LoL eSports Discussion

[zoraster]

world cup players are often not of the country you might consider them being "from."

[zoraster]

There are soccer teams with all foreign squads. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/footba ... gners.html

I think the problem with stuff like this is you're trying to create competitive communities that can root for "their" teams and feel like they're being represented. So ideally while you want to allow some fluidity between teams, you want some barriers to entry too. Otherwise you get massive forum shopping which negates the purpose of having separate leagues and decreases the feeling of ownership by fans.

[zoraster]

what actually is the dividing line between what is and isn't allowed as a NA team? Do you have to live in a NA country?

Why do people have to meet the requirement for being president to play in Panz's league? Immigrants can be senators, governors, etc. why not play in an online game?

[zoraster]

yeah, but my point was that panz said "born and raised" so I didn't need to address residency. You can be a resident of the US for the past 50 years and still not have been raised here, much less born.

[zoraster]

There's been talk of moving Jacksonville to London.

[zoraster]

i have to say, i'm impressed with the production values so far, knowing that they'll go up for the semis and finals.

[zoraster]

so wait. there are three more of these? I know they're on the west coast, but come on!

[zoraster]

are these guys just too cool to act happy when they win? i show more emotion when i win a game of mindsweeper.

[zoraster]

NCAA basketball?

[zoraster]

64 teams (basically) are seeded into four regions by a committee based on how strong a committee think the teams are

[zoraster]

no.

[zoraster]

The top two of each group go on, so they do control their destiny.

[zoraster]

why do people dislike him?

[zoraster]

presumably they could simply go to a different team or form their own.

[zoraster]

Maybe you have the number of wins wrong for TSM, GI? If TSM goes 4-0, they'll be 6-2 at the end, not 5-3. Which is why they controlled their own destiny as of last night, when they were 2-1 and about to face SKT1.

[zoraster]

What is the tie breaker for ties? Do they have a playoff? Because if TSM went 4-0 and STK1 won all but against TSM, then there'd be three teams at 6-2, assuming OMG win their other two matches.

[zoraster]

i mean, keep in mind these are 20ish-year-old kids. in fact, i wonder how old the oldest starter is at the championships

[zoraster]

And yet it does.

[zoraster]

Oh, I wasn't giving them a free pass at all. I'm just saying it's not that surprising. And footballers usually have mature coaches/managers to enforce professional behavior. I could easily imagine a self-coached U21 squad in the same situation pulling something similar(putting a defender up front, having a striker as keeper, etc.). That doesn't excuse it, but at the same time it's hard for me to get mad about something like this with few consequences for either team (it would have been totally different if some other team needed GG to lose or something) doing something they think might be fun.

In a way, it's been kind of refreshing to have these guys talk about stuff. They aren't as well versed in the cliched nothings of professional sports, so they're more likely to give insight into what they're saying to their team.

[zoraster]

would they have lost 15k?

1st $1,000,000
2nd $250,000
3rd $150,000
3rd $150,000
5th $75,000
5th $75,000
5th $75,000
5th $75,000
9th $45,000
9th $45,000
11th $30,000
11th $30,000
13th $25,000
13th $25,000

[zoraster]

i mean, i edited it literally 5 seconds after i posted it.

anyway, LD beat TSM twice, so i think they would have had 3rd spot regardless of whether they were tied at 3-5 or not. At least that's the impression i got when the announcers were talking about potential 3 way ties (in that head to head comes first in breaking a tie before a tie breaker game is used)

EDIT: nevermind. read that wrong. they won one lost one. nevermind!

[zoraster]

i mean, to be fair, $3,000 per person isn't going to mean retirement for anyone even if it did cost them 15k.

[zoraster]

i'm pretty sure they can't.

[zoraster]

you can have a 401k without an employer, but unless they're actual employees of riot, they'll be doing it on their own.

and given the amount of money they're making, they're not exactly in a high bracket.

[zoraster]

it's been a lot of fun.

[zoraster]

these games have been wild.

[zoraster]

What is it about this game that makes people make hilarious overreactions because of one small thing? You know. The guy who says "gg" when a particular "OP" champion is picked before a counter is even picked. Or who, you know, says "RIP esports" after finals?

Because of course other popular events never have blowouts or series sweeps (even multi-year ones).

[zoraster]

I admit I don't understand lol as well as most, but I don't think there was a major problem with the way riot did this. I think the timing of matches could be improved so there isn't a hectic and exciting week 1 followed by only a couple of bursts, but over all they seem to have succeeded quite well.

[zoraster]

That would be so different from "real" professional sports?

[zoraster]

nope, but it's the same reason people dislike Manchester City.

I guess. But literally every team buys and sells players. TSM engaging in that seems to be progress, not regression. Don't try and push esports as a professional venture and then cry about the loss of amateurism.

[zoraster]

I think it's pretty easy to draw a distinction between a team that spends 80 million more than its nearest rivals (though down to just 10 million over the dodgers now!) and a team replacing someone because they're better. That happens in lots of sports, including junior high soccer.

"also known as the exact same argument" sounds nice, but is full of pointless bluster.

that said, I admit I sometimes find myself feeling this way:

[zoraster]

What makes you think that getting into petty arguments wasn't my original purpose?

[zoraster]

i'm glad they changed the format of the world championships from last year to not have byes into the elimination rounds.

[zoraster]

so is china the only one left to finish qualifiers now?

[zoraster]

oh right

[zoraster]

i love group pools, but i don't know enough about most of these teams. What would be your theoretical easiest group and your theoretical hardest group?

[zoraster]

do you really think they can beat Royal or OMG?

[zoraster]

Is it worth noting that the group stages are being played in Taiwan and Singapore? It sounds like the SEA teams are thought to be pretty weak in Pool 2, but they do have the advantage of not having to travel. The Asian teams will have less jet lag too, being of similar time zones (Korea being 1 hour off, china the same time zone), whereas LA is 15 hours difference and Berlin 6 hours plus more significant travel time. I assume all will try to travel and play there for a while before, but that can't be an easy transition. Obviously Korean teams did okay coming over the US last time around, but at the margins it seems like it might make a difference, particularly in the opening games.


I'm really glad that there won't be byes this year. It'll be good to see all the teams play throughout.

[zoraster]

that's good.

[zoraster]

i like Hai's sanderson love.

[zoraster]

i could run a pool if you want, sort of NCAA Tournament style.

[zoraster]

All right. Up for criticism before I do it, here's my plan:

Two-stage entry: group stage, knockout.

Group:
Everyone picks who they think will finish first and second in each group. +1 point for each team you pick who advances, +1 point for each team you get the seed right (max 16 points).

Knockout:
Very much like NCAA tournament bracket, everyone chooses the winner of each game going on to the finals. Quarterfinals: +4 points per correct pick, Semis: +8 points per correct pick, Finals: +16 points for the right pick. Tie breaker will be the best of 5 score for the finals.

If we get 15 or more people entered (stretch goal!), I'll throw in 520 RPs (basic skin) for any NA entrant winner. Could think of something else to do for non-NA people.

Anyway, thoughts on that setup people? The way it's set up now, the emphasis is definitely on the knockout rounds, but the group stages could come into play. I think that's more fun as people will still have a chance to win even if they miss a few of the teams that advanced.

I thought about doing it as a day-by-day thing, but I think we'll have far more people drop out and forget to do a day here or there particularly because these games are going to happen at 1-4am.

EDITED with new point system

[zoraster]

for the ncaa tournament it's single elimination starting with 64 teams (so 32 games to start). The normal points system usually doubles the previous rounds per game because the number of games are halved. So in the NCAA case it's 1 point, 2 points, 4 points, 8 points, 16 points, 32 points, with each round having 32 points given.

Here, we have the group stage worked in which is a little awkward as it's not an apples to apples comparison, but the knockout works the same way. There are 12 points in the quarters to be earned, 12 in the semis, and 12 from the finals. The big deal is that if someone you had going to the finals loses in the quarters, you miss not just the quarters points, but the semis too.

If I could think of a way to award 2 more points to the group stages, that would make all the rounds even.

[zoraster]

i have no idea why i thought it was 10.

Your point system makes sense to me.

[zoraster]

I get motion sick playing any game with motion blur. I couldn't finish Mass Effect 3 because I couldn't turn off the motion blur.

[zoraster]

I like that the announcers are wearing inverse colors of each other:

[zoraster]

it's almost as if they have incentive to build a narrative where a NA team isn't going to go out in the group stages.

[zoraster]

Interesting that C9 and Fnatic have played well over twice as many soloqueue games as TSM has on the korean region. not sure which way that cuts (more emphasis on scrimmages? more carefully watching to make sure players don't burn out?)

[zoraster]

I watched much of that TSM gamecrib or whatever and I can't really figure out why people like their personalities, except maybe WildTurtle (admittedly, the roster has changed a ton since then. maybe the new guys are a lot of fun, not sure). Cloud9 seems way more likable to me if personal likability is the reason to root for a team.

[zoraster]

so question: these promotions are to stay/get into the LCS. The losers are placed into the championship series? I saw somewhere that they'll have another chance to qualify for the LCS, but how if the spots are all filled?

[zoraster]

what are the new import rules?

[zoraster]

World Championships Pool is Up

[zoraster]

that was amazing. plus, their name is awesome.

[zoraster]

if I never seen another culling it will be too soon. Tired of lucian.

[zoraster]

how many of the challenger series teams have team houses and what not? all of the LCS teams do, right?

[zoraster]

oh i've been meaning to ask: in the broadcasts of games during the ban phase there's a percentage under each ban. What do those mean? The % of the time that those champs have been banned overall? By the team who is doing the ban? Against the team that is having it banned from them? Percent of the time the team having it banned from them plays those champs?

[zoraster]

is it weird to anyone else that they're doing groups A and B the first 3 days then Groups C and D the next three? It seems like you put teams on more similar footing if you have all the groups competing throughout. I figure the reason is probably due to the split group stage venues?

[zoraster]

Flipped on the preview show. Kind of awful all around. But the big takeaway is: Did they make their wardrobe people angry?

[zoraster]

this is unsurprisingly behind schedule.

[zoraster]

TPA really giving this one up.

[zoraster]

to my amateur eye, they did awesome establishing control over the map, but then stopped doing anything with it.

[zoraster]

earliest ace in worlds?

[zoraster]

AHQ is just smiling. What else can you do?

[zoraster]

game is so sloppy.

[zoraster]

SK Gaming had to play twice in the first three games? Seems rough.

[zoraster]

After Loco/Regi's shit yesterday I can't handle them anymore. I'd rather watch them get humiliated.

?

[zoraster]

what incentive does he have to do that? doesn't he own the team? stepping down means selling it?

[zoraster]

fair enough, i realized you had answered it.

On a completely different note, Dyrus has possibly the most boring voice ever.

[zoraster]

the biggest thing i see from TPA is that they do okay until they get a bad play or two and then they seem to go full tilt, getting caught out easily and what not.

[zoraster]

when will they do the tiebreaker, assuming TSM beats SK?

[zoraster]

i guess they kind of have to because they probably have a very tight schedule for breaking down the venue tomorrow, and they probably don't want to make teams travel to korea for just the tiebreaker not to mention it would mean teams won't be able to prepare for the quarters like every other team.

[zoraster]

8-2 in favor of AHQ, down 7k.

[zoraster]

holy shit!!!

that was awesome.

finally, a legitimate upset.

[zoraster]

no, i think #1 B faces #2 A and vice versa.

[zoraster]

where?

[zoraster]

If TSM doesn't have the balls to face White, and tries its best to avoid it at all costs, is pathetic in a way since even if you get someone else in quarters, you'll end up with White or Blue later. Like, it just means TSM is unconfident in themselves to get pasts quarters or win worlds.

come on, man. Think about that for a minute. First, the entire reason teams are seeded is so that the stronger teams meet later in the tournament. In every sport in every place, avoiding the harder teams until later is what teams want to do.

Second, the experience of being at worlds is what they've spent the past 9 months preparing for. Getting to be there for another week, play in Seoul rather than wherever the other place is (and I assume the semi-finals venue is larger, though I'm not positive). Let's face it, for the vast majority of people playing in this tournament, 5 years from now they'll likely be doing something else. Whatever money they win is nice, but the memory of the tournament will be what sticks around. Going out in the quarterfinals and going out in the semis is a vastly different experience, as is being able to say you finished tied for 3rd-4th rather than tied for 5th-8th.

Third, they win $75,000 more for going out in the semis than in the quarters.

[zoraster]

I doubt tsm has resigned themselves to losing or anything. but I don't think delusion as fan is a better course of action. TSM didn't look anywhere near the same league as White.

If the game were a winner takes all game, I'd actually say that TSM has a fair shot at beating White. Not a big one, but still, one that is worth considering. But in a best of 5 game, I think their chance is pretty negligible. But maybe they'll surprise. That is, as they say, why you play the games.

[zoraster]

and the finals is going to be SSW vs SSB no ifs ands or buts

I'll bet you $25 it won't be. alternatively, an avatar bet?

[zoraster]

he's not available for world's right?

[zoraster]

Wait a second

I thought Riot announced a rule somewhere that disallowed players from playing for teams outside their region.

You can have up to two who aren't residents. Players are grandfathered in if they were on a team before.

[zoraster]

it's not an infraction if it wasn't against the rule, but yes. They are. That DOES mean, however, that LMQ can't just turn to China to get replacement players, though their current players may qualify as residents now, but I'm not sure.

[zoraster]

eh. the requirement is 24 months out of the past 36, so LMQ players will presumably not be eligible for another year.

[zoraster]

i take it back. Reading the rule, it sounds like grandfathering a player in actually allows them to count as a exempt Non-resident, which for practical purposes is a resident. I.e. counts as one of the three you need. Also, unless it says otherwise, it seems an exempt non-resident can transfer teams and still count as a resident for the purposes of the rule.

[zoraster]

I mean he could, but just because a team offers...

[zoraster]

mykonian has been waiting for weeks to use that

[zoraster]

one thing I kind of like is that Cloud 9 still wears T-shirts they might have ordered off of t-shirts.com or something

[zoraster]

you mean if they beat two out of three of their opponents they are likely to get out of group?

[zoraster]

so it looks at least possible if not more likely than not that NA will advance all three of their teams to the quarters and then be knocked out by all three korean teams.

[zoraster]

team consistency over the long term seems like an incredibly difficult thing to do. Even outside of the problems with getting older in videogames, the lifestyle of the professional gamer (at least the league of legends type) doesn't seem sustainable on a multiyear basis.

[zoraster]

I flipped this on just in time to miss the good start and watch the stomping. Wish I had seen the fnatic match

[zoraster]

I want to buy a pro gaming team and make them wear tuxes to play. I like OMG's letterman jackets.

[zoraster]

that was amazing, brandi. thank you

[zoraster]

HOLY COW

[zoraster]

so to my untrained eye it seemed like there was some sloppy fighting but some really cool strategy that kept fnatic in that. one hit. just one hit.

[zoraster]

montecristo is kind of smarmy but i wish he would do more of this description. it's really cool and well explained.

[zoraster]

i couldn't sleep so i decided to watch the first game. that was a mistake.

[zoraster]

Cloud 9 in a lot of trouble

[zoraster]

mine or ray's?

[zoraster]

Man. I wish I had watched the NWS C9 initial match. guess i can rewatch later. Can't believe Alliance lost to Kabum

[zoraster]

i wonder why C9 let zed through

[zoraster]

well that was an exciting game

[zoraster]

Knockout Pick Em

[zoraster]

ack. forgot to put in a text box for who you are!

[zoraster]

to the four people who submitted before, could you please resubmit? I don't know who you are because I forgot to ask.

[zoraster]

yeah, i don't really get how people prefer TSM except they adopted them historically, but C9 has always seemed pretty likable to me.

I think every team is vulnerable to drop a round, and SSB could certainly lose one to C9. But it seems unlikely C9 will pick up the needed 3.

[zoraster]

i dunno, ten days of off time is a lot to maintain momentum

[zoraster]

right now, more people in the pool think TSM will upset SSW than EDG will beat SHRC

[zoraster]

anyone know if cumbz has actually predicted better or if he's just picked contrary to the analyst consensus so it seems like he's an oracle when an upset happens?

[zoraster]

anyone know if cumbz has actually predicted better or if he's just picked contrary to the analyst consensus so it seems like he's an oracle when an upset happens?

Can't speak for all, but I feel like most of them have been honest predictions. There's probably a couple that were simply contrarian picks.

i didn't mean they weren't honest picks. Just that the correct ones stand out more when they cut against the grain.

[zoraster]

I don't have a problem with Dyrus yelling that really. If anything makes him seem less robotic.

I don't know what your comments about are, LLD. I think C9 is a lot more likable as a team, but I have no idea if the fans of C9 are any better than TSM's.

[zoraster]

Unicorns of Love made LCS. Clearly there is only one non-worlds team worth rooting for in that league.

[zoraster]

Unilever should sponsor them. The Unilever Unicorns of Love

Let's be honest: three syllables are just made for chanting. Two sounds like there's something missing. USA USA TSM TSM TPA TPA LMQ all are just fine to shout. See Nine is just so underwhelming.

[zoraster]

might be better if it was at least the two top korean teams meeting in the finals.

[zoraster]

yeah i can agree with that. competitive would be nice. no 3-0 stomp

[zoraster]

[zoraster]

how long do you think c9 as a team can stay intact?

[zoraster]

i don't think shotcalling is some secret passed down from father to son.

[zoraster]

i don't think shotcalling is some secret passed down from father to son.

But either is it something that you can just click on and do like last-hitting. You can't just plop down in the game and be a good shot-caller without learning how to be one (yes, I'm aware there are naturals and the like, but I'm talking about being great and/or "followable" (for lack of a better word) shotcallers like Hai is, Regi was, and Bjergsen's leaning into being.

this is kind of my point. which is i don't think hai knows something secret that he can just give one of his other teammates to make them good shot callers. they seem like smart guys, so maybe one takes up the reigns with ease. But that probably only comes after a lot of practice..

Still, if for no other reason than Hai's reading choices, I like him and hope he sticks around for another year.

[zoraster]

Tbmz08 is right. I'm no expert but hai seems pretty underrated to me

[zoraster]

His mechanical play and champion pool are definitely lacking. Bottom half of NA LCS for sure.

this type of statement is why my statement was correct.

[zoraster]

they just wanted to mess with the pool.

[zoraster]

i know this has almost become cliche now that it's been a while, but it is so weird to see that avatar saying things that aren't snide about LoL

[zoraster]

do they really stand for the whole thing? groups must have been so tiring.

[zoraster]

it wasn't just bad, it was puzzling right? I'm not an expert but galio is a solution to AP heavy teams. SSW had an AD team. so very weird to pick galio.

[zoraster]

@iec that seems to be a pretty big accusation without any proof whatsoever.

[zoraster]

the only reason SSW is boring to me is that they've steamrolled. They have literally dropped one game the entire tournament, and the games they've won haven't really been close. But I'm not going to be mad at a team for being too good.

[zoraster]

were people doing that? one person questioned the build, another said he has a shallow champion pool. no one said he was a bad player.

Also, irony.

[zoraster]

what's the likelihood we'll see a ranked 5s team make it into one of those two (four including EU) spots? Are the ranked 5s teams mostly just challenger series teams?

[zoraster]

They're the amateur teams.

well like... Zenith eSports was a Challenger team last year that won't qualify for either of the two other routes to expansion, but they're #2 on the 5s ranking.

Still, basic question answered

[zoraster]

http://imgur.com/a/l12gM has the full article

[zoraster]

Who are the best female LoL players in NA? Do any stream? Most of the women who stream are personality/looks based that I've seen, but that doesn't preclude there being more skilled players.

Seems a tall order to get 5 women, but seems a more likely thing for a team to eventually pick up a woman. Of course that comes with its own complications.

[zoraster]

joke i assume? i'm not that familiar with her.

[zoraster]

That doesn't really answer the question.

[zoraster]

that article is kind of nauseating, but yes i don't think Siren would be a good example of a pro team.

[zoraster]

do you pick a team to cheer for only because they're the most skilled team? You cheered for SKT1 last year, SSW this year, etc.?

Like... we're already assuming that a woman who is playing in the LCS would be there with at least some base line of skill that would put her in the top 0.02% of LoL players.

[zoraster]

yeah, but at this point not even looking for streamers. Just curious who the highest would be, particularly if it's true there are "a lot on the challenger ladder" (let's even add Master to that). Really just looking what the pool looks like for potential women pro players.

[zoraster]

thanks, iec. Seems like maybe the answer is Cypress?

[zoraster]

do you pick a team to cheer for only because they're the most skilled team? You cheered for SKT1 last year, SSW this year, etc.?

Like... we're already assuming that a woman who is playing in the LCS would be there with at least some base line of skill that would put her in the top 0.02% of LoL players.

I've been cheering for SSW since back when they were MVP White.

But anyway, yeah, I'd cheer for a non-TSM team with a female player on it. Although if we want to talk pro women, Scarlett in starcraft is a fucking genius zerg player. Some of the only fun games of SC2 I've watched, she uses like every single zerg unit (fucking patch zerg)

haha I wasn't saying that you can't root for SSW. Just that we all choose things other than pure skill to cheer for.

[zoraster]

Bias! I demand Fair and Balanced!

[zoraster]

reddit is usually fine as long as you don't scratch the surface.

[zoraster]

...

[zoraster]

Is there any rule about how many past players you have to keep to stay in LCS?

[zoraster]

that's too bad. Feel like you should need to keep at least 2 previous players.

If LMQ folds maybe they'll take the third place team in the expansion tournament?

[zoraster]

In the future maybe you'd do a playoff of the 3 teams that were relegated/didn't get promoted?

[zoraster]

who do you think will be out of TSM and C9 to make way for curse? (or both?)

[zoraster]

do subs count toward the 3 players that need to remain the same?

[zoraster]

I just assumed they were different clubs but with the same sponsor.

[zoraster]

they should really have deadlines for team changes, which in effect would work as a trade deadline.

A draft is interesting, but seems like asking for trouble given how the teams live in the same house and what not.

[zoraster]

they also don't all live in the same house all the time. And they all tend to come from far more static lower levels. High school and college in the united states, Youth Academies and the like elsewhere.

[zoraster]

It may have to come as a Riot mandated or union-based collective-bargaining agreement because it seems to me that team houses are a pretty big advantage for the teams that have them. Unlike physical sports, you can practice, play and analyze the game for 15 hours each day with no physical effects (okay, carpal tunnel). Houses facilitate that. As having a team becomes more lucrative you might be able to buy a practice facility and have all your players play there for that long each day, I suppose.

I also wonder if there's a peak age for playing esports generally. I suspect that 17 and 18 year olds probably have a leg up generally on 25-year-olds in pure individual mechanical skill. It's a team game, so you expect veterans with experience to make up that pure mechanical difference in a variety of ways, particularly if they've played together before, but I don't know that we'll see many 30-year-old superstars. Just pure speculation though.

[zoraster]

There isn't anything like that in the US (my wife has on occasion had 100 hour weeks), but there is mandatory time-and-a-half if they're hourly employees for hours worked over 40 in a week. I suspect that the compensation for the players probably is structured differently than normal though, given that their compensation is some mixture of Riot housing stipend, team provided income, streaming income, and prize money.

[zoraster]

they also don't all live in the same house all the time. And they all tend to come from far more static lower levels. High school and college in the united states, Youth Academies and the like elsewhere.

why would this make team houses unsustainable? It's like living in a small dorm.

Drafting works best when there's some knowable player base, which is why it's relevant that other sports don't have the same amount of "this player just appeared because he only started playing this game 4 months ago." The point about team houses in this case is that when you draft someone you aren't giving him a choice of what team to play with. That's obviously an issue with other sports, but those other sports don't put you in a situation where you live with the rest of your team all of the time. Imagine a job where there was no escape, you didn't have a choice in the people you're living and working with, and you have to wait X amount of time before you can go elsewhere... or you can quit your preferred profession altogether.

[zoraster]

sure. but when push comes to shove, a drafted player can make only one of two choices: sign with the team that drafted him or don't sign and don't play.

[zoraster]

sure. but when push comes to shove, a drafted player can make only one of two choices: sign with the team that drafted him or don't sign and don't play.

Or don't sign and look to be picked up by other teams who were hoping to get him/her.

Although I will admit that is dependent on said player being prominent enough to get multiple offers and such.

no, that's not how a draft works. If a draft is to have any meaning, it is mandatory. If you don't sign with a NFL team, you can't play generally. You have to wait a full year until the next draft.

how else would a draft have any meaning whatsoever if a player could just sign with whatever team he wanted anyway?

[zoraster]

because he'd make your team better. on the whole these teams aren't just out to win as best buds forever any more than pro sports are.

[zoraster]

Janna is having the type of game I have.

[zoraster]

i just like that he's a lumberjack against maokai

[zoraster]

is this sort of a training ground for new casters? seem a little nervous.

[zoraster]

Gnar Gnar Gnar

[zoraster]

F5 pretty easily

[zoraster]

is this sort of a training ground for new casters? seem a little nervous.

[zoraster]

lots of nocturn this tournament

[zoraster]

hmm? it was a 3 game series.

[zoraster]

i think the broadcasts need to include dragons won as well as turrets now. before, it was included in the gold count. but now that it provides a buff, the gold doesn't tell the story.

[zoraster]

i mean he hasn't played with the team that long and jungle seems like a role that is very synergy dependent with the rest of his team. I'd hardly view this preseason contest as very indicative of much except that UoL is probably better than expected.

[zoraster]

the first game he was handicapped by getting pretty far behind Kiki's TF, which wasn't really his fault. I guess he could have tried to predict it and counter ganked, but at level 2 that's tough.

[zoraster]

guys can correct me if i'm wrong, but TSM and CLG's goals are somewhat different. TSM wants to not just win/make it to worlds but advance far in that. CLG would be thrilled making it to worlds. Having a 1+4 strategy may be a way to get in the upper half of a secondary league but unless you have faker, it's not a way to make a real challenge at worlds.

[zoraster]

the suspension does seem more meant to send a message than actually punish. I doubt that means he can't coach them between games. He probably can only sit in the spectator section at matches and can't consult with the team. Given that coaches are involved in champ select now (right?) that's a bit more of a hit, but I'd imagine 90% of a coach's job is preparation of the team.

[zoraster]

Rhux has been pretty impressive throughout this expansion tournament, regardless of whether F5 can come back or not.

[zoraster]

casters need to work on their analogies.

[zoraster]

Winner of CA vs. Fusion will join LCS. Loser of that will face the winner of Coast/F5. the winner of that game will join the LCS too

[zoraster]

no it's not. you mixed up f5 and fsn

[zoraster]

is it just me or are the commentators markedly better than they were in the rest of the expansion tournament? Is it a new team or do you think experience has just helped?

[zoraster]

oh. well. i guess that makes sense then!

[zoraster]

jungle lulu

[zoraster]

so lcs at the moment is:

TSM
Cloud9
CLG
Evil Geniuses
Curse
Team 8
Curse Academy
Coast


Do Dignitas and LMQ still qualify?

[zoraster]

i thought there was some retention requirement.

[zoraster]

Team 8 seemed pretty strong, but it's hard for me to believe that CA and Coast, neither winning promotion when they had the chance, are suddenly top tier teams.

[zoraster]

What do he said! what do!?

[zoraster]

because it kind of sucks when someone just says something like that and then doesn't explain: http://na.lolesports.com/articles/champ ... cs-changes

[zoraster]

Wow. Even for you, that's low GI.

[zoraster]

First of all, he hasn't asked you for money yet, just announced that they'll be taking donations via kickstarter in the future. Unless I am very much mistaken, it's still free, just as the Smithsonian, Wikipedia, etc. are free. Donations help keep those things alive, but you aren't required to pay. It's not like I was shaken down for money when I clicked on that link.

Second, there is a difference between someone on our community coming here and saying, "hey I've been doing this thing, and we're excited about taking this thing to the next level" and an amazon site where reviews are common, expected and helpful. For one thing, reviews on Amazon are designed to help other consumers. Your comments here are ostensibly directed at the creator himself. And that might be more okay if not for...

Third, your comments weren't designed in any way to be constructive. They're essentially "write better, jackass." It's indicative of the some of the worst sort of internet activity -- lurking in the shadows to pounce on someone who is trying to create something -- even if it is kind of low-brow league of legends humor. It's not designed to make orc's site

better

, it's designed to make orc feel worse.

[zoraster]

i'm in

[zoraster]

we should have a separate thread for it, right? We might have more than 1 league's worth.

[zoraster]

Sign Up for LCS Fantasy League Today

I've included the people who have already expressed interest.

I haven't done this before, so if anyone has suggestions for how it should operate, let me know. I'm just taking it on because I like organizing things.

[zoraster]

Last call for LCS Fantasy: http://forum.mafiascum.net/viewtopic.ph ... 4#p6523754 Last call!

[zoraster]

was there that much hype? i didn't have high hopes

[zoraster]

[zoraster]

i'm sad about kalista not getting picked.

[zoraster]

because they beat gambit soundly?

[zoraster]

My roster is now very fnatic yellow.

[zoraster]

i'd always rather two data points than one, but I picked up yellowstar and fnatic when they won yesterday. I picked up Huni and Steelback today because I was monitoring them, but those were weaker positions for me. I already have Febiven

[zoraster]

no. i did not pick up Reignover. I don't intend on starting Yellowstar (I have Nrated), and I'll need to see how Impulse does before starting Huni (I have Impact)

But Fnatic is clearly going to be a better bet than MYM as a team, and based on the little information I have, I like how Steelback looks over P1NOY for my Flex position, and I think top lane is a craps shoot, so I'll probably try to the best of my ability to ride the hot hand.

[zoraster]

big test on whether they can recover against liquid this week.

[zoraster]

hard not to really like those guys.

inb4 racist twitter posts

[zoraster]

so..... -.5 right off the bat because huni was executed in the jungle?

[zoraster]

man febiven's ult there was played so cool.

[zoraster]

i missed that?

[zoraster]

This was pretty cool. The timing on it is awesome:

[zoraster]

that was fun to watch