Dig shifts, but Shiphtur stays strong

With a new season comes new stars and new stories. Here is one of the players you should look out for in 2015! Team: Team Dignitas Region: North America Position: Mid What happened to Shiphtur, one of the best mid laners in North America at the start of last split? While Team Dignitas started off strong, they just couldn't keep the steam going. “Last season we did very well the first half of the split. Our first loss came as a shock and had a huge hit to the team's mentality," Shiphtur remembers. "This spiraled out of control towards the end of the split, which led to our abysmal performance at the end.” With a disappointing finish to the regular season and playoffs, Shiphtur still managed to have the best KDA in the Summer Split, but according to him this had less to do with his mid lane prowess and more to do with the feeling that he couldn't take risks and let his team down. “I played really passive for the second half of the split. I believe this was due to how our team dynamic was and how our team worked internally, it led to me playing like the 'rock' of the team.” Dignitas has made a lot of changes between the Summer and upcoming Spring splits, and Shiphtur's mentality is certainly one. “In the 2015 season I'll be looking to get back to my roots and try to gain the title of 'Best Mid Lane NA.'” The actual team lineup has changed quite a bit as well, with the departure of QTPie and ZionSpartan. Shiphtur believes that one of the team's top priorities will be leading new players Gamsu and Core JJ “to the top of the rankings.” He thinks the new lineup will be a chance to define clear leadership roles and establish a better strategy for shot calling. “In the past there has been a lot of in-game conflict that led to poor shot calling and strategy, both of which we are looking to improve this season.” The new lineup will be looking for a start as strong as last split, with the communication to keep it going for the whole season. Shiphtur has already proven that he can keep a strong performance and KDA even when the team falls behind, but this season could bring more opportunities for him to really step up. His performance last split and Dignitas' promising roster swaps make Shiphtur a player to watch in 2015. Check out the full list of players to watch in 2015 right here.