(courtesy of lolesports)
Which players are poised to make an impact in week one? We take a look at NA's top stars.
As week one of the North American LCS finally rolls around, we take a look at three key players in the greatest positions of influence on their teams and the NA landscape.
Rush
(courtesy of lolesports.com)
North America's 2015 Summer Split MVP Lee "Rush" Yoonjae redifined the role of a jungler as he burst into the scene in 2015. Team Impulse's franchise cornerstone terrorized enemy laners and junglers alike with his crontrolled aggression and one-step-ahead mentality. This year, he dons the white and blue uniform of longtime NA powerhouse Cloud 9, a franchise in desperate need of an identity after its long-undisturbed roster began to shuffle.
Rush brings a dynamic new flavor to C9 that has historically been missing. Known for dominance in theorycrafting and adaptability, Cloud 9 has largely failed to keep up to the meta in recent splits, offering the same controlled style that made them great in 2013-14, but nothing more. In an increasingly aggro meta, they failed to adapt, and experienced one of the largest Worlds collapses in the history of the tournament.
Enter Rush. Known for his carry style in the jungle, he is also a strong tank player, posting a 5.5 KDA in the summer of 2015 on Cinderhulk junglers. While Hai "Hai" Lam filled the jungle role admirably, Rush is beyond an upgrade for the team. As vision becomes a much rarer commodity in recent patches, Rush now has a playground to roam, preying on unsuspecting laners and jungle camps alike. His expertise is undoubtedly a boon for a roster desperate for consistency.
Piglet
(courtesy of azubu.tv)
Many expected Team Liquid to escape the North American Qualifier tournament with an easy win and a trip to the 2015 World Championship. Instead, fans were exposed to the ugly side of the seminal LCS franchise. Notoriously tilty, TL fell in embarrassing fashion to red-hot Cloud 9 in the NA LCS regional qualifier, narrowly missing the world tournament and ensuring yet another fourth place finish. Fitting along with a tumultuous season was an inconsistent at best ADC. Chae "Piglet" Gwang-jin proved to be a volatile member of a traditionally strong team, earning himself a brief stint on the bench in favor of LCS nomad Yuri "KEITHMCBRIEF" Jew.
At his best, he is an unstoppable force. At his worst, he is a liability. Team Liquid's performance this split will be directly congruent with Piglet's consistency. After adopting a ten-man roster format, the stakes are high as ever for Piglet to produce consistently. TL's morale, however, is at an all time low. Bringing in constant roster competition may either be a driving force for the team to succeed, or a demoralizing display of administrative mistrust. At the core of it all is a high-potential ADC wearing a very short leash.
Team Liquid will live or die behind the performance of Piglet.
Gate
(courtesy of thescoreesports.com)
How the mighty have fallen.
Team Impulse have completely imploded. A once-stacked roster has been reduced to a ragtag team of challengers and mediocre former pros hoping to avoid relegation at best. The one remaining piece from the previous roster is Austin "Gate" Yu. Gate stepped in as a subsitute support and mid laner in the summer of 2015, performing admirably considering the circumstances.
As a low floor high ceiling player, Gate holds the fate of a decimated Team Impulse roster in his hands. With a flood of talent arriving in North America, the best Team Impulse can do is hope to avoid relegation. Gate, who will be playing both mid lane and support throughout this split, will be relied on to carry his experience from a formidable team onto a less threatening one. The fate of Team Impulse rests firmly in his control.
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