Misfits began their 2020 season on a loss. Rogue, their opponents, were comfortably in control of the pace of the match. The players committed several mistakes, both individually and as a team.
So then, why are fans still happy and even proud of their performance?
Despite the result, in the face of hardship, Misfits proved to be a legitimate contender in the LEC.
Right off the bat, the picks and bans from both teams proved quite interesting. Misfits banned Draven out of respect of their former ally Steven “Hans sama” Liv. They would draft J4 for Iván “Razork” Martín Díaz and Nautilus for Petr “Denyk” Haramach. In doing so, they would rely on their now signature strategy: utilizing the core of jungler and support to roam early and proactively chase a lead.
Rogue showed to have made their research as they managed to avoid collapses in Top Lane and Mid Lane. The team did a good job at tracking the movements of both the jungler and support duo as well as those of Fabian “Febiven” Diepstraten on the Leblanc.
The draft (Courtesy of Riot Games)
The main thorn on Misfits’ plan would be the strength of Rogue’s botlane. In order to allow Denyk to roam, they had to play passively and allow Hans sama to push to tower. This was a problem due to two reasons. On one hand, Hans was able to make use of his advantage and farm up incredibly well. Furthermore, Yeong-hoon “Bvoy” Ju was piloting Senna ADC, a champion that needs to trade and harass to stack up her passive.
Rogue did an excellent job of capitalizing on their lead, as they moved around Hans Sama and Oscar “Vander” Bogdan to capitalize on their pressure. Throughout the game Rogue would utilize a fundamental strategy. They shoved minions in both Top Lane and Bot Lane to then collapse and siege as a team in Mid Lane. Securing strong vision control, Rogue completely shut Razork down and dictated the pace of the match, getting objectives and picks with incredible coordination.
Especially notable were perhaps some stage jitters by Razork. The young rookie jungler is usually the engine of his teams as he applies the pressure and secures the kills in the earlier stages of the game. In the match against Rogue, Razork made some very notable misplays and seemed too hesitant at times. It is perfectly understandable that someone might feel nervous in their debut and fans expect him to feel more confident in the future.
Febiven had a strong laning phase worthy of his reputation. However, outside of lane, he was consistently out-traded and twice even straight up outplayed and killed by Emil “Larssen” Larsson. Its no doubt that the Rogue midlaner is one of the shiniest rising talents in Europe, and he has now proved it against one of the very best.
via @Misfits
Denyk was responsible for many of the few good moments of Misfits’ first outing on stage. He was able to stay calm and confident even in the face of a big lead for the enemy. His initiation on Nautilus was what earned Misfits some good teamfights which almost turned the game around for them and even netted a baron.
Bvoy was, for several fans and analysts, a big question mark of the team. As a player, critics considered him inconsistent, overrated and even a “budget signing”. In this game however his performance was good. Although many will point to the fact that he lost the matchup against Hans, this is mostly due to the team’s strategy and not his individual play. Bvoy had good moments in teamfights and saved the team on a crucial moment in baron.
Danny “Dan Dan” Le Comte, the man man, looked solid. He performed pretty well and did not make many mistakes that stood out.
Despite their mistakes, Misfits had good moments in-game and even made fans believe that they could turn the whole match around at one point.
The fact that their mistakes were clearly visible is a definitive upgrade compared to last year. The coaches will know what to work on and iron out for next time to make the team stronger. That is the whole point of bringing in so many rookies after all: to develop, grow and someday conquer.
Courtesy of Riot Games
As some may say, Rogue won the battle, but not the war.
Misfits showed great promise, good strategy and even some nice individual plays; they demonstrated that they could stand up as a strong contender in the LEC. Others should be warned; anyone who underestimates this bunny will get devoured by some hungry fangs.
Featured photo from Misfits
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