Odd reason to root for China?

T RexHasTinyArms·Sep 8, 2015·5 votes·517 views

Anyone else rooting for China over skt (even though skt should be favorites from their recent play) just bc of the implications it will have for player treatment in Korea? A while back I read (I think in an interview w/ Faker where the coach commented) a Korean comment that the exodus of talent due to better offers/conditions in China didn't really matter as long as Korea as a region still won worlds bc it would mean that they could just train new talent to replace people who leave.

SKT looks awesome this season, but I'm not sure they look better than SSW did last year. LGD and co over in the LPL look really strong this season, but you're unlikely to get as strong a team w/ different primary languages as you will if everyone can communicate in their 1st tongue. Personally I hope China wins worlds so maybe Korea starts offering players better conditions and we can start seeing more teams compete at the SKT level, because honestly, after the talent exodus it kinda looked like SKT and their juniors division competition this season in the LCK (no one seemed to be on the same level bc talent was just thinner in the league). Is this a weird reason to root for a region?

12 Comments

TurquoiseYoshiSep 8, 20152 votes

I don't want China to win because China is bad. Period. Their shotcalling in particular is worse than most NA/EU Challenger Series teams. There are a lot of moments where a team just kinda gives up dragon when their entire team is there. If you devote that many resources, use them! If you aren't gonna contest dragon, go for a turret or an inhib or Baron or the Nexus. The least you can do is push the lanes out in your favor. But no. They just... sit there.

I'd rather see a western team win, as they are kinda beaten in everything.

Earl EulrichSep 9, 20151 votes

not sure if you followed the LPL this year, but especially the top 5 have shown again and again that they know how to handle the makro-game. And it´s not a coincidence that EDG did beat SKT on all levels at MSI - chinese teams are very fast on taking early Barons if the opportunity arises, they know how to lane-swap as well as any top team, they know when it´s worth for their setup to contest drake or when they should rather scale a little more...they are the only region that brings 3 teams to the table that have legitimate chances to win the event (with at least 1more team capable of winning in QG not qualified due to the brutal competition).

TurquoiseYoshiSep 9, 20151 votes

I saw EDG make some seriously terrible plays against LGD. They just don't seem to be able to communicate, due to the fact that most of the teams are scrapped together from Korean stars and Chinese Solo Queue heroes. I've just seen, in recent playoff matches, teams just outright not doing anything when an opponent does dragon. In NA or EU, that's at least a good couple of seconds of damage onto a tower, or at best, a tower or two. In China, the teams group up and then one just kinda takes it and walks off. The other team tries nothing, not even a skillshot steal. They don't try to contest dragon, they don't try to steal, they don't try to trade, so what the hell? It's just freaking pointless.

Earl EulrichSep 9, 20151 votes

they really had a bad week in the playoffs. In any other week since they play the full roster again they showed that they deserved the #1 on the international powerrankings...and you sure miss some things teams trade for dragons - sometimes trading it for some farm or side-wave control can be worth it - and soemtimes you just don´t get the position you would need on it and then better only lose the drake and not a bad fight on top. honestly, there´s no team in NA or EU that will take more than 1game off the chinese teams besides fnatic.

TurquoiseYoshiSep 9, 20151 votes

4 people behind the dragon pit, including everyone except the TPing Top laner, is not really a good trade.

Ale non è maleSep 9, 20152 votes

That was S3 man, China best teams have made leaps and bounds progresses till to the point when they can play toe to toe and beat top teams from all over the world including Koreans regularly and outsmart them on shotcalling at times

TurquoiseYoshiSep 9, 20151 votes

Actually, I saw this in the playoffs this split. And the Worlds qualifier.

I also saw Yasuo's funky dance moves.

LuggSep 12, 20152 votes

I think that the Korean teams will have a hard time at Worlds. The Chinese and Taiwan teams style of play really messes up the Korean style of play. Don't be surprised to see upsets.

Earl EulrichSep 9, 20151 votes

dunno, i personally hope for China to win because they stand for an aggressive/pro-active way to play LoL - they play to win. SKT on the other hand often times just avoids making mistakes and then slowly capitalize on minor (or huge) mistakes of their opponents, rather than forcing a decission and winning the game deceisivly. It´s highly effective, especially vs opponents that are not on the same level - but it´s also somewhat "sterile". So I hope the teams more willing to go for risky plays will come out ahead.

and no, no team this year is close to the level SSW played - but that´s somewhat ok, as it will make things more exciting if no team is clearly dominant.

JonesybonesSep 9, 20151 votes

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JimmyNtheKudosSep 9, 20151 votes

If CLG doesn't tilt back to NA, I think they have a decent shot at making to the semi-finals. (being optimistic here)

JimmyNtheKudosSep 9, 20151 votes

SSW didn't look that great (they even finished second in LCK I think) their flawless play was examplified at Worlds not really before that. Kind of unfair to say SSW looked better than SKT do now. Regardless I agree with your other points, it's shitty how so many had to move because of the bad conditions they were playing on.