enjoyed a Darius, and he will always go for the kill, even when he knows he shouldn't. He currently works as a game designer on EverQuest Next at Sony Online Entertainment. He’d love to talk with you on Twitter.
Top: Benny
Even in XDG's darkest moments at the start of this season, Benny pulled his weight in the top lane. Benny's 4.7 KDA is the fourth-highest of any LCS top laner (NA or EU). That's even more impressive considering how few kills XDG has amassed as a team, compared to wrecking crews like TSM that trickle down KDA bumps to everyone on their roster.
After playing a lot of damage-focused champions like Kennen and Jayce last season, Benny has jumped headfirst into the current tank-heavy meta of top lane. He's showed strong performances on bruisers like Shyvana and Renekton. That adaptability and champion-pool depth would definitely come in handy on the All-Star team.
Jungle: Xmithie
Xmithie's stats are misleading and in this case should actually be ignored. He belongs in the jungle, and he's finally returned to his best position after playing AD carry for the first 6 weeks of the split.
Last season, Xmithie's synergy with Mancloud was legendary, and made them one of the most globally feared teams in NA. In the past two weeks, he's already shown some sparks of rekindling that fire. In particular, his performance on Vi in Week 8 against Team Coast was inspiring. His rotations and reinforcements helped launch Mancloud to a 16 KDA.
Xmithie may still need to work off a little rust in his new/old role, but keep an eye on him this week to see how quickly he's progressing. When Xmithie is in his prime, he's a scary snowballer dedicated to helping his teammates achieve greatness. That's exactly what any player in the LCS wants backing them up in the mid lane.
Mid: Mancloud
It wasn't too long ago that Korean, Chinese, and other international teams were naming Mancloud as the mid laner they were most excited and scared to face in tournaments. Of all the players on XDG, he seemed to suffer the most from this year's roster changes. He's been a shadow of his former greatness as XDG struggled this split, but having Xmithie in the jungle and Zuna back on AD carry might be the stability he needs to recover.
We know Mancloud has the skills, temperament, and desire needed to be one of the best mid laners in the world. If he can figure out what's been blocking his performance this split, and find a way to overcome it, he could easily snap back into greatness. Like Xmithie, this is one you'll want to keep your eye on to see how the new roster continues to affect him.
AD Carry: Zuna
Not only is Zuna one of the most-liked players in the LCS, he's also arguably the most flexible. Zuna is willing to do whatever the team needs to win, and won't complain about it. That flexibility and lack of ego is going to be incredibly valuable on an All-Star team where everyone is used to doing things their own way and personalities potentially clash.
Zuna is still adjusting to the AD carry position after swapping back to it in Week 7, and he's also having to break in a new support player alongside him in lane. His stats don't scream All-Star yet, but it's almost certain that he would do better alongside a veteran support like Xpecial on the All-Star team.
XDG's controversial AD carry also has a lot of the intangible skills that coaches look for in their star players. His aggressive, unpredictable playstyle may also thrive in the more chaotic environment that the less-coordinated All-Star teams host.
Support: Sheep
Sheep is probably the hardest sell for the All-Star roster. He's a new, fairly unknown player on a struggling team who's trying to find his footing. Facing off against insanely coordinated bot lane teams like TSM's and CLG's every week isn't helping his appearances any. But, despite all of the obstacles to success, Sheep has actually managed to do pretty well.
He's showed some champion pool diversity in his limited number of games, and has consistently been successful when allowed to pick Leona. His 2 KDA isn't breaking any records, but it's higher than most people would've predicted for a brand new player's first two weeks after jumping into the LCS mid-split.
Sheep is undoubtedly a risky pick for the All-Star team, but there's some value in the opposing teams having no idea what to expect either.
Josh Augustine's favorite champion is Thresh, he's never enjoyed a Darius, and he will always go for the kill, even when he knows he shouldn't. He currently works as a game designer on EverQuest Next at Sony Online Entertainment. He’d love to talk with you on Twitter.
