INTRODUCTION
Change is always hand-in-hand with doubt and criticism. Lots of it. With each attempt of introducing innovation, a thousand voices stand in its way, calling it out in very mature terms such as "troll" or "dumb." While many are ineffective in the pro scene, or at least easily countered, there is always this one new thing that could totally change the course of the meta. One of the few teams that have done this from time to time is the famous Russian squad, Gambit Gaming. From aggressive counterjungling to 3v1 tower dives, they tend to keep on surprising everybody. They might have not always been the originators, but what they bring in games are most of the time refined and tested, and are usually up for consideration by other teams.
So when Diamond chose jungle Karma during Week 7, many eyebrows were raised. Even after going 1-1, there are still many naysayers, and that is understandable. I find that strange, however. Throughout the years that he has been a pro player, Diamond has always introduced champions that become staples in the competitive scene. Just this season, he pulled out Volibear and Nasus during the Spring Split, and by the end, almost every team followed suit. Now, I will not focus on Karma herself, shift my gaze towards the team comp built around her. Through this article, let us try to learn what is it that makes the Enlightened One a viable jungle pick, and how us commonfolk can apply it to our own games.
PICKS AND BANS
?
I have always considered drafting as 50% of the game, possibly even more. These two games are no exception. Taking a look at Gambit Gaming's bans, you can see that they banned highly mobile champions. By taking these champions out, a lot of global/quasi-global presence is removed, which allows GMB to do their thing. It also removes the champions who could easily bypass any sort of wall or peel.
As for the picks, other than their undying love for Sona, it is hard to tell if they expected the Karma pick or not. I think of the former, as the response pick of Blitzcrank and Aatrox from Fnatic was surely made as a counter. In fact, for both games it was the same order of picking: Sona, Marksman/Karma, Initiator/Mid Lane. This implies that GMB were ready to use this team comp, no matter who they were fighting. It also shows the confidence they have for Diamond, and that this new technology is going to benefit them for the better.
EXECUTION
To understand how effective Karmageddon was, we need to remember that even all the preparation in the world cannnot win you any game. It is also about how one implements it, and in LoL, they will always be a lot of random factors going into the game.
Versus Fnatic: What went wrong
The gank at Gambit's red buff started it all. Though I believe that Diamond was expecting a fight, what he did not consider was the support coming in as well. If it was just a 1v1 between Karma and Aatrox, I think the Enlightened One would come out on top in that fight. Also, if Alex Ich was ablt to help his jungler out, the heal would have been a monumental in the brawl.
However, that was the only the reason for Gambit's loss. Genja, who is considered very good at positioning, often got caught out, and an unfarmed Ashe is very weak, especially since he went for his Manamune build. Another big problem I noticed was the team comp itself. I get the reasoning behind the pick, but it relied too much on getting ahead. As powerful Evelynn's initiation was, she simply gets melted time and again after her ult, leaving her teammates vulnerable. The Kayle pick was doubtful as well, as GMB's lineup has enough AoE damage already, but not enough single target burst. This resulted in xPeke outclassing them as no one was able to deal with Lissandra effectively.
Versus ALTERNATE: What went right
Diamond's peformance was much better in this game, but it was more than that. The team was also more prepared to help Karma out if anything ever happens. This was apparent when ALTERNATE in vaded blue buff, and GMB reacted immediately by counter-invading. By having a much better clear, Diamond was able to make the plays that he wanted, and had a strong presence throughout the map. It also helped that Genja and Voidle were playing with excellent positioning and weren't caught out that often.
An even better change from the previous game were Darien and Alex Ich's picks. I think they realized the glaring weaknesses their last lineup had, and they were adjusted expertly. Renekton might not have AoE engage, but his stun and the persistent damage he could deal was enough to draw attention. As for Kassadin, Alex Ich is known to be a heavy farmer, and though he was having trouble early game, his teammates provided enough pressure for him to freefarm and got the items he needed to wreck everybody.
KARMAGEDDON: MECHANICS
This team comp is very particular when it comes to the type of champions to be used. The game against ALTERNATE looked like it is built better, and it was not just because that they won with it. You see, what I've noticed during both games it that they engage like a dive comp, but fight like a poke comp. This is important in understanding Karmageddon, for this lets you rule out its individual components well.
First, you need an initiator. Even if Darien's Evelynn won, I still won't consider her as suitable for the team. That is because you do not simply need someone who can hard engage, you also need somebody who can soak up tons of damage while his allies deal with the enemies one at a time. They also have to be very, very annoying, which is why Renekton was the perfect adjustment from Gambit's previous game.
Second, you need an assassin. Since Karmageddon is focused on taking out single targets, a specialist in that field in a must. That said, the assassin should also be mobile enough to be able to escape any counterattacks by the opponent, dipping in and out of combat constantly. Another reason why a mobile assassin is important is his scaling. During the early to mid game, he is going to farm a ton, most of the time alone in free lanes. This means he has to be independent in getting his core items done.
Then, you have the duo lane. In this lineup, the AD Carry and Support play a more utility-focused role than a heavy-damage one. For the team to be able to kite, it needs all the crowd control it could muster. This applies to the marksman in particular, as he or she also has to contribute to the cause, which was why Genja used Ashe and Varus in those two games. As for the support, someone with a good AoE-CC spell is required, to prevent heavy divers to tearing apart your group.
Finally, we have Karma. to understand was she fits so well in this team comp, we have to take a took at the team as a single unit now. Kiting is the name of the game for Karmageddon, and with only one champion who could hard engage, the Enlightened One acts as the perfect core. I will not go in-depth into her kit, but all that is needed to know is that her speed boost, which can be upgraded to a Shurelia's-like effect, as well as her tether and AoE slow, allows her to be a walking Swiss Knife. Be it forcing engages, or holding down opponents, or protecting her teammates, she has every tool for every situation. Also, because she is the jungler, she could help her allies during the laning phase, more than what standard, bruiser junglers could do.
Now that we got each role explained somewhat, it is time to answer the big question: Why? What is it that makes Karmageddon, as strange as this team comp is, work?
For Gambit Gaming in particular, it plays to their strengths wonderfully. They love big engages, and not just any kind. They want chaotic, scattered teamfights. Most of the time, teamfight-centric lineups tend to have a specific formation. Gambit Gaming does not want that. With all the AoE crowd control Karmageddon has (even the assassin has one), and with tank causing a ruckus, it forces the opponents to break away from their standard positioning, losing their effectiveness of being together in the first place.
Karmageddon is a very mobile team. It has absurd amounts of engage/disengage abilities, while still having decent single-target burst. So if you want to try this out, what you have to remember is though I kept saying that the team comp thrives on chaos, you have to keep each other within reach. Diving or poking too far will cause a problem in that the sustain and kiting power made by the specific interaction of the champions drops drastically. If you watch the GMB vs ATN match, you see that they tend to fight in a line. What this does is that it forces the opponent to choose between dealing with the tank, or force their way to the backline, both of which unfavorable.
As for how they do against specific matchups, I would say that Karmageddon destroys AoE, "Wombo Combo" team comps. Without a clumped-up set of targets, their effectively is essentially halved and with their ults down, they become sitting ducks as they are held down in place and are systematically assassinated. It also deals with poke comps quite well, although it is much trickier. Poke comps usually have one or two champions acting as walls, making engagement difficult. However, this is where Karma comes into play, as she has the skills to force a fight nonetheless. Her abilities allow her tank to soak up everything that is thrown at him, while her allies deal with the one nearest to them.
In countering Karmageddon, the best way I think is to fight fire with fire. This means building a mobile, skirmishing team comp. If the enemy can manage to not only bypass the tank, but the heavy crowd control, then it is just a matter of who can outplay who. Another way to counter this lineup is countering the jungler herself. Karma may be an amazing duelist, but even she cannot handle a gank early on. This is apparent in the GMB vs FNC fight, where the 2v1 gank on Diamond by Cyanide and sOAZ pretty much defined the rest of the match.
RECOMMENDATIONS AND FINAL WORDS
Now I know some people are excited to try jungle Karma out in solo queue, but I say go have fun. But if you want to take it on a team-based level, and want some alternatives to the Enlightened One's allies, then here are some champions I could recommend you guys could use:
Fighter/Tank: Renekton, Zac, Jarvan, Aatrox, Udyr
Assassin: Kassadin, Zed, Kha'Zix, Fizz
Marksman: Ashe, Varus
Support: Sona, Lulu, Nami
There is also one important thing to remember: stay clsoe during teamfights! Communication and awareness are keys to victory here, as your champions need to be able to stack crowd control and sustain harmoniously. I might not be easy, but the rewards are very satisfactory, as you get to see your enemies slowly fall apart from your cerebral offense.
Once again, thank you for reading this feature. If you have any comments, suggestions, or angry rants, feel free to write them down in the comments below.
You can also follow me @moveslikejuaber and get mad in 140 characters or less ;)
