A lot happened between the end of LCS week two and beginning of LCS week 3. From another installment of TSM Drama to Champions Queue updates, week 3 is shaping up to be spicy. So to prepare fans for the upcoming week, here are three storylines to look out for in LCS Week 3.
TSM once again proved that they are not physically capable of staying out of esports headlines after another installment of LCS drama. This time, TSM decided to bring Shenyi down to Academy while Yursan starts in the LCS. Not only did TSM do this move, but they worded it in the most confusing way possible. It seemed like Shenyi was playing in both the LCS and Academy, but TSM cleared it up on discord. Yursan gets his first “real” LCS debut now while Shenyi plays Academy exclusively.
What makes this situation even more fascinating is the drama surrounding it. Apparently, Shenyi wanted to be a more vocal shotcaller, but his team lacked faith. Whether this was due to scrims, language barrier or anything else, who knows. Furthermore, a TSM coach according to Travis Gafford was also let go this week.
So where does this put TSM? Well, it puts them on the meme chopping block, but also in a bad spot. Yursan is actually a promising Support, but it is clear that Shenyi probably isn’t going to work out. A coach leaving, a sudden Academy benching and putting in an unproven Support. It’s a recipe for disaster. Now to be fair to TSM, Keaiduo seems like he is a great fit with the team and is having some strong performances. If Keaiduo works out and Shenyi doesn’t, is that a win? Is 1/2 really that bad? Shenyi could also still work out, but the likelihood of this event seems much less now.
Worst case, TSM can grab IgNar and call it a day. But if TSM wins this weekend, it is going to be really interesting to see fan reactions. They have Immortals on the schedule. If not, 0-6 memes. Everyone wins.
In a week of Support news, it is fitting that CoreJJ got his green card. The legendary Support for Team Liquid is finally getting his chance to perform with the LCS roster on stage. That being said, massive respect needs to be given to Eyla. Eyla had the impossible task of trying to fill in for CoreJJ and succeeded to the point where they won Lock In. If Eyla isn’t on a team next year it is a massive shame. He smurfed 2021 Academy and now the LCS.
Eyla praise aside, CoreJJ coming back is on paper still an upgrade. Team Liquid have a litmus test with their new team on Saturday playing versus Evil Geniuses. EG have struggled a bit outside of Lock In, but Danny Vulcan is a strong test for their Bot Lane. Fans should expect CoreJJ to come in with no hitches, but it is possible it takes a few games for him to get back into the swing. Regardless, it’s great to have CoreJJ back for LCS Week 3.
Three of the top 5 Champions Queue players are on Evil Geniuses. Jojoypun, Srtty and Kaori are first, third and fourth. They aren’t the only LCS and Academy players grinding though. Kumo and Josedeodo are the notable standouts from FlyQuest. Kumo is second while Jose is tenth. Elo is great and all, but does Champions Queue even matter?
The answer is yes. All of these players are on roughly 10 ping and in voice coms every game. And while sure, Korea or China may have stronger players overall, for a practice environment, no other region compares. There are no voice coms every game in EU. It is great to see these players put in the work ethic and grind, though queue times are still an issue. Jojopyun in particular is incredibly impressive at first place, but it also shows the work ethic of EG as a whole.
Fans should keep an eye out on Jojo, Kumo and Josedeodo this weekend to see if that extra “scrim” time helped them out.
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