Under the tree: What teams want for Christmas
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The holidays are upon us and everyone has their own wish list of what they want. New laptop? Game system? A Jinx figurine? Even pro League of Legends teams are getting in the spirit. Here's a rundown of a few special things pro teams are hoping for under the Christmas tree this season.
What do you get the team that won two LPL splits and upgraded their roster heavily over the offseason? A little respect. After winning both seasons of LPL in 2014, EDG went into the 2014 World Championship as a huge favorite to contend for the title. But during the award ceremony to honor the best players in China for the calendar year, OMG were given Team of the Year award by fans and Tencent. Apparently a stronger Worlds run was worth more than two first-place LPL finishes.
EDG is as strong as ever with the recent additions of Samung alumnists Heo "PawN" Won-seok and Kim "Deft" Hyuk-kyu. With a stacked team at every position, trophies filling up their case, and a bright future ahead, all EDG want for Christmas is some love from their peers.
With all the radical changes in the European scene this offseason, Alliance now stand as the clear favorites in the region. And that's especially true after the addition of Martin "Rekkles" Larsson to their star-studded arsenal. But this is no SoloQ game. If Alliance wants to contend for the Worlds cup, they'll be wishing for chemistry to arrive under the Christmas tree.
Their first foray into competition on the new Summoners Rift didn’t go perfectly, losing a tight series to North American giants Cloud9 in the semifinals. They looked uncoordinated at times, apt for a team who just brought in a new player, but showed potential that could lead them to a better finish than their Group Stage shellackingy at Worlds this year.
Oh no, TSM lost to Unicorns of Love in the semifinals of IEM San Jose! Lucas "Santorin" Tao Kilmer Larsen didn’t have the best debut as the team’s new jungler, getting ousted by the Unicorns' oddball jungle Twisted Fate strategy..
Are we really going to go crazy over the two-time NA LCS champion losing a Bo3 in the pre-season? Santorin, while not having a great first series with his new team, wasn’t the worst player against UoL. Add in that it’s pre-season and TSM has been one of the best NA teams since the very beginning of pro play, maybe the best thing we can get them for Christmas is the benefit of the doubt. The sun will rise, Royal Club will finish 2nd at Worlds, and TSM will always be battling for North America’s crown.
This year wasn’t the best for SK Telecom T1, with both of their teams failing to make it to Worlds. Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok missed his chance to repeat as World Champion and MVP and went into the offseason prepared to come back with a vengeance. And so far, the new SK Telecom T1 team looks like they could have gone toe-to-toe with Worlds winners Samsung White.
Jang "MaRin" Gyeong-Hwan has replaced veteran Jung "Impact" Eon-yeong as their new starting top laner, and alongside Faker, has been a monster in the preseason. Their bottom lane has dominated the competition, and most surprisingly of all, Bae "bengi" Seong-ung is back in the form that made him one of Korea’s best junglers in 2013. With everything in place, SKT T1 wants the Korean throne Samsung took from them last year for the holiday season.
When Faker and his team wake up on Christmas to see what presents are under the tree, he will see that he already got the best present of all -- a team of amazing players and a hard working head coach that will do anything to help him lift the Summoners Cup once more.
With the news that Curse Academy and Curse are leaving their title sponsor, both teams will be asking for a new home this holiday.
Curse Academy, who battled through the rigorous LCS Expansion tournament to make it into the LCS, have made themselves an attractive option for new sponsors. Curse, who has been a flagship of North American League of Legends since almost the start, will be hoping their new duds break their own curse of constant fourth-place finishes. Be it an energy drink, a familiar face, or Facebook (it’s probably not Facebook), all eyes will be on what organizations are lucky enough to pick up these two promising teams.
Edward Gaming: Respect
What do you get the team that won two LPL splits and upgraded their roster heavily over the offseason? A little respect. After winning both seasons of LPL in 2014, EDG went into the 2014 World Championship as a huge favorite to contend for the title. But during the award ceremony to honor the best players in China for the calendar year, OMG were given Team of the Year award by fans and Tencent. Apparently a stronger Worlds run was worth more than two first-place LPL finishes.
EDG is as strong as ever with the recent additions of Samung alumnists Heo "PawN" Won-seok and Kim "Deft" Hyuk-kyu. With a stacked team at every position, trophies filling up their case, and a bright future ahead, all EDG want for Christmas is some love from their peers.
Alliance: Chemistry
With all the radical changes in the European scene this offseason, Alliance now stand as the clear favorites in the region. And that's especially true after the addition of Martin "Rekkles" Larsson to their star-studded arsenal. But this is no SoloQ game. If Alliance wants to contend for the Worlds cup, they'll be wishing for chemistry to arrive under the Christmas tree.
Their first foray into competition on the new Summoners Rift didn’t go perfectly, losing a tight series to North American giants Cloud9 in the semifinals. They looked uncoordinated at times, apt for a team who just brought in a new player, but showed potential that could lead them to a better finish than their Group Stage shellackingy at Worlds this year.
TSM: Benefit of the Doubt
Oh no, TSM lost to Unicorns of Love in the semifinals of IEM San Jose! Lucas "Santorin" Tao Kilmer Larsen didn’t have the best debut as the team’s new jungler, getting ousted by the Unicorns' oddball jungle Twisted Fate strategy..
Are we really going to go crazy over the two-time NA LCS champion losing a Bo3 in the pre-season? Santorin, while not having a great first series with his new team, wasn’t the worst player against UoL. Add in that it’s pre-season and TSM has been one of the best NA teams since the very beginning of pro play, maybe the best thing we can get them for Christmas is the benefit of the doubt. The sun will rise, Royal Club will finish 2nd at Worlds, and TSM will always be battling for North America’s crown.
SK Telecom T1: Korea
This year wasn’t the best for SK Telecom T1, with both of their teams failing to make it to Worlds. Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok missed his chance to repeat as World Champion and MVP and went into the offseason prepared to come back with a vengeance. And so far, the new SK Telecom T1 team looks like they could have gone toe-to-toe with Worlds winners Samsung White.
Jang "MaRin" Gyeong-Hwan has replaced veteran Jung "Impact" Eon-yeong as their new starting top laner, and alongside Faker, has been a monster in the preseason. Their bottom lane has dominated the competition, and most surprisingly of all, Bae "bengi" Seong-ung is back in the form that made him one of Korea’s best junglers in 2013. With everything in place, SKT T1 wants the Korean throne Samsung took from them last year for the holiday season.
When Faker and his team wake up on Christmas to see what presents are under the tree, he will see that he already got the best present of all -- a team of amazing players and a hard working head coach that will do anything to help him lift the Summoners Cup once more.
Curse and Curse Academy: A New Home
With the news that Curse Academy and Curse are leaving their title sponsor, both teams will be asking for a new home this holiday.
Curse Academy, who battled through the rigorous LCS Expansion tournament to make it into the LCS, have made themselves an attractive option for new sponsors. Curse, who has been a flagship of North American League of Legends since almost the start, will be hoping their new duds break their own curse of constant fourth-place finishes. Be it an energy drink, a familiar face, or Facebook (it’s probably not Facebook), all eyes will be on what organizations are lucky enough to pick up these two promising teams.
