NeoIllusions Profile Joined December 2002 United States 15606 Posts Last Edited: 2013-06-12 20:08:26 June 12 2013 19:14 GMT #1

NAME OF ARTICLE Table of Contents



The Kings of North America







The Sophomore Two Get New Look







Russian Landing







The Royal Road







Welcome to the New Age







Check out the LCS schedule and matchups at

Check out the LCS schedule and matchups at lolesports.com



Summer [Split] is Here

With the summer officially beginning, who wants to go outside, play in the sun and do all that social stuff? With the LCS Summer Split upon us, it's time for the top eight North American teams to battle it out and see who will get an automatic spot to the World Championships coming in the fall. While the spring was a great starting point for the LCS, bringing in a new structure that all leads up to the grand finals, the summer season should be even better, adding the next level of one of the Worlds spot up for grabs.



So, if you've been living under a rock for the past month, took a break from the e-sports scene, or just want to get a little refreshment course before the games kick off tomorrow, here are the top five storylines to keep your eyes on when the Summer Split kicks off with the twenty game Super Week opener.

With the summer officially beginning, who wants to go outside, play in the sun and do all that social stuff? With the LCS Summer Split upon us, it's time for the top eight North American teams to battle it out and see who will get an automatic spot to the World Championships coming in the fall. While the spring was a great starting point for the LCS, bringing in a new structure that all leads up to the grand finals, the summer season should be even better, adding the next level of one of the Worlds spot up for grabs.So, if you've been living under a rock for the past month, took a break from the e-sports scene, or just want to get a little refreshment course before the games kick off tomorrow, here are the top five storylines to keep your eyes on when the Summer Split kicks off with the twenty game Super Week opener.



The Kings of North America

Love them or hate them, Team Solo Mid are the cream of the crop when it comes to North American teams. While they have had their share of highs and lows, with the lowest coming when they had to regrettably kick off Chaox in the middle of the Spring Split, Reginald's team always seems to have a knack to bounce back from disappointment. Reloading their bot lane with the more aggressive WildTurtle, TSM never looked back, finding a new synergy within the team and playing the best they had in the entire course of season three.



That's not to say that their spring championship was a cakewalk, being pushed to a fifth game in the finals by the young underdog Team Coast, formerly Good Game University, who just couldn't quite knock the old kings of North America off their throne. With Dyrus and Xpecial being two of the brightest points of the North American team during the All-Star weekend, TSM seems to be in a perfect spot to repeat once again as LCS champions and gain their automatic spot to wWorlds. The biggest question for TSM fans is if their momentum brought on by bringing WildTurtle can be sustainable for an entire season, and if the other North American teams will be more prepared now that the TSM roster has now been together for the past few months. Love them or hate them, Team Solo Mid are the cream of the crop when it comes to North American teams. While they have had their share of highs and lows, with the lowest coming when they had to regrettably kick off Chaox in the middle of the Spring Split, Reginald's team always seems to have a knack to bounce back from disappointment. Reloading their bot lane with the more aggressive WildTurtle, TSM never looked back, finding a new synergy within the team and playing the best they had in the entire course of season three.That's not to say that their spring championship was a cakewalk, being pushed to a fifth game in the finals by the young underdog Team Coast, formerly Good Game University, who just couldn't quite knock the old kings of North America off their throne. With Dyrus and Xpecial being two of the brightest points of the North American team during the All-Star weekend, TSM seems to be in a perfect spot to repeat once again as LCS champions and gain their automatic spot to wWorlds. The biggest question for TSM fans is if their momentum brought on by bringing WildTurtle can be sustainable for an entire season, and if the other North American teams will be more prepared now that the TSM roster has now been together for the past few months.



The Sophomore Two Get New Look

Last season, the two rookie teams that made the greatest impact were Team Coast and Vulcun. Breaking through the consensus top four teams in North America, Team Coast and Vulcun were able to finish second and third, respectively, in the spring season. While the other two rookie teams, compLexity and MRN, fell out and even disbanded in the case of Team MRN, the sophomore duo's goal this season will be to prove that last season wasn't a fluke. Team Coast was floundering in last place for most of the spring season, but due to the falling off of other teams and improve play of their own in the final two weeks, they were able to steal the final playoff spot and then get two upsets in a row against Dignitas and Curse to make the finals.



With their second place finish, Good Game University was able to pick up a new ownership group in Team Coast and add former bench king Elementz as their new chef and head coach. Vulcun, also making a slight change, has upgraded their logo, keeping the same name and team roster as they had at the end of the spring season, but getting a new look to go along with their stellar player from their third place finish. With two new rookie teams making their way into the ring this season, Vulcun and Team Coast no longer have the luxury of being overlooked and treated like second-hand teams. With their impressive play in the spring season and the ability for other teams to scout them with how many games they played in the last LCS, neither team will be overlooked by anyone playing them this upcoming split. Last season, the two rookie teams that made the greatest impact were Team Coast and Vulcun. Breaking through the consensus top four teams in North America, Team Coast and Vulcun were able to finish second and third, respectively, in the spring season. While the other two rookie teams, compLexity and MRN, fell out and even disbanded in the case of Team MRN, the sophomore duo's goal this season will be to prove that last season wasn't a fluke. Team Coast was floundering in last place for most of the spring season, but due to the falling off of other teams and improve play of their own in the final two weeks, they were able to steal the final playoff spot and then get two upsets in a row against Dignitas and Curse to make the finals.With their second place finish, Good Game University was able to pick up a new ownership group in Team Coast and add former bench king Elementz as their new chef and head coach. Vulcun, also making a slight change, has upgraded their logo, keeping the same name and team roster as they had at the end of the spring season, but getting a new look to go along with their stellar player from their third place finish. With two new rookie teams making their way into the ring this season, Vulcun and Team Coast no longer have the luxury of being overlooked and treated like second-hand teams. With their impressive play in the spring season and the ability for other teams to scout them with how many games they played in the last LCS, neither team will be overlooked by anyone playing them this upcoming split.



Russian Landing

In possibly the biggest offseason move in either North America or Europe, Curse fixed their support problem by picking up the European all-star Edward, formerly of Gambit Gaming. With the benching of Elementz last season and then having to play Rhux, someone more comfortable in the Top Lane than Support, in an off-role during the playoffs, Curse had a disastrous end to a season that appeared to be theirs for the taking for the most part of the season. Keeping the rest of their team intact, they hope that upgrading their support role and giving Cop an extra boost in the bot lane will be a big enough chance to take them from their forever fourth spot and get them to the World Championships at the end of the year.



The biggest question mark is how well Cop will work with his new partner in Edward. Cop, known for his very safe style, will have to work with a player who was known for his aggressive Thresh play in Europe, making this combo one of the keys of the entire season. Curse hopes that Edward coming on board will improve Cop's play and turn him into one of the better ADC's of North America, but will they click in time for Curse to come out of the gates strong? They will only have a day of practicing together in Los Angeles before the summer season begins, so the opening three days of games will be interesting to watch on how fast the two polar opposites come together in the bottom lane. In possibly the biggest offseason move in either North America or Europe, Curse fixed their support problem by picking up the European all-star Edward, formerly of Gambit Gaming. With the benching of Elementz last season and then having to play Rhux, someone more comfortable in the Top Lane than Support, in an off-role during the playoffs, Curse had a disastrous end to a season that appeared to be theirs for the taking for the most part of the season. Keeping the rest of their team intact, they hope that upgrading their support role and giving Cop an extra boost in the bot lane will be a big enough chance to take them from their forever fourth spot and get them to the World Championships at the end of the year.The biggest question mark is how well Cop will work with his new partner in Edward. Cop, known for his very safe style, will have to work with a player who was known for his aggressive Thresh play in Europe, making this combo one of the keys of the entire season. Curse hopes that Edward coming on board will improve Cop's play and turn him into one of the better ADC's of North America, but will they click in time for Curse to come out of the gates strong? They will only have a day of practicing together in Los Angeles before the summer season begins, so the opening three days of games will be interesting to watch on how fast the two polar opposites come together in the bottom lane.



The Royal Road

If you don't know what the "Royal Road" is, it's a term used in Korean e-sports for a team or player entering their first league or tournament and winning said event in their first season eligible. Looking at the two Royal Road candidates for this season, it's no question on which team has the better chance to come out of the gates and contend for a title. Velocity did look sharp in their games against MRN, taking out the seventh seed of last season in a close five game series, but they aren't comparable when talking about Cloud 9, formerly Quantic Gaming. Being one of the only amateur teams to stick together after failing to qualify for the Spring Split, Cloud 9 worked through adversity, growing as a team and making sure that the second chance they had to qualify for LCS would not end up like the first.



Going up against compLexity in the promotional series, the only word to describe their handling of the eighth place team of the Spring Split would be murder. They killed compLexity in three straight games, leaving no doubt which team belonged in the summer season, and made their way into the LCS looking like a team that could fight for the top spot in their first season. Managed and owned by Jack Etienne, former manager of TSM, and recently picked up by HyperX as a sponsor, the sky is the limit for this rookie sensation team. Already getting hype from the other LCS teams as a challenger for the title, they will be one of the most interesting stories of the entire summer season. Will they live up to expectations, maybe even surpassing them? Or, when put up against veteran LCS teams who have gone through the rigors of an entire season and fighting for their jobs, will they be shown to be only pretenders for the North American throne? If you don't know what the "Royal Road" is, it's a term used in Korean e-sports for a team or player entering their first league or tournament and winning said event in their first season eligible. Looking at the two Royal Road candidates for this season, it's no question on which team has the better chance to come out of the gates and contend for a title. Velocity did look sharp in their games against MRN, taking out the seventh seed of last season in a close five game series, but they aren't comparable when talking about Cloud 9, formerly Quantic Gaming. Being one of the only amateur teams to stick together after failing to qualify for the Spring Split, Cloud 9 worked through adversity, growing as a team and making sure that the second chance they had to qualify for LCS would not end up like the first.Going up against compLexity in the promotional series, the only word to describe their handling of the eighth place team of the Spring Split would be murder. They killed compLexity in three straight games, leaving no doubt which team belonged in the summer season, and made their way into the LCS looking like a team that could fight for the top spot in their first season. Managed and owned by Jack Etienne, former manager of TSM, and recently picked up by HyperX as a sponsor, the sky is the limit for this rookie sensation team. Already getting hype from the other LCS teams as a challenger for the title, they will be one of the most interesting stories of the entire summer season. Will they live up to expectations, maybe even surpassing them? Or, when put up against veteran LCS teams who have gone through the rigors of an entire season and fighting for their jobs, will they be shown to be only pretenders for the North American throne?



Welcome to the New Age

If you were a CLG fan that lost internet for the past six months and then finally got back online to check how your favorite League team is doing, you might be wondering if six months was actually five years. Voyboy came, then left, and Locodoco took his rocket ship from Korea to North America, learning that support isn't the same as ADC, and quickly returning back to Korea. jiji and his cats left the team, giving way to a new guy named Link, and Chauster deciding that jungle couldn't be so hard, right? Oh, and then there was Aphromoo joining as support, Hotshot going back to the top, and the team switching positions and players so much that you were wondering if their line-ups weren't decided by a gigantic roulette wheel with names of various people across the world.



Finally, finishing an extremely disappointing spring season in 5th-6th place, Hotshot decided that his time had come to retire from the game and move into a management role for his team. Alongside his leaving, Aphromoo decided, like Locodoco, that Support isn't the same as ADC and moved back to his streaming ways. With two spots now open, Chauster could finally drop his Smite summoner, move back his more familiar role as Support with Doubelift, and recreate the bottom lane that even Korean teams feared a year ago. With jiji's team, Azure Cats, disbanded, they picked up their former long-time Mid Lane and put him in as Jungler, hoping that he'll have more success in his new role than Chauster did. Finally, replacing Hotshot's long standing role as the top lane, CLG picked up Nientonsoh, the best player of the former team MRN, moving him from his comfortable ADC role and putting him in the Top Lane.



Through their almost three year history, CLG has had fifteen different players in starting roles at one point or another, making them the most volatile roster in the entire professional scene of League. With Hotshot moving to the management side of things, CLG believes that the roster going into the summer season will hopefully be the one they have for the foreseeable future, wanting to change their reputation as silver medalists and finally win the big one. Growing pains will for sure be there, Nien not used to the top lane role and jiji going from the mid to the jungle, but with all the talent they have on one roster, you would expect them to contend for the title at the end of the season, right? Be it a huge success or failure, CLG will be the main talking point for everyone throughout the summer split. If you were a CLG fan that lost internet for the past six months and then finally got back online to check how your favorite League team is doing, you might be wondering if six months was actually five years. Voyboy came, then left, and Locodoco took his rocket ship from Korea to North America, learning that support isn't the same as ADC, and quickly returning back to Korea. jiji and his cats left the team, giving way to a new guy named Link, and Chauster deciding that jungle couldn't be so hard, right? Oh, and then there was Aphromoo joining as support, Hotshot going back to the top, and the team switching positions and players so much that you were wondering if their line-ups weren't decided by a gigantic roulette wheel with names of various people across the world.Finally, finishing an extremely disappointing spring season in 5th-6th place, Hotshot decided that his time had come to retire from the game and move into a management role for his team. Alongside his leaving, Aphromoo decided, like Locodoco, that Support isn't the same as ADC and moved back to his streaming ways. With two spots now open, Chauster could finally drop his Smite summoner, move back his more familiar role as Support with Doubelift, and recreate the bottom lane that even Korean teams feared a year ago. With jiji's team, Azure Cats, disbanded, they picked up their former long-time Mid Lane and put him in as Jungler, hoping that he'll have more success in his new role than Chauster did. Finally, replacing Hotshot's long standing role as the top lane, CLG picked up Nientonsoh, the best player of the former team MRN, moving him from his comfortable ADC role and putting him in the Top Lane.Through their almost three year history, CLG has had fifteen different players in starting roles at one point or another, making them the most volatile roster in the entire professional scene of League. With Hotshot moving to the management side of things, CLG believes that the roster going into the summer season will hopefully be the one they have for the foreseeable future, wanting to change their reputation as silver medalists and finally win the big one. Growing pains will for sure be there, Nien not used to the top lane role and jiji going from the mid to the jungle, but with all the talent they have on one roster, you would expect them to contend for the title at the end of the season, right? Be it a huge success or failure, CLG will be the main talking point for everyone throughout the summer split.



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