Typical big plays in LCS

Arch Mage Magnus·Feb 3, 2015·83 votes·4,309 views

Swain cleans up a team fight with pentakill

" He has full sustain with ult; OK play with the root into ult, good work to Swain for taking advantage of that, well deserved"

meanwhile

Thresh Lands a hook

HOLY FUCK!!! BIG PLAY THERE, YOU SEE THAT!!!?? NOW LEE SIN COMES IN FOR DOUBLE KILL, OH GOD DOUBLE Q'S UNDER TURRET, TURRET HOP OUT!!! CAN HE GET TRIPLE??!?!? HE DOES!!! Q AGAIN INTO ULT KICK."

Shaco comes in behind ADC and Supp

"Oh double kill for Shaco. Bottom really should lay down some pink wards, this happens quite a bit since Shaco can go invisible folks. Nothing else to see though"

*Zed Ults Ahri under turret"

"AMAZING PLAY!!! QSS THE CHARM INTO ULT AND Q, ZED CANCELS ULT AND GETS OUTSIDE OF TURRET RANGE, WOW THE TIMING AND THE PLAY ON THAT. SUCH A TURN OF EVENTS THEIR TURRET DIVE USING ULT, INCREDIBLE PLAY BY ZED!!"

50 Comments

AquariusGineFeb 3, 201543 votes

When Cassiopeia FLASHES and lands a 4man stun, commentators go .. ''Cass lands ult''

However, if Orianna ults.. THERE GOES THE SHOCKWAVE, IT HITS 3, ENEMY LUCIAN IS OUT OF THE FIGHT, GREAT ULT THERE BY ORIANNA (they always say this even if it misses)

^ Last week's LCS ^

F that, Cass' ult is way harder to land and actually stunning 4 people requires both skill and luck

Focus TeemoFeb 3, 201513 votes

{quoted}

When Cassiopeia FLASHES and lands a 4man stun, commentators go .. ''Cass lands ult''

However, if Orianna ults.. THERE GOES THE SHOCKWAVE, IT HITS 3, ENEMY LUCIAN IS OUT OF THE FIGHT, GREAT ULT THERE BY ORIANNA (they always say this even if it misses)

^ Last week's LCS ^

F that, Cass' ult is way harder to land and actually stunning 4 people requires both skill and luck

No kidding... and don't forget.

OMG Ahri LANDED AN AMAZING CHARM WHILE HIDING IN AN UNWARDED BUSH... meanwhile Xerath actually managed to hit something with his ult... "good job Bjergsen". In fact people more frequently get complimented on dodging Xerath's ult than the player does for landing it.

The favoritism is real.

Stars ShaperFeb 3, 20152 votes

Xerath ult counter si T2 boots

SquarefighterFeb 4, 20152 votes

If you're bad

AbyssphereFeb 3, 20154 votes

{quoted}

When Cassiopeia FLASHES and lands a 4man stun, commentators go .. ''Cass lands ult''

However, if Orianna ults.. THERE GOES THE SHOCKWAVE, IT HITS 3, ENEMY LUCIAN IS OUT OF THE FIGHT, GREAT ULT THERE BY ORIANNA (they always say this even if it misses)

^ Last week's LCS ^

F that, Cass' ult is way harder to land and actually stunning 4 people requires both skill and luck

I did see a funny game recently with an Orianna where she activated her ult in a team fight (and it was all a bit chaotic) and the commentator goes "a HUUUUUGE Shockwave from Orianna!" and then about 10 seconds later "... oh actually the Shockwave only hit one person that wasn't great". It's a flashy skill but I found it funny that a rather poor Shockwave that only hit one, relatively unimportant target, still counted as "HUUUUUGE".

And yeah, the reaction to the Cass flash ult was a bit muted.

DecaedeusFeb 4, 20153 votes

I think PowerOfEvil was the Orianna, in UoL vs EL. If that was the game, he activated Shockwave 4 times during the match, completely missing 3 of them. He hit one single-person Shockwave... on Mega Gnar, dragging him forward into the fight.

Commentators still complimented him for his plays. #LC$

NaharaFeb 3, 20151 votes

{quoted} When Cassiopeia FLASHES and lands a 4man stun, commentators go .. ''Cass lands ult''

And then there was that TIP vs CLG game three days ago where they go insane over a Cass ult...

BudupopsFeb 3, 20151 votes

wombo combo

I Main SwainFeb 4, 20151 votes

having played cass extremely little but ori pretty often, how is the former's ult harder to land than the latter's?

Baron of BreadFeb 4, 20152 votes

To get the stun on Cass's ult the enemy must be facing you, if they aren't it is just a slow. So they are both hard, but Cass's arguably requires better timing.

TsundayFeb 4, 20151 votes

Orianna's ult is a larger circular radius, where Cass's is just a cone, Cass is targeted from her position which means she has to be in close range of her targets, whereas Orianna can throw the ball out and have it out there distancing herself from some danger. Cass's ult is a stun if being faced and a slow if their back is towards her, meaning a 4 man stun is basically her jumping into death wish range and getting lucky that 4 men are staring her down without sluaghtering her before she lands her ult.

I Main SwainFeb 5, 20151 votes

thank you, I'm not sure how I feel about her ult functioning like that (with the whole stun if facing you thing).

TiaxFeb 3, 201512 votes

Those of you agreeing with OP obviously don't watch LCS, I watch every single game and this is simply not true. Thresh hooks aren't cool anymore,no one freaks out. Deathmark gets no hyped reaction unless the other person messed up (a catch). There is no big reaction to basic Lee Sin mechanics and kills. The casters are always excited for kills and fights ofc but only get blown away by plays that are completely unexpected or truly exceptional. Can't remember which game but a Xerath waited on his 3rd ult and got a double but they gave him a ton of praise... The only favoritism you can argue if you actually watch the games is Quickshot with Rek Sai. Someone talked about 4 man Cass ult stun, that happened and the casters freaked out and both desks researched that clip.

Stark6000Feb 3, 201511 votes

you watch every single game, jesus dude

JillfingerFeb 3, 20152 votes

{quoted}

you watch every single game, jesus dude

MY GOD that guy must be doing a PhD in LCS or something thats a world record.

Vivid MandalaFeb 3, 20151 votes

{quoted}

Those of you agreeing with OP obviously don't watch LCS, I watch every single game and this is simply not true. Thresh hooks aren't cool anymore,no one freaks out. Deathmark gets no hyped reaction unless the other person messed up (a catch). There is no big reaction to basic Lee Sin mechanics and kills. The casters are always excited for kills and fights ofc but only get blown away by plays that are completely unexpected or truly exceptional. Can't remember which game but a Xerath waited on his 3rd ult and got a double but they gave him a ton of praise... The only favoritism you can argue if you actually watch the games is Quickshot with Rek Sai. Someone talked about 4 man Cass ult stun, that happened and the casters freaked out and both desks researched that clip.

Downvote him because he's wrong, or because it doesn't fit your point of view?

Mikal PikalFeb 3, 20152 votes

Yeah, as someone who only watches a few games I never noticed the favoritism. This guy, who claims to have seen every single match, says the opposite of OP and gets downvoted. Why? I see no one disputing him. The downvote is overused on this site.

DuobyteFeb 3, 20152 votes

Because people here tend to downvote ANYTHING that doesnt support their circlejerk. People here are mindless sheep who only know how to say "NErf lee and zed".

Mikal PikalFeb 3, 20152 votes

Yeah these boards do get boring real quick. I never thought I'd say this but the old general discussion was at least amusing if nothing else.

TiaxFeb 4, 20151 votes

[{quoted}](name=Prometheus Rise,realm=NA,application-id=3ErqAdtq,discussion-id=qe0eE3zQ,comment-id=00060001,timestamp=2015-02-03T16:40:57.301+0000)

Downvote him because he's wrong, or because it doesn't fit your point of view?

What point of view? They hardly (if at all) watch the LCS. It's not a point of view type issue, the casters do not favor any champion over with the exception of Quickshot and Rek Sai. The 5 man Cass ult was a bigger deal (and it had no impact on the outcome of the game) than the great Ori ults from Slooshie (which won them the game). None of the big plays so far have been any of the mentioned champs singularly, all the big plays have been combos or other champs. I would go and collect evidence but what's the point, they just want to qq they clearly don't care about facts or else they wouldn't be downvoting me.

Erotic FantasiesFeb 3, 20158 votes

It's because it's sudden and not telegraphed from a mile.

MrSc0ttyFeb 3, 20156 votes

So when was the last time you heard a sportscaster mention the coordinated effort of a half dozen linemen to shift formation around a scrambling quarterback, enabling him to make a game winning throw?

Flashy things make for big news in every sport. My uncle is an O-lineman for the 49ers, he's got a whole wall of pictures where the sportscaster drew lines or circles over him to help the viewer watch the running back or quarterback run a play he set up.

MatezoideFeb 3, 20154 votes

Your point makes sense, but you have to consider something:

The popular plays in other sports arent based on the player, it is based on what they accomplished. If a guy that plays Lineman was forced to do quarterback and did the game winning throw, the sportcaster would go nuts.

In LoL, however, it is about who did it. Cassiopeia stunning an entire team is, for all intents and purposes, the same thing as Orianna's 5 man ult. Just like Shaco getting a Double bot is the same as Lee Sin. The sole difference in these scenarios was WHO did it.

And thats the issue. While other sports have a bias torwards certain roles, LoL has bias torwards the characters themselves.

To make it worse, Riot wont allow the "boring" champions to be stronger than what they like. This hurts the balance for everyone.

Celeste BenalFeb 3, 20153 votes

{quoted}

So when was the last time you heard a sportscaster mention the coordinated effort of a half dozen linemen to shift formation around a scrambling quarterback, enabling him to make a game winning throw?

Flashy things make for big news in every sport. My uncle is an O-lineman for the 49ers, he's got a whole wall of pictures where the sportscaster drew lines or circles over him to help the viewer watch the running back or quarterback run a play he set up.

This past Sunday when the pats beat the seahawks 28-24. huehuehueheuhue

Knight SoIaire Feb 3, 20154 votes

so you mean that the commentators cant realy say anything unless like a crapton of things happens on the screen ?

Arch Mage MagnusFeb 3, 201530 votes

[{quoted}](name=Hagane No Arashi,realm=EUNE,application-id=3ErqAdtq,discussion-id=qe0eE3zQ,comment-id=0001,timestamp=2015-02-03T06:06:19.973+0000)

so you mean that the commentators cant realy say anything unless like a crapton of things happens on the screen ?

You missed the point. The point is most champs make very good plays, yet they go completely unnoticed. Zed activates his ult, or Thresh lands a single hook, suddenly the commentators and fans go absolutely nuts. If you are not Lee, Zed, Thresh, or the same top LCS picks, no one gives a shit if you make a decent play.

eyes wide shutFeb 3, 20152 votes

tell that to insec and his fiddle play at worlds, pls. people went absolutely fucking ballistic.

Knight SoIaire Feb 3, 20151 votes

i wanted to e the sarcasm master for once the casters as we know it make a living by screaming random stuff to make simple stuff feel more exciting ofc they could make that swain play look epic and thriling but they didnt want and its easy to notice that they can make anything they want seem "lcsbigplays tm" they are just riot grade bastards because just like most of riots ballance gutting and wreckng they prolly did this intentionaly (they know about those debates and they need to uphold riots site that zed and lee are more fun to play and watch otherwise riot will need to agree they are stupid, so they are just quiet like there is no hype in swain )

WheatloafFeb 3, 20154 votes

Because commentators for other sports/e-sports are completely accurate and unbiased.

2pudge1cupFeb 3, 20153 votes

Only approved champs are allowed to have enthusiastic play calls.

It's a microcosm of their overall balance philosophy.

StillnameFeb 3, 20152 votes

Enjoying the Riot favors champions circlejerk? I'm pretty sure the LCS announcers would get excited about grass growing on summoners rift let alone when any champion uses literally any ability in the direction of another champion.

Also, your Shacco example makes no sense because without having watched more than a few games this year I'm pretty sure he hasn't been picked.

junglerboy16Feb 4, 20152 votes

I would scream if they made the grass on the rift actually grow, it could be so lifelike!

Meep ManFeb 3, 20152 votes

Theres a reason they are called FLASHY big LCS plays. All the people you mentioned would be awesome, but their particles and visuals are below average, meanwhile nothing looks more awesome than Zed going everywhere and doing everything around a target and then disappearing with the champion dying 1 second after he leaves due to the mark. Thresh's combo looks flashy as well. A hidden hook out of no where into a big giant cage looks good. Meanwhile, Swain becomes a large bird and launches some ugly looking small birds at people. If Swain had a VU, he would be getting that WOW from people. Same with Shaco.

If Riot could change Swain's transformation to actually have a transformation like in:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcBASl6I5kk#t=156

then Swain would be awesome. Im not sure what they could do with Shaco, maybe make the enemy feel his presence for than just he appears and kills you, without changing him too much.

RagnarokChuFeb 3, 20152 votes

Something that looks very flashy is something people notice.

For example Lee sin jumping around and flying across the screen multiple times is much more interesting to look at then shaco Q + Place box auto + E for a kill.

You can't really prevent this unless you buff everyone animation to look much cooler.

The Red WardenFeb 3, 20152 votes

It is probably due to some champions being spammed while others are rare picks. When a Swain is picked he already causes excitement since you don't know what to expect. The announcers don't have to yell because their rarity of play makes them exciting. Champions like Zed, Lee, or Thresh on the other hand are spammed so much that without the announcers constantly screaming, the audience would lose interest quickly.

junglerboy16Feb 4, 20153 votes

That, and the simpler the champion, the less they have to make sure everyone is tracking with what the pro is doing with them. Zed Deathmarking in, using certain abilities, juking a snare, activating BotRK and Ignite, and the shadowing out is a lot more visually confusing than a Caitlyn lining up an Ace in the hole shot. Normally, they only note about the Cait snipe if it deals an unbelievable amount of damage or the enemy team saves somebody from getting executed.

ArveanorFeb 3, 20152 votes

Let's be honest though, nobody has ever done anything impressive playing Swain.

Hard PenetratorFeb 3, 20151 votes

They shout so loud so you don't miss it while you take a nap during 30 min of running around SR with wards and sweepers.

GuiltyGeckoFeb 3, 20151 votes

Any sport would sound boring if you described it like that.

stealthfox94Feb 3, 20151 votes

Weird you'd think it would be the other way around.

warpenguin555Feb 3, 20151 votes

lol im upvoting this

ForgiveColourFeb 3, 20151 votes

yeah bro ziggs/xerath clearin waves extending games to 50 mins and the real big plays look how they didnt get caught out

RyvakuFeb 4, 20151 votes

If LCS sounds like that. I don't even want to watch that at all. I can see why you guys must love that shit.

SeviangFeb 4, 20151 votes

I think it's just that the animations for some champs, like Cassio, is faster and not as impressive looking. It makes it harder to process the play as its happening and respond accordingly. Cassio's ult especially feels lackluster when you're watching a game, the suddenness and lack of a good animation to go with it makes it hard to read and react to.

SEKAIFeb 4, 20151 votes

That's why I have stayed away from any pro scene (for the most part, I checked out the S4's semi final and final and was only impressed with the semi final) ever since the end of S2.

It's just no longer my cup of tea anymore because how they choose to praise certain play over anther disregarding the actual quality and effort but focuses on what they THINK people are looking for.

Same thing happens in Riot's balance scene, really get your stuff sorted out.

AHeroNamedHawkeFeb 4, 20151 votes

Jax and Renekton kill each other several times top and are both rushing damage items

"The slapfight top lane between Jax and Renek"

Then back to watching mid farm

Chaotic ReksFeb 4, 20151 votes

watch as #LCS gets boring and riot actually makes league fun to play

M0RD3CA1Feb 4, 20151 votes

As much as I agree with what you're saying, in the end there's an entertainment factor. Swain isn't flashy or have tons of mobility. He's kind of boring but gets the job done(Very underrated and hope he continues to be). I'd get hype over it but I can see why many wouldn't.