We got this: Why NA LCS teams think they'll win this split
Riot·3/7/2015, 12:37:53 AM·0 votes·36,257 views
There has been a month-long traffic jam in the NA LCS standings. Four-way ties in teams' win-loss records has become the norm and even top teams have been brought low by squads in the bottom half of the standings.
It's impossible to predict who will win NA at this point, but some people have more insight than others. We went straight to the source to find out why NA LCS teams think they have what it takes to win this Split.
The defending champions of NA have shown no signs of slowing down this year. Søren "Bjergsen" Bjerg has led his team to consistent convincing victories, and isn't too phased by any hiccups they've run into along the way.
"I think we'll win NA because we have the experience and we've done it before," Bjergsen says. "We have come a long way since we last beat Cloud9 [at last year's NA Regional Championships] at PAX, and I think our progress will show more and more the closer we come to Playoffs."
CLG's coach and former NA LCS mid laner William "Scarra" Li is counting on his team's coordination and renewed focus after they barely escaped relegation last year.
"I believe that CLG is filled with talented individuals," Scarra says, "who understand that it takes an actual team working together to truly succeed. And everyone on this team has seen what it means to be at the bottom, and none of us want to go back."
A bit like CLG, the boys on Cloud9 are recovering from their own early slump this Split. Hot off a four game win streak this weekend, they're starting to look like their old, dominant selves. And the team's coach/analyst Charlie Lipsie couldn't be happier.
"I think we will win the NA LCS this Split because we are currently in the best possible position to make it happen," he says. "We just experienced what was arguably the worst slump in our team's history and it's clear that we're better for it."
"Now that we've come back around as a team," he continues, "and haven't had to make any roster changes, we're settling back into our routine and looking to contend for the top spot in NA once again."
The crew of Gravity, on the other hand, is learning the ropes as they go. They're still developing the sort of top-notch infrastructure that other teams in NA enjoy, and that gives them a lot of room to grow.
"I think overall with the new team, we kind of had a new beginning with the new organization," Gravity's support Michael "Bunny FuFuu" Kurylo explains. "It was a motivational thing, and we started out not having much. Like our coach wasn't the greatest at first. We upgraded our coach and got a TV for replays in our room now, so we're basically getting all the things we need to succeed."
"And just the overall team atmosphere [is better]," Bunny continues. "After a loss, no one is going to be super mad. We'll just talk about the game. Cop has said that it's the best team environment he's ever played on, and he's been playing for a while. Mainly, the team atmosphere [is how we're going to win NA]."
Gravity's jungler Brandon "Saintvicious" DiMarco is not one to miss the opportunity for a one-liner. He chimes in: "We're going to win because we have heart!"
Alex Gu, the manager of Impulse is quick to admit his team faces an uphill battle, but doesn't think you should count them out of the running just yet.
"We are a quite young squad," Alex says, "with players from three different countries. We might not, yet, be a very strong competitor to win the entire NA LCS. But don’t ever underestimate a determined heart to win. Friendship, teamwork, and hard work are the advantages we have right now."
The family-fueled team on Winterfox had a rough schedule this week that saw them drop down the standings a bit. Their subsequent roster shakeup definitely backs up Johnny "Altec" Ru's claims that they're aiming for long-term success first and foremost. But Winterfox's general manager Brian Cordry is still expecting fast improvement from the hopefully finalized starting squad.
"With all visa and travel issues taken into account, Winterfox is actually exceeding expectations as of now," Brian says. "We're extremely grateful to ShorterACE and Flaresz, and especially Gleeb, for stepping in to sub for our starters, and performing outstandingly in doing so."
"Now that we have all of our intended pieces in place," he continues, "I'm expecting rapid improvement back to the level we were at during our boot camp in Korea. If things go well, we expect a Top 3 finish, and hope to do perform super well during Playoffs. We might even win the Split!"
Team Liquid (7-5) declined to comment for this article, but we really like how their rotations and coordination are looking lately. We were also fairly impressed with the improved team fighting of Team 8 (6-6), who extended their win streak to three this week, putting them back into the pack vying for fifth place.
Team Dignitas (4-8) and Team Coast (1-11) are both in the process of some serious soul-searching as they battle negative records. It seems they're focused on avoiding the bottom of the standings rather than making it to the top.
We, of course, want to see all of the teams in the NA LCS improve as we move into the second half of the 2015 Season, where teams will duke it out for Playoff seed positions. We may not know who'll end up on the NA throne this split, but we know that the fight for it is going to be incredible to watch!
Tune in to Lolesports this weekend to see the NA LCS teams in action, and if you missed any of their games so far you can catch them on our spoiler-free VODs page.
Josh Augustine's favorite champion is Malzahar, 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 Daybreak Games. He’d love to talk with you on Twitter.
Team SoloMid (9-3)
The defending champions of NA have shown no signs of slowing down this year. Søren "Bjergsen" Bjerg has led his team to consistent convincing victories, and isn't too phased by any hiccups they've run into along the way.
"I think we'll win NA because we have the experience and we've done it before," Bjergsen says. "We have come a long way since we last beat Cloud9 [at last year's NA Regional Championships] at PAX, and I think our progress will show more and more the closer we come to Playoffs."
Counter Logic Gaming (8-4)
CLG's coach and former NA LCS mid laner William "Scarra" Li is counting on his team's coordination and renewed focus after they barely escaped relegation last year.
"I believe that CLG is filled with talented individuals," Scarra says, "who understand that it takes an actual team working together to truly succeed. And everyone on this team has seen what it means to be at the bottom, and none of us want to go back."
Cloud9 (8-4)
A bit like CLG, the boys on Cloud9 are recovering from their own early slump this Split. Hot off a four game win streak this weekend, they're starting to look like their old, dominant selves. And the team's coach/analyst Charlie Lipsie couldn't be happier.
"I think we will win the NA LCS this Split because we are currently in the best possible position to make it happen," he says. "We just experienced what was arguably the worst slump in our team's history and it's clear that we're better for it."
"Now that we've come back around as a team," he continues, "and haven't had to make any roster changes, we're settling back into our routine and looking to contend for the top spot in NA once again."
Gravity (6-6)
The crew of Gravity, on the other hand, is learning the ropes as they go. They're still developing the sort of top-notch infrastructure that other teams in NA enjoy, and that gives them a lot of room to grow.
"I think overall with the new team, we kind of had a new beginning with the new organization," Gravity's support Michael "Bunny FuFuu" Kurylo explains. "It was a motivational thing, and we started out not having much. Like our coach wasn't the greatest at first. We upgraded our coach and got a TV for replays in our room now, so we're basically getting all the things we need to succeed."
"And just the overall team atmosphere [is better]," Bunny continues. "After a loss, no one is going to be super mad. We'll just talk about the game. Cop has said that it's the best team environment he's ever played on, and he's been playing for a while. Mainly, the team atmosphere [is how we're going to win NA]."
Gravity's jungler Brandon "Saintvicious" DiMarco is not one to miss the opportunity for a one-liner. He chimes in: "We're going to win because we have heart!"
Team Impulse (6-6)
Alex Gu, the manager of Impulse is quick to admit his team faces an uphill battle, but doesn't think you should count them out of the running just yet.
"We are a quite young squad," Alex says, "with players from three different countries. We might not, yet, be a very strong competitor to win the entire NA LCS. But don’t ever underestimate a determined heart to win. Friendship, teamwork, and hard work are the advantages we have right now."
Winterfox (5-7)
The family-fueled team on Winterfox had a rough schedule this week that saw them drop down the standings a bit. Their subsequent roster shakeup definitely backs up Johnny "Altec" Ru's claims that they're aiming for long-term success first and foremost. But Winterfox's general manager Brian Cordry is still expecting fast improvement from the hopefully finalized starting squad.
"With all visa and travel issues taken into account, Winterfox is actually exceeding expectations as of now," Brian says. "We're extremely grateful to ShorterACE and Flaresz, and especially Gleeb, for stepping in to sub for our starters, and performing outstandingly in doing so."
"Now that we have all of our intended pieces in place," he continues, "I'm expecting rapid improvement back to the level we were at during our boot camp in Korea. If things go well, we expect a Top 3 finish, and hope to do perform super well during Playoffs. We might even win the Split!"
The Rest
Team Liquid (7-5) declined to comment for this article, but we really like how their rotations and coordination are looking lately. We were also fairly impressed with the improved team fighting of Team 8 (6-6), who extended their win streak to three this week, putting them back into the pack vying for fifth place.
Team Dignitas (4-8) and Team Coast (1-11) are both in the process of some serious soul-searching as they battle negative records. It seems they're focused on avoiding the bottom of the standings rather than making it to the top.
We, of course, want to see all of the teams in the NA LCS improve as we move into the second half of the 2015 Season, where teams will duke it out for Playoff seed positions. We may not know who'll end up on the NA throne this split, but we know that the fight for it is going to be incredible to watch!
Tune in to Lolesports this weekend to see the NA LCS teams in action, and if you missed any of their games so far you can catch them on our spoiler-free VODs page.
Josh Augustine's favorite champion is Malzahar, 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 Daybreak Games. He’d love to talk with you on Twitter.
tsm will win
