Snake: Strangling the competition in LPL
There is a fine line between having a clear-cut team identity and an inability to adapt.
Snake Esports delicately walked this line throughout the 2015 LPL Spring, finishing 2nd Place in the regular season with a record of 30-14.
Their performance was less impressive than it initially looks, due to Snake's overreliance on one style of play. The team placed AD carry Yang "kRYST4L" Fan on scaling hypercarries like Kog'Maw or Draven, and the rest of the team became his supporting cast. Jungler Kim "Beast" Joo-hyun was only able to do well on Jarvan IV and Nunu, while top laner Li "Flandre" Xuan-jun was starved of resources in favor of kRYST4L. Mid laner Lu "BAKA" Fan required Azir or Xerath to perform well, and the entirety of support Kwok "Ella" Hoon-kwak's peel was dedicated to keeping kRYST4L safe. Prone to mispositioning errors, kRYST4L often made life difficult for a team composition designed completely around him, while Beast and BAKA were both easily dealt with in Champion Select.
When Playoffs rolled around, Snake brought nothing new to the table and paid for it. After nearly losing to Team King in the Quarterfinals, Snake was easily dispatched by LGD in the Semis. Before the start of the 2015 LPL Summer, it was obvious that Snake needed change.
U Complete Me
First on Snake's improvement to-do list was a mid lane upgrade. While BAKA was a legitimate threat on Xerath and Azir, he struggled significantly without them. The acquisition of Ceng "U" Long from Edward Gaming proved that Snake was not only serious about improving their team, but had correctly identified glaring weaknesses from their Spring performance.
[[{"fid":"17125","view_mode":"article_image","fields":{"format":"article_image","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":""},"tagName":"IMG","src":"http%3A//admin.prod.lolesports.com/s3/files/styles/article_image/public/U_0.jpg%3Fitok%3DBLiqivvm","type":"media","attributes":{"class":"media-element file-article-image","height":"315","width":"700"}}]]
Most obviously, U provides flexibility for Snake in champion select. Able to play a variety of mid lane champions -- he has played 10 champions in 20 games this split -- U cannot be banned out easily like BAKA. Not only does U provide more room for Snake to experiment with picks and bans, but he also provides a stable presence in the center of the map, relieving pressure from Beast which allows the jungler opportunities elsewhere.
Less obvious, but infinitely more important to Snake's success, is U's team fighting prowess. Snake's natural playstyle -- honed from seasons of needing to keep kRYST4L alive -- is to wait and scale into the late game, relying on their superior team fighting and kRYST4L's hypercarry of the day. U's go-to game mode is a model of consistency, and he has previously trended to the overly-cautious side, safely farming until the late game. In the 2015 LPL Summer, this has suited Snake perfectly, as they remain a late-game team fighting team, albeit with significant differences from their Spring iteration.
The kRYST4L Conundrum
While Snake was indubitably a teamfighting team in Spring, their depth and adaptability has improved in Summer. Much of this is thanks to their besieged AD carry kRYST4L, who came under fire for his poor teamfight positioning and needless aggression. To cover up his weaknesses, Snake put him on scaling hypercarries in team compositions that often overly relied on their ability to get kRYST4L into the late game safely. With their only damage threat as kRYST4L's Kog'Maw, Draven, or Kalista, Snake struggled if kRYST4L fell too far behind.
[[{"fid":"17126","view_mode":"article_image","fields":{"format":"article_image","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":""},"tagName":"IMG","src":"http%3A//admin.prod.lolesports.com/s3/files/styles/article_image/public/snakekrystal.jpg%3Fitok%3D0WLL66-H","type":"media","attributes":{"class":"media-element file-article-image","height":"315","width":"700"}}]]
Perhaps it was the threat of substitute AD carry Tan "Martin" Qi breathing down his neck, or how easily Snake was dismantled in Spring Playoffs, but kRYST4L has been far more flexible in LPL Summer. Not only has his performance improved on a larger variety of champions, but his playstyle is more subdued. While he sometimes remains a bit too aggressive in lane, his teamfight positioning is significantly better and he no longer requires the entirety of Snake's peel and protection. With other damage threats from U and Flandre, Snake is a more dynamic and difficult puzzle for opponents to solve.
The Unknown Flandre
The mystery of Snake is compounded by a few questionable in-game choices, led by their shot-caller, Flandre. As the carry focus has shifted on Snake, Flandre has returned to his experimental LSPL days, stubbornly attempting ill-advised build patterns like Magus Enchantment-Trinity Force Ekko.
[[{"fid":"17127","view_mode":"article_image","fields":{"format":"article_image","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":""},"tagName":"IMG","src":"http%3A//admin.prod.lolesports.com/s3/files/styles/article_image/public/flandre_0.jpg%3Fitok%3D6aE_HucX","type":"media","attributes":{"class":"media-element file-article-image","height":"315","width":"700"}}]]
Following Flandre down the mysterious rabbit hole of experimentation, Snake as a whole has made a few baffling choices both in Champion Select and on the Rift. Beast's new interest in Nidalee has been accompanied by Snake's foray into poke compositions with limited success. As they continue to test themselves and adapt, Snake still overly relies on late-game teamfighting -- even with poke comps -- and has yet to fully adapt to these varying playstyles.
Still, the Snake of Summer is vastly superior to the Snake of Spring. While growing pains are inevitable, this season's Snake has shown that they not only are aware of their weaknesses, but are taking steps to grow and adapt. While this may mean that viewers will have to suffer through more of Flandre's atrocious build choices, Snake will certainly be more prepared for Playoffs, and a possible bid for Worlds, this time around.
Be sure to watch Snake grow and develop every week, right here on Lolesports.