Big moves in the offseason will lead to big plays in 2015
Riot·11/20/2014, 10:35:27 PM·0 votes·11,328 views
Nothing is sacred this offseason. Pros in every region are making big moves, even to new teams in regions halfway across the globe. But amidst all of the changes, one thing has become obviously, unshakably true: every region is going to be even more competitive and exciting to watch in 2015.
Don't believe me? Let's take a look at what's happening in each region around the world.
The spotlight has been on China during the offseason. Many big announcements have been made that already promise a stronger region next year. The region's sudden power-up was swift and authoritative, as the most populous LoL region attracted a plenty of top talent from its neighbor, South Korea.
Every player on Samsung's Blue and White teams has jumped ship and, at the time of this writing, they're all looking for new opportunities. PawN and Deft have already been acquired by China's EDG organization, and it's rumored that DanDy and Dade are moving to the region as well. With multiple retired pros reportedly making $1 million a year streaming for the Chinese LoL audience, there's no reason to expect the region's rising appeal to slow down.
The influx of experienced pros should also improve China's esports infrastructure, one of the few weaknesses of the region currently. The incoming players, having lived in Korea's top-notch esports environment, know what they need to succeed. All signs point to the Chinese companies being willing to spend the money to make it happen. They didn't hire 2014 world champion players just to abandon them with no support staff.
Let's be real: even with some players leaving, Korea is still a top-tier region, and will be the measuring stick used to assess all of the other regions in 2015, until proven otherwise.
There's no shortage of talent, and newcomers like Drizzle and Piccaboo should make good use of the opportunities given to them, bringing fresh ideas to help the region continue to lead innovation on strategy and tactics.
Besides, Korea's unparalleled infrastructure, which surrounds players with everything needed to succeed, has always been a large contributor to the region's dominance. That's not changing anytime soon, and with several pro players, like Piglet, speaking out about the need to improve how Korean teams treat their players, they will have to make the environment even better in order to keep top talent.
North America was a magnet for international talent throughout the entire 2014 season, as local teams recruited from all over the globe. Competitive players like Bjergsen and Piglet, and in some cases entire teams, have come to NA from every other major region.
Most importantly, though, the region has been aggressively building up its infrastructure by investing in gaming houses, coaches, analysts, and other support staff. When effective, it allows the players to focus on improving their skills, based on objective feedback, while everything else around them is taken care of.
The influx of talent and funding has allowed the eager region to approach, if not yet accomplish, Korea's fabled support system. There's still room to grow, and their progress has already yielded great results in international tournaments.
If NA still has room to grow its infrastructure, EU's potential is infinite. Europe was forced to retreat from Worlds with their collective tails between their legs this year, but they're not going to let that happen again in 2015.
Several EU stars that moved to NA this year are migrating back to their home region for 2015, most notably the jungler combo of Amazing and Dexter. Neither has declared a new team yet, but should provide a boost to whichever team they land on. Potential player trades like the rumored Tabzz and Rekkles swap should bolster the two arguably strongest teams in the region: Fnatic and Alliance.
But the biggest source of hope for EU is how well they've already competed without having any real infrastructure to speak of. If European organizations get serious about building the support mechanisms around their players that they need to succeed, they could improve dramatically.
Organizations like SK Gaming are already showing their willingness by hiring coaches and buying a Challenger-level sister team to practice with and to train future replacements. More will follow suit and begin to reclaim some of that lost potential from 2014.
Of course there are many other growing regions, and all of them will be more competitive in 2015. Ahq eSports Club in the SEA region has brought on a lot of new talent alongside GreenTea and Westdoor, to hopefully improve on their respectable showing at Worlds. Nearby, Hong Kong eSports is amassing a new team with talented veterans like Toyz and Stanley.
In all of the regions, though, infrastructure is improving and more full-time pros are entering the scene. Turkey and Japan may not be ready to take the World Championship trophy home just yet, but they're taking big steps as more and more teams all over the globe show the world the future of esports.
We undoubtedly have more exciting roster change announcements ahead. Several high-profile spots, including TSM's jungler and Alliance's AD carry, along with most of the former-Samsung players are still awaiting official announcements. But we've seen enough already to know for sure that 2015 is going to be the most competitive season yet.
Josh Augustine's favorite champion is Miss Fortune, he's never enjoyed a Darius, and he will always go for the kill, even when he knows he shouldn't. He currently works as a game designer on EverQuest Next at Sony Online Entertainment. He’d love to talk with you on Twitter.
China's Expansion
The spotlight has been on China during the offseason. Many big announcements have been made that already promise a stronger region next year. The region's sudden power-up was swift and authoritative, as the most populous LoL region attracted a plenty of top talent from its neighbor, South Korea.
Every player on Samsung's Blue and White teams has jumped ship and, at the time of this writing, they're all looking for new opportunities. PawN and Deft have already been acquired by China's EDG organization, and it's rumored that DanDy and Dade are moving to the region as well. With multiple retired pros reportedly making $1 million a year streaming for the Chinese LoL audience, there's no reason to expect the region's rising appeal to slow down.
The influx of experienced pros should also improve China's esports infrastructure, one of the few weaknesses of the region currently. The incoming players, having lived in Korea's top-notch esports environment, know what they need to succeed. All signs point to the Chinese companies being willing to spend the money to make it happen. They didn't hire 2014 world champion players just to abandon them with no support staff.
Confident In Korean
Let's be real: even with some players leaving, Korea is still a top-tier region, and will be the measuring stick used to assess all of the other regions in 2015, until proven otherwise.
There's no shortage of talent, and newcomers like Drizzle and Piccaboo should make good use of the opportunities given to them, bringing fresh ideas to help the region continue to lead innovation on strategy and tactics.
Besides, Korea's unparalleled infrastructure, which surrounds players with everything needed to succeed, has always been a large contributor to the region's dominance. That's not changing anytime soon, and with several pro players, like Piglet, speaking out about the need to improve how Korean teams treat their players, they will have to make the environment even better in order to keep top talent.
North American Melting Pot
North America was a magnet for international talent throughout the entire 2014 season, as local teams recruited from all over the globe. Competitive players like Bjergsen and Piglet, and in some cases entire teams, have come to NA from every other major region.
Most importantly, though, the region has been aggressively building up its infrastructure by investing in gaming houses, coaches, analysts, and other support staff. When effective, it allows the players to focus on improving their skills, based on objective feedback, while everything else around them is taken care of.
The influx of talent and funding has allowed the eager region to approach, if not yet accomplish, Korea's fabled support system. There's still room to grow, and their progress has already yielded great results in international tournaments.
EU Underdogs
If NA still has room to grow its infrastructure, EU's potential is infinite. Europe was forced to retreat from Worlds with their collective tails between their legs this year, but they're not going to let that happen again in 2015.
Several EU stars that moved to NA this year are migrating back to their home region for 2015, most notably the jungler combo of Amazing and Dexter. Neither has declared a new team yet, but should provide a boost to whichever team they land on. Potential player trades like the rumored Tabzz and Rekkles swap should bolster the two arguably strongest teams in the region: Fnatic and Alliance.
But the biggest source of hope for EU is how well they've already competed without having any real infrastructure to speak of. If European organizations get serious about building the support mechanisms around their players that they need to succeed, they could improve dramatically.
Organizations like SK Gaming are already showing their willingness by hiring coaches and buying a Challenger-level sister team to practice with and to train future replacements. More will follow suit and begin to reclaim some of that lost potential from 2014.
More on the Rise
Of course there are many other growing regions, and all of them will be more competitive in 2015. Ahq eSports Club in the SEA region has brought on a lot of new talent alongside GreenTea and Westdoor, to hopefully improve on their respectable showing at Worlds. Nearby, Hong Kong eSports is amassing a new team with talented veterans like Toyz and Stanley.
In all of the regions, though, infrastructure is improving and more full-time pros are entering the scene. Turkey and Japan may not be ready to take the World Championship trophy home just yet, but they're taking big steps as more and more teams all over the globe show the world the future of esports.
We undoubtedly have more exciting roster change announcements ahead. Several high-profile spots, including TSM's jungler and Alliance's AD carry, along with most of the former-Samsung players are still awaiting official announcements. But we've seen enough already to know for sure that 2015 is going to be the most competitive season yet.
Josh Augustine's favorite champion is Miss Fortune, he's never enjoyed a Darius, and he will always go for the kill, even when he knows he shouldn't. He currently works as a game designer on EverQuest Next at Sony Online Entertainment. He’d love to talk with you on Twitter.
