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League of Legends: Let's Talk About uhhh??
- Thread starter Thorns
- Start date
Eww, why do people use MR/lvl Glyphs? That's like asking to get invaded/ganked. The 5-12 extra MR you get late game when the opposing mid already has stuff like Haunting Guise, Abyssal Scepter, and eventually Void Staff is just not worth it when you're basically taking true damage early game the second they builds Sorc Shoes.
Most mids don't build Haunting Guise.
Scaling MR glyphs give you an extra 12 MR late-game; consider that this is the difference between having 42 and 54 MR on a 21/0/9 AD carry, which actually comes out to 6% more damage reduction. Granted, this is a limited case, and many mids will gank bottom - however, if you're taking enough magic damage for the extra MR from flat MR glyphs to make a difference, you're probably going to die from the gank in the first place. The only time that there's a really noticeable difference is very early game. By the time you get to level 6, there's only a 4 MR difference between scaling and flat glyphs, and considering that most AP mids don't roam until after level 6, I'd still go with the scaling on many champions.
I run flat on most mids, and quite often on bottom lane champions since the majority of AD+support lanes have a decent amount of magic damage. I'll occasionally run flat MR in top lane against someone that packs magic damage.
On anyone else; if I'm jungling, if I'm playing top against someone like Olaf or Riven, if I'm going bottom against a Graves+Blitzcrank or Ashe+Janna lane, I'll probably go scaling MR.
First of all, runes are most effective early game, because if you needed MR late game, you'd be taking Banshee's Veil or Abyssal Scepter or something, not relying on the 10 extra MR you got from runes.
Lets break it down for each role:
Mid should always go MR>MR/lvl, AP/lvl could be used instead of MR, but never, ever MR/lvl.
I also believe it's completely unacceptable for a jungler to take MR/lvl instead of flat MR. First of all, it makes you more prone to invades, and you're even more screwed than usual when that Shyvana or Udyr come a counterjungling. Even if the opposing jungler is completely AD based, MR>MR/lvl for one simple reason: you're gonna be mid quite a few times each game. It's not even ganking that's the issue, as you're on the offensive. It's when you go hold the lane for a backing mid... except you totally just got shat on by an Annie/Zyra who just hit level 6 as you walk in, feeding a kill, and screwing over both yourself and your mid, who's now gonna be bullied for the rest of laning phase. Even if you only get harassed a bit, you're now easier prey for Nocturne or whoever when they find you at your Wraiths.
Bot should go MR>MR/lvl if the opposing support or AD carry (ie, Tristana) deal magic damage, which most supports do, even Blitz/Janna deal magic damage. Not taking MR subjects you to early game harass, and we all know how important it is to get an early game advantage bot. How will you get an early game advantage when you've been forced to back at level 3? Also, mid will start pushing to tower and ganking upon hitting level 6, or else they're going lose the game for their team unless they're a late game killing machine like Karthus/Ryze. So not taking pretty much true damage from them would definitely help.
The only role where MR/lvl is acceptable is Top when the opposing laner and jungler are both mainly AD based. But lets be honest, if the opposing Top and Jungler are both AD based, the extra late game MR is only helpful if the opposing mid is fed. Gimme flat MR so I don't die to something embarrassing like Hemorrhage.
Lets break it down for each role:
Mid should always go MR>MR/lvl, AP/lvl could be used instead of MR, but never, ever MR/lvl.
I also believe it's completely unacceptable for a jungler to take MR/lvl instead of flat MR. First of all, it makes you more prone to invades, and you're even more screwed than usual when that Shyvana or Udyr come a counterjungling. Even if the opposing jungler is completely AD based, MR>MR/lvl for one simple reason: you're gonna be mid quite a few times each game. It's not even ganking that's the issue, as you're on the offensive. It's when you go hold the lane for a backing mid... except you totally just got shat on by an Annie/Zyra who just hit level 6 as you walk in, feeding a kill, and screwing over both yourself and your mid, who's now gonna be bullied for the rest of laning phase. Even if you only get harassed a bit, you're now easier prey for Nocturne or whoever when they find you at your Wraiths.
Bot should go MR>MR/lvl if the opposing support or AD carry (ie, Tristana) deal magic damage, which most supports do, even Blitz/Janna deal magic damage. Not taking MR subjects you to early game harass, and we all know how important it is to get an early game advantage bot. How will you get an early game advantage when you've been forced to back at level 3? Also, mid will start pushing to tower and ganking upon hitting level 6, or else they're going lose the game for their team unless they're a late game killing machine like Karthus/Ryze. So not taking pretty much true damage from them would definitely help.
The only role where MR/lvl is acceptable is Top when the opposing laner and jungler are both mainly AD based. But lets be honest, if the opposing Top and Jungler are both AD based, the extra late game MR is only helpful if the opposing mid is fed. Gimme flat MR so I don't die to something embarrassing like Hemorrhage.
I'm far from "good" at this game but I'd rather squeeze out all the free MR I can get before buying MR on my AD carries.
On many AD carries, the only MR you're going to be getting is on GA or QSS (usually GA, on certain occasions Banshee's Veil). You usually end up not getting any of these defensive items until after your second, third, or even fourth offensive item. In addition, I usually end up wanting the armor from Chain Vest more than the MR when I'm building toward GA since AP carries can often be eliminated from the equation completely with really good positioning, while the bruiser with two gap closers and a ton of targetable CC is more difficult to deal with.
I don't know. A lot of it is personal taste. I usually run flat MR on my ADs anyway, but for the early game. However, why pass up 12 free MR late-game when in many scenarios, it'll be minimally beneficial early on? Yeah, I can see the merit in running flat MR against an AP-heavy, invade-centric jungler or against a powerful early aggro AP mid, but in other scenarios, I'll say it again: why not get all the free MR you can get?
I don't know. A lot of it is personal taste. I usually run flat MR on my ADs anyway, but for the early game. However, why pass up 12 free MR late-game when in many scenarios, it'll be minimally beneficial early on? Yeah, I can see the merit in running flat MR against an AP-heavy, invade-centric jungler or against a powerful early aggro AP mid, but in other scenarios, I'll say it again: why not get all the free MR you can get?
WORLDS POWER RANKINGS thorns edition
12. Saigon Jokers
Strong as they are, the Saigon Jokers are still inexperienced on the world front and seem to exemplify the old Asian stereotype of 'early game or bust'. However, they find themselves in the group stage in a best of 1 format, where cheese works the best. This is their one shot of winning the tournament - if they can surge out of the group stage and surprise the old standards such as TSM, they might be able to win.
11. SK Gaming
There is always one problem of being an emotionally-invested team in any sport. It's that you can't beat them all, and when you lose, you lose hard. SK are also in the group stage against three international behemoths in CLG.NA, Frost and iG. They have next to zero Asian experience and have struggled against CLG in the past. If they start the day off with a win, they could probably make it out of the group stage confidently. If not, Carlos and Kevin will have to pack their bags and wait for Season 3.
10. Team Dignitas
I'd say 'how the mighty have fallen' but that's a bit of a misnomer seeing as Dignitas never really fell - the standard just got higher. They shocked the world on their debut but have shown themselves to be nothing more than a very solid, and some would say consistent North American team. I am concerned that they are nothing more than a solid team, and do not have the impact to beat teams like CLG.EU in the group stage. Look out for their faceoff against Najin Sword though, they have lost to Koreans in the past but they are looking for bloody revenge. I believe the winner of that game will ascend from the group stage along with CLG.EU.
9. Taipei Assassins
TPA are gods on home ground, but they didn't appear impressive against CLG.EU in a showmatch. They practice incredibly hard, some would say as rigorously as the Koreans. Their teamwork is paralleled only by the Russians. But their weakness shows itself time and time again - they struggle to win across the board and come out on top of microsituations, which accumulate and hand them a loss. If Taipei is given control of the steering wheel, you can guarantee they won't let it go. It's just a matter of whether or not they can move into the driver's seat.
8. World Elite
World Elite were considered so good that they were handed a spot at the championships by Riot. And it's no surprise either - Misaya is considered to be Asia's number one mid laner. Chauster maintains that WeiXiao's mechanics are better than Doublelift's and therefore the rest of the world. WE brought back post-nerf Twisted Fate and led to him being nerfed, again. After several nerfs, Twisted Fate is still banned time and time again because Misaya is just that good with him. But issues in the jungle and bottom lane were cited as the reason for World Elite's recent slump. They are now hoping that ClearLove and CaoMei can reignite the Chinese team's passion for war, though spectators are skeptical.
7. Invictus Gaming
It's funny how I've put the three Chinese teams right next to each other, but don't think for a moment that iG are 'just another Asian team'. They are the dark horses and they will have a more measurable impact on this tournament than their brothers. I don't want to throw around another overused quote, but there is no 'standard play' for iG. Every single game is broken down by illuSioN and his men and the only question they ask is 'how do we win this game?'. Pdd's level of skill on AP carries is nearly unmatchable...by other top laners. zz1tai plays his bruisers to near perfection...except he does so in the mid lane. iG can play literally everything. But is that enough? Though they are undefeated against all of the Worlds teams they've played in the last two months (on 200 ping, no less) they are not confident with teamfighting due to a mechanical deficit on the part of their bottom lane. But this changes little - they are still one of the scariest teams in this tournament.
6. Team Solomid
Thought I have placed TSM at the half way mark, this does not mean that they are significantly worse than the five teams above them. There is no way that could be true - after all, they have dominated their region harder than any other team in the months leading up to Worlds. I would have lumped teams 6 through to 3 together if I could. They are an age-old team with few roster changes compared to other teams. They are incredibly consistent, they will dare to play out level 1 teamfights against any team in the world without consideration of composition because they know what they are doing. They are one of the most practiced teams outside of Asia and they have both the motivation and the belief to win Worlds. But what they do when they are confronted with an unknown beast is, simply, lose. TSM supporters will be hoping that Andy and his bros have learnt something in the last few months.
5. Najin Sword
The sword of the east strikes quickly, and kills before its target even knows what is happening. Najin Sword has quite a history - famous EDG player MaKNooN created a brother team for Najin em-Fire (now Najin Shield), consisting of himself and four handpicked Korean players that would support him in his top lane as well as possible. The entire team was built to ensure that Ha Un Yoon could do his job. And teams built around this kind of positional play have shown incredible, incredible success in the past. World Elite's period of domination was led by the masterful play of WeiXiao. CLG's uncontested dominance over the League of Legends world was focused on HotshotGG and his Nidalee. With the dedication and raw skill often exhibited by the Koreans, Najin Sword will have a huge showing at Worlds. However, WE and CLG were mortal. A sword is only as good as its parts - if the blade breaks, it cannot cut anything. MaKNooN will be watched very carefully over the period of this tournament.
3. Counter Logic Gaming Prime / EU
Some may question my placing of CLG's North American outfit above Dignitas and TSM when the team placed 3rd in their regionals. But Worlds is Worlds for a reason - it is not the microcosm that TSM played comfortably in for a good part of a year. Both CLG teams were changed by their experience in Korea. HotshotGG and Chauster learnt that this game is infinitely more complex than most teams were treating it to be. This manifested itself in a dangerous triple Teleport comp based around pushing, a callback to the classic 'CLG splitpush'. Froggen and Wickd were reminded of their mortality. Korea changed both teams, and for the better. I choose to give them both 3rd in my power rankings as I feel they are ultimate representations of the two sides of the LoL coin.
Prime steps into Los Angeles with reins comfortably sitting in their hands. They have thought of almost everything. They have the world's best bottom lane. Chauster will carry the entire tournament with his remote-controlled Doublelift if uninhibited. It's funny how their one weakness seems to be their team - Voyboy and bigfatjiji do not consistently do well. Voyboy fluctuates between being a true terror to being nothing more than a bar of health points. bigfatjiji is actually consistent - consistently mediocre in the face of other world class players like Froggen and zz1tai. CLG Prime's performance will ultimately come down to how well they play the laning phase.
Ironically, CLG EU is actually more Chinese than any Chinese team attending, even more than World Elite. A trend in China's LoL and DotA teams is that they are very traditional - they see the game as a machine, a series of parts working together. Even if they execute unorthodox strategies, they still value positional play over everything else. They are safe, solid, and consistent. And no other team exhibits this than CLG EU. Some say CLG EU only performs as well as Froggen does. And Froggen has the potential to perform better than any other player in the world.
2. Azubu Frost
Koreans. They took over Starcraft, to the point where any non-Korean player is often referred to as a 'foreigner'. On the surface, it's pretty easy to see why Korean teams are so powerful. Practice. They know the game better than themselves. Day in, day out. Only few breaks. eSports is a legitimate profession in Korea, unlike any other country in the world. But that's not enough to be world champion. Luckily for Frost, they have more than practice. They have world experience, and are able to play the game on a personal level much like SK and TSM. As a team, Azubu Frost are incredibly versatile. Perhaps not in their picks - they are certainly no iG, but in the way they respond to situations. They do not lose their cool (haha) and play the game as it should be played. I can't write as much about Azubu Frost as other teams, and that's because I don't have to. They are the ultimate Korean team, plain and simple.
1. Moscow Five
I can't really make any comparisons with M5. Moscow Five is...the Moscow Five of the LoL world. They have lost one best of 3 in the championship circuit, to CLG.EU. That's it. They've beaten everyone else. People consider them to be mortal, but are they really? They have incredible, incredible teamwork. Some say Moscow Five is just five versions of Alex Ich playing a team game. This statement is not far from the truth - the man has played in all five positions and to a tournament-worthy level. Their philosophy is so simple - see hero, kill hero. Yet no team in the world has countered it. CLG.EU's one LAN victory over M5 came from Froggen just being in his zone. But Froggen is not perfect, whereas M5...almost is perfect. If there are no surprises, Moscow Five will win Season 2. But there will be surprises. There always are.
12. Saigon Jokers
Strong as they are, the Saigon Jokers are still inexperienced on the world front and seem to exemplify the old Asian stereotype of 'early game or bust'. However, they find themselves in the group stage in a best of 1 format, where cheese works the best. This is their one shot of winning the tournament - if they can surge out of the group stage and surprise the old standards such as TSM, they might be able to win.
11. SK Gaming
There is always one problem of being an emotionally-invested team in any sport. It's that you can't beat them all, and when you lose, you lose hard. SK are also in the group stage against three international behemoths in CLG.NA, Frost and iG. They have next to zero Asian experience and have struggled against CLG in the past. If they start the day off with a win, they could probably make it out of the group stage confidently. If not, Carlos and Kevin will have to pack their bags and wait for Season 3.
10. Team Dignitas
I'd say 'how the mighty have fallen' but that's a bit of a misnomer seeing as Dignitas never really fell - the standard just got higher. They shocked the world on their debut but have shown themselves to be nothing more than a very solid, and some would say consistent North American team. I am concerned that they are nothing more than a solid team, and do not have the impact to beat teams like CLG.EU in the group stage. Look out for their faceoff against Najin Sword though, they have lost to Koreans in the past but they are looking for bloody revenge. I believe the winner of that game will ascend from the group stage along with CLG.EU.
9. Taipei Assassins
TPA are gods on home ground, but they didn't appear impressive against CLG.EU in a showmatch. They practice incredibly hard, some would say as rigorously as the Koreans. Their teamwork is paralleled only by the Russians. But their weakness shows itself time and time again - they struggle to win across the board and come out on top of microsituations, which accumulate and hand them a loss. If Taipei is given control of the steering wheel, you can guarantee they won't let it go. It's just a matter of whether or not they can move into the driver's seat.
8. World Elite
World Elite were considered so good that they were handed a spot at the championships by Riot. And it's no surprise either - Misaya is considered to be Asia's number one mid laner. Chauster maintains that WeiXiao's mechanics are better than Doublelift's and therefore the rest of the world. WE brought back post-nerf Twisted Fate and led to him being nerfed, again. After several nerfs, Twisted Fate is still banned time and time again because Misaya is just that good with him. But issues in the jungle and bottom lane were cited as the reason for World Elite's recent slump. They are now hoping that ClearLove and CaoMei can reignite the Chinese team's passion for war, though spectators are skeptical.
7. Invictus Gaming
It's funny how I've put the three Chinese teams right next to each other, but don't think for a moment that iG are 'just another Asian team'. They are the dark horses and they will have a more measurable impact on this tournament than their brothers. I don't want to throw around another overused quote, but there is no 'standard play' for iG. Every single game is broken down by illuSioN and his men and the only question they ask is 'how do we win this game?'. Pdd's level of skill on AP carries is nearly unmatchable...by other top laners. zz1tai plays his bruisers to near perfection...except he does so in the mid lane. iG can play literally everything. But is that enough? Though they are undefeated against all of the Worlds teams they've played in the last two months (on 200 ping, no less) they are not confident with teamfighting due to a mechanical deficit on the part of their bottom lane. But this changes little - they are still one of the scariest teams in this tournament.
6. Team Solomid
Thought I have placed TSM at the half way mark, this does not mean that they are significantly worse than the five teams above them. There is no way that could be true - after all, they have dominated their region harder than any other team in the months leading up to Worlds. I would have lumped teams 6 through to 3 together if I could. They are an age-old team with few roster changes compared to other teams. They are incredibly consistent, they will dare to play out level 1 teamfights against any team in the world without consideration of composition because they know what they are doing. They are one of the most practiced teams outside of Asia and they have both the motivation and the belief to win Worlds. But what they do when they are confronted with an unknown beast is, simply, lose. TSM supporters will be hoping that Andy and his bros have learnt something in the last few months.
5. Najin Sword
The sword of the east strikes quickly, and kills before its target even knows what is happening. Najin Sword has quite a history - famous EDG player MaKNooN created a brother team for Najin em-Fire (now Najin Shield), consisting of himself and four handpicked Korean players that would support him in his top lane as well as possible. The entire team was built to ensure that Ha Un Yoon could do his job. And teams built around this kind of positional play have shown incredible, incredible success in the past. World Elite's period of domination was led by the masterful play of WeiXiao. CLG's uncontested dominance over the League of Legends world was focused on HotshotGG and his Nidalee. With the dedication and raw skill often exhibited by the Koreans, Najin Sword will have a huge showing at Worlds. However, WE and CLG were mortal. A sword is only as good as its parts - if the blade breaks, it cannot cut anything. MaKNooN will be watched very carefully over the period of this tournament.
3. Counter Logic Gaming Prime / EU
Some may question my placing of CLG's North American outfit above Dignitas and TSM when the team placed 3rd in their regionals. But Worlds is Worlds for a reason - it is not the microcosm that TSM played comfortably in for a good part of a year. Both CLG teams were changed by their experience in Korea. HotshotGG and Chauster learnt that this game is infinitely more complex than most teams were treating it to be. This manifested itself in a dangerous triple Teleport comp based around pushing, a callback to the classic 'CLG splitpush'. Froggen and Wickd were reminded of their mortality. Korea changed both teams, and for the better. I choose to give them both 3rd in my power rankings as I feel they are ultimate representations of the two sides of the LoL coin.
Prime steps into Los Angeles with reins comfortably sitting in their hands. They have thought of almost everything. They have the world's best bottom lane. Chauster will carry the entire tournament with his remote-controlled Doublelift if uninhibited. It's funny how their one weakness seems to be their team - Voyboy and bigfatjiji do not consistently do well. Voyboy fluctuates between being a true terror to being nothing more than a bar of health points. bigfatjiji is actually consistent - consistently mediocre in the face of other world class players like Froggen and zz1tai. CLG Prime's performance will ultimately come down to how well they play the laning phase.
Ironically, CLG EU is actually more Chinese than any Chinese team attending, even more than World Elite. A trend in China's LoL and DotA teams is that they are very traditional - they see the game as a machine, a series of parts working together. Even if they execute unorthodox strategies, they still value positional play over everything else. They are safe, solid, and consistent. And no other team exhibits this than CLG EU. Some say CLG EU only performs as well as Froggen does. And Froggen has the potential to perform better than any other player in the world.
2. Azubu Frost
Koreans. They took over Starcraft, to the point where any non-Korean player is often referred to as a 'foreigner'. On the surface, it's pretty easy to see why Korean teams are so powerful. Practice. They know the game better than themselves. Day in, day out. Only few breaks. eSports is a legitimate profession in Korea, unlike any other country in the world. But that's not enough to be world champion. Luckily for Frost, they have more than practice. They have world experience, and are able to play the game on a personal level much like SK and TSM. As a team, Azubu Frost are incredibly versatile. Perhaps not in their picks - they are certainly no iG, but in the way they respond to situations. They do not lose their cool (haha) and play the game as it should be played. I can't write as much about Azubu Frost as other teams, and that's because I don't have to. They are the ultimate Korean team, plain and simple.
1. Moscow Five
I can't really make any comparisons with M5. Moscow Five is...the Moscow Five of the LoL world. They have lost one best of 3 in the championship circuit, to CLG.EU. That's it. They've beaten everyone else. People consider them to be mortal, but are they really? They have incredible, incredible teamwork. Some say Moscow Five is just five versions of Alex Ich playing a team game. This statement is not far from the truth - the man has played in all five positions and to a tournament-worthy level. Their philosophy is so simple - see hero, kill hero. Yet no team in the world has countered it. CLG.EU's one LAN victory over M5 came from Froggen just being in his zone. But Froggen is not perfect, whereas M5...almost is perfect. If there are no surprises, Moscow Five will win Season 2. But there will be surprises. There always are.
Wait, TF wasn't nerfed again after his Gate nerf... what nerf are you talking about?
his stacked deck/red card nerf waaay back (but still after gate was reworked into destiny)
I really like the Honour system. Some nice positive reinforcement for everyone, and a good way of expressing appreciation for the players who actively make the game enjoyable. Even if it deters only a few people from being inflammatory because they want Honour, then it's made the game a better place -- and regardless it's still a great system for the kinds of people the community wants to keep around. I'm excited to see what else they're gonna do with the system, since they alluded to that and all.
First game after honor system was implemented my team was chill and my support was awesome so I gave them an honor for team work. I got an honor from someone on the enemy team.
Second game with honor system I lane with Taric who berates me the whole game and spams shit about sleeping with my mother because he ran into a bush we didn't have vision on and died. "WHY DIDN'T YOU GO IN [on those full health enemies that have better items than us because you forced them to back with your skillful urgot harass]? LOLGOT SO BAD!"
I started 1/0 and was denying MF a lot of CS but eventually she got fed on Taric just running at her every time his stun was off CD. Then our Alistar started in on me too even though I converted his first three gank attempts and I thanked him every time. Late game our Morde, Ali and Taric kept going 1v5 so Nunu started berating everyone and demanding we surrender. He thought his shit didn't stink because he went 6/0 in lane. He was like 10/9 at the end because the other four people on the enemy team didn't get hit by his ult because they weren't blind. He then told the enemy team to just push mid and he would afk. He had already afk'd for about five minutes mid game because we wouldn't surrender.
Post game I asked the enemy team to report Nunu for AFK and Taric for harassing me and their MF told his team to honor Nunu to troll us.
So nothing has changed, basically.
i was about to post "inb4 wikey complains anyway" but i guess i was too late
Thorns your power rankings are nearly spot on except for your rabid fanboyism of clg.na. IMO they should be 7, Sword 6, TSM 5, iG 4, CLG EU 3 and everything else the same.
On the League site and probably on every other major LoL resource on the internet
theamericandream: CLG.NA are actually really really scary - I was dubious at first with Hotshot switching to jungle, but if he doesn't feed then either Doublelift or Voyboy will carry the game. Voyboy's been playing a lot of Kat top recently, too, and I feel like CLG.NA's going to bust out something ridiculous at worlds like Kat+Zilean with Doublelift playing something ridiculous. I wouldn't agree with Thorns's evaluation of Jiji - he's definitely not the best mid compared to players like Regi, Alex Ich, or Froggen, but he's made some fantastic plays and he knows his stuff.
EDIT: NEW SUMMONER ICONS GGGGGGGG
CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG
theamericandream: CLG.NA are actually really really scary - I was dubious at first with Hotshot switching to jungle, but if he doesn't feed then either Doublelift or Voyboy will carry the game. Voyboy's been playing a lot of Kat top recently, too, and I feel like CLG.NA's going to bust out something ridiculous at worlds like Kat+Zilean with Doublelift playing something ridiculous. I wouldn't agree with Thorns's evaluation of Jiji - he's definitely not the best mid compared to players like Regi, Alex Ich, or Froggen, but he's made some fantastic plays and he knows his stuff.
EDIT: NEW SUMMONER ICONS GGGGGGGG
CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG CLG
They just have not impressed me at any tournament recently, so unless they actually have some strategies that will get them out of group stage (in particular past iG and Azubu Frost, as I think they would be able to beat SK in a "normal" game anyway), I don't think they will be able to go far in the tournament. They were unlucky that they got placed in the same group as Frost (who definitely should have had the bye over WE), as I think they would have had a much easier time in group B. The problem that I see is that unless they have been practicing in secret (i.e. when they aren't streaming) and using actually serious stuff, they really haven't been practicing as seriously as other teams and mostly just troll solo queue (voyboy is the biggest troll in the game, doublelift never actually plays AD carry in solo queue, hotshot also trolls pretty often but mostly with just weird stuff instead of outright useless builds like voyboys favorite AP garen) or play weird things that I highly doubt they would use in a serious tournament game, especially in a best of 1 situation (they streamed a scrim one night where they played darius/pantheon bottom lane, for example).
Hey, AP Garen works. DFG Lich Bane ult is all you need.
No, they got some serious stuff done in Korea. Remember the recent triple Teleport+Promote comp they ran with Sivir a little while ago against Curse? Every team has something on the back burner prepared for Worlds, and it's going to be crazy. Mechanically, Chauster+Doublelift is one of the best, if not the best duo bottom lane in the world. Voyboy has huge carrying potential. Jiji is a strong mechanical player. Hotshot is far from the best jungler, but the rest of the team more than makes up for that. While personally I don't think they'll win Worlds, they still have a very good shot at getting quite far in the tournament.