Image from Riot Games.
After a surprising MSI run, to say the least, Counter Logic Gaming has received a lot of attention. How did NA’s representative team rise to place 2nd in a tournament with all the best teams from every region? To understand this, we’ll breakdown how this current iteration of CLG formed and how they evolved into such a respectable team in comparison to previous lineups.
The 2015 NA League Championship Series Summer Split saw CLG earning their first LCS trophy. The roster at that time consisted of Darshan “Darshan” Upadhyaha, Jake “Xmithie” Puchero, Eugene “Pobelter” Park, Yiliang “Doublelift” Peng and Zaqueri “Aphromoo” Black. Their success as the prior iteration of CLG was a result of a reliance on star ADC Doublelift and top laner Darshan to be the carry threats, either protecting the ADC to win team fights or to split-push the enemy using 1-4 pressure. Their intelligent shotcalling through Aphromoo allowed them to play a high rotational based game early game to accrue advantages for the team early. While this worked on a local stage, it faltered for them on the international stage during the 2015 World Championships. Their key weakness was in their mid-late game teamfighting and decision making. Their synergy and teamwork were an apparent issue, and it was becoming a liability for CLG in key games.
Image from pixeldynamo
After a disappointing showing at Worlds 2015, CLG decided to make roster swaps, replacing Pobelter with Choi “HuHi” Jae-Hyun and responding to Doublelift's signing with TSM by adding substitute Trevor “Stixxay” Hayes to the starting lineup. These changes were unprecedented in the community, and as a result, CLG received a wave of backlash from their fans. Losing their star ADC and swapping out their mid laner to replace them with rookies seemed like a crazy idea, but the organization continued without hesitation.
Moving into the Spring Split, they began fostering their strategies. Note that in this time period, LCS was being played on patches 6.1-6.5. In this era, we saw CLG solidifying their playstyle as a split push oriented team, making Darshan's role on the team more important, almost elevating him to the primary carry role.
As the split progressed, we saw the 1-3-1 with double tp and 1-4 pressure style be executed almost seamlessly against the other NA LCS teams. Their trust in each other as a team began to shine as they continued to rack up wins, including the toppling of Immortals' perfect season. We saw the side wave control and early game lane swaps become cleaner and crisper, allowing CLG to bolster their rotational ability.
Perhaps most importantly, though, was the fact that they were becoming stronger teamfighters. Each player has stepped up to perform in pivotal moments that allow the tides of a fight to swing favorably, and perhaps even the game. Their two 3-2 series against Team Liquid and Team SoloMid proved that CLG had begun to foster clutch players in high pressure situations.
Going into MSI, these strengths were exemplified against the field of competition. They went toe-to-toe with RNG’s teamfighting. They dictated the early game tempo against the likes of SKT. They showed us that they are an exemplary team that has developed far beyond what many people had expectations for. Their upset wins over RNG and SKT during the group stages solidified them as top contenders amongst the pool of teams. Their convincing 3-1 against FW in the semifinals show-cased their team syenrgy in key team fights. Even with the 3-0 loss to SKT in the MSI finals, they still did America proud, and showed that the pieces nearly in place to contend with some of the world's greats. There is still work to do, but there is a solid foundation to build on and a short but continuing history of progression and improvement.
Walking into the 2016 Summer Split, CLG is carrying over the same roster for the first time since the beginning of the LCS era. This decision is a benchmark for CLG’s growth as an organization. They have finally found a working formula, and their team synergy has developed further than anything they ever had before. This split could prove to showcase CLG’s growth into a very formidable team amongst the plethora of superstar teams in the NA LCS. They are not to be underestimated.
