Skin Theme Matchup: Arcade vs Pool Party
Hello Everybody!
Some of you may recognize this, most of you will not. This is just a small, fun little article that I started quite awhile ago (last one I did was 8 months ago!). The only reason why I'm bringing this back is due to the reveal of some new skins that, evidently, complete a certain skin line.
What are those skins? Well....
Arcade Riven and Battle Boss Blitzcrank.
Before the reveal of these skins, the Arcade line was missing an official top laner to round out the line (or jungler, if you think Hecarim is more deserving of the top lane than the jungle). But, the Arcade line is not the only line to receive new champ to its line up:
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pCXXJEpVWp0/VYCkFUu6YAI/AAAAAAAArn0/s2oNaZfZQTk/s640/Lulu_Splash_5.jpg
The Pool Party line up got 5 new champs to it's line up earlier this summer. That being said, I actually won't be using any of the new Pool Party champs in this article. Why that is, I will explain further down in the article.
But what is the point of all of this? Well, as you may have noticed, Riot is starting to complete skin lines, and even send out skin lines that have a full team already dedicated to it (such as the Pool Party line). I figured I would dive into these team comps, and evaluate how they would work. Also, I thought it would be interesting to analyze a possible matchup between the teams, and give my own opinion (while also asking for the opinion of the community) of how that match would possibly play out (under the assumption that each player playing that champ has very good understanding of how that champ works (or, how we like to say "mains" them)).
Thus, I will be pitting the newly finished skin line (Arcade) against a skin line that has been complete for over a year now (Pool Party). I have done an article on the Arcade line up before, long before Riven and Blitz were even considered for the line up. If you would like to see how that matchup went (with Arcade going against the Dragonslayer line up), here is the link:
Now, with all of that said, lets get to the matchup, shall we?
The Arcade Line
Top: Riven
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RLIpMzdZecc/VcKmozzSdgI/AAAAAAAAvSk/MQdP_Z-RgqM/s320/Riven_6.jpg
In my previous article, I had actually put Irelia in the top lane due to a fan concept that was posted to the boards a few months prior, AND due to her synergy with the team. That has all changed now, now that we actually have a top laner with an official Arcade skin.
Jungle: Hecarim
http://lol.esportspedia.com/w/images/0/04/Arcade-Hecarim.jpg
Yes, yes, I know Hecarim has seen far more play up in the top lane than he has in the jungle. However, compared to Riven, he is still the better jungler (and Riven being the better top laner). Thus, this is a no-brainer.
Mid: Veigar
http://i.ytimg.com/vi/cmOWdbEiYr0/maxresdefault.jpg
No other mid laner has been released yet for the Arcade line up, so, Veigar is our only option. That isn't to say he can't bring something to this team, however.
Marksman: Miss Fortune
http://yayahan.com/uploads/images/Cosplay/arcademf/MissFortune_Splash_7.jpg
Like Veigar, no other ADC has been released for the line up yet. However, the very recent Bilgewater event made MF not only a FAR more interesting character, but also a bit more streamlined, and a bit more of a threat in lane. You should never underestimate her damage potential, or else you will pay for it.
Support: Blitzcrank
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MjA1aLJiuKg/VcKmo7HlqpI/AAAAAAAAvSg/8si8kSDokpo/s320/Blitzcrank_11.jpg
Sorry Sona, but in this new team, AND this current meta, Blitz is just the better support. Yes, Sona is the original Arcade champion, but Blitz just synergizes better with MF, and the rest of the team over all.
Team Comp Breakdown
From my previous article, its pretty easy to see that the Arcade team just got a hell of a lot more aggressive. The addition of Riven and Blitz makes the Arcade team less of a reactionary team, and more of an initiative team. The front line will run in head first, lock down the enemies back line, and wait for their EXTREMELY high damage back line to tear the enemy team limb from limb. They can engage just as easily as they can disengage. They have strong points all throughout the game. They can pick off potential targets, while also having a decent team fight potential. Good objective control, decent roaming potential..........I mean this team has it all. The only thing this team is really lacking is that of a super tank (such as Maokai or Mundo), but that doesn't take away from the fact that this team is extremely versatile.
As for weaknesses, I would say its the lack of any dueling potential. Now, before you start yelling at me "Riven can duel!!!". Yes, she can, but she is the only one who can duel on this team. The rest of the team really needs some sort of backup to win any kind of fight, which is both good and bad in some respects. The teamfight potential is great, but the moment this team splits up, they are at a significant disadvantage. This team needs to stick together once the teamfighting phase rolls around, cause if they don't, they will have no hope of beating any other kind of team.
The Pool Party Line
Top: Renekton
https://lifeasagirlgamer.files.wordpress.com/2013/08/pool-party-renekton-splash.jpg
Now, before you Riven mains come running at me with your torches and ptichforks, I DID NOT choose Renek because he is considered one of Riven's counters, but because of his synergy with the rest of the team. I am not trying to counter any one champion on the other team, but trying to make these teams the best they can be, and Renek was the better choice.
Jungle: Lee Sin
http://lolwp.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Pool-Party-Lee-Sin.jpg
Same thing with Lee Sin. He just works with this team so well. I'll be getting into that more here soon.
Mid: Ziggs
http://i1248.photobucket.com/albums/hh497/Kaiokhen/Leaguecraft/ha3WNh.jpg
The new pool party skins really didn't introduce any new mid laner (with the slight exception of Lulu). So, because of that, and the rest of the team, Ziggs is the obvious choice.
Marksman: Graves
http://i.imgur.com/tgeDmVo.jpg
I'm not denying that Draven is a good ADC, its just......synergy.......synergy is just so good!!!
Support: Leona
http://www.gamereplays.org/community/uploads/post-108543-1378840141_thumb.jpg
Same thing.......synergy my friends......synergy.
Team comp breakdown
This team is a late season 3/early season 4 LCS team's dream. You have previously crowned kings (and queen) of their respective lanes, and if you were to see this team when they all held their crowns, you may have just dodged the game in champ select (and no one would blame you). However, today is very different from back then, and all of these champs have lost their respective crowns. That isn't to say, however, that this team doesn't hold a significant threat to the opposing team. Even to this day, their synergy is just insane, which is why I chose the original line up over all of the new Pool Party champs. This team tends to like to stick to one target and burst them down, but can still hold their own in a teamfight with a decent amount of AOE. Couple that with some of the best champs to engage with, and the entire team being able to take one hell of a beating (save for Ziggs), you are looking at a VERY formidable line up.
As for weaknesses, this team actually lacks the capability to stay in a prolonged team fight. They love to get in your face, cause as much chaos as they possibly can......but then get out as quickly as they can as well. Being plagued by somewhat long cooldowns on the entire team, this team can't keep up in a fight if it lasts for too long. If they can't pick off their targets in a short amount of time, and then get out to wait for their cooldowns to come back up, then they can't really win any teamfight. Mind you, this does not make them a pick comp since they can still teamfight very well. Instead, they are more of a "hit and run" comp; kill off any priority targets first, then get out and wait for your cooldowns, or widdle down whatever remains of the enemy team.
The Hypothetical Battle Review
LANES
Top: 
vs 
This is an interesting matchup. Yes, there are those that consider Renek to be one of Riven's counters, but I consider this more of a skill match up than anything else, due to the surprising similarities between the two. Both have great lock down potential, a good dueling potential, and can take one hell of a beating. Although, Riven does tend to lean more towards damage, and Renek more towards tank, which does give him a slight edge over Riven since he can invest in defense far more easily than Riven can invest in damage. Their power spikes are about the same with each other, and they both provide similar benefits to their team.
That all said, we do have to look at how these champs scale throughout the game. Renek is more well known for his strong laning phase, and tends to fall off come around mid game, whereas Riven scales quite decently into the mid and late game, but does OK in lane. This is where Renek holds the advantage over Riven. He needs to be able to shut her down to delay her powerful mid game for as long as possible. That said, Riven still has the potential to come out on top in lane if played correctly. So, all in all, it really comes down on who can play their champ better, and who can exploit the weaknesses of the other better. That, or jungler intervention, for this lane can be dictated by how well the ganks from the junglers are.
Speaking of junglers...
Jungle: 
vs 
Even though Lee has lost his jungle crown, he his still an amazing jungler, and, in my opinion, holds every advantage in the early game over Hecarim. Lee doesn't need much in order to get going, whereas Hecarim needs some time to get some items and actually be a threat. If these two are ever to meet in the early game, Hec should just get out as soon as possible, since Lee is the far better duelist. As to actual jungling, I believe Hec can clear camps slightly faster than Lee due to having some better AOE, but they have more or less the same clear speed. For ganking, Lee's early game just makes him better in that regard.
Come mid game, however, Hecarim starts gaining a bit of an edge. Lee is known for his amazing early game, and it is no secret that he starts to fall off VERY hard in the mid to late game. Once Hec gets some defensive items and a Triforce, he becomes quite a formidable threat to even Lee, and could actually come out on top in a duel if he gets the jump on Lee.
Mid Lane: 
vs 
It is pretty obvious to see that Ziggs holds the advantage here. Being decently ranged, and having some of the best harass in the game, coupled with amazing wave clear, Veigar will have a hard time in this lane, and will more then likely be pushed to his tower for most of the laning phase. Veigar might be able to keep with Ziggs in farm if he can manage to dodge all of Ziggs' harass, which isn't easy to do since the bouncing bombs are a little unpredictable. However, other then Ziggs just annoying the hell out of Veigar, and possibly coming out on top in farm......don't expect much from this lane. More then likely, both mid laners will just farm their hearts out, and poke each other every now and then, with the occasional gank. So, pretty standard.
However, Ziggs should try his best to keep Veigar in check, because the longer the game goes, the stronger the Little Master of Evil becomes. If Ziggs can at all delay that, then his entire team will benefit from it.
Bot Lane: 
vs 
This lane is tough to judge. MF is known for having a pretty strong laning phase, and being a bit of a lane bully, and Blitz only amplifies that. That said, Graves holds a better dueling potential and slightly better wave clear. Couple that with Leona's burst and lockdown potential, and you have a pretty formidable lane.
I think this lane will be determined by the supports. If Blitz can get a hold of Graves, and keep him held down long enough for MF to do her thing, then it will obviously swing in Arcade's favor. However, same thing goes for Leona. The Graves and Leona combo should not be new to anyone, so if Leona can get her hands on MF, odds are Graves could blow her up pretty quick.
Again, this is a tough lane to judge, and I can't really tell who would come out on top.
Teamfighting
I believe the mid game will determine the outcome of this game. Both teams have awesome teamfighting potential, and the mid game is where both teams are on relatively equal power levels. The Pool Party team will start to fall off in effectiveness at this point, thus, they need to take advantage of any early leads they may have gotten, and overwhelm the Arcade team before they have a chance get going. However, the Arcade team has a FAR better late game then the Pool Party team, and if they can hold out in the mid game, they can easily come out on top.
Teamfights in general will be fairly quick, due to the Pool Party team wanting to stick to their "hit and run" technique. If the Pool Party team can get to the Arcade team's back line, and force them apart, then the Arcade team won't stand a chance. But, if the Arcade team can survive the first few seconds of the Pool Party's onslaught, they then can chase them down, and pick off the team members one by one.
When it comes to sieging turrets......both teams suck at it. So, Baron will be a pretty important objective for both teams in order to finish out the game. However, Dragon is just as important as well. I wouldn't be surprised to see a team get 5 dragons in this game, and since both teams have great teamfight potential, Dragon could easily tip the scales.
Conclusion
From what I see, this matchup defines what a game of League should look like. Crazy teamfights here and there, with both teams needing to stick to the objective control game. Whoever controls Baron and Dragon will be able to siege turrets more effectively, and be able to win in the seemingly even teamfights. Since the Pool Party team has a better early game than the Arcade team, they might have a slight advantage when it comes to early objective control. If the Pool Party team can take full advantage of any lead they come up with, they can easily steam roll right through the Arcade team's base.
But, the Arcade team only needs to hold on until the mid game, when their team members are getting power spikes across the board, and the Pool Party team starts to fall off. If the Arcade team can avoid from getting split up in the teamfights, focus the right targets, and also keep track of the EXTREMELY crucial objectives in this game, they'll leave the Pool Party team in shambles. Not to mention, Veigar is a ticking time bomb. The longer the game goes, the stronger he gets, and both teams should be wary of this. The Arcade team should push to give Veigar any opportunity that may arise, whereas the Pool Party team should make every attempt to keep him shut down, and off the field. If this game gets to the late game, the Arcade team will hold the advantage, and slowly burn through the Pool Party's base.
In my own opinion, I actually think the Pool Party team will win this. They can easily take advantage of their early game strength, and simply overwhelm the Arcade team. If they can keep the right people shut down throughout the game, and split the Arcade team up in the teamfights, they will steam right on through.
That's it for this article! What do you guys think? Do you think the Pool Party team can take hold of their early game strengths and overwhelm the Arcade team before they can get a footing? Or, do you think the Arcade team can hold out long enough to draw out the teamfights, and take advantage of the Pool Party's "hit and run" style of play? Feel free to share your thoughts below, and vote for who you think will win.
Lastly, if you at all enjoyed this, feel free to upvote this post that way others can get the chance to share their thoughts as well! If you have any suggestions of which skin lines I should analyze next, I am more then willing to here you're ideas.
Thanks for reading!
