Crumbzz: The prophet looks to the future
Riot·2/19/2015, 8:29:34 PM·0 votes·22,443 views
When Alberto "Crumbzz" Rengifo announced his departure from Team Dignitas earlier this month, it came as a surprise to many. Having been with the team for nearly three years, Crumbzz has created a legacy built on experience and versatility.
Among other fond memories with the team, Crumbzz says that his experience with Team Dignitas at the MLG finals in 2012 is what truly stands out. The team changed their summoner names to various Yu-Gi-Oh references, using the unlimited tournament realm RP to switch their names every game. "We played like that until the referees told us that we couldn’t do that anymore." Advancing to the final round, the team decided to try something regrettable: all five players would go mid. "They weren’t very happy with that, but it was fun!" While this truly exemplified Team Dignitas’ carefree and fun mindset, Crumbzz attributes this as being the biggest regret of his career. "We were not very intelligent back then. That eventually cost us a lot of money. We would have had a chance of winning if we hadn’t done that."
Amid the silliness, Crumbzz had formed a close bond with teammate Christian "IWillDominate" Rivera. When iWillDominate was banned from playing in the LCS, it created both an emotional and professional upset for Crumbzz. Moving back into the jungle, there was a change in his chemistry with the team. "The closest friend I had on the team was no longer there, so that’s when I think that it was less friendly on my end. That was the beginning of the end, maybe." Narrowly avoiding relegation for the next several splits, Crumbzz and the rest of Team Dignitas struggled to remain afloat.
With a rough start to the 2015 season, Crumbzz believes that Team Dignitas’ underperformance can be attributed to a lack of synergy between all players, both as friends and teammates. "Being a full-on team game this split means that [synergy] is a very important topic." He also believes that Team Dignitas' lack of a coach led to unproductive or even destructive disagreements on the team. "Any argument that you have with another player about the game ends up being opinion versus opinion," he explains. "Without a coach, you can’t turn to someone who is supposed to know more than you and have them chime in."
Despite these weaknesses, Crumbzz believes that the team is full of talented players with great potential. "Management takes a huge part in coaching the players and being an active presence, which I think is fantastic for developing a team. They really go out of their way to [look after] the players, and I don’t see anything else hindering Dignitas’ performance." After a history of dodging relegations, Crumbzz is confident that Team Dignitas will be able to proceed if they put forth the effort. "I think it’s going to take a lot of hard work for them to reach the performance they want to see out of themselves, but if they work out I would expect to see it coming out of them for the next split."
Crumbzz leaving Dignitas was the end of an era -- not the end of a career. "In the time I’ve played League and been a part of the esports scene, I was able to meet a lot of people and learn a lot about the industry and understand where it’s going, and the people who want to take it there." With a genuine passion for the industry, Crumbzz doesn’t plan on straying far from his roots. Although his time with Dignitas has passed, he makes us a promise: "Just know that I’m going to stay in the scene, it would be a shame if that was not the case."
The Prophet
Crumbzz dove into the professional League of Legends scene in 2011, joining Team Curse with only seven months of game experience. "It was the first time I had joined an organization as large as theirs, and it was a very new team environment." As Crumbzz tells it, the fit wasn't entirely comfortable. "It was an environment that failed to at least include humor in even the worst of times." Seeking something new, Crumbzz seized the opportunity to join Team Dignitas in 2012 upon Joedat "Voyboy" Esfahani's departure. The catch was that he must switch roles. After a seven-month career in the jungle for Team Curse, Crumbzz made his transition into the top lane. "The biggest selling point for me was that Dignitas was going to play in OGN in an actual tournament, The Champions League. They told me, if you join now, you are going to be able to go to Korea for at least a month." Dignitas provided Crumbzz with the kind of team environment that he was looking for. “On Team Dignitas, everyone was very close to each other. It was a fun environment, to be honest. Just messing around and enjoying the games. That was the biggest difference from Curse." These bonds were strengthened even further while the team played in Korea, as promised. "It was a completely different country and the only people you know are the ones on your team, so you’re almost forced to bond with each other."
Among other fond memories with the team, Crumbzz says that his experience with Team Dignitas at the MLG finals in 2012 is what truly stands out. The team changed their summoner names to various Yu-Gi-Oh references, using the unlimited tournament realm RP to switch their names every game. "We played like that until the referees told us that we couldn’t do that anymore." Advancing to the final round, the team decided to try something regrettable: all five players would go mid. "They weren’t very happy with that, but it was fun!" While this truly exemplified Team Dignitas’ carefree and fun mindset, Crumbzz attributes this as being the biggest regret of his career. "We were not very intelligent back then. That eventually cost us a lot of money. We would have had a chance of winning if we hadn’t done that."
Amid the silliness, Crumbzz had formed a close bond with teammate Christian "IWillDominate" Rivera. When iWillDominate was banned from playing in the LCS, it created both an emotional and professional upset for Crumbzz. Moving back into the jungle, there was a change in his chemistry with the team. "The closest friend I had on the team was no longer there, so that’s when I think that it was less friendly on my end. That was the beginning of the end, maybe." Narrowly avoiding relegation for the next several splits, Crumbzz and the rest of Team Dignitas struggled to remain afloat.
A New Era
With a rough start to the 2015 season, Crumbzz believes that Team Dignitas’ underperformance can be attributed to a lack of synergy between all players, both as friends and teammates. "Being a full-on team game this split means that [synergy] is a very important topic." He also believes that Team Dignitas' lack of a coach led to unproductive or even destructive disagreements on the team. "Any argument that you have with another player about the game ends up being opinion versus opinion," he explains. "Without a coach, you can’t turn to someone who is supposed to know more than you and have them chime in."
Despite these weaknesses, Crumbzz believes that the team is full of talented players with great potential. "Management takes a huge part in coaching the players and being an active presence, which I think is fantastic for developing a team. They really go out of their way to [look after] the players, and I don’t see anything else hindering Dignitas’ performance." After a history of dodging relegations, Crumbzz is confident that Team Dignitas will be able to proceed if they put forth the effort. "I think it’s going to take a lot of hard work for them to reach the performance they want to see out of themselves, but if they work out I would expect to see it coming out of them for the next split."
The Prophet’s Future
Crumbzz leaving Dignitas was the end of an era -- not the end of a career. "In the time I’ve played League and been a part of the esports scene, I was able to meet a lot of people and learn a lot about the industry and understand where it’s going, and the people who want to take it there." With a genuine passion for the industry, Crumbzz doesn’t plan on straying far from his roots. Although his time with Dignitas has passed, he makes us a promise: "Just know that I’m going to stay in the scene, it would be a shame if that was not the case."
