EU LCS 2015 Spring Predictions

                While I haven't watched as much challenger scene this season as I did last year I'll still march out my predictions for EU LCS for this split. These predictions are how I believe the season will end.

#10 - GIANTS! Gaming

Starting Roster: Werlyb, Frederic, Pepinero, Adryh, Rydle

                I actually don't know a single one of these guys other than Pepinero who I barely know anything about. There's something to be said for being all one country and one language (hell look at Roccat last year). It's also worth noting that the EU LCS is relatively shallow this year with a lot of teams in transition and new teams all over the place which will yield and overall weaker field but I just don't see this ending well for Giants. Hopefully they prove me wrong.

#9 Copenhagen Wolves

Starting Roster: Youngbuck, Airwaks, Soren, Freeze, Unlimited

                They're back!! I doubt anyone is that excited. Freeze can be good and traditionally the new young Danish mid laner is usually good but I'm not so sure Soren continues that tradition. Youngbuck and Airwaks have been around for awhile but never seem to do anything impressive. This team is just unexciting to me. They have the savvy veterans to steal some games but there's just not that much going on here.

#8 Fnatic

Starting Roster: Huni, ReignOver, Febiven, Steelback, YellowStar

                The beginning of the era for Fnatic. With Xpeke and Soaz off starting Team Origen, and Cyanide retired (?) the core trio that were together for years and multiple worlds appearances is finally disbanded. As if that wasn't bad enough, their young ADC prodigy that they groomed for over a year had finally come to the big stage and performed very well only to be frustrated at the changes and moved to rivals Elements (Alliance). This is a new team. They may not be as bad as I think with potential stars in Febiven and Freeze as well as Korean imports Huni and former Incredible Miracle player ReignOver but until I see it I'm just not sure. Late changes, language barriers, and previous lack of coaching infrastructure (the old Fnatic kinda just did things the way they wanted) mean that a lot of things need to go just right for this team to even be average and I just don't see that happening.

#7 H2K

Starting Roster: Odoammne, Loulex, Ryu, Hjarnan, Voidle

                Four challenger scene veterans with time on and off LCS teams and a Korean who used to be one of the best in the world. Sounds like a weird sitcom. On paper this actually looks like a decent enough team to be relevant. H2k stormed through the challenger scene most of last season but it's still just the challenger scene. Odoammne was one of the names tossed around by a lot of LCS teams in both EU and NA to replace top laners that were struggling like Innox and Seraph and was considered by many to be one of the best non-pros in Western League of Legends. Loulex and Voidle had their times on and off various LCS rosters with varying levels of success. Hjarnan has been in the challenger scene for awhile looking for his chance at the big time. The big question here is Ryu. The former KT Bullets superstar known by most people as "the guy that lost to Faker in a Zed duel" was actually one of the best players in the world during Season 3 and has had a long and storied career in Korea. But since then he and Horo attempted a move to Europe and were unsuccessful in getting into the EU LCS with Millenium. Ryu didn't look like the same Ryu and while I want to say he's washed up, something tells me that the whole Millenium situation was a bit of a wake-up call for him. If Ryu can channel even a fraction of what he used to be he'll be one of the best mid laners in Europe especially during this currently weak split and if he and Odoammne can perform well then H2K will have a leg up on the bottom tier teams in EU LCS.

#6 Gambit Gaming

Starting Roster: Cabocharg, Diamondprox, NiQ, P1noy, Edward

                I might be underrating this roster but I tend to think that off-season LAN tournaments are not a good indicator of LCS success. They're usually on unbalanced patches, teams can get hot, and in the case of this split, it was in Europe for Gambit. I think this roster is perfectly fine. NiQ had huge weight on his shoulders to replace the legendary Alex Ich last year and performed admirably enough to earn the respect of most players. He's well rounded and solid. Edward is still an excellent support and Diamondprox apparently has a renewed passion for the game after suffering what seemed to be a bit of burn out last season during a lot of their roster changes. Cabochard is unexciting but P1noy was extremely exciting at IEM. Now let's be real here. He's not as good as he played there. At least I don't think he is. That being said there's the possibility that his high risk, high reward style could prove beneficial. Overall Gambit is somewhere in the middle. Not a high tier team but one that could be coming in hot off their off season performances. They'll probably come out strong and fade as the season goes.

#5 Meet Your Makers

Starting Roster: Mimer, H0R0, Selfie, MrRallez, Nisbeth

                I don't know much about Nisbeth but I do know that MrRallez is a savage. Maybe the 2nd best ADC in Europe. Mimer while unexciting is an EU veteran. Selfie looked outstanding for a majority of last season. Now it comes to H0R0. From SK Telecom T1 S to Millenium (with Ryu) to MYM this guy has had one hell of a tumultuous offseason. He was one of the stronger junglers in Korea when the "Great Exodus" happened and it was rather strange that a Korean team didn't pick him up from SKT but to Europe he went and, well, it hasn't been good so far. I think with time to settle down and just focus on playing, he'll find his old self. He's still an excellent player and likely the best jungler in Europe if he can play up to his previous level. He could be the catalyst that propels this team into a higher ranking but for now I'm going to assume he'll still be adjusting during this split. If he remains on this roster for the Summer than I could see them progressing.

#4 ROCCAT

Starting Roster: Overpow (top), Jankos, Nukeduck, Woolite, Vander

                These guys are a blast to watch. Last year they were an aggressive, innovative, grab life by the balls kind of team. Now I'm not sure how Overpow is going to work out in the top lane but with the champion pool for top beginning to grow pretty large I'm sure he'll be fine by season's end. He's a great individual player and he'll find a way. Jankos is a first blood machine and the best jungler in Europe and if H0R0 doesn't live up to his previous self. Nukeduck's return to the professional scene will be interesting. His former champion pool (a year ago...) looks fine but a lot of things can change between then and now. Just remember he was a former worlds competitor. Vander and Woolite, while unexciting are serviceable pros and together form a formidable duo for the laning phase. If Nukeduck pans out then this should be a solid roster and with Europe as weak as it's been since I can remember, they shouldn't have any trouble finishing in the top 4.

#3 Unicorns of Love

Starting Roster: Vizicsacsi, Kikis, PowerOfEvil, Vardags, Hylissang

                These guys are EVEN MORE FUN to watch. Innovative, ruthlessly aggressive, willing to experiment, and a very "nothing to lose" kind of attitude can combine to form a lethal combination. PowerOfEvil is the real deal and is potentially the only person that can challenge Froggen this season. For my money, he was the best non-pro in the West and it's going to be exciting seeing him for a full split after brilliant performances in the qualification tournament and at IEM. Vizicsacsi is another game changing playmaker in top lane and in a meta where more and more champions are becoming viable. Kikis gets things going consistently for his solo laners in much the same style as Lovelin of OMG and the bot lane function as role players. Hylissang will have to show some proficiency on champions other than Thresh but overall I really like this lineup. They're fresh, exciting, and they themselves are excited to be here.

#2 SK Gaming

Starting Roster: Fredy122, Svenskeren, Fox, Forgiven, nRated

                I'm still convinced that if Svenskeren didn't get banned that SK would've made it out of groups over TSM at worlds this year. They're an outstanding strategic team and are very well coached. The loss of Jesiz could make an impact here as his ability to maintain control of the game by slowing it down was noticable however, Fox brings an aggressive side to things that Jesiz was inconsistent at and overall could provide a more well rounded player for SK to build strategies with. Svenskeren is right there with Jankos as one of the best junglers in Europe and Fogiven is immensely talented if he can keep his head in the game and focused. nRated, while unexciting, is another seasoned, solid veteran and apparently Forgiven likes. This is a solid roster of veterans plus new comer Fox to bring some energy and diversity which is a great combination that I believe will lead to a top 2 finish.

#1 Elements (former Alliance)

Starting Roster: Wickd, Shook, Froggen, Rekkles, Nyph

                Elements are the clear cut favorites for EU this split and likely this year. I just don't see any of the other European teams on the same level as they are. They made a slight upgrade at ADC with the addition of former Fnatic member and young prodigy Rekkles but other than that kept the same roster. On the worlds stage Wickd and Shook are weak links but domestically, this is a rock solid roster with next to no challengers. They'll dominate because they're good top to bottom and only made one change for a slight upgrade. They won't dominate because of Rekkles. The fact is that he was only a slight upgrade. Even though he's the best ADC in Europe he's really not that much better than Tabzz was so no much is changing here. More of the same means more victories for Alliance... I mean Elements.

Prop Bets and Individual Awards:

League MVP - Froggen

Rookie of the Year - PowerOfEvil

Biggest Disappointment - Ryu (I kinda think he'll get his shit together but this is the most likely disappointment option)

Biggest Surprise - Fox (Good team around him puts him in a good spot to succeed)

Best in Role:

               - Top: Vizicsacsi

               - Jungle: Jankos

               - Mid: Froggen

               - ADC: Rekkles

               - Support: Edward 

NA LCS 2015 Spring Predictions

                With LCS starting this weekend it's time for my predictions for the split for both NA and EU. I didn't follow the challenger scene nearly as much as I did for previous splits but I'll still give you my thoughts for this season. These predictions are made in the style of power rankings. I'm not going to predict records like I did for LoL Champions Korea but this is what I expect to be your END OF SEASON rankings.

#10 - Team 8

Starting Roster: CaliTrlolz, Porpoise, Slooshi, Maplestreet, Dodo8

                There's a chance that I'm not giving enough credit to roster continuity here seeing as Team 8 have been together in the challenger scene for quite some time now but that fact is that the level of skills here is just not up to par with the rest of the LCS. The only player really worthy of the higher level is top laner CaliTrlolz who is going to thrive in the current meta game where the top lane is vibrant and full of potential champion selections. They might have been good enough to get into LCS but they're not ready to compete yet.

#9 Gravity (former Curse Academy)

Starting Roster: Hauntzer, Saintvicious, Keane, Cop, BunnyFuFu

                Once again, continuity can be very valuable but there is a reason Curse Academy was a challenger team for well over a year. I think they're the superior of the two mainstays from the challenger scene in NA. Keane can be an absolute beast and while old man Saintvicious might not be what he used to be, he is the emotional leader this team needs to cause some upsets. Gravity and Team 8 will likely both end up back in challenger at seasons end.

#8 Dignitas

Starting Roster: Gamsu, Crumbzz, Shiphtur, CoreJJ, KiwiKid

                I can respect the loyalty that Dignitas has to its players but do they honestly expect people to believe that there wasn't a better option than Kiwikid? Especially with QTpie leaving it would've been a great time to just bring in a new bot lane all together. Anyway, I digress. The problem I see with this team is that they didn't fix any of their problems during the off season and downgraded at two positions. CoreJJ may end up better than QTpie but he's got to prove it to me first. He also has the language barrier/moving to NA issues to deal with. It's possible that he has stronger game sense and could be more coachable though so perhaps that was part of their considerations. Gamsu I've heard good things about from higher level players but he's not Zion. To me the bigger issue is that star player Shiphtur does not play well when behind and I just can't see this team having many early and mid game leads. Unless their new coaching staff figures out something that nobody else does this could be the end of Dignitas as we know it.

#7 Impulse (former LMQ)

Starting Roster: Impact, Rush, XaioWeiXaio, Apollo, Adrian

                If the language barrier can be overcome then this roster has the potential to finish significantly higher than this ranking but I'm speculating that that will not be the case. As great a coach as Fly can be they just don't have the time together as a team before the split starts to make a massive impact (heh!) in this split. We all know XaioWeiXaio is a beast but this just seems likea cobbled together bunch. Apollo and Adrian from NA solo queue, Impact after being cut from SK Telecom, and Rush who I know next to nothing about. This ranking is almost entirely respect for XWX to carry and for some younger, fresh talent and good coaching to come on stronger towards the end of the season even if they start rough.

#6 Team Coast

Starting Roster: Cris, Impaler, Jesiz, Mash (dontmashme), Sheep

                A lot of veterans here and while not all of them have played at the highest levels, they've all been in the scene for quite some time. It will be interesting to see how Jesiz makes the transition to NA and a new team but I really liked his performance on SK last year and his ability to play safely will allow Impaler and Cris to play aggressively which is what they are best at. Experience is the primary advantage this team will have as long as they have some sort of synergy.

#5 Winterfox (former Evil Geniuses)

Starting Roster: Avalon, Helios, Pobelter, Altec, Imagine

                Altec was by far the most underrated player in both NA and EU LCS last year posting absolutely unbelievable numbers on a losing team that was going through roster changes. He was the best in the league in average KDA in wins, least percentage of team's deaths, least deaths per minute, 2nd in percentage of team's kills, 3rd in kills per game, 2nd in minion kills per minute, and 4th in overall KDA last split. He's an animal that's just waiting to be unleashed on the rest of the league if a good roster can be assembled around him. But it's not just Altec I'm hyped about. Pobelter's journey to the upper echelon of Korean solo queue during the offseason was well documented and full of highlights against the best Korean professionals. At one point he was rank 30 with a 71% winrate. While solo queue rating doesn't always translate to great pro play, it is certainly a representation of how the individual player is doing currently. I'm not sure any of the other NA mid laners outside of Bjergsen and maybe XWX could do something like this and it's enough to earn a lot of my respect. I don't know a lot about imports Avalon and Imagine but I can say that the language barrier won't be as big an issue for this team with Helios there to smooth out the transition. Speaking of Helios, his experience, game knowledge, and aggressive play this past year could prove beneficial for emerging young stars Altec and Pobelter. Part of me wants to make a bolder prediction here and put Winterfox in the top 2 or 3 but I'm going to reserve that after seeing a season of play but they are, in my opinion, the highest upside team in NA LCS.

#4 Counter Logic Gaming

Starting Roster: ZionSpartan, Xmithie, Link, Doublelift, Aphromoo

                It carries some weight with me to see the seasoned, unexcitable veteran Doublelift completely hyped for this season. I'm not sure why he's so amped. Maybe it's the addition of Scarra to the coaching staff or a carry oriented top laner in Zion (top 2 top laners in NA?) to pull attention away from him but something is going on here. The big questions with CLG are whether or not Xmithie can re-acclimate himself to the pro game and whether Link can develope any sort of consistency at all. Maybe a change of pace in the jungle could fix both of these problems, especially with the changes to the game as a whole, new faces will benefit greatly by coming into the scene now and not later. A combination of playmakers in Doublelift and ZionSpartan and veteran presence will leave CLG in a familiar place somewhere in the upper half of the NA LCS.

#3 Team Liquid (former Curse Gaming)

Starting Roster: Quas, IWillDominate, Fenix, Piglet, Xpecial

                There' s a lot of hype surrounding this team. Team Liquids' first foray into League of Legends after shunning it for so long, the acquisition of globally popular and former world champion Piglet, the retirement of Voyboy, etc. It's really easy to overrate a team like this but I also think that people are either in one camp or the other. The believers and the non-believers. I for one am closer to believing than not but I'm going to temper my expectations a bit. If we break this team down the biggest weakness is IWillDominate who has been a veteran player for a number of years and while rarely exciting, has been effective for most of his time as a professional player. The next biggest weakness, at least in my opinion, is the potential psychological problems Piglet might have in getting used to the United States. It's been well reported that he went through a sort of depression, has been to Korea a number of times, and has voiced his feelings on stream. I for one think that he'll be a lot more comfortable once the LCS season starts and he starts whooping on the majority of the ADCs in NA. Is Piglet the best ADC in NA? No. Just because he's Korean and a former world champ doesn't mean that. He was cut because he performed poorly for almost an entire year on SK Telecom (also roster rule...) and there are a number of ADCs in NA that I feel are on a similar level such as Doublelift, Altec, and Sneaky. In my opinion, the main reason Team Liquid will be successful is that they will no longer be limited by Voyboy's shallow champion pool and narrow playstyle. Quas has been an underrated commodity, the addition of Piglet is a massive upgrade over Cop, Xpecial is still the best support in NA. All of these things add up to a solid team for me. As long as Fenix and IWD don't absolutely suck then I just can't see this team finishing any lower than top 3. Upgrades all around, early roster changes, and solid individual players in four out of five positions give Team Liquid great odds to do well. They also have the upside to come out the gates on fire and surprise a lot of teams. I could see this team winning this split if Piglet and Fenix pan out but I'll keep them at #3 for now.

#2 Team Solo Mid

Starting Roster: Dyrus, Santorin, Bjergsen, WildTurtle, Lustboy

                Many of you know that I'm sort of a TSM hater so consider that when I make them my #2 for the Spring split. It's easy for a hater to forget that TSM got to worlds last year with a roster that underwent a late season roster change and with a jungler that could essentially play two champions (albeit well). My gut tells me that this will finally be the downtrend for Dyrus. I can't see him staying at that high of a level for much longer. It's nothing against him but time wears on you. The good thing, is that Bjergsen, Lustboy, and WildTurtle are all playing at an extremely high level and I feel that the addition of Santorin will benefit this team much more than losing Amazing hurt them. Amazing is the better player but only on Lee Sin and Elise. His narrow champion pool was what lost them matches in worlds and prevented them from pushing on to that next level internationally (also they had to face Samsung White...). With more versatility, and a fresh start in the form of the new jungle changers, I think the addition of Santorin will provide much more beneficial for TSM as an organization. This team was already towards the top, and they even defeated Cloud 9 in the Summer split. I think they made an overall upgrade and thus, deserve this #2 spot.

#1 Cloud 9

Starting Roster: Balls, Meteos, Hai, Sneaky, LemonNation

                Cloud 9 are simply the best team in the West. They've made no roster moves which gives them a level of competitive continuity unrivaled in the NA LCS. They team fight well, they play well from behind and when ahead. Strategically they're creative and efficient always finding interesting solutions to problems that are presented to them. They're well coached, organized, and humble. But what Cloud 9 does best is win. Sneaky has elevated his play from role player to playmaker in the past year and with the new jungle changes and robust top lane meta-game, Meteos and Balls are going to run wild on the rest of the LCS. Hai's champion pool is in a good spot at least right now and with the full offseason to get himself back on track and add some new tricks, I see him performing better than he did towards the end of last year. Cloud 9 always seem to know the most effective and efficient ways to play the game and adapt very well patch to patch. With the new changes and continuity from top to bottom as both a team and organization, I fully expect Cloud 9 to come out of the gate fast and not let their foot off the gas.

Prop Bets and Individual Awards:

League MVP - Meteos

Rookie of the Year - Keane

Biggest Disappointment - Impact (obviously will have unrealistic expectations on him)

Biggest Surprise - Altec (shouldn't be a surprise but will be)

Best in Role:

               - Top: Balls (or Quas)

               - Jungle: Meteos

               - Mid: Bjergsen (Pobelter and XWX are a close)

               - ADC: Sneaky (Doublelift and Altec close)

               - Support: Xpecial (Aphromoo, Lustboy, and Lemon also close)

Predictions for LoL Champions Korea Spring 2015

FINALLY it's time for OGN (errr Riot Korea?) to start up again!! With that happening it's time for my usual predictions for each of the major leagues. I'll be doing this in a power rankings sort of format as it'd be a bit complicated to do it game by game like I did for worlds.

LoL Champions (Korea) Spring 2015

#1 - SK Telecom T1

Starting Line-up: Marin, Faker, Bengi, Wolf, Bang         Notable Subs: Piccaboo, Easyhoon

                The legends appear to have weathered the exodus of talent better than a most of the Korean teams and after a stellar preseason in which they absolutely dominated the competition with a 4-1-0 record (9-1 in games) they seem poised to retake their throne. To me, the major part of the success is the consistency they've brought to the previously inconsistent bot lane. Wolf and Bang almost never lose lane even against premium opponents and against the lower end bot lanes they're able to win. This will allow Bengi to focus primarily on Marin and Faker. Speaking of Marin, he finally appears to be living up to the hype. He was a huge disappointment for a lot of people during his time on SKT T1 S but I think the majority of his problems came from passive teammates. Marin and Faker will feed off of each other and Bengi will have a field day working with them. Combine that with a rock solid bot lane and a downtick in the strength of most of their opponents and I just can't see SKT T1 doing anything but rampage through LCK.

Final Record: 12 - 2 (one best of three loss to each Najin and Huya)

#2 - Najin e-mFire

Starting Line-up: Duke, Watch, Ggoong, Ohq, Cain      Notable Subs: Zefa, Pure

                Assuming Najin rolls with this starting line-up they're the clear cut number two behind SKT. With that said, they ran an awful lot of Zefa during the preseason which means that either they like him over Ohq which I feel is a massive mistake, or they were just trying to get him some reps during the preseason with no stakes. Najin was the other team that maintained a relatively stable roster through the Chinese exodus. Ohq and Cain could end up being the top bot lane in Korea, Ggoong has shown everyone how much of a savage he can be, and Duke is likely the best top laner in Korea. Watch will do what he always has, never shine, occasionally blunder, but usually just do his job. The veteran presence and overall talent of this line-up will be their strength.

Final Record: 11 - 3 (Losses: SKT, Huya, Samsung)

#3 - HUYA Tigers

Starting Line-up: Smeb, Lee, Kuro, Pray, Gorilla

                One of the big stories this preseason was formation of this mostly ex-Najin team by Chinese company YY. They struggled at times to qualify but did so and have since been performing up to their high expectations. Kuro has been solid throughout his career. Pray and Gorilla are the other candidate for the new best bot lane in Korea (especially Gorilla who probably is the top support in the region now). Lee, while inexperienced has shown a lot of promise and if he can add some depth to his champion pool then he'll surely be a threat. Smeb drew bans and performed way above any level I've seen him at during the pre-season. If he can keep that up then this team will have an even higher chance of success in LCK. The biggest weakness will be whether or not they can remain consistent. If they perform like they did during the preseason they'll be in good shape, but if it's more like the qualifiers then they could end up worse.

Final Record: 9 - 5 (Losses: SKT x2, Najin, Samsung, misc other)

#4 - Samsung Galaxy

Starting Line-up: Cuvee, Eve, Bliss, Fury, Wraith

                The world champs released every single one of their players (or lost them to bigger contracts from China) and had to start from scratch with a brand new roster of solo queue super stars. My first experience with these guys was this preseason and they did nothing but surprise me with individual outplay after individual outplay. Mechanically every one of these guys is at the professional level and they even managed to steal games off of veteran line-ups like Najin and KT Rolster. Bliss is known as a Fizz only specialist and he was 1v1 killing the likes of Najin and Ggoong on the normally harmless Morgana. He also punished Faker in an early duel when he did get Fizz (although Faker took the later game). These guys are scrappy, skirmish incredibly well, and while their strategic side isn't quite there yet (and I trust the historically excellent coaching and infrastructure of Samsung to help with this) these kids really pack a mean punch. They seemingly just play solo queue and are capable of winning. Imagine what a couple of months of learning and experience will get them. I expect them to be the new upstarts and proof that Korea doesn't have the best players but PRODUCES the best players through their system. That being said, I'm not sure they really come into full force until the Summer season so I'll leave them at a respectable fourth for now.

Final Record: 8 - 6 (Losses: varied but probably SKT x2, Najin x1, HUYA x1, KT x1, misc others)

#5 - KT Rolster

Starting Line-up: Ssumday, Score (I think?), Nagne, Arrow, Hachani  Notable Subs: Edge, IkSsu, 

                I'm not quite sure what I think about Score jungling but it appears that KT likes the idea. He performed decently considering he was brand new to it (on the pro level). Score is a talented player but history doesn't treat role swaps well and this seems sort of desperate to me and for no real reason. Arrow and Hachani form a solid bottom side of the map and with Nagne's reinvigoration and Ssumday playing the best I've ever seen him KT appear to be... average. The fact is that only Arrow and Hachani really stand out to me on this team and I'm not entirely sure just how much the solos and jungle can affect the rest of the game. KT is another historically well coached team so perhaps they'll develop an edge with that and their veteran presence. Still, I see them as somewhere toward the bottom of this years pool. This is a bit of a hunch for me seeing as a lot of people have this line-up winning a lot more and while they may perform better than this record prediction, I stick by it.

Final Record: 5 - 9

#6 - Jin Air Greenwings

Starting Line-up: Trace, Chaser, GBM, Cpt Jack, Chei

                Oh Jin Air, I had such high hopes for us this season. After an impressive showing last season it appeared that Jin Air had finally found a playoff worthy team but, alas, it was too good to be true. Trace was an exciting player to watch last year but he seems to have lost something since then. GBM seems to be playing well on the solo queue ladder but just can't translate it to professional play on champions other than Orianna and his small champion pool is killing him. Chaser is good but nothing exciting, although the jungle scene in Korea has taken a hit for sure so maybe this won't be that big a deal even with the new jungle changes. The bright spot for Jin Air is bottom lane Cpt Jack and Chei (unless they run Pilot which I disagree with). This Jin Air team needs too many things to happen to go anywhere. Trace has to get his act together, GBM would have to make massive improvements, and Chaser would have to show a mastery of the new jungle. If things go right for Jin Air I could have them around 4th, making the playoffs and with a winning record but I just don't see it all happening.

Final Record: 4 - 10

#6 - CJ Entus

Starting Line-up: Shy, Ambition, Coco, Space, Madlife      Notable Subs: Trick, Roar

                This is the end for CJ Entus. They've slowly been falling off as an organization that seems unwilling to move on from players. Their loyalty is to such an extreme that it's a fault if you ask me. Shy can still play, Coco is one of the better mid laners in Korea, and Madlife is still Madlife, but what in the hell are they thinking putting Ambition in the jungle? Keeping Space and letting Emperor go to Brazil? Really? I think it's time for Ambition and his ego to hang up the mouse and keyboard, see if Trick develops into anything, and if not, fork out some money to a premiere prospect because if this line up has shown us anything it's that it's boring, unexciting, and incapable of winning games outside of tremendous outplays from Shy, Coco, and Madlife carrying their heavy teammates.

Final Record: 4 - 10

#8 - Incredible Miracle

Starting Line-up: Lilac, Wisdom, Frozen, Sonstar, Tusin

                I really want to believe that IM will be more than this but they're just too inconsistent. Frozen is one of the best players in Korea but he just can't do it himself. Sonstar has had a few good games but the rest of this line-up is just so bland. I salute Lilac for maintaining a professional level of play for literally years now (since League's competitive scene's inception) and while I admire his moderate champion pool he's just not that good. Wisdom might be good but I'd never know from all the focus he has to put toward the top. Sonstar and Tusin probably don't deserve this bad a rap as they've performed well. Honestly the bright spot is on Frozen but it's another case of whether or not he can do this all himself and I don't think he's quite that good yet.

Final Record: 3 - 11

Misc. Predictions:

League MVP - Faker - The obvious choice here if you ask me.

Rookie of the Year - Bliss

Biggest Disappointment - Ambition

Biggest Surprise - Marin or Smeb

Best in Role:

                - Top: Duke

                - Jungle: Bengi

                - Mid: Faker

                - AD Carry: Ohq

                - Support: Gorilla

First Player to Return to Korea before end of season: KaKao (outside shot at Emperor)

Well that's about it for this one. I'll be doing more when it comes time for LCS season. Enjoy the FREE HD (no subscription required anymore!).