Jung "Impact" Eon-yeong Archives • The Game Haus

February 13, 2018February 13, 2018 by Brandon Borrelli Yi

King of the Hill: Echo Fox VS Cloud 9

With Week 4 of the 2018 NA LCS Spring Split over, it’s time to take a look at who is dominating the standings. At the top, we have Echo Fox and Cloud 9 tied for first at 7-1.

Both of these teams are coming off the back of a 2-0 weekend. Cloud 9 having taken down the other contender for first in Team Liquid and also the newly revitalised Flyquest. Echo Fox having defeated The Golden Guardians, who have finally made it on the scoreboard, and Team Liquid whose place in the middle of the pack has been cemented.

Let’s take a look at the key games for each of these teams that put them in the position they are in.

Courtesy of Riot Games

Cloud 9 VS Liquid

Cloud 9’s superstar bot lane duo of Andy “Smoothie” Ta and Zachary “Sneaky” Scuderi continued to prove they are the best duo in NA. Even up against Team Liquid’s Yiliang “Doublelift” Peng, who is currently the best ADC in the league stat-wise, they dominated. This gave Smoothie the ability to roam frequently and snowball his other lanes on Alistar. However, the real story here is about rookie top laner Eric “Licorice” Ritchie being able to trade blows with the best.

With the assistance of an early roam from Smoothie, Licorice was able to completely crush the opposition. This was no easy feat as Team Liquid’s top laner, and former Cloud 9 member, Jung “Impact” Eon-yeong is highly seasoned. Even in a hyper carry vs hyper carry situation, Licorice just continued to outshine Impact, eventually leading to Cloud 9’s win.

Courtesy of Riot Games

Echo Fox VS Liquid

Echo Fox. What is there to say about this team that hasn’t already been said before. They are an absolute powerhouse who have defied all expectations. Last night’s match against Team Liquid was no exception. Liquid had messed up right from the draft stage by giving over Zac to Fox’s Joshua “Dardoch” Hartnett.

Dardoch has shown many times throughout the split just how proficient he is on this champion. Never thinking twice about his slingshots and picks, he dives headlong into the action and gets picks for his team. This is especially true when up against immobile champions who have no way of getting out of harm’s way when such a dive occurs.

It just so happened that in last night’s match, Double was on one of these aforementioned immobile picks. Not just any immobile champion mind you, but the epitome of immobility, Kog’Maw. Even though Double gave over no kills in these situations, he had to constantly use his summoners to avoid them. This left him at a disadvantage during team fights as he would have to stay far away to avoid being caught out. Therefore, making him less relevant.

Eventually Double began to scale up on Kog’Maw to the point where he could delete enemy squishies. However, it was pointless as by the time it came to a team fight, Liquid was always a man down due to Dardoch’s continuous picks. Thus, allowing Echo Fox to steamroll the match and win.

Next week we will finally see the stalemate broken as on day 2 Echo Fox will face off against Cloud 9. Finally, the best team in the NA LCS will be decided. Who will come out on top?

CREDITS

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Featured image courtesy of Riot Games

July 8, 2017 by Thomas Baker

Trending in Rift Rivals: NA v. EU

Rift Rivals is on in full force, as regions around the world battle for bragging rights. This new international event is clashing metas against each other, to surprising effect. The Atlantic rivalry, North America versus Europe, has been particularly exciting.

There was so much speculation coming into the event, regarding which teams would be strongest, which player match-ups would be most intense and which pocket picks might be locked in. Some of this guess-work has followed through on stage, but much of it has been turned on its head. Today, we will be looking at what is trending at Rift Rivals: NA v. EU.

TRENDING UP

These are the teams, players and gameplay factors that are on the upswing since playing at Rift Rivals. They may have won a key series against a tough opponent. A teammate may have put their team on their back to keep it together. Maybe a particular champion pick was able to shine.

Image from LoL Esports Flickr

Nicolaj “Jensen” Jensen

Even though Cloud9 has had a 50 percent win rate after three days at Rift Rivals, their mid laner has been putting up quite a performance. Jensen has the second highest overall KDA (10.4), the second lowest overall death share (7 percent), and the highest overall gold and CS leads at 10 minutes (427, 11.3). Critics in the NA LCS suggested Jensen’s performance may be inflated due to the wide mid lane talent pool within North America. Rift Rivals just may convince them otherwise, having withstood Rasmus “Caps” Winther, Luka “Perkz” Perković and Fabian “Exileh” Schubert.

Phoenix1

Heralded by many to be the weakest team coming into the event, P1 has been rocking the house in Berlin. The orange-and-black hold a 4-2 record after three days of competition, higher than Cloud9, Unicorns of Love, Fnatic and G2. P1 has been the dominant early game by far, averaging 1,272 gold ahead at 15 minutes. Maintaining the highest kill:death ratio, 1.87, P1 is also the team going for blood. Their matches have been invigorating for NA LCS fans hoping for a strong showing.

TSM

Analysts are beginning to shed more and more of their doubts about TSM. The defending champions of North America are on a tear, currently sitting 5-1 with the best record at Rift Rivals. The decisive, coordinated playstyle that allowed TSM to dominate the NA LCS in Spring 2016 has re-surged. They are averaging 1,438 gold ahead at 15 minutes against some of Europe’s strongest contenders. The biggest difference between TSM and other teams in the tournament, however, has been their neutral objective control. At 75 percent dragon control and 80 percent Baron control, they are among the highest of all teams.

Michael “MikeYeung” Yeung

Phoenix1’s jungler is making quite a name for himself in his first international performance. MikeYeung has become a playmaker that is not afraid to aggressively invade the enemy’s jungle or contest neutral objectives. His Lee Sin is very slippery, sporting a 9.8 KDA and 100 percent win rate over three games. Rift Rivals is furthering his claim for “Rookie of the Split” in the NA LCS (even if he is the only one currently eligible).

Image from Surrenderat20.net

Top lane Gnar

Gnar has seen plenty of professional gameplay around the world since his release. However, his pick-ban rate has been low for most of 2017: 2.3 percent in spring and 5.9 percent so far this summer. Rift Rivals is seeing a resurgence of the Missing Link in the top lane. Gnar has been picked in seven games, banned in five, equaling 66.6 percent of total games. Teams have won 71.4 percent of games with the champion. This probably signals an increased priority for Gnar for the foreseeable future in NA and EU LCS.

TRENDING DOWN

These are the teams, players and gameplay factors that are on the downswing at Rift Rivals: NA v. EU. They may have lost a series against an underdog. A teammate may have faltered over several games. Maybe the meta is shifting and a playstyle is being left in the past.

Image from LoL Esports Flickr

Fnatic

Following an upward trend last week in the EU LCS, Fnatic have slipped up so far at Rift Rivals. Over two days, the number one European team is only 2-4 against TSM, C9 and P1. Doing a complete 180 from the EU LCS Summer Split so far, Fnatic are averaging 2,378 gold behind at 15 minutes, and they have only secured 10 percent of dragons. No one player can take the blame, though.

Jeon “Ray” Ji-won

Cloud9’s top laner is on the decline since competing at Rift Rivals. While Ray has not necessarily put up star performances in the NA LCS, his shortcomings are on full display at this tournament. The third lowest overall KDA (1.6), third lowest overall kill participation (50 percent), second highest overall death share (29.8 percent) and ninth overall lowest damage per minute (261). These all belong to Ray.

Image from Surrenderat20.net

Rek’Sai jungle

Rek’Sai saw a sharp up-tick in gameplay last week in NA and EU LCS, since receiving a gameplay update. However, the Void Burrower has not been impactful so far at Rift Rivals. RekSai has only been picked or banned in four games, and only won one game. Zac, Elise, Gragas and Lee Sin have had significantly higher priority in drafts and performance in game.

Featured Image: LoL Esports Flickr

Other Images: LoL Esports Flickr, Surrenderat20.net

Champion Statistics: Games of Legends, Oracle’s Elixir

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June 18, 2017June 17, 2017 by Thomas Baker

Summer 2017 over/under (part 1): LCS players below expectations

The EU and NA LCS Summer Splits are part-way through week three. Every team has played at least four series, and most starting players have played six or more games on stage. The beginning-of-split grace period is coming to an end, and excuses, such as team synergy or a new meta, are no longer acceptable.

Mid-season roster changes and substitutions are shaking up the standings compared to the 2017 Spring Splits. Most of the mix-ups can be attributed to team and player improvements, but just like every split, some players are standing out as weak links. No player can take full responsibility for an under-performing team, but the players below definitely have some work cut out for them if their teams are to reach their maximum potential.

Jung “Impact” Eon-yeong/Jeon “Ray” Ji-won

Cloud9, Top laners

D%: 26.9%/23.5% (2nd-3rd highest overall)

CSD10: -8.5/-11 (lowest top laners)

Something is obviously wrong with Cloud9’s top lane. Ray and Impact have both had their lulling periods in the past, but fans hoped those issues might be gone. Ray has had a full split to assimilate into the team, and Impact has been on the team a full year. Cloud9’s other members seem to be playing well, making this top lane duo a liability. Ray and Impact fall far behind in the early game and do not have the KDAs or damage per minute to justify such high death shares.

C9 Ray is underperforming after 3 weeks of LCS

Image from LoL Esports Flickr

Phoenix1's Inori is underperforming after three weeks of LCS Summer Split

Image from LoL Esports Flickr

William “Meteos” Hartman/Rami “Inori” Charagh

Phoenix1, Junglers

KDA: 1.5/3.0 (lowest and 8th junglers)

DPM: 223/187 (9th and lowest junglers)

Another substituting duo that is struggling, Meteos and Inori, has uprooted P1’s entire team. Neither of these junglers has looked well-rounded. Inori brings fewer deaths, but also less damage and lower kill participation. Meteos has higher damage per minute and kill participation, but sacrifices a lot of deaths. In week three, P1 has decided to start Michael “MikeYeung” Yeung, indicating that he may be a better option right now.

Luka “Perkz” Perković

G2, Mid laner

XPD10: -507 (2nd lowest overall)

DPM: 511 (7th mid laner)

G2’s slow start is a bit of a conundrum. Despite minimal roster changes in Group A, Perkz has fallen in rank in almost every statistic. His KDA, damage, death share, and laning differentials are significantly worse than Spring Split. This is surprising considering how well Perkz performed at the Mid Season Invitational. Mid lane has some of the highest parity among EU LCS positions, so weakness here can inhibit G2’s success.

G2 Perkz is underperforming after three weeks of Summer Split

Image from LoL Esports Flickr

P1 Arrow has been underperforming after three weeks of Summer Split

Image from LoL Esports Flickr

No “Arrow” Dong-hyeon

Phoenix1, Bot laner

DPM: 464 (3rd lowest bot laner)

CSD10: -5.8 (lowest bot laner)

Arrow has fallen far from MVP of the NA LCS Spring Split. While P1 has issues greater than just Arrow, the bot laner has not looked remotely close to form. KDAs are always lower on losing teams, but laning statistics such as gold differential, experience differential, and CS differential are mostly on the individual. Arrow’s laning statistics are significantly lower than last spring, and his overall damage has dropped off, which is strange considering hyper-carries are playable in the current meta.

Austin “Gate” Yu

Echo Fox, Support

KP%: 58.6% (lowest support)

XPD10: -119 (2nd lowest support)

Echo Fox has had a stalwart start to the split, but almost none of it can be attributed to Gate. While most other supports are drafting playmakers such as Rakan, Thresh, Blitzcrank, and Zyra, Gate has locked in Karma four games, and Sejuani three. FOX only won one of the three Sejuani games, and Gate did not seem to impact the series at all. For Echo Fox to reach the next level, Gate will need to contribute more meaningfully and consistently.

FOX Gate has been underperforming three weeks into Summer Split

Image from LoL Esports Flickr

Each of these players has shown high points in the past, and should be able to bounce back from these first few weeks of competition. However, if they wish to remain contenders for playoffs, then they will need to improve as efficiently as possible. It is not uncommon for professional players to slump here or there. It happens every split. Getting out of it will require change. Trying new champion picks, setting different goals during practice, and working on communication within the team are all ways in which these LCS pros can overcome the criticism thrown their way.

Tune in next week for Summer 2017 Over/Under (Part 2): LCS Players Above Expectations.

Featured Image: LoL Esports Flickr

Champion Statistics: Oracle’s Elixir

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