Is Flash Wolves a good team or something? I don't keep up with them and its odd to see that when SKT mows through the best teams in the world like TSM and Kt Rolster, they lose to a team like Flash Wolves. Even at worlds, when SKT had crushed C9, they lose to Flash Wolves and I can never understand why?
well watch the games... see what flash wolves does vs skt that other teams dont... look at the mistakes skt makes vs flash wolves and you can see why
" Is Flash Wolves a good team or something"?
I personally can't say exactly why FW keep taking games off SKT sorry!
ALERT - OPINION ZONE ATTENTION - OPINION ZONE NOT 100% FACTS !!!!!!!!!
Flash Wolves typically puts up a good fight and in some cases beats SKT because of
1 and 2 are player base 3 and 4 are In game
History - People tend to forget just how long Flash Wolves have been together as a team/Org. Remember Gamania Bears, that was Flash Wolves before they were Flash Wolves back in 2013 when that team was apart of Worlds with Steak, Winds, Maple, NL and SwordArt.
Having players on the same team for 4-5 years and setting up a bench similar to how SKT also did/does helps when a player goes on tilt.
Steak is now retired but now serves as a coach figure to the team and having a player that not only did great in his region but also did great internationally is a bonus.
Winds played on TPA after they already won Worlds in Season 2 but still playing on a team/Org that has that championship fell to it gives a player reason to play. Hes currently the coach or a high up figure to Flash Wolves.
Long story short they spent years together, built a bench over those years and has been performing ever since. The communication is there, the years being together and knowing each others abilities and tendencies.
Maple/Karsa - Maple might just be the second best mid laner in League but that's up for debate, what isn't up for debate is how important he is for his team; however he doesn't have to carry as hard knowing he has a great jungler.
Karsa has been in the shadows way TOO long and it's getting old at this point, he's never given any respect as much as other players around the world 2015 not in the top 20 and in 2016 was #20 behind D-Lift, Mithy, Zven, Trick, Bjergsen and the most over-hyped jungler in the World Clearlove.
Pound for Pound Maple and Karsa are the best Mid-Jng duo/synergy in the World!
They aren't scared and why should they be? They know how good they are and they know how good SKT are. If your going to face SKT might as well and man up and play like you stole it. Clear calls and aggressive, most teams see the Darth Sith Faker and cower in fear but if you have 4 teammates that has your back you have no reason to fear them. " Fear none, respect all" or something from CLG.
40-50 min team. Most teams play for 30 mins and get tired/ just look at solo Q when a game reaches 40 mins or so " This game should have been over with already" or " the surrender pops up because X player can't play a 40-1hr game" NOT Flash Wolves. FW are constantly in 40+ min games so they aren't tired or tilted or exhausted because they've already played those long 45+ min games.
WORLDS 2015 - 7/10 games went 40+ MSI 2016 - 5/14 games went 40+ WORLDS 2016 4/6 games went 40+ IEM 2017 4/8 games went 40+
So they're not chumps and get discouraged if a game isn't over within the first 20 mins like some players.
Like I previously stated FW just stay aggressive and that's all you need to do to beat SKT, have clear calls and just GO. It's the age ol' back to basics that wins games, it's simple and it's important but yet it gets 0 love because it's not loud or cool etc. It's like the Spurs in the NBA; they play old fashioned basketball and that's all that is needed at times, not a SUPERSTAR TO CARRY GAMES, or GET ALL THE FARM OR BLUES OR MVP AWARDS just play as a team and not be scared.
Easy for me to say as I'm no pro gamer but that's MY opinion and MY thought on the matter. Great topic!
The conspiracy theorist inside me keeps telling me that SKT sells their games. :)
So flashwolves has the early game aggression and playmaking of the Chinese teams. But unlike most Chinese teams, FW also has the macro and mid/late game to match many Korean teams. Combine those 2 and SKT generally can't handle it. Why? Chinese teams know how to be unpredictably aggressive which means that unlike most western teams, fw and the Chinese actually surprise other teams with their aggression REGULARLY in the early game - preventing SKT from setting up for the aggressive play with a counter-play before the play even happens. Because of their macro and mid/late game FW can keep this pressure up all game long. Meanwhile TSM or G2 or some other western team either settles for their 3k or whatever gold lead from one or two solid plays early and hopes it is enough OR goes too wrecklessly ham trying to continue their aggression without considering what the other team will do in response. Because of this and their predictable strategy for continuing their aggression, their opponent sets up a rotation, counter-gank, or some other maneuver to outplay the aggression and punishes them for it. This is why teams other than FW tend to not regularly see continued rewards for their aggression in the same manner that FW does vs SKT. Think about the one year SKT didn't make worlds after they were a team. Samsung teams either had THE BEST late game of any team in the world or had an early game so strong someone like SKT couldn't have the breathing room to recover from their early deficit. FW is kinda a light version of that Samsung team.
As for why FW can't repeat this against other teams with the same level of success? Perhaps some other regions (Hello China, hello UOL) are more used to playing the same style or playing against that style and can thus better respond to and predict it early. It's like they don't always make the mathematically most logical/optimal call (Skt and Korean teams in general expect the most optimal/logical action/reaction from an opponent). Other teams have someone in their region who regularly does this - to good (UOL, etc.) or bad (bot tier NA teams) effect; thus western and Chinese teams can more accurately predict this suboptimal less logical call and prepare for it or exploit it and be 2 steps ahead with a play of their own. Thus FW does not gain the same advantages off such plays on a REGULAR BASIS as they do vs SKT. And because of this, because other teams exploit or simply beat FW to the punch when they make these "unpredictable" aggressive plays vs other teams, they fall behind. Or they lose some focus/confidence and don't make as good of mid/late game calls as they otherwise would. Part of it has to be mental at this stage too. They go in with some level of expectation they are going to beat Korean teams while their history doesn't give them the same level of confidence vs other regions. Furthermore, they are regularly playing in Korean solo queue. Which gives them a better understanding of that region, it's tendencies, mentalities, habits, values for what's good/bad, etc. How do you beat your opponent? You either outclass them or you understand their strategies and punish them for the plays they make and don't make. So if skt can't outclass fw and they don't understand the early/mid game of fw well enough to respond properly all the time, they fall behind enough that fw can close the game out.
Pretty sure competitive is getting to the point where most teams can beat each other (or at least take a game or two in a Bo3/Bo5). The only teams lagging behind are the Wildcard teams that have only actually been paid a salary for a season or two (prior to which they were semi-pro/part-time competitive players who had jobs and/or university).
TSM took a game off Samsung White during Worlds 2014.
It Basically means absolutely nothing and nobody should care for FW beating SKT once during groups stage.
FW got completly obliterated by G2 during their second game, and that doesn't represent G2's true skill either. FW barely advanced to the next round.
Look at the facts and the history. FW have achieved nothing meaningful ever. They got an IEM tittle a long time ago against the Taipei Assassins, a team from their own region, then another IEM tittle against a very crappy G2 team that became the laughing stock of the League community for the longest time.
They faced Origen in the 2015 World Championship and got destroyed 3 - 1 and then failed to even make it out of groups in Worlds 2016.
I've never understood why people ever hype this team. Every tournament they get hype, and EVERY tournament they end up disappointing. What really needs to stop happening, is people hyping the LMS and particularly FW for no reason.
FW are a mediocre team from a mediocre region that offers them no competition and everyone hypes them for no reason. Lyon Gaming have won the Latin America North cup I think like 8 times, but domestic success means nothing when nobody offers you a challenge.
Karsa is really good, Maple is good. That doesn't make the entire team good.
If FW beat SKT on a series, then I'll eat my words and I won't EVER trash talk them ever again, but I don't think that'll happen. I actually think it's gonna be a 3 - 0 series in favor of SKT.
SKT have dropped single games to bad teams in the past. Single games do not represent the true level of a team. The day FW take a series of SKT, then we can talk about them growing up.
If it happens this weekend, I'll shut up forever.
