CBLoL Winter Quarterfinals Preview
One year ago, a lull in League of Legends action settled over Brazil as teams prepared for the CBLoL Regional Finals on July 19, dreaming of a chance at stepping onto an international stage.
KaBuM! e-Sports -- a team now infamous for their unlikely domestic run and their Group D upset of 2014 top European seed Alliance -- took center stage through the Regional Finals, upsetting both Keyd Stars and CNB e-Sports Club. Now, after their first two full offline splits, Brazilian League of Legends has further blossomed into a vibrant scene with its own ups, downs, and stories.
Following the 2015 Winter Promotion Qualifier it was widely touted that the Winter Split would be far more cutthroat than any competition in the region thus far. Parity has worked for Brazil this split, raising the level of play overall.
With this in mind, four Brazilian teams face off, all looking to start their respective journeys. If they make it through the Playoffs, they will be granted the possibility to make a name for Brazil internationally once more.
CNB e-Sports vs. g3nerationX
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CNB e-Sports
CNB's current roster is completely different from that of last year's Finals, or even last split, and the team has struggled to find an identity throughout CBLoL Winter 2015. Graced with a front-loaded schedule pitting them against Brazil's three best teams in succession, CNB shakily slid into the Quarterfinals.
Last split, CNB's breakout star was jungler Carlos "Nappon" Rucker. Like many carry junglers, Nappon's quick, carry style was hit hard when Cinderhulk was introduced. Following Patch 5.5, Nappon struggled to create early pressure and CNB unexpectedly fell to KaBuM! Black in the Quarterfinals.
Returning to the Quarterfinals once more, Nappon has yet to regain his prior form, but the team has adjusted and improved following their rough start. This is largely thanks to strong performances from mid laner Felipe "YoDa" Noronha and AD Carry Felipe "Skyer" Gimenes, both previously of Challenger team IMP e-Sports. However, in spite of a few stellar showings here and there, CNB has lacked a distinct style because of the new team dynamic.
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g3nerationX
CNB's opponents in the Quarterfinals are g3nerationX -- formerly the sister team of Keyd Stars -- a new professional team who just completed their first offline split. While g3nerationX managed a 2-0 Week 1 against KaBuM! Orange, their play has also been inconsistent. Matheus "Professor" Leirião is their standout player, and one of Brazil's best supports. At his side is AD Carry Renato "TheFoxz" Souza and together they are the most consistent part of g3nerationX's team. Top laner Luccas "Zantins" Zanqueta and mid laner Rodrigo "Taeyeon" Panisa may have impressive games here and there, but g3nerationX works best when Professor is able to control a team fight with TheFoxz firing from the backline.
g3nerationX has struggled in their objective control, much like their upcoming Quarterfinal opponents CNB. Jungler Lucas "Krow" Rabaça will occasionally cede his jungle to an opponent and, in spite of his team's priority on Rek'Sai in Champion Select, doesn't often create early pressure. This, combined with a lack of minion control, makes it difficult for g3nerationX to come back if they fall behind.
Matchup preview
In comparing the two teams further, CNB has a bit more professional experience across the board -- and therefore is the favored team between the two -- which will likely make a difference in a best of series. Both teams are able to pull off surprisingly strong teamfights, but often lack the necessary vision or minion control to leverage key objectives in their favor.
g3nerationX and CNB are fairly matched in cumulative skill and talent, although it's sorted into different roles for both teams. If Nappon is able to create early pressure, look for CNB to snowball their victory. If Professor makes smart vision rotations and dictates the pace of the early game, look for g3nerationX to pull off the upset.
INTZ Red vs. paiN Gaming
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INTZ Red
Like g3nerationx, INTZ Red was another sister team of a larger organization that qualified through Winter Promotion. Throughout their Challenger and Promotion Tournament run, Red was known for their aggressive and dive-heavy style, but required greater game theory understanding.
"In the beginning I felt lost and had a lot of problems in knowing how to work with the team," coach Vinicius "Neki" Ghilardi said.
INTZ Red is Neki's first team, and while Red is full of young talent, they lacked direction in the beginning of the season. Thanks to support from their sister team, INTZ – and swapping former top laner Jonas "Caos" Vriesman to the jungle, bringing Leonardo "Robo" Souza from the bench to the top lane – Red has improved dramatically from their rough beginnings.
"I don’t think the biggest difference was our role swaps, but instead the experience we progressively gained," Neki said. "In relegations and the beginning of CBLoL we had a team with excellent players but lacked game knowledge. As the league went on the team improved as a whole, myself included."
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paiN Gaming
With three top teams in Brazil – INTZ e-Sports, Vivo Fibra Keyd Stars, paiN Gaming – and only two Semifinal byes, someone has to be the odd one out. Both regular season splits this year, the unfortunate 3rd place has belonged to paiN Gaming.
This season, paiN split unlikely sets with middle and lower-tier opponents in KaBuM! e-Sports Black and INTZ Red, the latter of which acted as Robo's aforementioned Ekko coming out party.
"The season could’ve been more regular for us," paiN Gaming coach Gabriel "MiT" Souza said of paiN. "Especially in the games that we tied against KBB and INTZ Red. I believe that the preparation factor wasn’t ideal. We're not going to let that happen again."
In spite of the losses, paiN presents a more cohesive and focused unit than they did in Summer. They've diversified their strategy through developing synergy between jungler Thulio "SirT" Carlos and newly acquired top laner Matheus "Mylon" Borges.
"We had a period to adjust Mylon's shotcalling into the team. He improved our lane swaps and Teleports. That was most important. In general, the focus was to get the team on the same page," MiT said.
As for Red, the team that surprised paiN previously, MiT has been preparing his team accordingly.
"We know that they’re a team that could always have a cheese to apply to the games and we're being proactive against all the eventual possibilities. It’s going to be a good series. Red's team is a team that has been growing a lot and it’s not a surprise to anyone."
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Matchup preview
If only able to watch one set, this would be the set to watch. Both teams have had their fair share of growing pains throughout the season, eventually emerging as two distinct units of five.
Red's first major upset victory came against paiN Gaming, but they split the set 1-1 thanks to mistakes made in their second game. While their macro strategy is still often lacking, they thrive on aggression and audacity, forcing opponents to make more mistakes than they do and pouncing on them immediately.
Meanwhile, paiN has become steadier and more objective-focused. Mylon has proven adept at playing both carries and supportive tops, while SirT pathing is less predictable. Most importantly, paiN has had a better grasp of when -- or when not -- to fight, making them an interesting matchup for Red, who often force fights to take objectives.
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Moving on from Quarterfinals is only the first step for two of these four teams. In the Semifinals they will face either INTZ (the winner of CNB and g3X) or Keyd Stars (the winner of Red and paiN), two teams who proved themselves significantly better throughout the regular season. However, anything can happen in the Playoffs, as last year's KaBuM! team exemplified.
Excited for the upcoming Quarterfinals? You can catch all the action on Twitch!
