Through the scene of Reddit and podcast after podcast, people are quick to shame Aphromoo this Spring Split. As of writing, 100 Thieves are currently sitting at 4-10 and last place in the standings. While the team hasn’t looked great, it seems that the question on everyone’s mind is this: why hasn’t Aphromoo been subbed out? Believe it or not, there are very simple reasons as to why that mentality is wrong. Not just that, it’s detrimental to the team’s overall success.
Reddit Knows Best
If you read over various subreddits that talk about LCS, you’ll find that a majority of commentators have started a flame war. A Reddit thread showcasing a “misplay” from the 100T v C9 game has spawned a huge uproar in the League Reddit community. “LOOK AT DAT PRESENCE”, “There looked to be two great opportunities for him to go in there”. Comment after comment focuses on the poor play that Aphromoo showcased here. While there are a few members pointing out the reasoning behind the play, it falls upon deaf ears.
Ex-Pro player Christian Rivera (IWillDominate) went to Twitter voicing his opinion on the matter.
God damn everyone turned on aphro so damn hard so quickly… I know it’s not been a great split for 100T but holy fuck…
— Christian Rivera (@IWDominate) March 11, 2019
Others have spoken out about the topic as well. Most ex-pros and analysts have come to the same conclusion. This split for 100 Thieves has wiped away Aphromoo’s past accomplishments. Just last year, he earned Sprint Split MVP. The team made finals and went to Worlds. The social media space has no respect for past accomplishments when the current times are a struggle. A player like Aphromoo deserves respect for his past, however the League community thinks otherwise.
Making Do With what You Have
Let’s not mince words; 100 Thieves has looked like a mess ever since the start of the split. Ssumday has gained solo leads while the rest of the map falls apart. AnDa has shown glimpses of phenomenal play followed by absolute mediocrity. Bot lane goes even and does nothing with their scaling. Every lane is at fault for their Spring Split performance. The hunt for Aphromoo’s position comes at the cost of forcing all the blame on him. “His shotcalling is poor”, the entire team is shotcalling this split per their heist videos. “He’s just standing there doing nothing”. Let’s continue to point out how he can’t engage due to the overall team’s play.
While he has exhibited poor play, the team’s performance this split is not solely on him. Being the face of 100 Thieves’ League of Legends team, it makes complete sense to blame him to most people. Despite this, anyone watching 100 Thieves as a whole this split can see that the entire team is off kilter. So why is it that the public outcry wants Aphromoo’s head? During the 2016 season, Aphromoo had similar responses to his play while on CLG. This is just another page in the book of his career. Either he’ll show up and prove everyone wrong or he’ll fall to the wayside like many LCS Veterans.
Aphromoo’s Redemption
It’s clear that the public eye is on Aphromoo as the Spring Split comes to a close. With their chances for playoffs in the hands of others, 100 Thieves can only do so much with their current record. If he showcases great play, this flame war will be a thing of the past. His job security won’t matter anymore and Reddit will feel completely satisfied with the state of things. If they go 0-4 over these next two weeks, they’ll be out for blood. All that matters is the way Aphromoo finishes out the Spring Split here in 2019. Social media will have its opinion as it always does.
For now, however, focusing on getting that 4-0 should be priority one for Aphromoo and 100 Thieves. Will they buckle under the public pressure? We’ll find out in the coming weeks.
Feature Image courtesy of LoL Esports Flickr.
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