A brief history of Counter Logic Gaming

They say that faith is about taking the first step even if you can’t see the whole staircase. Well, in the case of Counter Logic Gaming, they didn’t even know there was a staircase.

The fans, players, and management alike have ridden a rollercoaster of Promotional Tournaments, fines, and Regional Championships. These are the battle scars that you’d expect from the oldest organization in professional League of Legends. Through every bump and hiccup the fans have remained unwaveringly loyal.

So what have CLG done to keep the faith, even when storms are raging all around them? If we were going to start the story anywhere, we might as well start with this guy...

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George “HotshotGG” Georgallidis is the founder of CLG, a team that was born back in April 2010. At the time he was one of the most popular League of Legends streamers, with more than a handful of current players finding inspiration from his stream. He was the first player to abuse teleports, and Sang-hyeok “Faker” Lee even once said that HotshotGG was better than him on LeBlanc -- though the translation is open to interpretation.

After going through various iterations, the first stable roster CLG would settle on was HotshotGG, Sam “Kobe24” Hartman, Michael “bigfatlp” Tang, Steve “Chauster” Chau, and Cody “Elementz” Sigfusson.

The start of something big

At the World Cyber Games in 2010 CLG took on SK Gaming (who played as IWEARACAPEIRL -- yep, the good ole days) and ran a truly outrageous comp that consisted of Taric, Garen and Amumu -- three champions who we haven’t seen for years in competitive play. They would also win the Newegg Winter Wanfest, beating Korean team Team OP in the finals.

It was around this time that TSM was born. A falling out between Andy “Reginald” Dinh and HotshotGG spurred Reginald to start his own team, birthing one of the oldest rivalries in esports.

Before Season 1 was over CLG would lose Kobe24, who would go on to be the fabulous caster that we know and love today. He was replaced by Brandon “Saintvicious” DiMarco -- a talented jungler and leader who would play with the team in the Season 1 World Championship. CLG was knocked out by the eventual winners Fnatic, thanks to the arrival of Enrique “Xpeke” Cedeno Martinez, who had initially missed his flight and did not compete in the group stages of the competition.

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The sting from losing in the World Championships didn’t last long, as CLG’s form sparked up again during the Season 2 preseason. They would place highly in several major tournaments, including two 1st place finishes  -- one of which was IEM Cologne, where they would face TSM in the finals. After losing the first game CLG came back and claimed the series 2-1, fanning the flames of the rivalry and thrilling their fans.

Double down

If Season 2 was going to be anything like their preseason then CLG fans were in for smooth sailing. There was one roster shake up, with Elementz being dropped and Chauster moving to support so they could make room for the most influential player in the history of the organization.

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Yiliang “Doublelift” Peng was a young, outspoken ADC who wasn’t afraid of trash talk -- after all, he had insanely good mechanics to back it up. His only downfall was an overall lack of game intelligence. He flashed into fights no sane man would take, and his macro understanding of the game was poor. Though, under the seasoned guidance of Chauster, he would develop into a strong laner. His time with Chauster was the initial building block of his journey to becoming one of the best ADCs in North America.

Season 2 was a mixed bag for CLG. They would lose to Moscow Five in the Semifinals of IEM Hanover and TSM at IPL 4 Las Vegas. The rivalry was starting to tip in the other direction. In the middle of the Season, Saintvicious was dropped from the team for behavioral issues and a growing tension between him and HotshotGG. He was replaced by Joedat “Voyboy” Esfahani, who was widely regarded as the best top laner in North America at the time.

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HotshotGG moved into the jungle in favor of Voyboy at top, but they still couldn’t topple TSM. CLG was one of the best in North America, but that illusive number one spot was always just out of reach. It almost seemed like they were becoming content to remain in 2nd place.

At the Season 2 Regional Finals CLG would suffer a Semifinal loss to Team Dignitas. In the all important 3rd place match that would see them automatically qualify for the inaugural LCS Split and head to the Season 2 World Championship, CLG took on Team Curse. CLG would beat Team Curse 2-0, securing their spot in the NA LCS and Season 2 Worlds, where they would fail to find success, finishing behind Azubu Frost and Invictus Gaming in the group stage.

Born to runner up

In the offseason CLG experienced another game of roster musical chairs. Voyboy left the team, with HotshotGG moving back into top lane and Chauster moving into the jungle. Austin “Link” Shin stepped up from CLG Black into the mid lane and Zaqueri “Aphromoo” Black took over support duties.

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People became increasingly critical of HotshotGG and his ability to only play a small champion pool. He had once been fantastic on carry top laners, but had evolved into a utility player -- something that was limiting CLG in their team compositions. Their 2nd place foothold was slipping and they finished the 2013 Spring Split in 5th.

According to Matt “MaTTcom” Marikian, general manager of CLG, this was largely due to the evolution of the game. “The stresses of a regular Season were new to everyone at the time and some organizations adapted more quickly than others. Either by sheer talent, chemistry or active learning. We had access to some great talent but weren’t able to leverage, and focus, them effectively for a variety of reasons.”

After years of being on the active roster HotshotGG finally made the decision to step down before the start of the 2013 Summer Split.

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Aphromoo also left the team, with Chauster moving back to support and bigfatlp returning to the team but in the jungle. Zach “Nientonsoh” Malhas became their new top lane and they would even pick up Christopher “MonteCristo” Mykles as coach.

Matt had nothing but praise for Monte. “He knows the game inside and out and was a tremendous resource for the players to utilize. His strong personality and confidence were exactly what our team of both cocky up-and-coming talents and established veterans needed to get them in line and training effectively.”

Even with the help of their high profile coach the inability to hold down a consistent roster was starting hurt the team. For every change they made, it felt as though the team cohesion was becoming a distant memory. Another poor performance in the Summer Split made 2013 their first year not to attend Worlds.

Can’t keep it down

Another offseason, another ‘revamped’ roster. Thus was becoming the cycle of CLG. Chauster retired and Aphromoo returned to support. Marcel “Dexter” Feldcamp became the new jungler and the 2014 Spring Split would start as shaky as you would expect it to, with CLG losing four of their opening six games.

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However, as the Split wore on things started to look better and better. A team that had become known for failing to capitalize on its potential was actually starting to improve and work together as a unit. They finished in 3rd place, the best ever result for CLG in the LCS. But, despite their strong finish, public opinion turned critical against Nientonsoh, who many saw as underperforming. He made the decision to step down from the team and CLG was again forced to deal with roster changes.

Wu-yeong “Seraph” Shin took over as their new starting top laner. They sat in the middle of the pack until Week 4, when victories against Cloud9 and Complexity Gaming would jump them up into 1st place, a position they held until Week 9.

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Some people thought it might have finally been CLG's time to shine. Matt was cautiously optimistic. “I was aware that this was not indicative of overall performance in a year-long Season. Consistent improvement and adaptation was what would carry us to long-term success, and that would require addressing internal issues and dynamics to maintain performance.”

It was these internal issues that saw their run of good form evaporate, and by the end of Playoffs they slid all the way down to 6th place, forcing them into Promotion/Relegation.

“That was truly the darkest timeline. Despite this adversity, however, the team remained hungry for the opportunity to prove that this situation would not define them, their careers or their future.”

From 1st place to potentially being relegated was a hell of a slump. MonteCristo resigned as coach -- coaching from Korea wasn’t going to be an option moving forward -- and the oldest organization in League was forced to fight for their place in the LCS. In a Bo5 against Curse Academy, CLG lost their first two games. Their future in the LCS came down to one game.

Miraculously, they managed to claw their way back with a reverse sweep to hold onto their spot in the LCS. “They dug deep and I was extremely proud of them. So, despite the context of the situation, the result was extremely positive. Once you face that kind of adversity you can do almost anything.”

They could only go up from there. But, it wouldn’t be a CLG story without a few more bumps in the road.

Can’t catch a break

These bumps came to the surface as CLG picked up William “Scarra” Li as coach, Jake “Xmithie” Puchero and Darshan “ZionSpartan” Upadhyaya. In the instance of Scarra and Darshan, they violated the LCS anti-tampering/poaching provisions and CLG was fined $10,000 and $2,000 respectively, with Doublelift being fined an additional $2,500. What’s more is Darshan would miss the opening game of the LCS, and Scarra would miss the opening three. It was a kick in the teeth for a team that had already been through hell.

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Despite all the hurdles they had  overcome to get there, CLG managed to finish the 2015 Spring Split in 3rd place, narrowly missing out on a bye into the Semifinals of the Regional Championships after a 2nd place tiebreaker with Cloud9. Their Playoffs form would again rear its ugly head and CLG were swept 3-0 by Team Liquid.

After the Split Link resigned from the team. He released a public statement, aka the “Donezo Manifesto”, in which he heavily criticised CLG and his former teammates. It served as a huge wakeup call for fans of CLG, as the subsequent fallout resulted in just about everyone who had ever played under the CLG banner releasing their own statements in regards to the manifesto, muddying the ground and becoming a PR nightmare.

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To replace Link, CLG brought in Jae-hyun “Huhi” Choi and Eugene “Pobelter” Park, with the idea that they would rotate the mid lane duties -- a NA version of SKT's Faker and Easyhoon. However, Pobelter ended up playing every game in the Summer Split, leading CLG to their best-ever LCS record. They finished the Regular Season in 2nd place behind Team Liquid and earned a Playoff bye into the Semifinals. There, they swept Team Impulse -- only to meet their old rivals TSM in the Finals.

It couldn’t have been scripted any better. The two oldest teams in the LCS. CLG -- still fighting after falling off the radar, struggling with internal conflicts, clawing out of Promotional Tournaments, eating fines, and adapting to a swath of roster changes -- versus the powerhouse TSM in the Finals.

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“The momentum was in our favor, and, despite our struggles throughout the season, there was the sense that everything the team had fought for was within reach. The rivalry, the history of the players and the teams meant nothing. The team showed up to play their game. TSM just happened to be there.”

Thanks to amazing performances by Pobelter on Viktor, a fantastic Yasuo counterpick by Darshan, and a Pentakill from Doublelift, CLG would walk away as NA LCS Champions for the first time. It truly was a golden age.

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In the lead up to Worlds 2015 CLG had a ton of hype behind them. They were the best team in North America, and were in a group that was widely considered the weakest group at Worlds. They had a great performance in the first week, beating paiN Gaming and Flash Wolves. Then it all fell apart. CLG failed to win a single game in the second week of competition, finishing last in their group and heading home from Europe early.

The rupture

The offseason would see one of the biggest roster changes in LCS history. Doublelift was dropped from CLG for behavior issues, something that wasn't taken lightly considering he was practically the face of CLG. Past dirt and a history of infighting was dug up again, and the CLG of old looked dangerously close to the horizon.

Within days of being dropped from CLG, Doublelift would sign as the new ADC for rivals TSM, while back in the CLG camp Pobelter was let go in favor of Huhi.

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The face of a Championship Winning team changed overnight. Doublelift would for the first time step out onto the LCS stage without a CLG jersey. Pobelter would move on to Immortals and CLG would now be starting two rookies in Huhi and Trevor “Stixxay” Hayes. It was a move that some people thought would send CLG back to their middle of the pack form.

The future

Instead, as of Week 6 in the NA LCS they hold onto 2nd place with a record of 8-4. Their composition has stayed roughly the same -- a macro-heavy focused team with surprising picks and an emphasis on lane-swaps and the early game. Their rookies are both out-performing expectations and the team seems more united than ever.

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As to the future of the team, Matt has high hopes.

“We want all of our professionals to evolve as players and as people. To have enriching experiences that we can share with our fans and the entirety of the esports community. We have such a unique and amazing opportunity to do great things and we want to show what it takes to get there. Our success at MSG was so amazing precisely because we had such an intense struggle. From relegation to championship within a year, how awesome is that? I don’t think there’s a more compelling story in all of esports.”

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While losing two of their star players might have been detrimental in the short term, long term it seems like this could be the best move for the organization. Burying the in-fighting of the past in favor of a holistic future. And who knows? They might be the only team capable of tearing a chink in Immortals armor.

Tune in to lolesports.com for Week 7 of the 2016 Spring Split as CLG take on Immortals and Cloud9 in a weekend that could very well decide who takes 2nd place, and share you favorite CLG memories below!