PowerOfEvil uses his powers for good (plays)

IEM San Jose. 14 minutes into Game 1 of the semifinal matchup between Team SoloMid and Unicons of Love. PowerOfEvil arrives on the scene. With a solo kill on TSM’s Bjergsen, he forces the world to stand up and take notice of him. Unicorns of Love may have come out of nowhere to qualify for the LCS, but this guy is the real deal. His LeBlanc play at IEM San Jose may have established him as a premier mid laner in the LCS, but he first became known for playing champions rarely seen on the Rift, like his signature Cassiopeia. He finds success utilizing the surprise pick to poison everyone in his path into submission. But that doesn’t mean he relies purely on the element of surprise to find victory. He’s also quite knowledgeable about the champion, a result of huge amounts of time spent playing them. “With my off-meta picks like Cassiopeia, I played them before I even went pro. With Cass, I liked her [at the beginning of Season 2], and I just liked her so I continued playing her. I know when she’s good and when she’s not good. I know her matchups.” He’s also proven that he can lead his team to victory even under the most difficult of situations. After finding themselves on the verge of elimination, down 0-2 to Millenium in the 2015 EU Spring Promotion Tournament, it was time to pull out the big guns. Game 3’s MVP was undeniably Vizicsacsi and his Poppy, but Games 4 and 5 were largely won by POE’s impeccable Orianna and -- of course -- his signature Cassiopeia. “I was focusing on playing one game at a time. We looked at what we could improve. We looked at the games we lost and what we could have done differently. If you take every game as a new game, being 0-2 down doesn’t matter.” With his mental fortitude and mechanical skill, PowerOfEvil is one of the most exciting new players to join the LCS this season. Let’s see if the EU LCS can handle him. Check out the full list of players to watch in 2015 right here.