NA LCS in 2017: Week 5 -- Almost time for change?

The 2017 NA LCS Spring Split is almost at its halfway mark and a few much-hyped teams find themselves toiling at the bottom of the standings. They’ll need to change something to alter the course, or they may find themselves scrambling for the brakes as the their track takes them right into a brick wall.

It’s probably still a bit early to press the panic button if your favorite team is struggling. But what’s more fun than gross overreactions? There’s some merit to panic, though. I can’t really think of any cases off the top of my head where a team managed to surge without some sort of change. And even with change, that’s rare -- I remember Cloud9 last summer when Hai returned. Maybe WildTurtle when he first subbed in for Chaox. There are probably others, but it’s not common.

Unlike traditional sports, there aren’t any blockbuster type of trades to rattle things up, even if that might make sense. For example, Team Liquid needs of a playmaker, and Team Dignitas needs some stability. What would a Reignover for Chaser trade look like? Alas, I’m not sure the league is in a state to facilitate that kind of transaction right now.

But teams don’t exactly have the luxury to just sit and pray, either. "Trusting the process" isn’t a reliable option considering the bottom teams need to worry about relegation. However, this could also play out as an advantage for teams. Since there isn’t a draft, literally every single solo queue player is available to sign or at least tryout. I don’t know how many teams keep active scouts that monitor the ladders, but it’s something I see us gravitating towards. Finding new talent is a matter of vigilance.

I think people and teams are too dismissive of regular solo queue players. There are, of course, significant differences between solo queue play and pro play, but those seem more rooted in communication and macro decisions than actual individual talent. Take Moon’s rise, for example, as an indicator of how a solo queue player might transition to pro play with the proper team.

This, of course, would require a staff adequately equipped to develop players. Perhaps that type of infrastructure is still too infantile to pluck fresh seeds from the ladder. Or maybe it exists and the NA pool is that shallow.

This is all to say that change doesn’t just happen. Think of actual comebacks in a game -- what are the kinds of things that turn the tide of a game? The losing team needs to take the initiative. The onus to change the pace and momentum is on them.

Teams will have some time off after Week 5 to reassess their standing. I'd expect some shuffling then. But A 2-0 week now would bring most of them back into the fold. And roster changes are a surefire way to alter the atmosphere, but it’s not the only way. The clock's ticking a little louder and soon teams will either establish themselves as contenders or as survivors -- doing everything they can to stay away from the bottom.

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Through thick and thin, they say. 

10 thoughts going into Week 5

Here are where the teams stand in my weekly, revolutionary way to organize their relative strength. I call it “Standings (listed alphabetically).”

1. Cloud9 (8-0) -- They could have easily dropped either series this week if this or that swung against them, but so too could the New England Patriots have dropped the Super Bowl. As they say, winners win.

2. FlyQuest (6-2) -- FlyQuest should release an app that’s just Hai’s voice randomly telling you things. “Do Baron now.” “Happy Valentine’s Day.” “Body those fools.” I should become a Marketing Director.

3. TSM (6-2) -- They face off against both C9 and FLY this coming week. This will be a good indicator as to how strong -- or weak -- they actually are. It’s been years since we’ve seen Bjergsen square off against Hai in the mid lane.

4. Echo Fox (4-4) -- I think they probably practice on laptops without chargers -- so they need to finish games quickly or else it shuts down. This is one plausible (and highly probable, to be honest) explanation for their early game prowess.

5. Immortals (4-4) -- Sometimes when I’m lacking in confidence, I go play a normal game to remind myself I’m pretty good at League of Legends. That’s kind of what happened this week for IMT as they stomped DIG and TL. Maybe that’ll be the boost they need.

6. Phoenix 1 (4-4) -- Maybe their current slump is their egg state and they’ll be reborn as a beautiful bird of fire.

7. Counter Logic Gaming (3-5) -- I don’t think CLG fans can actually be more sad about their state of affairs, as many of them seem to be in a perpetual state of sadness. They’re like cacti who store droplets of happiness, and that last championship still has some reserves.

8. Team Dignitas (2-6) -- They say sometimes you have to hit rock bottom before you can climb again. Random DIG fan, falling, “Just how deep is darkness?” 

9. Team Liquid (2-6) -- The law of the universe dictates that they will finish 4th. Perhaps their current struggles are their way of sticking it to “the man.”

10. Team Envy (1-7) -- LirA’s Visa issues aren’t really offering much hope anymore. Back-to-back seasons of struggle should have them digging down and asking some tough questions.

Meditations

I was thinking about Ivern some more after last week’s “The Breakdown” and am wondering why this champion is finding success in this meta. At his core, he’s a hyper-support pacifist of a champion. This is hugely contrary to every other major jungle champion right now.

So, in that vein, why aren’t other support champions getting played? I guess it’s probably clear speed -- this is the thing offensive junglers have in common with Ivern. He doesn’t really fall behind in terms of speed, and invading him is dangerous because he has a lot of CC tools that allow for his team to collapse.

I wonder if there might be a way to bring some less-used jungle champions back into the fold by increasing their clear speed. Or maybe the likes of Amumu or Sejuani would be too strong given faster clears. I wonder, though, if there might be a strategy in which a support tags along with the jungler and they just soak experience together -- both in lane as they visit for ganks and in their own and opponent’s jungle. Ivern’s really making me rethink the “standard meta.”

Make sure you tune in next week to see Ivern get banned out more and more. Action resumes Friday at 3 pm PT!

Kien Lam was an ADC main in 2016, but now he’s just a content producer for Riot Games. He was diagnosed with Lee Syndrome at an early age and believes it’s a blessing. You can follow him on Twitter @MeanMisterKien.