Top 5 Rookies of OGN Spring
Riot·4/2/2014, 9:50:58 PM·0 votes·1,255 views
Last Spring SK Telecom T1 K made their debut into Champions. Faker, the top ranked solo queue player, was the most hyped entrance in Champions history - and he delivered. Now, a year later, a World Championship and two Champions titles already in his possession, every season new players and teams rise, hoping to duplicate the team and players that went from the unknown to being regarded as the strongest team in the world.
Made up of amateur players with no Champions experience and coached by former Frost player Woong, Midas FIO entered Champions Spring as the team most looked at as the weakest of the group of teams vying for the title. Through two games, the predictions have been on point -- Midas FIO struggling to get any momentum going, losing four straight games to Incredible Miracle #1 and CJ Entus Frost without much fight. Their star player, AD Carry Lactea, put on a show in the qualifiers, wowing the fans with his scintillating Draven play, but has been banned away from his signature champion promptly so far in all of Midas FIO's games.
Going from a few plays away from the semifinals last season to a whole new team this season, Xenics Storm has had to rebuild for another time in the team's history. Losing to Midas FIO in the qualifiers and needing to fight their way through the Wild Card round, Storm has relied heavily on their two rookies, Ren in the top lane and Alvingo in the mid, to try and help them stay respectable in a difficult Group D. 0-4 as like the other two rookie oriented teams before them, Storm gave White Shield a run for their money in the first games of the season, but had a tough go against Incredible Miracle #2, getting blown out in two straight games and eliminated from playoff contention.
Leopard made a strong impression in his first games in Champions last season, helping the Bullets take third place in the Winter season. After taking over for inSec in the top lane this season, he has been forced into a situation to try and lead a team trying to find an identity after going through radical changes in the offseason, sending their premiere Jungler KaKAO back to the Arrows to open room for inSec to make his way back into the jungle. So far it's been an up-and-down rookie season for Leopard, playing well, but not dominating as he did at IEM Katowice, being one of the main reasons why the Bullets were able to go 7-0 and take home their first major League of Legends championship.
Finally, saving the best for last, we have the player following in the footsteps of the top rookies before him. First becoming known through being one of the highest ranked amateurs on the Korean Challenger ladder under the ID 'Most3', Rookie has been called Faker Jr. by fans in Korea, seeing him as what Faker was one year ago in his rookie season during the 2013 Spring season.
After starting out slowly, he has stormed back in the last few games of the Arrows group stage matches, helping his team defeat Faker and SK Telecom T1 K in the group stage finale to secure a spot in the playoffs. Keeping up and even beating Faker in lane, Rookie has grown exceptionally through the first six games of his Champions career, going from nervous and lackluster in his first games to coming up huge and playing like a veteran in the series against SK Telecom T1 K. The comparisons to Faker might not be valid until Rookie can lead the Arrows to their very own championship, but so far so good for the sixteen-year-old Mid who has taken the throne for this season's most promising rookie.
Midas FIO
Made up of amateur players with no Champions experience and coached by former Frost player Woong, Midas FIO entered Champions Spring as the team most looked at as the weakest of the group of teams vying for the title. Through two games, the predictions have been on point -- Midas FIO struggling to get any momentum going, losing four straight games to Incredible Miracle #1 and CJ Entus Frost without much fight. Their star player, AD Carry Lactea, put on a show in the qualifiers, wowing the fans with his scintillating Draven play, but has been banned away from his signature champion promptly so far in all of Midas FIO's games.
Prime Optimus
Prime Optimus came into Champions Spring with hopes of a run into the playoffs after a massive upset win over the KT Rolster Arrows in the qualifiers. Thrown into a group back with the Arrows and the two SK Telecom squads, their dream of the final eight quickly turned into a nightmare, following Midas FIO's footsteps and dropping their first four games in Champions. Powered by ZetNJin and Ninja, two players making names for themselves in the Korean Challenger ladder, they've had signs of life, pushing SK Telecom T1 K to an even early and mid-game in Game 1 of their series and not rolling over quickly in games. While they've already been eliminated from playoff contention, they still have one chance to play spoilers in their season finale against SK Telecom T1 S, needing a 2-0 victory to eliminate them from the group stages.Xenics Storm
Going from a few plays away from the semifinals last season to a whole new team this season, Xenics Storm has had to rebuild for another time in the team's history. Losing to Midas FIO in the qualifiers and needing to fight their way through the Wild Card round, Storm has relied heavily on their two rookies, Ren in the top lane and Alvingo in the mid, to try and help them stay respectable in a difficult Group D. 0-4 as like the other two rookie oriented teams before them, Storm gave White Shield a run for their money in the first games of the season, but had a tough go against Incredible Miracle #2, getting blown out in two straight games and eliminated from playoff contention.
Leopard (KT Rolster Bullets)
Leopard made a strong impression in his first games in Champions last season, helping the Bullets take third place in the Winter season. After taking over for inSec in the top lane this season, he has been forced into a situation to try and lead a team trying to find an identity after going through radical changes in the offseason, sending their premiere Jungler KaKAO back to the Arrows to open room for inSec to make his way back into the jungle. So far it's been an up-and-down rookie season for Leopard, playing well, but not dominating as he did at IEM Katowice, being one of the main reasons why the Bullets were able to go 7-0 and take home their first major League of Legends championship.
Rookie (KT Rolster Arrows)
Finally, saving the best for last, we have the player following in the footsteps of the top rookies before him. First becoming known through being one of the highest ranked amateurs on the Korean Challenger ladder under the ID 'Most3', Rookie has been called Faker Jr. by fans in Korea, seeing him as what Faker was one year ago in his rookie season during the 2013 Spring season.
After starting out slowly, he has stormed back in the last few games of the Arrows group stage matches, helping his team defeat Faker and SK Telecom T1 K in the group stage finale to secure a spot in the playoffs. Keeping up and even beating Faker in lane, Rookie has grown exceptionally through the first six games of his Champions career, going from nervous and lackluster in his first games to coming up huge and playing like a veteran in the series against SK Telecom T1 K. The comparisons to Faker might not be valid until Rookie can lead the Arrows to their very own championship, but so far so good for the sixteen-year-old Mid who has taken the throne for this season's most promising rookie.
