Two weeks of competitive action have passed in the 2019 LCS Summer Split. There have been many surprises in these 14 days, especially the play of OpTic Gaming. Their 4-0 start to the split has put them atop the LCS, after a 7-11 finish from the spring. One of the biggest factors in their success has been the play of their Mid Laner: Crown. His confidence has been increasing recently and it’s been translating well onto the rift. This was the case during Week 2, putting him and his team in the spotlight.
Crown and OpTic have shocked the League of Legends scene this summer by jumping out to an undefeated start through two weeks. Many believed that they would fall off after an easier Week 1 schedule, but they’ve defied odds so far and maintained their success. Crown has been crafting his own success in the Mid Lane and his team has benefited substantially. His reliability puts extensive amounts of pressure on their opponents in most games. This usually allows other members of OpTic to have more confidence in their match-ups because of his presence on the map.
Image Courtesy of LoL Esports Flickr.
Week 2 was no different as they picked up another two wins, this time against more competitive opponents. Despite the steeper hill in front of him, Crown stood in the Mid Lane with composure. His positioning was close to flawless, as well as his focus, resulting in many takedowns. With a scoreline of 7/1/9 through two matches, Crown’s impact was big enough for OpTic to secure another undefeated weekend.
A few things that have stood out for Crown in these first two weeks are his awareness and positioning. He’s been playing champions like Twisted Fate, whom have great rotational abilities. This has allowed him to dictate fights for his team, as well as position himself accordingly. Typically, Crown isn’t brought up in the conversation of top tier Mid Laners, but he’s been proving otherwise this split.
Crown has certainly upped his level of play for the summer after a mediocre Spring Split. Through four games, his statistics are extraordinarily higher than in the spring. His K/D/A of 2.66 has jumped up to 11, along with his CS per game increasing by 22.5. In fact, he’s currently averaging the highest CS per game in North America.
Aside from his statistics, Crown has been improving other aspects of his game. It seems he’s been more confident in recent games, but has done a good job of keeping composure. He rarely makes silly mistakes anymore, resulting in fewer deaths and more takedowns for his team. This has made him an incredible force in the Mid Lane for OpTic, helping them dominate the beginning of the summer.
When looking at the OpTic squad from the spring, it’s very easy to pick things apart. They weren’t a sound team, meaning their talent alone wasn’t enough to outweigh their mistakes. Instead, they struggled at getting their feed under them.
Image Courtesy of LoL Esports Flickr.
What’s turned around for OpTic during the summer is their team play. This can be divided up into many different aspects, but they’ve performed exceptionally well at moving as a unit. Whether it’s setting up a fight near an objective or getting deep wards down, OpTic’s rotational skills have skyrocketed so far.
On top of that, they’ve solidified their roster more as the season’s progressed. Their attempt at a 10-man roster during the spring didn’t fare well for them, whereas their consistency through these two weeks has proven effective. Members like Crown have benefited from this experience and will evolve into very polished players down the road. At this level of play, OpTic have the potential to build an impressive resume before their organizational change to Immortals.
Featured Image Courtesy of LoL Esports Flickr.
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