From the jungle with love: Kikis’ Unicorns legacy
"I don't feel like I can show my fans what I'm capable of in [Unicorns of Love]."
Mateusz "Kikis" Szkudlarek’s announcement that he was leaving the LCS team came out of nowhere, especially given the team’s recent upswing. An improved performance that could easily land them a Playoff spot and take them one step closer to Worlds. Something that has driven Kikis ever since he started playing competitive League of Legends.
KIKIS DELIVERY SERVICE
Kikis began as a pro way back in Season One, and since then he has found his way into 20 different teams. This is a number artificially inflated by various acquisitions and rebrandings, but nevertheless one that shows his single-minded desire to be counted among the very best, even if that means jumping ship once or twice. Or, you know, quite a lot more than that.
[[{"fid":"17933","view_mode":"article_image","fields":{"format":"article_image","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":""},"tagName":"IMG","src":"http%3A//riot-web-cdn.s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/lolesports/s3fs-public/styles/article_image/public/Kikis2_1.jpg%3Fitok%3DkLB1r60H","type":"media","attributes":{"class":"media-element file-article-image","height":"315","width":"700"}}]]
Perhaps it’s this mercenary, gun-for-hire attitude that has forced him to develop his wide range of strange, off-meta champion picks. Having a large pool of characters to pick from makes slotting into established teams a lot easier -- especially if you’re going to use them in unexpected ways and baffle your opponents. This is something Kikis has become renowned for, even before he took Twisted Fate into the jungle at IEM San Jose in December 2014.
JOKER IN THE PACK
Unicorns of Love had been voted into the IEM tournament by fans, giving Kikis’ new team a global stage for their first public outing. This turned out to be the perfect venue to befuddle one of the most famous, well-established North American teams in Team SoloMid. Kikis’ Twisted Fate jungle pick put UoL’s opponents so far on the back foot that they were practically moonwalking. It’s a feat that needs to be seen to be believed, especially coming from a new, unproven LCS team. So if you missed it then you’ll definitely want to catch up by watching the match video below.
With this 2-0 victory, the Unicorns confounded their way into the Finals against the legendary Cloud9. Less legendary right now, perhaps, but back then they were still considered one of the best teams on the planet. Even though Cloud9 went undefeated with a 3-0 victory against the Unicorns, Kikis set a precedent for imaginative champion picks that would follow him into the LCS.
The key to Kikis’ Twisted Fate jungle pick was an inventive exploit built around monster weaknesses. If the monsters moved too far from their camps then they would return to their original position and ‘reset’, gaining health back, while standing outside their movement range and shooting them in the face meant they kept trekking back and forth without being able to retaliate for a surprisingly long time. They would eventually reset, regaining all their health, but as long as Kikis killed them in this window using TF’s ranged abilities, he could get away without taking a hit or even needing a leash, giving him a substantial advantage. It was such a good trick, in fact, that it had to be patched out at the start of the Summer Split.
YOLO QUEUE
Kikis wasn’t the only Unicorn to enjoy off-meta picks. Mid laner Tristan "PowerOfEvil" Schrage set some trends himself with Cassiopeia and Varus, which terrorises lanes from Challenger to Bronze to this very day. And while their Solo Queue appearances can be a little anxiety-provoking to allies and enemies alike, Kikis isn’t messing around with these picks. "I always put a lot of thought and theory-crafting behind my picks and what I want to do with them," he explained in a recent AMA. "There's always a reason or logic. I'm not here in LCS to just troll and have fun with weird picks. This is my passion, dream and work and I will try to make the most out of it."
[[{"fid":"17934","view_mode":"article_image","fields":{"format":"article_image","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":""},"tagName":"IMG","src":"http%3A//riot-web-cdn.s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/lolesports/s3fs-public/styles/article_image/public/Kikis3_0.jpg%3Fitok%3DVVxNxe0y","type":"media","attributes":{"class":"media-element file-article-image","height":"315","width":"700"}}]]
Once the 2015 Season began, Kikis was a little more reserved with his champion choices, playing on-meta characters like Jarvan IV and Elise. These traditional jungle picks resulted in a middling split for the team, which ended Spring with nine wins and nine losses. It was in the Playoffs, however, that the Unicorns really shone, thanks in no small part to some of Kikis’ bizarre picks. Sure, we still saw the odd Gragas, but we could forgive that when he was also throwing out jungle Nautilus, Gnar, Udyr, and even Shaco.
KIKIS WITH A FIZZ IS BETTER THAN NONE
Unicorns of Love made it to the Finals thanks in part to these champ picks. Neither Udyr nor Shaco had been seen in the European LCS jungle that Spring, catching opponents unaware and helping Unicorns towards their showdown against Fnatic. They fought valiantly, but sadly came undone at the end of the series, losing 3-2. Still, pretty good for a team in their rookie split. Their win against SK Gaming was especially remarkable, as it was the first time an EU LCS team had upset a No. 1 seed in the Playoff Semifinals.
Becoming the No. 2 team in Europe was as big of a surprise to Kikis as some of his champ picks were to his opponents -- he explained in his AMA that the team went into the tournament just hoping to reach the top five and stay in the LCS. The hype for Unicorns was reaching fever pitch, but a disappointing Summer Split has seen a drop in temperature. Clearly this wasn’t just felt by the fans, as Kikis responded to the declining performance by suddenly and unceremoniously quitting the team. Not even his many and varied scarves could protect him from the chill in the air.
[[{"fid":"17311","view_mode":"article_image","fields":{"format":"article_image","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":""},"tagName":"IMG","src":"http%3A//riot-web-cdn.s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/lolesports/s3fs-public/styles/article_image/public/Kikis3.jpg%3Fitok%3DnNDENVZb","type":"media","attributes":{"class":"media-element file-article-image","height":"315","width":"700"}}]]
"Highlight of my career so far is getting 2nd place in Spring Split and am very thankful for my time with these amazing people with which I created a lot of great memories and had great times with," he wrote. Kikis’ time with the Unicorns was one to remember. Not just for the players and the fans, but for all viewers of the EU LCS, and especially Challenger teams hoping to emulate or even exceed Unicorns’ meteoric rise.
LIVE AND KIKIS
So Kikis’ Worlds 2015 dream dies here with his departure from the Unicorns of Love, but will this be the last we see of the bescarfed jungler on the LCS stage? Not if he has his way. His new role on Challenger Series team Gamers2 means it’s very possible we’ll be seeing him back next season. The team's great performance in the European CS means we'll be seeing Gamers2 head to the Challenger Series Playoffs.
Kikis' experience gained (and remarkable performance) as a member of Unicorns of Love can only benefit him and the rest of the team as they strive for the big leagues. And if they ever need to shake things up in the jungle, they now have just the man for the job.
