Moving Out West: The Korean Transplants
Riot·7/15/2014, 9:53:19 PM·0 votes·1,769 views
In the summer split of the NA LCS in 2013, Team Curse’s acquisition of Gambit Gaming’s Edward was viewed as a shock, as the Armenian support would cross the Atlantic to play in a completely foreign region. Once he’d broken the international seal, the floodgates were open for players to jump across regions. It was only a matter of time, therefore, that the search for fresh talent would eventually turn to Korea.
The mass migration of talented Korean players began with Brazil’s Keyd Stars and their acquisition of Winged and SuNo, two players who found their start in the NaJin and SK Telecom T1 organizations. This transfer paved the way for many more Korean players to find a career overseas, and indeed, Korean players have found places in every major region with the exception of Europe. Coaches have also made their ways from the Korean scene, including well-known names such as MakNooN and Hiro.
In SHRC’s case, the addition of two Korean transplants - InSec and Zero - has significantly bolstered the team’s ability to create an early lead. As an All-Star jungler who was undefeated at the recent IEM Katowice, InSec’s raw influence on the early game has catapulted SHRC to success.
North America is also seeing the impact of the Korean scene on their turf. Counter Logic Gaming manager Kelby May notes “amazing work ethic” in Seraph, adding that he “sticks to a schedule very well”. May’s comments suggest that the benefits of acquiring Korean talent may extend past pure gameplay, into work ethic and training.
Yet, the acquisition of Helios by North America’s Evil Geniuses hasn’t affected their struggle to escape the bottom of the standings. Though the jungler has been impressive in his individual play, EG has shown that a high-caliber Korean is not necessarily a miracle drug, and that improvement will require more than just a new jungler.
While we certainly cannot ignore the influence of strong Korean transfers on their teams, an undeniable barrier to improvement is the language gap that exists between Korean players and their foreign teams. Though some teams have elected to deal with this by recruiting Korean players with a decent understanding of the local language (such as Invictus Gaming’s YongSoo), a grasp of the basics may not be enough.
In the case of CLG, manager Kelby May admits that Seraph’s imperfect understanding of English “keeps him from contributing to strategy discussions and understanding them in a very serious way”, a possible caveat for any teams looking to recruit Korean talent.
Teams looking towards Korea for future roster changes must think carefully about how much they are willing to invest in training a Korean player in a new region, knowing that results are never guaranteed in an evolving game like League of Legends. For now, however, the exodus of Koreans towards other regions shows no signs of slowing down, with China’s WE Academy recently announcing the acquisition of two highly-regarded amateur players in Hanlabong and MickeyGod.
As Korean players seek fortune and fame in foreign countries, they bring expertise, knowledge, and talent into regions who may be struggling to find that same level of play. While the road to international glory may be rocky, many Korean transfers have decided to stake their careers overseas regardless. The drive of these players and the commitment of their teams will undoubtedly shape the global stage in months to come.
Gods or Mortals?
Considering Korea’s dominant international performance from Season 3 onwards, it is obvious that there is merit in recruiting players who trace their origins to the world’s strongest region. China’s Star Horn Royal Club in particular have benefited considerably from their acquisition of Korean players, showing marked improvement in comparison to previous seasons. Guided by newly-hired Korean coach VicaL, SHRC have moved from 6th place in LPL Spring to 1st place off the back of ex-KT Rolster players InSec and Zero.
In SHRC’s case, the addition of two Korean transplants - InSec and Zero - has significantly bolstered the team’s ability to create an early lead. As an All-Star jungler who was undefeated at the recent IEM Katowice, InSec’s raw influence on the early game has catapulted SHRC to success.
North America is also seeing the impact of the Korean scene on their turf. Counter Logic Gaming manager Kelby May notes “amazing work ethic” in Seraph, adding that he “sticks to a schedule very well”. May’s comments suggest that the benefits of acquiring Korean talent may extend past pure gameplay, into work ethic and training.
Yet, the acquisition of Helios by North America’s Evil Geniuses hasn’t affected their struggle to escape the bottom of the standings. Though the jungler has been impressive in his individual play, EG has shown that a high-caliber Korean is not necessarily a miracle drug, and that improvement will require more than just a new jungler.
While we certainly cannot ignore the influence of strong Korean transfers on their teams, an undeniable barrier to improvement is the language gap that exists between Korean players and their foreign teams. Though some teams have elected to deal with this by recruiting Korean players with a decent understanding of the local language (such as Invictus Gaming’s YongSoo), a grasp of the basics may not be enough.
In the case of CLG, manager Kelby May admits that Seraph’s imperfect understanding of English “keeps him from contributing to strategy discussions and understanding them in a very serious way”, a possible caveat for any teams looking to recruit Korean talent.
Into the Future
Despite mixed results from Korean players on foreign teams, it must be remembered that the acquisition of any player is typically a long-term strategy. New players must always be given time to settle into a team and construct their play around the team’s dynamics, as evidenced by teams like NaJin White Shield and their slowly-evolving roster. The act of recruiting Korean talent can be likened to planting a high-quality seed, and every seed requires careful nurture before it can yield fruit. If these seeds sprout, however, spectators can expect to see an explosion in the level of competition across the world. Currently, Brazil is experiencing rapid improvement in the local scene as Keyd Stars and paiN Gaming raise the bar with their Korean players. In comparatively stronger regions such as North America and China, Korean transplants are still adjusting to their new teams, so their overall impact remains to be seen.
Teams looking towards Korea for future roster changes must think carefully about how much they are willing to invest in training a Korean player in a new region, knowing that results are never guaranteed in an evolving game like League of Legends. For now, however, the exodus of Koreans towards other regions shows no signs of slowing down, with China’s WE Academy recently announcing the acquisition of two highly-regarded amateur players in Hanlabong and MickeyGod.
As Korean players seek fortune and fame in foreign countries, they bring expertise, knowledge, and talent into regions who may be struggling to find that same level of play. While the road to international glory may be rocky, many Korean transfers have decided to stake their careers overseas regardless. The drive of these players and the commitment of their teams will undoubtedly shape the global stage in months to come.
