ROCCAT shakes up their roster
Riot··0 votes·14,547 views
ROCCAT has been a squad that has stuck together since their inception in the LCS. Xaxus, Jankos, Overpow, Celaver, and Vander took Europe by storm last Spring, and have been been a consistent force since.
However, with their disappointing Summer Split and missed shot at Worlds, it became clear that it’s time for the squad to make a change.
When ROCCAT burst onto the LCS scene at the beginning of 2014, it was largely on the back of mid laner Overpow’s deep, creative champion pool. The man single-handedly brought Kayle from a niche pick to one of the premier mid lane picks in the beginning of the season.
This season, he’ll have to expand his knowledge into the top lane. Fortunately for him, top lane casters like Lulu and Ryze -- and yes, Kayle -- have risen to prominence as of late, a meta shift that will ease his transition significantly. His tendency to pull out unique picks may give him a surprise impact coming from the north of the Rift.
During his time on Copenhagen Wolves, Woolite established himself as an AD carry to be reckoned with. As a player with strong mechanics and great instincts, he showed great potential on an obviously struggling team. In fact, he was a huge reason the Wolves managed to make it past H2K Gaming in the 2015 Spring Promotion tournament, racking up an impressive 25 KDA -- all the while never giving up a single death. Meanwhile, the rest of the Wolves only managed a 5.6 KDA. The performance established him as one of the most dangerous carries in Europe.
Now, as a member of a significantly more consistent squad, he won’t be forced to act as the sole carry, leaving him to focus on his own game without worrying about his teammates. Assuming they find synergy, he and Vander could become one of the best bottom lanes around.
Interestingly, this isn’t the first time that Woolite and Overpow have crossed paths. Way back in 2012, the pair were on a early lineup of KMT, the team that would eventually become ROCCAT.
As a result, there may be a slightly shorter transition period until ROCCAT has coalesced into a team that can look to make a run at the EU LCS title. It certainly doesn’t hurt that every member of ROCCAT has climbed to the ranks of LCS stardom by way of the Polish League of Legends scene.
The big question here is what will happen with the mid lane. With no player currently slotted for the role, the ROCCAT organization must be looking for a player that can fit into the team-focused mentality that has defined them for the past two splits. There’s no need for a superstar here, but a player that can play consistently and work within the confines of the team as a whole.
For a team that has so long focused on team cohesion and communication, coming together as a single-minded, unified squad will be the key to victory for ROCCAT. We’ll have to see if these changes will end in an unified force -- or create just too many cracks in the armor.
The roster
Top: Xaxus -> left replaced by Overpow Jungle: Jankos Mid: Overpow -> moved to top, replacement TBD ADC: Celaver -> left, replaced by Woolite Support: VanderOverpow’s new home
When ROCCAT burst onto the LCS scene at the beginning of 2014, it was largely on the back of mid laner Overpow’s deep, creative champion pool. The man single-handedly brought Kayle from a niche pick to one of the premier mid lane picks in the beginning of the season.
This season, he’ll have to expand his knowledge into the top lane. Fortunately for him, top lane casters like Lulu and Ryze -- and yes, Kayle -- have risen to prominence as of late, a meta shift that will ease his transition significantly. His tendency to pull out unique picks may give him a surprise impact coming from the north of the Rift.
Woolite tries on a new hat
During his time on Copenhagen Wolves, Woolite established himself as an AD carry to be reckoned with. As a player with strong mechanics and great instincts, he showed great potential on an obviously struggling team. In fact, he was a huge reason the Wolves managed to make it past H2K Gaming in the 2015 Spring Promotion tournament, racking up an impressive 25 KDA -- all the while never giving up a single death. Meanwhile, the rest of the Wolves only managed a 5.6 KDA. The performance established him as one of the most dangerous carries in Europe.
Now, as a member of a significantly more consistent squad, he won’t be forced to act as the sole carry, leaving him to focus on his own game without worrying about his teammates. Assuming they find synergy, he and Vander could become one of the best bottom lanes around.
Blasting off
Interestingly, this isn’t the first time that Woolite and Overpow have crossed paths. Way back in 2012, the pair were on a early lineup of KMT, the team that would eventually become ROCCAT.
As a result, there may be a slightly shorter transition period until ROCCAT has coalesced into a team that can look to make a run at the EU LCS title. It certainly doesn’t hurt that every member of ROCCAT has climbed to the ranks of LCS stardom by way of the Polish League of Legends scene.
The big question here is what will happen with the mid lane. With no player currently slotted for the role, the ROCCAT organization must be looking for a player that can fit into the team-focused mentality that has defined them for the past two splits. There’s no need for a superstar here, but a player that can play consistently and work within the confines of the team as a whole.
For a team that has so long focused on team cohesion and communication, coming together as a single-minded, unified squad will be the key to victory for ROCCAT. We’ll have to see if these changes will end in an unified force -- or create just too many cracks in the armor.