Back from the brink: Xmithie returns to the LCS
Riot·2/14/2015, 9:04:36 PM·0 votes·8,183 views
The higher you fly, the harder you fall.
After an average debut season in the 2013 Spring Split, Jake “Xmithie” Puchero and the other members of Team Vulcun went on to place third in both the Spring and Summer Playoffs, and were the only team to take a game off of Fnatic at Worlds during the Group Stage. They were all set to establish themselves as one of North America's premier LCS squads, up there with Cloud9 and Team SoloMid, but it wasn’t meant to be. Their rebranding to XDG Gaming came with a dramatic dip in performance, ending with their relegation from the LCS by the following Spring Split's end.
But sometimes, a break is all you need. Xmithie came back to League eventually, and found his love for the game come flooding back. His return came in time to be noticed by CLG's new coach William “Scarra” Li, who began scouting for new members after the team escaped relegation. Scarra approached Xmithie about trying out, and he proved to be exactly what the team was looking for.
This trust extends into the game itself. When asked what he brings to the table that CLG lacked before, Xmithie emphasized the absolute faith he has in his teammates. “The threats are in every lane. You can gank any lane you want, and you're reliant on them and you expect them to carry.” With the shotcalling responsibilities split among all members of the team, and a player capable of carrying in each lane, CLG may finally have separated itself from its “Protect-Doublelift-or-bust” legacy once and for all.
That said, Xmithie acknowledges their team still has room to grow. “Usually we do really really well early game. Midgame, there's conflicting calls and usually we have one throw every game. It might not be that much, but it's big for us because we need to have the perfect game if we want to be consistent.” If they can find that consistency for one more week, Xmithie will reach a height he's never reached before: #1 in the North American LCS standings.
There's still a lot of League left to be played, but one thing's already abundantly clear even after only three weeks. Xmithie's back, and he's here to stay.
Falling from grace
Though he attempted to re-qualify for LCS multiple times after that, Xmithie felt his motivation slipping away. “We just kept losing...so we were kinda down. Everyone had no motivation, especially me. Even after relegations I tried out for some other teams, a couple LCS teams, and I wasn't really feeling it. My play wasn't that good. I felt like even if I joined a team I wouldn't be doing well, so I took a break.”
But sometimes, a break is all you need. Xmithie came back to League eventually, and found his love for the game come flooding back. His return came in time to be noticed by CLG's new coach William “Scarra” Li, who began scouting for new members after the team escaped relegation. Scarra approached Xmithie about trying out, and he proved to be exactly what the team was looking for.
In CLG we trust
While putting together their new roster, CLG was very open about what they were looking for. Attempting to avoid repeating past mistakes, friendship and synergy were to be prioritized above all else. And according to Xmithie, that's exactly what defines the new squad. “It feels like when I was still in the Vulcun days. Everyone's just having fun, and after the game we hang out and do stuff together. It's a really good atmosphere. We have our fights sometimes, but it's good. You can argue what's wrong, and people will understand it and they'll improve on it.”
This trust extends into the game itself. When asked what he brings to the table that CLG lacked before, Xmithie emphasized the absolute faith he has in his teammates. “The threats are in every lane. You can gank any lane you want, and you're reliant on them and you expect them to carry.” With the shotcalling responsibilities split among all members of the team, and a player capable of carrying in each lane, CLG may finally have separated itself from its “Protect-Doublelift-or-bust” legacy once and for all.
That said, Xmithie acknowledges their team still has room to grow. “Usually we do really really well early game. Midgame, there's conflicting calls and usually we have one throw every game. It might not be that much, but it's big for us because we need to have the perfect game if we want to be consistent.” If they can find that consistency for one more week, Xmithie will reach a height he's never reached before: #1 in the North American LCS standings.
There's still a lot of League left to be played, but one thing's already abundantly clear even after only three weeks. Xmithie's back, and he's here to stay.
