Attack on Amazing
Riot·6/10/2014, 10:16:43 PM·0 votes·2,437 views
During the Spring Split, TSM was a top contender and consistently vied with Cloud9 for the No. 1 spot. This split, however, much has changed in the NA LCS landscape. After three weeks, TSM is sitting at No. 5 with a 4-4 record, a position that is unfamiliar to both TSM and their fans.
This change in fortune for the team came on the heel of a drastic roster change that occurred during the offseason. When TheOddOne retired, former Copenhagen Wolves member Amazing was brought on board as TSM's new jungler after his impressive rookie season, where his incredible Lee Sin plays caught the attention of the world. Where TheOddOne preferred a support style of jungling, Amazing is a playmaker, and TSM is counting on him to give the team a boost during laning phase and help transition into a strong mid-game.
So how has he done?
C9 targeted all three of their bans at TSM's jungler, removing Evelynn, Elise, and Kha'Zix from the champion pool. To finish draining Amazing’s champion pool, Meteos opted to play his opponent’s best champion, Lee Sin. As a result, he was forced into an uncomfortable Xin Zhao pick. Not to say Amazing did particularly poorly in his first NA match (he finished the game with a KDA of 2-3-2) but he was simply unable to match Meteos' mobility and early game pressure as the Blind Monk.
A week later, TSM played on purple side against Dignitas and found themselves facing much the same strategy. Three jungle bans later, Dignitas also locked in Lee Sin, and forced TSM into a now all too familiar predicament. But what followed demonstrated a lack of preparation by TSM.
TSM picked Volibear third, giving Dignitas had ample opportunity to pick counters to the Thunder's Roar. It is rather difficult for Volibear to catch an Arcane Shifting Ezreal, especially when he’s got a Nami throwing Aqua Prisons to back him up, after all. By keeping Amazing at bay and not giving him any means to initiate, Dignitas reduced Amazing to a paltry 0-3-3 KDA at the end of the match.
Despite his struggle against the current top four teams, Amazing still has games where he has a big impact for his team. On Day 2 of Super Week, TSM played Curse and compLexity and Amazing brought out Elise twice, with great success. With a combined KDA of 11-2-25 from both matches, Amazing was an integral part in helping Dyrus and Bjergsen snowball into major late game threats. With a growing bot lane this split, TSM is depending on Amazing to help elevate his solo lanes into a position where they can heavily influence the outcome of the match.
In addition to Amazing expanding his champion pool, TSM ought to avoid situations during champion select where the enemy team can easily build a team composition against Amazing's jungler pick. A novel approach works best if the opposition is unable to properly react. A repeat of TSM's drafting mistake against Dignitas will greatly hamper their chances at making a move for the top spots.
There is still hope for Amazing and TSM to challenge the status quo and make a move back into the top 4 but time is ticking and everyone is watching TSM's next move.
Jack is a freelance writer for Riot Games. If you were in Amazing's shoes and you couldn't play Lee Sin, Evelynn, Elise, or Kha'Zix, what jungler would you use to help TSM return back into the top 4? You can tweet him your thoughts @NeoIllusions.
Revealing too much, too early
In a preseason AMA, Amazing stated that despite his strength as a Lee Sin player, he felt equally comfortable on Evelynn, Elise, and Kha'Zix. Many teams took that statement to imply that those were the only junglers he was comfortable on, including Cloud9, who TSM faced in the opening match of this split.
C9 targeted all three of their bans at TSM's jungler, removing Evelynn, Elise, and Kha'Zix from the champion pool. To finish draining Amazing’s champion pool, Meteos opted to play his opponent’s best champion, Lee Sin. As a result, he was forced into an uncomfortable Xin Zhao pick. Not to say Amazing did particularly poorly in his first NA match (he finished the game with a KDA of 2-3-2) but he was simply unable to match Meteos' mobility and early game pressure as the Blind Monk.
A week later, TSM played on purple side against Dignitas and found themselves facing much the same strategy. Three jungle bans later, Dignitas also locked in Lee Sin, and forced TSM into a now all too familiar predicament. But what followed demonstrated a lack of preparation by TSM.
TSM picked Volibear third, giving Dignitas had ample opportunity to pick counters to the Thunder's Roar. It is rather difficult for Volibear to catch an Arcane Shifting Ezreal, especially when he’s got a Nami throwing Aqua Prisons to back him up, after all. By keeping Amazing at bay and not giving him any means to initiate, Dignitas reduced Amazing to a paltry 0-3-3 KDA at the end of the match.
Despite his struggle against the current top four teams, Amazing still has games where he has a big impact for his team. On Day 2 of Super Week, TSM played Curse and compLexity and Amazing brought out Elise twice, with great success. With a combined KDA of 11-2-25 from both matches, Amazing was an integral part in helping Dyrus and Bjergsen snowball into major late game threats. With a growing bot lane this split, TSM is depending on Amazing to help elevate his solo lanes into a position where they can heavily influence the outcome of the match.
Moving forward
As TSM prepares for Week 4 and onwards, they need to be prepared for teams to target all three bans at Amazing. The team ought to look into what other champions Amazing can quickly become proficient with before more time passes by. It is imperative that TSM recognize their own weakness and find a way to adapt. It wouldn't be surprising if other NA teams continue to implement the three jungler ban strategy against TSM when they are on purple side until TSM can prove that this is no longer their Achilles' heel.
In addition to Amazing expanding his champion pool, TSM ought to avoid situations during champion select where the enemy team can easily build a team composition against Amazing's jungler pick. A novel approach works best if the opposition is unable to properly react. A repeat of TSM's drafting mistake against Dignitas will greatly hamper their chances at making a move for the top spots.
There is still hope for Amazing and TSM to challenge the status quo and make a move back into the top 4 but time is ticking and everyone is watching TSM's next move.
Jack is a freelance writer for Riot Games. If you were in Amazing's shoes and you couldn't play Lee Sin, Evelynn, Elise, or Kha'Zix, what jungler would you use to help TSM return back into the top 4? You can tweet him your thoughts @NeoIllusions.
