Diamondprox
Diamondprox
Something of a mainstay of the EU LCS, Diamondprox has played in every split of the EU LCS as a member of Gambit Gaming. He had many successes on the team, particularly in Season 3, when Gambit came first in two IEM tournaments and ranked 2nd in the 2013 Spring Split. This was also the same year that they made it all the way to Worlds. As a result, Diamondprox was highly regarded as one of the best junglers in Europe, despite Gambit's lacklustre performance in the past year.
But by the end of the 2015 season, Gambit narrowly escaped relegation and the team's EU LCS spot was sold to Vitality. Of the 2015 roster, only one player transitioned over to the new team, leaving Diamondprox a free agent in search of somewhere to hang his jungle hat. He was soon confirmed to have joined the Unicorns of Love, a team which had also experienced a lot of change even before preseason. Their former jungler, Kikis, left the team suddenly, shortly before the end of the Summer Split.
Kikis was known for his unconventional champion picks, popularising both Shaco and Twisted Fate in the jungle. It's fitting, then, for Diamondprox to take Kikis' place as the Unicorns of Love jungler, as he's regarded as not only a highly skilled jungler, but also as another innovator of the meta. Diamondprox single-handedly popularised a wide selection of jungle picks. Many of these, such as Xin Zhao and Sejuani, are still popular today.
Three years is a lot of time to spend on one team, especially considering the youth of the LCS, so hopes are high that a change of scenery will allow Diamondprox to once again reach his full potential. We would love to see a return of Season 2 Diamondprox with heavy emphasis on counter jungling and map control. The Unicorns of Love are no doubt counting on his experience as an EU LCS heavy hitter.
With big changes to League of Legends in preparation for the 2016 Season, there's plenty of scope for experimentation. We can't wait to see what Diamondprox comes up with next.
The Unicorns came very close to attending Worlds 2015, with three big chances to attend the global competition. Ultimately, they didn't make it. Whether this is down to the loss of their jungler remains unclear, but the important thing for Diamondprox is that that near miss is a lot closer than Gambit were able to get.
The Unicorns of Love will be counting on him to help them achieve their Worlds dream, just as much as he will them. While it was nice to see Diamondprox on stage in Paris for the Quarterfinals Bracket Draw, we'd much rather see him up on the global stage showing the world that, when it comes to the jungle, no champions are off limits.