The rise of the newcomers: H2K
Riot·5/15/2015, 8:17:32 PM·1 votes·7,597 views
European newcomers H2K took the LCS by storm and reminded us all that no team should be counted out. Like many newcomers, they entered with a conservative goal of avoiding relegation. Rather than simply meeting this goal, they rose above mediocrity and toppled some of Europe's most-established teams in one of the most inspirational David versus Goliath stories of the split.
Ryu gave the team new hope, as he brought veteran talent to the young squad. Having scrimmed against him before, H2K respected Ryu's talent and believed that he would make a good replacement. "Everybody's confidence went back up when he joined the team," said Odoamne.
Getting Ryu integrated into the team, though, was no easy feat. Despite Ryu's strong mechanical skill, the team struggled with breaking through the language barrier early in the season. Initially concerned that it would impede their success, the team's anxiety receded over time as Ryu worked hard to close the language gap. According to Odoamne, "practicing efficiently and being able to understand each other was difficult in the beginning, but as we got to know each other better, this barrier went away and it got a lot easier."
But getting Ryu up to speed proved to be only part of the issue. As the team struggled to find their footing in the first few weeks of the LCS, they realized that their support player, Erih "Voidle" Sommermann, had to go.
"The decision to replace our support was one of the hardest things we had to do," said Odoamne. "Nobody wanted to make any roster changes, but I just felt like we had to do it."
Raymond "KaSing" Tsang joined H2K four weeks into the LCS, replacing Voidle. Having originally planned to join Meet Your Makers, KaSing was surprised when H2K extended an offer to him.
"I was pretty happy about [the offer from H2K] because even though I thought three of their players didn't like me, every time I said something they instantly responded so it was like a change in atmosphere I guess. Plus they were all experienced, they knew how to play the game, and they were really easy to play with."
He attributes much of his success to EU LCS Coach of the Split Neil "Pr0lly" Hammad. "Pr0lly has stepped up to a new level. From my personal opinion, of the coaches I've had, Pr0lly has been the most influential one," says KaSing. His anxieties about his teammates were resolved quickly, as he formed a close bond with Ryu and the rest of the team.
Feeling comfortable and confident, KaSing still anticipated the team only going even in the coming weeks. "Most teams have this honeymoon phase when you have a new player. Everyone starts trying their hardest because the atmosphere is better, so everything is better in general."
But the addition of KaSing turned the tides for H2K and the team charged forward as a cohesive unit. In a matter of weeks, H2K managed to defeat all but two teams in the EU LCS in an astonishing turnaround. After winning eight consecutive games, their record soared to 10-4.
"I was just a bit surprised," KaSing says. "I did not expect to do so well." H2K was back in the running to be a top EU team, and it seemed that nothing would get in their way.
The team lost some momentum after Elements brought their winning streak to a halt, going even in the final weeks of the regular season and earning a third place spot going into playoffs. Having already surpassed their goal of avoiding relegation, it was time for the team to once again prove that they were a force to be reckoned with. Their quarterfinal series against the Copenhagen Wolves was a landslide victory, going 3-0 and bringing the team back to form.
With hopes of winning it all, it was time for H2K to face their toughest adversaries, Fnatic. "They were our biggest challenge this split," says KaSing. "They have very strong players and I think it's a general consensus that the team is very good." Despite facing their former teammate, Febiven, in the semifinals, Odoamne says that this did not phase the team. "In the first game of the regular season versus, Fnatic it felt weird facing him, but after that, every other game against them didn't feel special. They were just ‘Fnatic' not ‘Febiven's team' anymore."
H2K fought hard, taking the first game. Fnatic took the second, and then the teams juggled victories back and forth until H2K ultimately fell in a close 2-3 series. Odoamne knew that they needed to turn things around quickly if they were going to beat SK Gaming. "We just collapsed mentally, we couldn't focus as much and that is why we lost." With less than a week to prepare, H2K focused on improving their endurance in Best of 5s.
When game day arrived, the series didn't look promising for H2K. Unlike their series against Fnatic, they began by dropping two games, and it seemed as though they would be defeated once again. In an unexpected turn of events, they impressed the crowd with a victory against SK Gaming that snowballed into a reverse sweep, taking back the series and resulting in victory for H2K.
"In the games against SK, I felt confident after falling behind that we could bring it back, but I would have never expected it to go that well," says Odoamne.
Having been awarded third place in the EU LCS, H2K blew everyone's expectations out of the water, especially their own. Looking forward, they are confident that they are here to stay. "I think Elements will do really well next split, and Origen is coming into the LCS," Odoamne says. "It's going to be a lot more competitive, but I believe that we can finish top three once again."
New Direction for H2K
The Split, of course, started off terribly, terribly wrong for H2K. Fabian "Febiven" Diepstraten left H2K shortly after they qualified for the EU LCS, and the team was in dire need of a mid laner. Feeling abandoned, the team's confidence plummeted. "When Febiven left the team it was really stressful at first because we thought like everybody else did, that we would become a bottom tier team and that we wouldn't be able to compete with all the other established LCS teams," explains Pascu "Odoamne" Andrei. What they needed was a boost in confidence, and they found it by recruiting Ryu "Ryu" Sang-ook, a star Korean mid laner who made his name within the KT Rolster organization.
Ryu gave the team new hope, as he brought veteran talent to the young squad. Having scrimmed against him before, H2K respected Ryu's talent and believed that he would make a good replacement. "Everybody's confidence went back up when he joined the team," said Odoamne.
Getting Ryu integrated into the team, though, was no easy feat. Despite Ryu's strong mechanical skill, the team struggled with breaking through the language barrier early in the season. Initially concerned that it would impede their success, the team's anxiety receded over time as Ryu worked hard to close the language gap. According to Odoamne, "practicing efficiently and being able to understand each other was difficult in the beginning, but as we got to know each other better, this barrier went away and it got a lot easier."
But getting Ryu up to speed proved to be only part of the issue. As the team struggled to find their footing in the first few weeks of the LCS, they realized that their support player, Erih "Voidle" Sommermann, had to go.
"The decision to replace our support was one of the hardest things we had to do," said Odoamne. "Nobody wanted to make any roster changes, but I just felt like we had to do it."
Raymond "KaSing" Tsang joined H2K four weeks into the LCS, replacing Voidle. Having originally planned to join Meet Your Makers, KaSing was surprised when H2K extended an offer to him.
"I was pretty happy about [the offer from H2K] because even though I thought three of their players didn't like me, every time I said something they instantly responded so it was like a change in atmosphere I guess. Plus they were all experienced, they knew how to play the game, and they were really easy to play with."
He attributes much of his success to EU LCS Coach of the Split Neil "Pr0lly" Hammad. "Pr0lly has stepped up to a new level. From my personal opinion, of the coaches I've had, Pr0lly has been the most influential one," says KaSing. His anxieties about his teammates were resolved quickly, as he formed a close bond with Ryu and the rest of the team.
Feeling comfortable and confident, KaSing still anticipated the team only going even in the coming weeks. "Most teams have this honeymoon phase when you have a new player. Everyone starts trying their hardest because the atmosphere is better, so everything is better in general."
But the addition of KaSing turned the tides for H2K and the team charged forward as a cohesive unit. In a matter of weeks, H2K managed to defeat all but two teams in the EU LCS in an astonishing turnaround. After winning eight consecutive games, their record soared to 10-4.
"I was just a bit surprised," KaSing says. "I did not expect to do so well." H2K was back in the running to be a top EU team, and it seemed that nothing would get in their way.
The team lost some momentum after Elements brought their winning streak to a halt, going even in the final weeks of the regular season and earning a third place spot going into playoffs. Having already surpassed their goal of avoiding relegation, it was time for the team to once again prove that they were a force to be reckoned with. Their quarterfinal series against the Copenhagen Wolves was a landslide victory, going 3-0 and bringing the team back to form.
With hopes of winning it all, it was time for H2K to face their toughest adversaries, Fnatic. "They were our biggest challenge this split," says KaSing. "They have very strong players and I think it's a general consensus that the team is very good." Despite facing their former teammate, Febiven, in the semifinals, Odoamne says that this did not phase the team. "In the first game of the regular season versus, Fnatic it felt weird facing him, but after that, every other game against them didn't feel special. They were just ‘Fnatic' not ‘Febiven's team' anymore."
H2K fought hard, taking the first game. Fnatic took the second, and then the teams juggled victories back and forth until H2K ultimately fell in a close 2-3 series. Odoamne knew that they needed to turn things around quickly if they were going to beat SK Gaming. "We just collapsed mentally, we couldn't focus as much and that is why we lost." With less than a week to prepare, H2K focused on improving their endurance in Best of 5s.
When game day arrived, the series didn't look promising for H2K. Unlike their series against Fnatic, they began by dropping two games, and it seemed as though they would be defeated once again. In an unexpected turn of events, they impressed the crowd with a victory against SK Gaming that snowballed into a reverse sweep, taking back the series and resulting in victory for H2K.
"In the games against SK, I felt confident after falling behind that we could bring it back, but I would have never expected it to go that well," says Odoamne.
Having been awarded third place in the EU LCS, H2K blew everyone's expectations out of the water, especially their own. Looking forward, they are confident that they are here to stay. "I think Elements will do really well next split, and Origen is coming into the LCS," Odoamne says. "It's going to be a lot more competitive, but I believe that we can finish top three once again."
