Taipei Assassins Acquire Chawy and Winds
Riot·5/31/2014, 12:49:10 AM·1 votes·1,665 views
The Taipei Assassins' back-to-back GPL Championship titles have conclusively proven that they're back in form – if not on the same level as their original Season 2 roster, then at least as the leading and undisputed rulers of Southeast Asia. But it appears as if winning the local title alone isn't enough. In the interim between winning the spring title and start of the summer, the team has undergone massive roster changes, striking even unto the very identity of the (formerly) all-Taiwanese team.
Though Chawy was acquired before All-Star Paris, he wasn't put on the main roster – and may not see play for quite a while longer yet. As of now, he works primarily in the background, as a team adviser and analyst. "We feel he can help our team to be better mentally, though he's not part of the starting lineup yet because he has not been able to play with us in recent games. Maybe in a month he'll have a new game style and will get TPA to learn more strategies, but he won't be playing at the current moment."
Despite fans’ hopes, Winds stepping in might not be the strict upgrade many would assume. "The major advantage that Winds has is that he's extremely good with Lee Sin and Elise, better than myself," explained DinTer. " He puts more emphasis on those two champions, and he's better at being aggressive and ganking lanes."
But the team's coach noted that the same strengths had been pursued by DinTer as well, and if Winds doesn’t expand his pool, it be a ticking time bomb in the making. "[DinTer] does feel frustrated because he's told he can only play specific champions. He's actually been secretly practicing a lot with aggressive champions like Elise and Lee Sin. However, these two champions have been getting nerfed in almost every patch. He sees that the game environment will not be friendly to these two champions in the coming future. So while he's tried to learn them, he feels that they're going to get weaker later on."
Unfortunately, he won't have the chance to prove whether his champion pool and skills can improve enough by October. In fact, his time in pro gaming's spotlight may be over. "For current and future plans, DinTer will be going to the military, as it's mandatory for a year in Taiwan," explained Fluidwinds. "After his military service, he plans to come back to League of Legends to find a career within the esports environment. He's still not quite sure what kind of job he'll be pursuing."
With a major roster change - and their sister team kicked out of the GPL entirely - the Taipei Assassins may face their hardest split of the year. Not only must they adapt two new players into the team's dynamics, but re-adjust their early tactics.
Winds and the rest of the team will have to find a way to fill the shotcaller role, since DinTer previously filled that role for the team. Notably, both the Assassins and Snipers had historically stumbled with the removal of a shotcaller, casting a new element of doubt upon their summer performance. How well they finish will also decide the fate of the Taipei Snipers – though the sibling team had consistently placed in the semifinals, the summer circuit point distribution carries greater weight, potentially knocking them out of the qualifying playoffs.
It remains to be seen if the Assassins will fare as well as they had. Though Winds' contribution to the successful periods of both Gamania Bears and Taipei Snipers were noteworthy, this is now his third team in two years, and the chemistry that defined the Bears' miraculous Worlds qualification is not guaranteed to transfer over.
The Garena Premier League returns this June, as the Taipei Assassins attempt to secure their third regional championship title in a row.
The Ultimatum
"In Chawy's case, TSM had asked him if he wanted to do a tryout in order to become their new mid laner," said TPA coach Fluidwinds, illuminating a previously unknown chapter in the Singaporean player's career. "However, they wanted him to pay for his own plane ticket for the tryout because they weren't sure if he'd be a good fit for them." The veteran North American team famously settled on Danish star Bjergsen. Meanwhile, Chawy was looking for any safe harbor in the wake of the Singapore Sentinels' dissolution. "Also, SGS played very poorly in the last season, so he told his team that if they didn't shape up, he'd go off to play for another team. On that note, we invited Chawy to join TPA as well, as we believe he can play very well in the big international games."
Though Chawy was acquired before All-Star Paris, he wasn't put on the main roster – and may not see play for quite a while longer yet. As of now, he works primarily in the background, as a team adviser and analyst. "We feel he can help our team to be better mentally, though he's not part of the starting lineup yet because he has not been able to play with us in recent games. Maybe in a month he'll have a new game style and will get TPA to learn more strategies, but he won't be playing at the current moment."
Triage
Chawy wasn't TPA’s major acquisition during the offseason. Though Winds’ debut at All-Star Paris was less than inspiring – in one game, he notably forgot to acquire a trinket upon first leaving the base – the news of his transfer from the Taipei Snipers to Taipei Assassins was initially greeted with much fanfare from the local community. In the wake of team captain Mistake's retirement, Winds was considered the anchor for the Snipers' strategies, as the team lived and died by his capabilities coming out of the jungle. Unfortunately for the Snipers, they ultimately died more than they lived without Mistake, subsequently failing to requalify for the Garena Premier League despite consistent semifinals placement. In the wake of their disappointing performance, Winds made his way over to the Assassins to replace DinTer in the starting jungle role.Out Of Contention
Despite fans’ hopes, Winds stepping in might not be the strict upgrade many would assume. "The major advantage that Winds has is that he's extremely good with Lee Sin and Elise, better than myself," explained DinTer. " He puts more emphasis on those two champions, and he's better at being aggressive and ganking lanes."
But the team's coach noted that the same strengths had been pursued by DinTer as well, and if Winds doesn’t expand his pool, it be a ticking time bomb in the making. "[DinTer] does feel frustrated because he's told he can only play specific champions. He's actually been secretly practicing a lot with aggressive champions like Elise and Lee Sin. However, these two champions have been getting nerfed in almost every patch. He sees that the game environment will not be friendly to these two champions in the coming future. So while he's tried to learn them, he feels that they're going to get weaker later on."
Unfortunately, he won't have the chance to prove whether his champion pool and skills can improve enough by October. In fact, his time in pro gaming's spotlight may be over. "For current and future plans, DinTer will be going to the military, as it's mandatory for a year in Taiwan," explained Fluidwinds. "After his military service, he plans to come back to League of Legends to find a career within the esports environment. He's still not quite sure what kind of job he'll be pursuing."
Uncertainty
With a major roster change - and their sister team kicked out of the GPL entirely - the Taipei Assassins may face their hardest split of the year. Not only must they adapt two new players into the team's dynamics, but re-adjust their early tactics.
Winds and the rest of the team will have to find a way to fill the shotcaller role, since DinTer previously filled that role for the team. Notably, both the Assassins and Snipers had historically stumbled with the removal of a shotcaller, casting a new element of doubt upon their summer performance. How well they finish will also decide the fate of the Taipei Snipers – though the sibling team had consistently placed in the semifinals, the summer circuit point distribution carries greater weight, potentially knocking them out of the qualifying playoffs.
It remains to be seen if the Assassins will fare as well as they had. Though Winds' contribution to the successful periods of both Gamania Bears and Taipei Snipers were noteworthy, this is now his third team in two years, and the chemistry that defined the Bears' miraculous Worlds qualification is not guaranteed to transfer over.
The Garena Premier League returns this June, as the Taipei Assassins attempt to secure their third regional championship title in a row.
