Hail to the Chiefs
The Oceanic Pro League (OPL) Finals were more than a chance to go to Worlds for the Chiefs eSports Club. It was also a chance for them to redeem themselves for last year's losses to Legacy Esports and reclaim their place at the top of Oceania.
Losing Their Immunity
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Going into last season's Oceanic Winter Tournament, the Chiefs (Team Immunity at the time) had long been the dominant team in the region and were the favorites to take the bracket and the berth to the International Wildcard Tournament in Cologne. Avant Garde Ascension, the team that would later become Legacy, shocked them in a Best of 5, coming back from a 2-1 deficit to snatch the trip to Germany from their grasp.
The team's morale was crushed. It was the first time they had lost an Oceanic tournament and it came in gut-wrenching fashion. Worse yet, they lost to Legacy again four months later in the Semifinals of the Regional Grand Finals. It was clear that despite their long reign at the top of Oceania, they weren't untouchable anymore.
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Going into the 2015 season, the Chiefs were looking to rebound to their old form for the first Split of the new OPL. "We really put in the hard yards to ensure we won't feel the low of losing Winter last year ever again", says the team's AD carry Derek "Raydere" Trang, "Some of our members recognized that they could have put in more practice and have really flourished this year due to it".
With a new practice regimen, the team had a strong performance in inaugural Split of the OPL. They went 13-1 during the regular season, and swept both Team Immunity and Dire Wolves during the Playoffs to take Split 1.Their strong performance in Oceania qualified them for the mid-season International Wildcard Invitational (IWCI) in Istanbul, Turkey. While they had success on the first day with wins over Brazil's INTZ e-Sports and Chile's Kaos Latin Gamers, they were unable to maintain their momentum and didn't make it out of the Group Stage with a 3-3 record.
Replacing Rosey
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Long-time support Andrew "Rosey" Rose left the team after the IWCI, desiring to switch roles to a carry position. This was the first roster change for the Chiefs since mid laner Simon "Swiffer" Papamarkos joined the team in September 2013. They moved quickly to pick up a new support, bringing in Legacy's star Bryce "EGym" Paule. While he was the first new player on the squad for almost 2 years, EGym quickly became acclimated with his new team.
"I knew all the guys on Chiefs and [was] friendly with all of them before I was even on the team", says EGym, "They're an incredibly friendly and upbeat group of guys and I was instantly welcome in all parts of the team. I did however deal with months of [jungler Samuel "Spookz" Broadley] taunting me about the 'trust exercise' which all of the members of the Chiefs must go through as a rite of passage on the team. Turns out it's just a really, really, really, really, really long hug. That's just classic Sam."
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The change in support also allowed Raydere to embrace a more aggressive play style. "Although my playstyle with Rosey was relatively passive, whenever I played in Solo Queue, Oceanic supports tended to be more aggressive", says Raydere, "I didn't find it particularly difficult to adapt as it felt that I was simply incorporating a Solo Queue play style into our duo gameplay."
Retaking Their Legacy
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The Chiefs took Split 2 of the OPL by storm, cruising to a perfect 14-0 record during the season. In the Semifinals, they swept Avant Garde 3-0. The last team that stood between them and a return to Wildcards were their old rivals, Legacy. "It almost just fits the story too well that this Season's OPL Grand Final was between ourselves and Legacy," says EGym.
Despite their rough history with Legacy, they felt confident going into the Finals. "I think I speak for the team when I say that a few days out from the Final the nerves definitely started to be felt," says Swiffer, "However, unlike last time we faced Legacy in a Best of series, we actually had time to recuperate and prepare properly. Going in with a perfect split did wonders for our confidence and was definitely one of the main contributing factors behind our success."
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The series against their rivals was a tough-fought 3-1 victory for the Chiefs. Even after the Chiefs went up 2-0, Legacy was able to win and break the Chiefs' 28 game winning streak. The Chiefs rallied behind Swiffer's Orianna in the fourth game to close the series. While the loss was disappointing for the Chiefs' coach, Josh "Jish" Carr-Hummerston, he wasn't worried about a repeat of last year. "Although we were looking for the perfect season, we weren't really phased by dropping Game 3", he says, "We chalked a lot of our loss down to the mindset we took into the draft."
For Spookz, the win over Legacy was a weight off his chest. "It was a huge relief to win the game, especially after our Game 3 performance where I was starting to feel a little nervous and to finally overcome that Legacy hurdle, especially with how much an opportunity to qualify for Worlds means to all of us."
With their victory in the OPL, the Chiefs qualified for the International Wildcard Qualifier being held in Istanbul, Turkey. There they'll face two of their opponents from the IWCI, the Bangkok Titans and Detonation FocusMe, as well as Turkey's champion Dark Passage. For the Chiefs, it's a chance to prove themselves on the world stage. "We all believe that we're going to put up much better results at [Wildcards] this year", says Spookz, "If we can execute our game plans we expect to definitely be a top contender and have a good shot at Worlds". On August 26th, watch the Chiefs try to take their place as the top Wildcard team and earn their first trip to Worlds.
Make sure to keep your eye on Lolesports for all the updates from the International Wild Card!
