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The League of Legends Masters Series (LMS) is often treated as the red-headed stepchild of the League of Legends competitive scene in the West. It has the unfortunate luck be in similar time zones as Korea, meaning that any dedicated fan from Europe or North America trying to watch it has to make sacrifices in their sleep schedule. The language barrier is also a problem as there is no English language stream, unlike the widely known and highly popular OGN stream in Korea.



Yet despite being overshadowed so heavily by Korea or perhaps even because of this, the LMS is one of the most unique regions in the world.



Korean teams have only ever lost a Best of X series against a non-Korean team 9 times in Premier level play since they first stormed onto the scene in Season 2. Koreans have also claimed 3 of the 4 World Championship they have competed in. That perfect trophy case is only shattered by the efforts of a single team - the Taipei Assassins (TPA) from Taiwan.





The LMS was also unique in the reason for its founding. Previously the teams in the LMS competed in the Garena Premier League (GPL). However, since its founding the Taiwanese teams had consistently won the GPL every single year after crushing the competition. As a result, Taiwanese teams were given permission to form their own official League. The LMS teams would compete amongst themselves and give the other teams in the GPL a chance of actually winning a tournament.



It was only natural then to want to interview the Taiwanese players to learn more about the LMS. Unfortunately, none of the Taiwanese teams were offering interviews at the time.

Some interviews are a product of carefully choreographed ceremonies.



You reach out and contact a public relations or media person in advance, book a time slot, do your preparation, and then sit down for an interview. Sometimes though, things go a bit differently.



It was the morning of the Friday, the day of the SKT T1 vs ahq quarterfinal games. As I turned the corner backstage to walk to the press room, I almost ran into and collided with someone else heading in the opposite direction. Once I had confirmed that neither of us had spilt our cups of scalding hot coffee on each other, I then realised I had nearly collided with Clement Chu, the caster and analyst from the LMS and former analyst and coach for Ninjas in Pyjamas. As is common for two individuals who survive near- death coffee burn experiences, we naturally then introduced ourselves each other.



"Wait, you're MoonBear? Oh man, your articles back in Season 2 were what got me into League analysis!" The tension gone, we talked for a short while before I asked if he was free to do an interview later on in the day. "Sure, I'd love to!"



Some interviews are a product of pure chance.

It was the evening of the Friday, the day of the SKT T1 vs ahq quarterfinal game. As I returned to the press room after interviewing Easyhoon, I caught up with Clement. We settled down into the sofa pods and started talking about the day's games. Clement shook his head and sighed. A lot of hype had been put into today's match based on ahq's performance against SKT at the Mid-Season Invitational (MSI) but he disagreed with how today had played out.







"There's a real difference in team systems you know? ahq has a lot of limitations when it comes to the pick/ban phase, but for SKT it's much harder to talk about. For ahq there's not a lot of good champ picks in the mid lane. Only assassin, no Lulu. That means that even when you have the Blue side advantage you lose a lot of the flex picks. And when you're on Purple side you have next to none. Especially with the ban priorities this patch."



Clement continued talking about the differences between the ahq that took on SKT and only lost at MSI due to a bad pick near Baron, and the ahq that lost today. "You look at what ahq tried to do Game 1 against SKT. It's a very similar playstyle as what they tried to do at MSI minus Maokai. Kalista has less damage now, Maokai protection is gone. It's like the same champs and playstyle, but the tools are weaker. At MSI, ahq focused on camping bot lane. You can penetrate the lane against worse teams and then skirmish, but this time it's much harder. ahq's playstyle has stayed static and SKT is team a with fewer weaknesses than before too."

Origen outsmarted them from that regard. But... it's also more than that.

The topic eventually meandered to the other quarterfinal series featuring the LMS. For a matchup pitting the only two teams to have been a Korean team at Worlds, the series had been a lot more imbalanced than expected. Clement nodded. "On paper, Origen does counter Flash Wolves a lot. The Flash Wolves are a bit of a 2 lane team. They often group in one lane with their AD Carry, and Maple is pushing a lane himself. So they leave a lane open. Origen on the other hand plays the map really well, and TP around. It's hard to play against that kind of strategy if you get behind."



We talk more about the difference in strategies, and what Flash Wolves could have done to push the series to a Game 5 or even win. "Flash Wolves advantage was having Blue side from being first seed. Origen was good at forcing fights fights though. You pull them in and secure a win. Origen outsmarted them from that regard. But... it's also more than that."



We delve deeper into the picks and bans, such as the focus on Rek'sai. "Karsa didn't show up. Flash Wolves went for Rek’sai hard. They even feed farm to him in the extra lane and as a result, Karsa got more gold instead of Steak. But that also limited a lot of the core strategy of blowing up xPeke so he was able to control the teamfights and that meant they lost a lot of fights as a result. The Tahm Kench was also super hard for them. Flash Wolves focused a lot on wanted to execute single target picks but that entire playstyle is completely invalidated by Kench."

As we talk more about the Flash Wolves, the topic of their Group games come up. How could a team that beat a Korean team also drop a game against the wildcard team paiN Gaming? The Flash Wolves are also a team that acts as scrim partners with LCK teams so the inconsistency is surprising.



"Flash Wolves have this problem a lot actually. In games they're expected to win they lose. Like how the Flash Wolves lost to Hong Kong Esports (HKE) in Summer Playoffs." Clement pauses, looking for the words. "Player mentality. It's a big topic. When it comes to the coaching mindset, I think the psychological aspect is ignored too much. For the Flash Wolves, when they're facing good opponents they're not scared. But when they face bad opponents they play too safe."







The first time the Flash Wolves played against paiN Gaming in Group A, Maple played Ahri with Cleanse. Definitely a highly unusual choice. "It's basically things like that. And like in their second game against paiN, they played stuff that guaranteed win and then sat on it. That's the psychological aspect I think they need to work on. It's difficult I think though. The team has been around for three years, but their two veteran players are not as prestigious. There's no vocal leader to control them. For example, on ahq you have Mountain. Whether you like his calls or not, he's always talking. Flash Wolves though have a tendency to freeze up. They're strong, but things get into head."



Clement pauses momentarily as he bites his bottom lip, but then quickly picks up again. "You know, Origen has a really good team dynamic. The young players are good, and older players are a rock that stabilises the team. Origen is also a team with a lot of experience in it. You know, I'm not too sad. Flash Wolves are a young team. The Flash Wolves could be Origen once they get experience. Flash Wolves have come to Worlds twice now. They're still going strong, they keep coming come back, and they keep getting stronger."

Earlier this year, it was announced that several professional players in the LMS such as Raison from HKE in July and Chawy from TPA in August. Both of their bans meant they were unable to compete in the Playoffs for Worlds. At the time there was a lot of discussion about the fairness of the bans. In particular, it seemed that the severity of the bans in the LMS were unduly harsh compared to the bans enacted in other regions such as the LCK or LCS. But there was another aspect that also deserved some discussion. How different might Worlds have looked if HKE and TPA went into the LMS Playoffs with their original lineups?



"For HKE well, hmm... GodKwai is heavily outclassed, GodJJ too. Losing Raison meant a big hole for HKE. Olleh's not as effective if you don't have the Korean AD Carry and Support duo. In the games against the Flash Wolves, Olleh made great Janna plays, Raison escaping 4 man dives." Clement sighs. "The bans will leave a long lasting impact on the scene. Raison was voted unanimously rookie of the year and that duo was best duo in LMS until that point. Actually you know, I wonder what this means for HKE in general. Will Toyz and DinTer even stay? May already flew back to Korea. I'm not sure what team will look like. I don't even think it'll be about who they bring in now. I think it might even be about who they keep?"







When discussing the impact of Chawy's ban for TPA though, the opinion is much more different however. "Man that was just really shit luck for Chawy. As for if they could have made Worlds... Well, TPA surprised everyone about how good Morning was playing mid and having Yue top lane. Morning was arguably a better mid than top, and Yue had balls to play. With Chawy, there was still the question of how well he synergised with team."



When Chawy was still on TPA, the roster went through multiple iterations. "They just tried a lot of combinations. Having Domo come in, Pony in the Jungle, having four junglers even, just all these weird experiments. And in the end, they went back to a core roster of Jay Support and Refrain Jungle. Then all of a sudden the Playoffs roll around and... Poof!" Clement gestures a poof of smoke with his hands. "Chawy's gone! Still, from the qualifiers TPA showed they could manage without Chawy. TPA good at farming talent.

We continue discussing the various LMS teams and players and the topic turns back to ahq, and Westdoor in particular. After Worlds, there's no doubt that ahq will be making changes. But the question is what changes can they make?



"I don't think it's a secret that Westdoor has a limited champion pool and that it's a weakness for ahq. Maybe ahq can find another player and compete. But Westdoor is the face of ahq. It's hard to see ahq letting him go. Westdoor means so much to not just ahq, but the fans."



Westdoor has been the public face of ahq, and his story is one that all the Taiwanese fans know. "Westdoor is the hardest worker on ahq. Westdoor defined the ahq fighting style. They use his modus as the ahq style. You know his saying 〈不放棄，直到夢想到手〉? (Don't stop until the dream is in hand) That resonates with the fanbase in Taiwan."







"ahq represents the pinnacle of past gen. Ziv is great, Albis has good mechanics, Mountain is always aggressive, playing Elise, Lee Sin, and Riven Jungle no matter what. Actually before the Elise nerfs he'd do things like invade with Elise, get killed, and then next game he'd do the same thing again." Clement laughs. "Then the Cinderhulk meta arrived and he did well. But... I think he might take the split off because of wrist problems." Clement frowns, and then sighs. "It might even end career maybe. We'll see."

But if you have a good analytical player then can mold them like Aaron molded AmazingJ.

We quickly change topic to something more pleasant. Even though it was still the quarter finals of Worlds, rumours of attempts to buy-out contracts and roster swaps had already started to drift amongst the press. There would be transfers amongst the various scenes. The LMS had already experimented with Korean imports this year. Would there be more?



"Hm... I think something that's important to note is that you need a Korean captain to command other Koreans. Olleh and Raison is example. Still though, you can't compete with LPL money. There are also communication problem. Just see how the top two teams from the LPL have imploded."



That being said, with more money coming into the LMS and a limited domestic talent pool, teams would still be looking abroad. "Imports do fill these spots. But I think though that after this year there will be some doubts about how good importing Koreans can be. I think it depends on HKE. They're an example of team good after trying out with foreign players. There's just so much to do. You still need infrastructure, you need translators, differences in diet, training, resources. So many things to consider. If Olleh stays on HKE though, I think many tops teams might experiment with foreigners. TPA might be all local though. Their experience with Lupin didn't work out well."

I broached the question of the opposite happening. Just as the LMS might import players, wouldn't there also be the possibility of players being exported?



"That's already happening. Even before Worlds actually. Ysera went from the Logitech Snipers to LSPL, which is like the Challenger scene for the LPL. AmazingJ played in the LNL which was a precursor to the LMS and he's now playing on EDG. China is definitely very, very, interested in Taiwanese players. The lesson they learnt this year is that you can get Korean players with big money, but it's hard to control them and there are communication problems. But if you have a good analytical player then can mold them like Aaron molded AmazingJ."







TSM's advertisement for tryouts had just recently been released, and it included eligibility for players who were highly ranked on the Taiwanese servers. Would NA teams look towards Taiwan rather than Korea? "Hm Toyz maybe but he means a lot to HKE like for marketing. To be honest, most LMS players don't know enough English for the West. Steak maybe...? I can't really think of any others though."

The only team TPA ever lost to in scrims was Azubu Blaze.

With all the investment money coming into the LMS, I can't help but think of how fragile teams in other regions have been. More than one team has just ceased to spontaneously exist. LMQ has been a high profile recent example of a team that was still decently successful but still dissolved. As you start looking towards lower ranked teams, both the NA LCS and the EU LCS have seen teams just disappear.



Clement thinks for a bit as I ask him about whether the investment in the LMS is ephemeral, rather than building something that lasts. "Well, one complication for a the teams currently is how much cash they have. Flash Wolves don't mind too much and have spare cash right now. TPA is under the Garena flag. But teams like ahq are in a different position and sell merchandise. Did you even know that they sold Westdoor underwear to raise money for the team? They need that fan connection to keep going."





Wherever you turn, there are stories about just how much money eSports teams burn through just to keep going. The LMS it seems is no exception. "It's hard to turn a profit in eSports in general. There's not a lot of money in internet advertising and it's even harder to make money in Taiwan. It's one of the big problems. It's difficult to translate brand recognition into consumption. And you have to be careful about your band too. You ask yourself 'Do we want this image on us?'"



"One thing you'll notice though is that for Taiwanese streams, their viewer count numbers are going to like, double on Twitch soon. It's all about how the viewer numbers get calculated. Previously ISPs would get counted twice so it really affected streaming money. That's going to change for the better."



Suddenly Clement cuts off a sentence as he remembers something. "Oh yeah, the Gamma Bears are coming back. Those were the guys who sponsored Flash Wolves before. They've got money to spend. Still though, the community doubts them because back in Season 3 they told the team before they went to Worlds that the team was going to be disbanded no matter what the result was."



Damn. That must have been really tough to hear. "Well... did you ever hear of the TeSL? I think that's like the greatest tragedy we've ever had. After Season 2 when we brought the World Championship Cup to Taiwan, there were all these big organisations that wanted to bring in people and investment. And so they got together and started to put together our own Taiwanese scene and put in all this investment. But then, all of a sudden, it turned out that if you wanted to get to Worlds you had to go through the GPL and Garena by invite only. The TeSL died overnight. That's one of the saddest moments in our League history. You just sit there and think 'What could have been? How different would Worlds look?""

We sit back and like old men, we reminisce on the good ol' days of Season 2. Back when League was still young, in the days before Koreans killed everyone's dreams. Like, say, in Starcraft.





We talk about TPA's performance at Worlds and how so many people underestimated them. Wasn't there also some Power Rank that got published where TPA were rated as one of the lowest teams...? I raise my hand. Mea culpa. The only defence I have is that I only learned about their scrims against World Elite once Worlds had started



Clement laughs. "You probably watched the Battle Royal games they played right?" At the time League VoDs were incredibly hard to find so there were few games outside of the American, European, and Korean scene to analyse. The Battle Royal had been a series of Bo5s played pitting TPA against some of the best from China and Korea. But even against some of the weakest Korean teams at the time such as LG-IM and Xenics Storm, TPA still lost.





"So you know after Battle Royal, TPA all got together and cried. And after they cried, they resolved that they would get their revenge and beat everyone. They practised really hard, and they destroyed almost everyone in scrims. They only lost to one team. Can you guess who?" I paused to think. World Elite and the power of Misaya and WeiXiao? Clement shook his head.



"The only team TPA ever lost to in scrims was Azubu Blaze."



Azubu Blaze had been seeded directly into the finals of the Korean Regional Finals. But pitted against them was a NaJin Sword. This was a team that had started at the bottom, and then rampaged through every single team in its path to make it to the finals. It was a story not unlike C9's run at the NA Regionals this year, except NaJin's performance had been utterly dominating as they crushed all the inferior teams in its path. And then, after a grueling five games and a repeat of the third place series from Champions Summer 2012, NaJin had eliminated Azubu Blaze from attending Worlds.



"After TPA learned that Azubu Blaze didn't make it to Worlds, well..."



I guess that's what you call history.

Those are the interesting things that make players. EU will be strong.

We continue chatting on a range of topics. After the Group Stage, there had been a deluge of speculative posts on Reddit arguing that perhaps the NA LCS didn't deserve three seeds and that an extra seed should be given to Taiwan or the Wild Card groups. Clement chuckles as we talk about the idea.



"Three seeds... Well, I mean I am surprised that NA hasn't done better. They have a bigger player base, there are better conditions for players, they have strong connections to fans, there's a bigger streaming culture and using that to connect to fans and all these advantages they have. I think it's a failing on the teams internally. And it's not just my opinion. Koo were saying it too."



In the run up to Worlds, the strength of the NA teams wasn't an anomaly. The idea of CLG making it out of Group A was very real. "CLG were destroying teams in scrims. But then paralysed when they saw Koreans on stage. They tried different things, they didn't do what they had in done in normal picks and bans. Part of the failings are probably on the organisations themselves. They're doing an admirable job. But maybe with some better management sense, some swagger, the NA teams could have done better."







Does that mean the West is doomed to always be playing catch-up? Clement disagrees. "I think EU will become stronger. They've got so much talent. And they've got a big playerbase. Bigger than everywhere but China. And it's not just numbers. Their player quality is also higher than China."



"There's also the infrastructure side of things. And not just what people normally think about. It's also a lot about peripherals, ping. Like the 'hump' you have to get over in order to even get into competitive gaming and eSports. Like, when I go to a PC Bang here in EU I see people bringing in things like gaming mice from Steel Series but when I go back you know, people just use cheap basic Logitech mice. Things like just the conditions you need to deal with. Those are the interesting things that make players. EU will be strong."



It's not a wild claim. After all in the days of Season 2, little known player called Froggen left a Team Infused to join Counter Logic Gaming Europe (CLG.eu). At the time, the Season 2 Worlds Qualification system required accumulating Premier Point from large LAN events over an entire year. But despite CLG.eu only forming in June of that year, Froggen and CLG.eu smashed teams left and right to secure the podium place finishes needed to qualify for Worlds within two months. In the process, CLG.eu even took the Koreans to a full five games on their home soil in OGN Summer 2012 on their home soil. And in the early days of Season 3, the titans known as Gambit Gaming would hand the Koreans their only loss by a Western team in the finals of a premier tournament LAN ever by crushing Azubu Blaze 2-0 at IEM Katowice.



Perhaps the European Empire might one day rise again?

At this point Security walk up to us and ask us to leave the venue as we're now into curfew. But we're given permission to use the toilets before we leave at least. "You know one thing most people don't realise before you go on camera? Man they put so much makeup on you. Feels funny." Clement laughs. "Gotta wash it all off."



We continue chatting as we stroll away from the venue and towards the directions of the hotels. On the way, Taiwanese fans stop to say hello to Clement, and thank him for his hard work. "你今天辛苦了!" He stops to chat with them as well, and to talk over the sadness now that both LMS teams have been eliminated from Worlds. One of the fans ask if he will be going to the Semifinals. "Nah. Now that the LMS teams are out, I don't think Riot will need me any more."







Near the hotel lobby, we can see some of the Flash Wolves players coming out for a smoke. They're also drinking and hanging out with some fans. With the day done, it seems like there will be some peace and quiet around Wembley until all of a sudden, one of the fans near Clement looks up from her phone. "Westdoor has just announced his retirement on Facebook!"



It's only been a few hours after the games. There's an air of melancholy amongst the fans. No doubt there will be more retirement announcements too.







As I say goodbye to Clement, he stops me. He pauses to think for a moment. And then turns towards me again.



"You know... earlier this year there was talk about taking away one of our seeds. Some people at Riot felt that maybe the LMS didn't deserve two seeds after we split away from the GPL. It was a really scary though. Forget three seeds. We put both of our teams into the quarterfinals, and we took games off the Koreans. What I'm most happy for is that this year, we proved we deserved those seeds."



Will Taiwan be the region to once again deny the Koreans their coveted World Championship Cup?



"We'll see."