Brokenshard: A Ramblin’ Man
Riot·7/24/2014, 1:47:59 AM·0 votes·4,638 views
Ram “Brokenshard” Djemal’s theme could be The Allman Brothers famous song “Ramblin’ Man.” Brokenshard is the LCS’s ramblin’ man since he is among the most well-traveled professional players in League of Legends history. He’s twice rambled across the Atlantic to qualify for the LCS from the jungle position, and all the while brought an larger than life voice to any competition that he was a part of.
To Be Determined, renamed Determined Gaming, was swept out of that tournament by the Evil Geniuses, but Brokenshard’s experience building TCM came to bear here. Instead of going into a downward spiral, a phenomenon not uncommon in any competition, Brokenshard helped the team rally, and look toward the NA Challenger Series.
The inaugural North American Challenger Series proved to be a boon. Determing Gaming was acquired by compLexity Gaming and became compLexity.Black as the NACS began. While Brokenshard and his compLexity.Black teammates would eventually fall to powerhouse LMQ in the finals, the team posted impressive stats in KDA and gold per minute.
NACS 2 was a forgetful moment for Brokenshard and his coL.Black teammates, but they were able to qualify as the No. 3 team in the Summer Promotion Tournament, and they were picked by relegated Team Coast.
Brokenshard’s third promotion series in a row ended far differently than the first two and it was in large part to Brokenshard’s natural aggression. coL.Black won the series 3-1 on the back of a pair of clutch Baron steals from Brokenshard, as well as a tremendous 3/0/6 performance on Lee Sin from him in game two.
While Jarvan’s changes knocked him from among the best junglers on the Rift, he does maintain the ability to counter certain immobile champions such as Kog’Maw, a highly contested AD carry pick, through his Cataclysm. Unfortunately, even on a very familiar champion like Jarvan IV, Brokenshard’s brand of aggression can turn into a liability if a team falls behind, or isn’t coordinated behind him since it leaves him in a dangerously overextended position in many cases.
The thing that truly sets Brokenshard apart from most is his voice. He takes shotcalling to another level by not just calling a shot, but yelling it. That boisterous brand of shotcalling was on display for everyone to hear during the week 9 EU LCS game between the Copenhagen Wolves and SK Gaming. The key thing to note in that example is that despite the extreme decibel level from Brokenshard, the calls were on time and accurate throughout that fight. Not every fight goes so smoothly, though. The nature of shotcalling is such that even if the calls are accurate, if a team doesn’t, or cannot, follow through on them, they can still lose.
Brokenshard’s rambling journey from Europe, to North American LCS, and back to European LCS has been one of the most convoluted in professional League of Legends history. The multitude of environments that he has had to compete in have given Brokenshard a unique skillset for a pro. Working through multiple hardships, from illness, visa problems or a team not qualifying has given him mental toughness. The aggression that he developed jungling in Europe has been forged through that same set of circumstances, and when it burns bright can easily spark his team. Finally, leading TCM, and then continuing to work on his leadership skills through two attempts at NA LCS qualification have literally developed him into a strong voice both on and off the Rift.
The Ramble Begins: 2013 EU LCS Spring Split
While he did play for other organizations before the 2013 EU LCS Spring Split, Brokenshard’s LCS beginning ways can be traced to the 2013 EU LCS Spring Split. While he was recruited as a starter, an illness forced him into a substitute and a coaching role for the now defunct Dragonborns organization. Unfortunately, that was a short lived sojourn since the team would be relegated after only a single season by MeetYourMakers. From there, he changed to TCM Gaming. Brokenshard developed into a leader during his stay with TCM Gaming. He actually organized the roster that competed during the latter half of his tenure there. Even when he couldn’t compete due to visa issues, an issue that has occurred several times in his career, he was doing everything he could to lead the team and help it succeed. After a six month stay with TCM Gaming, Brokenshard left that team following a failure to make it out of the group stage during the 2014 EU Spring Promotion Tournament.Ramblin’ Man comes to America
Following TCM’s narrow defeat, Brokenshard went across the Atlantic and joined To Be Determined. TBD formed in July from the the FXOpen e-Sports roster which had secured a spot in the 2014 Spring Promotion Tournament. Brokenshard moved into the starting jungler role when Simon “heavenTime” Jeon decided to step down in October, two months before the Promotion Tournament’s group stage began.
To Be Determined, renamed Determined Gaming, was swept out of that tournament by the Evil Geniuses, but Brokenshard’s experience building TCM came to bear here. Instead of going into a downward spiral, a phenomenon not uncommon in any competition, Brokenshard helped the team rally, and look toward the NA Challenger Series.
The inaugural North American Challenger Series proved to be a boon. Determing Gaming was acquired by compLexity Gaming and became compLexity.Black as the NACS began. While Brokenshard and his compLexity.Black teammates would eventually fall to powerhouse LMQ in the finals, the team posted impressive stats in KDA and gold per minute.
NACS 2 was a forgetful moment for Brokenshard and his coL.Black teammates, but they were able to qualify as the No. 3 team in the Summer Promotion Tournament, and they were picked by relegated Team Coast.
Brokenshard’s third promotion series in a row ended far differently than the first two and it was in large part to Brokenshard’s natural aggression. coL.Black won the series 3-1 on the back of a pair of clutch Baron steals from Brokenshard, as well as a tremendous 3/0/6 performance on Lee Sin from him in game two.
Ramblin’ back to Europe
The celebration that accompanied qualifying for the NA LCS turned out to be short lived. Thanks to a visa issue in early June 2014, Brokenshard had to leave compLexity Gaming and was permanently replaced by Kevin “Kez” Jeon. Upon Brokenshard’s return to Europe after handling his issues, and being released by compLexity, he joined the EU Challenger team SK Gaming Prime. Shortly after joining SKP, the Copenhagen Wolves used him in Week 9 of the European LCS.Ramblin’ man’s jungle style
Brokenshard’s jungle style is heavily influenced by certain tenets from the school of Star Horn Royal Club’s Choi “inSec” In-seok. Much like inSec, Brokenshard can generally be found at the front of a fight causing chaos. He loves to drive the action on early pressure junglers such as Elise and Lee Sin that have been in vogue for months, but Brokenshard’s longevity makes him an adept Jarvan IV player as well. Jarvan IV was considered a jungle mainstay throughout the 2013 season, but a reduction in the hit radius of his Demacian Standard/Dragon Strike knockup combo caused many teams to look elsewhere for a jungle champion.
While Jarvan’s changes knocked him from among the best junglers on the Rift, he does maintain the ability to counter certain immobile champions such as Kog’Maw, a highly contested AD carry pick, through his Cataclysm. Unfortunately, even on a very familiar champion like Jarvan IV, Brokenshard’s brand of aggression can turn into a liability if a team falls behind, or isn’t coordinated behind him since it leaves him in a dangerously overextended position in many cases.
The thing that truly sets Brokenshard apart from most is his voice. He takes shotcalling to another level by not just calling a shot, but yelling it. That boisterous brand of shotcalling was on display for everyone to hear during the week 9 EU LCS game between the Copenhagen Wolves and SK Gaming. The key thing to note in that example is that despite the extreme decibel level from Brokenshard, the calls were on time and accurate throughout that fight. Not every fight goes so smoothly, though. The nature of shotcalling is such that even if the calls are accurate, if a team doesn’t, or cannot, follow through on them, they can still lose.
Brokenshard’s rambling journey from Europe, to North American LCS, and back to European LCS has been one of the most convoluted in professional League of Legends history. The multitude of environments that he has had to compete in have given Brokenshard a unique skillset for a pro. Working through multiple hardships, from illness, visa problems or a team not qualifying has given him mental toughness. The aggression that he developed jungling in Europe has been forged through that same set of circumstances, and when it burns bright can easily spark his team. Finally, leading TCM, and then continuing to work on his leadership skills through two attempts at NA LCS qualification have literally developed him into a strong voice both on and off the Rift.
