Millenium's Kottenx: Stepping out of the Shadows
Riot·5/19/2014, 9:52:48 PM·0 votes·1,317 views
Kottenx stood in Araneae's shadow long before he replaced the struggling jungler on Millenium's roster. After two and a half years of fighting to prove he deserves a spot in the LCS, he finally got his chance at the end of last Split when he became Millenium's starting jungler.
Kottenx wasn't deterred. Instead, he spearheaded a new team with other high-elo players in the region, including future teammates ForellenLord and Kerp. It only took the team one month and one tournament to impress Team Alternate enough to sign the entire roster.
Current Millenium support player, Jree, joined Kottenx on the squad soon after. Here, the current core of Millenium learned to play together for several months, honing their skills and synergy.
Kottenx fought hard to improve, and turned struggles faced into determination to be better. "When we lost to CJ Entus at IEM Cologne," he says, "it was at that moment I decided to practice a lot harder to become as good as they were."
But he never got the chance. One tournament later, Araneae and Kottenx once again crossed paths. But this time their roles were reversed: Kottenx was benched to let Araneae start in the jungler position.
Shortly after, Kottenx left to again try building his own team. His follow-up squad, Esport4Life (later called Samurai in Jeans), played together for several months and even qualified for the LCS 2012 Summer Promotion Tournament.
Team Alternate and Na'Vi gave Kottenx international experience, but he credits Esport4Life with developing his personal skills and shot-calling ability. However, an early loss to Copenhagen Wolves in the Promotion Tournament once again crushed Kottenx's LCS dreams. Following the defeat, the team disbanded in May 2013.
The break-up hit Kottenx hard, and for the first time since 2011, he didn't attempt to build a new team afterward. He went quiet for a year, playing solo and improving his skills while sitting on the sidelines in case his former teammates needed a jungle sub.
His patience paid off a year later, when Araneae suddenly announced his retirement in Week 10 of the Spring Split. For the third (and presumably last) time, Kottenx and Araneae passed the starting jungler position to one another.
"I had a lot of pressure going into Millenium,” Kottenx says. "Not only to fill Araneae's shoes but to also help the team get out of relegation."
On top of the pressure, there was a lot working against Kottenx's success. He hadn't played on a competitive team in over a year, and playing with familiar faces didn't help much. Kottenx says that his time playing with Kerp and crew was "so long ago that [they] didn't really have that great of synergy" when he started up with them again.
Millenium has an uphill battle in the EU LCS this split, where strong teams like Fnatic, ROCCAT, and Alliance are prepared to flex their muscle.
They barely avoided relegation with an epically long best-of-5-series with Ninjas in Pyjamas. Kottenx's 2.57 KDA in the series isn't particularly impressive, but he showed a lot of promise on Nocturne in games two and three. Alongside Kev1n's top lane Ryze, he appeared dominant and decisive. He's not as consistent as Kev1n yet, but he played decidedly well. Even in their losses, he found ways to be a part of plays and ensure kills for his team.
Remember, Kottenx still only has 8 LCS games under his belt, so inconsistency isn't surprising. He's spent the past several months analyzing his games and practicing in solo queue. He should come out better than ever in the kick-off matches of the Summer Split this week.
Josh Augustine's favorite champion is Thresh, he's never enjoyed a Darius, and he'll 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.
A Simple Start
Kottenx started playing LoL like the rest of us. A friend convinced him to try the game and he was instantly hooked. His love of the game fueled him to practice and improve his skills. Unlike most of us, however, Kottenx's skills carried him to professional-level tiers--something that surprised even him. "I never actually decided I wanted to go pro," he explains. "It just kind of happened. Once I climbed the solo queue ladder, I realized that I was one of the better players in Europe and that I could potentially be a pro gamer." He was a nomad at first, moving between three teams in his first five months as a pro. In May 2012, he landed a major gig with the Ukrainian esports organization Natus Vincere. Foreshadowing events that would happen two years later for Millenium, Kottenx replaced Araneae on this roster too. Although the team only stuck together for four months, Kottenx credits the experiences he gained here as extremely important for his future career. "I played in both OGN and Dreamhack with Na'vi," he says. "This was the first time I got to experience how it was to live with four other guys, practicing several hours every day, and playing on bigger stages. I think that helped me immensely for the future." They won a few tournaments, but failed to make it out of the group stage in their first premier tournament, The Champions Summer in Seoul. Natus Vincere immediately pulled the plug on the team and sent them packing.Carrying On
Kottenx wasn't deterred. Instead, he spearheaded a new team with other high-elo players in the region, including future teammates ForellenLord and Kerp. It only took the team one month and one tournament to impress Team Alternate enough to sign the entire roster.
Current Millenium support player, Jree, joined Kottenx on the squad soon after. Here, the current core of Millenium learned to play together for several months, honing their skills and synergy.
Kottenx fought hard to improve, and turned struggles faced into determination to be better. "When we lost to CJ Entus at IEM Cologne," he says, "it was at that moment I decided to practice a lot harder to become as good as they were."
But he never got the chance. One tournament later, Araneae and Kottenx once again crossed paths. But this time their roles were reversed: Kottenx was benched to let Araneae start in the jungler position.
Shortly after, Kottenx left to again try building his own team. His follow-up squad, Esport4Life (later called Samurai in Jeans), played together for several months and even qualified for the LCS 2012 Summer Promotion Tournament.
Team Alternate and Na'Vi gave Kottenx international experience, but he credits Esport4Life with developing his personal skills and shot-calling ability. However, an early loss to Copenhagen Wolves in the Promotion Tournament once again crushed Kottenx's LCS dreams. Following the defeat, the team disbanded in May 2013.
Back into the spotlight
The break-up hit Kottenx hard, and for the first time since 2011, he didn't attempt to build a new team afterward. He went quiet for a year, playing solo and improving his skills while sitting on the sidelines in case his former teammates needed a jungle sub.
His patience paid off a year later, when Araneae suddenly announced his retirement in Week 10 of the Spring Split. For the third (and presumably last) time, Kottenx and Araneae passed the starting jungler position to one another.
"I had a lot of pressure going into Millenium,” Kottenx says. "Not only to fill Araneae's shoes but to also help the team get out of relegation."
On top of the pressure, there was a lot working against Kottenx's success. He hadn't played on a competitive team in over a year, and playing with familiar faces didn't help much. Kottenx says that his time playing with Kerp and crew was "so long ago that [they] didn't really have that great of synergy" when he started up with them again.
The Fight To Stay Alive
Millenium has an uphill battle in the EU LCS this split, where strong teams like Fnatic, ROCCAT, and Alliance are prepared to flex their muscle.
They barely avoided relegation with an epically long best-of-5-series with Ninjas in Pyjamas. Kottenx's 2.57 KDA in the series isn't particularly impressive, but he showed a lot of promise on Nocturne in games two and three. Alongside Kev1n's top lane Ryze, he appeared dominant and decisive. He's not as consistent as Kev1n yet, but he played decidedly well. Even in their losses, he found ways to be a part of plays and ensure kills for his team.
Remember, Kottenx still only has 8 LCS games under his belt, so inconsistency isn't surprising. He's spent the past several months analyzing his games and practicing in solo queue. He should come out better than ever in the kick-off matches of the Summer Split this week.
Josh Augustine's favorite champion is Thresh, he's never enjoyed a Darius, and he'll 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.
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