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2014 NA LCS Summer Split Preview

Riot··0 votes·4,620 views

Now that the international stage has temporarily closed its curtains until the 2014 World Championships, teams are readying themselves for the impending summer split and the road to the playoffs. Let's take a look at all of the teams competing in the North American LCS and see what the future has in store for them.

If It Ain't Broke, Don't Fix It: Cloud 9

Cloud 9 successfully defended their title of Regional Champions during the spring split, securing the No. 1 spot with a record of 24-4 and a win streak of 18 games. Though they were unable to break their record from the previous season, C9's performance as a team throughout the split has been nothing short of stellar thanks to individual prowess and solid teamwork. At the 2014 All-Star, C9 further proved themselves a threat among international teams in the All-Star Invitational when they went 3-1 in the group stage, advancing to the semifinals.

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What sets apart C9 from other teams in the region is their ability to analyze and adjust well to change, whether it be a patch, new champions, or a shift in the meta. Amidst the whirlwind of roster changes wreaking havoc in North America during the offseason, C9 has made zero adjustments to their main lineup, remaining resolute and confident in their team, ready to take on whatever comes in the way of defending the throne. As two-time Regional Champs, C9 are the favorites coming into the summer split. However, with new, foreign talent joining the mix, C9 might finally get a challenge.

The End of an Era: Team SoloMid

Discontent with a second place finish in the spring split, TSM underwent major roster changes in the offseason, which is mildly surprising for a team with a win record of 22-6 and a lineup of innately talented players. Yes, TSM did an admirable job in the spring split with the addition of mid laner Soren "Bjergsen" Bjerg, who proved himself one of the strongest mid laners in the league, but even the Bjerger King wasn't enough for them to take down their adversaries C9 in the finals of the spring playoffs. TSM's heavy reliance on winning lane phase and their struggle to adjust to change left them vulnerable, and it was clear in their weak showing at the playoffs.

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What ensued in the offseason was unforeseen: jungler Brian "TheOddOne" Wyllie retired from professional gaming, and support player Alex "Xpecial" Chu was removed from the main roster. To replace these veterans, TSM picked up jungler Maurice "Amazing" Stuckenschneider, formerly of Copenhagen Wolves, and up-and-coming support Nicolas "Gleebglarbu" Haddad, formerly of Cloud 9 Tempest. TSM has gotten very far with individual talent, but talent alone can't do it all. With these two new players, TSM looks to finally cultivate the teamwork and communication necessary to rise to the top and sit upon the throne once again. However, there is a chance that Gleebglarbu's lack of experience and potential nerves may hinder TSM's efforts.

Seraph's Embrace: Counter Logic Gaming

Despite a chaotic start in the spring split caused by visa issues, CLG made the best of their circumstances and eventually emerged as a top threat in the North American LCS. They became known for strong laning, particularly with their duo of Yiliang "Doublelift" Peng and Zaqueri "Aphromoo" Black, and even stronger team fighting in the mid to late game. Dexter shone in his role as the jungler with impeccable Lee Sin plays, always appearing when needed, controlling objectives and the map with ease. CLG finished the spring split with a record of 18-10, going on to place third in the playoffs.

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CLG met a predicament in the offseason: Zach "Nien" Malhas stepped down from his starting position in the top lane. Immediately, management went on the hunt for a replacement with their eyes focused on international players. CLG eventually decided upon Shin "Seraph" Woo Yeong, former substitute player for NaJin White Shield. An air of mystery surrounds Seraph -- not much is known about him, his playstyle, or his synergy with CLG. Whether or not he will be instrumental in CLG's success and live up to the hype surrounding his acquisition will come to light this coming summer split.

Teamwork makes the dream work: Team Dignitas

The spring split was a tornado of inconsistency and instability for Team Dignitas. Though they were the first team to upset C9 in the split, Dignitas went on to win and lose erratically over the course of the season and struggled to keep up with the middle of the LCS pack. Despite early leads in several matches, Dignitas would falter due to late game mistakes, often throwing seemingly won games. Dignitas finished the season with a 12-16 win record, placing fifth in the playoffs, barely escaping relegation. [[{"fid":"8944","view_mode":"article_image","fields":{"format":"article_image","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":""},"type":"media","attributes":{"height":"315","width":"700","class":"media-element file-article-image"}}]]

Big changes took place in the offseason: William "Scarra" Li stepped back into a coaching position, and Cruz "Cruzerthebruzer" Ogden stepped down from his starting top lane position. Their replacements? Danny "Shiphtur" Le and Darshan "ZionSpartan" Upadhyaha of Team Coast. While picking up two highflying solo laners doesn't necessarily equate instant success, the acquisition of new blood may be a positive change for Dignitas. Shiphtur and ZionSpartan have proven they are capable of singlehandedly carrying teams, and they may be able to facilitate better playmaking and decision-making in Dignitas's late game.

Another One Bites the Dust: Team Curse

For a long time now, Team Curse has struggled to maintain a steady roster. During the 2014 spring split alone, ADC David "Cop" Roberson played with three different support players in the bottom lane. Inconsistency was also evident in individual performances as Curse's players would sometimes excel in their positions, and on other days fall apart. Curse finished the spring split with a win record of 11-17, going on to place fourth at the playoffs by defeating Team Dignitas (2-1) in the quarterfinals.

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Though it appeared as if Curse was finally finding its stride with Challenger player Michael "Bunny FuFuu" Kurylo as the main support player, the offseason opened up a new door to the team. Curse decided to pick up Xpecial of TSM and Bunny FuFuu subsequently moved to a substitute position. On paper, the acquisition of Xpecial looks entirely promising as he is one of the most experienced support players in the league. However, as with Dignitas, the acquisition of a superstar does not necessarily render success as Curse learned in the previous season when they produced middling results with European support player Edward "Edward" Abgaryan. But it is important to note that Curse is now a different team from last year, and with Xpecial, they may have finally found the winning roster they have sought after for so long.

A Future of Uncertainty: Evil Geniuses

Evil Geniuses struggled immensely in the spring split, winning only eight games over the course of eleven weeks of competitive play due to inconsistent play and a lack of cohesive teamwork. At the Summer Promotion Tournament, with the threat of relegation haunting them, EG stepped up to the plate and defeated Cloud 9 Tempest (3-1) to rejoin the North American LCS. But with the LCS competition looking tougher than ever, EG sought change during the offseason.

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Though nothing is set in stone, EG manager Brian "Guitar" Cordry admitted, "we're using this all-too-short off-season to try out a handful of players at a few key roles during our scrims. This does not necessarily mean we'll be making changes to the roster for next split, though it doesn't preclude that possibility." While EG's future is unclear, it is obvious that significant changes must be made if EG wants to remain relevant and keep up with the top teams in the league.

New Kids on the Block: LMQ

 

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As expected, Chinese imports LMQ completely dominated the competition in the NA Challenger Series and earned their spot in the NA LCS with a commanding 3-0 victory over XDG Gaming in the Summer Promotion Tournament. All eyes will be on this former Royal Club training team as they make their LCS debut in the summer split. Widely hyped and highly regarded as a formidable threat, LMQ is looking to decimate the North American competition and shake things up, and they have the talent and teamwork to do so.

A Story of Redemption: compLexity

After a blowout defeat to EG (0-3) in the Spring Promotion Tournament, compLexity (then known as Determined Gaming) sought redemption, participating in the Challenger Series to get their second chance during the Summer Promotion Tournament. In a close series, compLexity defeated Team Coast (3-1) to join the North American LCS. If compLexity wants to keep up with the big dogs, they will need the experienced veterans like Jonathan "Westrice" Nguyen or Neil "PR0LLY" Hammad to step up in a leadership role and Ram "Brokenshard" Djemal to continue being the backbone of the team, controlling the map and objectives as the jungler.

Stories to Watch

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Offseason Roster Changes

Quiet moments were a rarity between the spring and summer splits, with explosions of team changes, retirements, and player trades. Nearly every team in the NA LCS experienced a significant change and the fans are all excited to see who will come out on top following such a tumultuous offseason.

The Foreigners Are Coming

More and more foreigners are seeping into the region, subsequently upping the skill level of the LCS competition and urging hometown heroes to step up their game. The summer split will welcome Amazing of Copenhagen Wolves, Seraph of NaJin White Shield, and an entire team of Chinese talent (LMQ), including Yu "XiaoWeiXiao" Xian and Li "Vasilii" Wei-Jun. Will these foreigners live up to the hype surrounding their names, or will they ultimately falter against North America's established players?

Rivalries Flare Again

We will get to see how the old rivalry between C9 and TSM pans out this summer split now that TSM has picked up two new players. The current record between C9 and TSM is vastly in favor of C9, but there is a chance Amazing and Gleebglarbu will help even the playing field. Another matchup to keep an eye on is that between TSM and their former support player Xpecial. Trading Xpecial to Team Curse stirred enormous controversy in the community, and many fans decried team owner Andy "Reginald" Dinh's decision. Will TSM regret giving up Xpecial, or will they find more success with Gleebglarbu?

Be There!

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Be sure to grab your tickets for the NA LCS 2014 summer split now! The games will begin on Friday, May 23 at 12:00PM PST, starting with Cloud 9 vs. Team SoloMid as the opening match.

Comment below to let us know who you think will win the 2014 NA LCS summer split. Will C9 defend their title once again, or will someone else rise to the challenge? For more information on the summer split, check out lolesports.com.

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37 Comments

Gileann13 votes

If there is one thing NA does not lack, it's stories. Every team has a reason to root for or against, depending on where your allegiance(s) lie.

Saint Latona10 votes

The USA ain't known as the "melting pot" of cultures for nothing.

im Cris4 votes

True, but i hate how other regions criticize NA for taking in the foreign players and not having "true" North American talent. Except for Cloud 9 of course.

C9 Scott Free 3 votes

TBH I am disappointed in our lack of looking into the challenger scene for talent. The over reliance on other regions just proves our own region is weak.

Ryloth1 votes

all the players on exsisting teams are ranked in challenger. The pro scene is made up of the challenger scene already, how much more can we look into it?

General Ginge6 votes

It used to be a melting pot. It is a "tossed salad" now. People come from all over, but maintain their cultures and don't fully assimilate.

Jathiel9 votes

Not gonna lie, I am probably more excited for this split than any other prior split. I feel like the competition and skill will be much higher compared to past splits.

Serenthia Shae5 votes

i kinda feel the same way.. Hope the scene want be as one-sided as the two last splits... With Dignitas picking up Zion and Shiphtur, Curse picking up Xpecial, TSM hopefully solving their leadership problems, LMQ joining the league, CLG getting a new top lamer from the best region in the world, and C9 changing nothing what so ever; it seems promising for most teams. Hopefully most teams will show up better now; and give C9 a run for their money. Can't wait till may 23. :)

Puppy Shark7 votes

I watch NA LCS not for the game nor the big play, I watch it for the players and the rivalry.

Ssataniko5 votes

If EVIL GENIUSES changes it's roster the two weakest members of the team are clearly YellowPete and Snoopeh. But will they have the guts to send both packing back to EU? Or will they more likely find fault in Innox and Pobelter, the two players that saved them from relegation?

Yustice3 votes

Was thinking the same exact thing

Puppy Shark4 votes

No hate on pobeltor, but what EG need is the return of the Froggen.

Ryloth1 votes

What Froggen needs is to stay the hell away from that dying team

Darkwind1 votes

Yeah, ever since Season 2 Pete, Snoopeh, and Krepo have all been underwhelming. The correct thing to do in my view at this point really would be to find solid replacements for at least Snoopeh and Pete, as I could see an argument at the least for keeping Krepo on. Truth be told though, EG's backbone in Season 3 was Froggen. Without him, they seem lost. They have never had the highest level of mechanical skill overall, and it now seems clear that their old grasp of strategy isn't serving them well. They need to find an entirely new identity in order to be successful, and after a year and a half of trying to find one on their own, it seems likely that they will need a significantly different core lineup in order to find one.

kon131 votes

The positions that were in tryout were the bottom lane and jungle. Krepo deffinitelly deserves to be therebut about the other two i'm not sure..Anyway to answer, no they wont find fault in Innox and Pob and they are deffinitelly in the team

ScarletEzreal3 votes

Overall, compared to last split, this split showcases a balanced team roster. Every team looks really good right now.

Derpus the Fifth5 votes

People were saying the same thing at the beginning of last split as well though. I remember listening to people tell me how amazing the new Curse Lineup was going to be at the beginning of last season, or how EG was going to dominate the NA scene.

NGdontdie1 votes

Last season curse started strong with 7 straight wins i believe its curse they always melt down. its there Curse.

Nezqa2 votes

LMQ have improved an amazing amount as a team throughout the spring Challenger Series. Before the spring split started, LMQ played 3 consecutive games against TSM in an unofficial series, which they eventually lost (the series can be found on Sullla's Youtube channel). It was a close series for the most part back then; going into the summer split, I think LMQ have the potential to be one of the top 3 or 4 teams in the region. I wish them luck :)

Phadafi2 votes

I believe this split will be a lot more competitive than the last one. Seraph looks way better than Nien. The new TSM roster is promising and LMQ looks amazing. Dignitas filled its worse positions with the best players of Coast, and with Xpecial, Curse will finally have a real bot lane. CompLexity also looks strong.

The only team without changes and that I don't see much future in it is EG.

ScarletEzreal1 votes

First we have a chinese team in NA (LMQ), now we're seeing CLG with a korean top laner... Things are really heating up here xD

Swell76441 votes

People shouldn't get too hyped up about CLGs new top laner, me thinks. No one has seen him play and he was only on a sub position. It is something that we should keep an eye on though.

Phadafi2 votes

Don't forget that Seraph was the sub for NaJiN White Shield, which is nowadays probably the best team in Korea (and by assumption the world). The experience and game knowledge he will bring cannot be underestimated either.

kon131 votes

He was a sub of Save i think.. So yeah he was a sub, but being a sub to one of the best toplaners in the world isn't really bad. The only game he played was vs Samsung Ozone and kaned against Looper. He won his lane but his team lost the game. He was #17 in Korean Ladder (believe me that proves he is really really good). P.s. we have seen him playing and he is very good just overextends a bit which i dont believe he will do in LCS + Darius was heard in oddones stream saying Seraph is the only person that solokilled him a couple of times

aznman9081 votes

Motecristo is conducted the korean hype train... CLG getting a korean player doesn't surprise me XD

Lord Boobington1 votes

I'm so excited to see Seraph in the LCS. He's killing it in the NA solo queue ladder.

350ZBra1 votes

SO HYPED!!!! Jinx

CeeJem1 votes

My prediction would be:

  1. CLG
  2. C9
  3. TSM
  4. LMQ
  5. Dignitas
  6. Curse
  7. EG
  8. Complexity

I just hope that the games are close like in EU

im Cris1 votes

Cloud 9 is not going to be 2nd, sorry.

MazterPK2 votes

Yeah probably 4th or 5th

CaptainAlbania1 votes

The thing that makes this all so exciting is that LoL is a zero sum game. All these teams want to same thing: to be the best and get to worlds. But not all of them are going to make it but we get to witness their epic struggle.

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