Introduction

Sporting one of the more extensive LoL-esports history in the world, Counter Logic Gaming come into the LCS Summer Split with only two roles intact since the finish of LCS Spring.

With the team owner and toplaner HotshotGG stepping down, co-founder Bigfatlp returning and former Team MRN member Nientonsoh joining the team, CLG will come bursting in to this Summer Split with all eyes on them and an insatiable will to prove themselves.

New Blood/Old Blood

Only LiNk and Doublelift remains on the same positions as last split. Bigfatlp returns to CLG from his exile but picking up the role of jungler rather than mid. Chauster reunites with Doublelift in the bot lane, once again performing the role as support, and Nientonsoh moves to the toplane.

Having had arguably one of the most volatile rosters in NA scene, the team is now looking towards the future. The new roster dreams of stability, revenge and an eventual season 3 Finals.

Top

Even though Team MRN dropped out of LCS and failed to re-qualify, Nientonsoh proved himself to be one the most potent AD-carries in NA. Possessing a positional awareness and an ability to cs that rivals Doublelift, the question is how far Nientonsohs AD-expertise will carry him in the toplane. Being a agressive player by nature, Nientonsoh will presumably provide a breath of fresh air for CLG, shying away from the passive play style of HotshotGG.

Although statistics are hard to find for the ”new” Nientonsoh , He has been playing a lot of Jayce in soloque. Champions like Jayce favor the positional play style of an AD carry, and might help bridge the gap between the two roles.

With Nientonsoh CLG have the option of playing compositions that revolves less around Doublelift and more around pure teamwork and multiple sources of damage.

All in all, CLG’s and Nientonsoh’s success will rely on how Nientonsoh can adapt to his new role as well as his new team.

Jungler

One of CLG’s more controversial decisions was reinstating Bigfatlp to the team, but with a twist; The renowned midlaner now picks up the role of jungler. Having played exlusivly mid for the over three years Bigfatlp is indeed a wildcard when it comes to jungling.

Bigfatlp’s mechanical skills, though lackluster when compared to world-class midlaners should be more than sufficient for the jungle. Having played the game at a high level for so long also proves that Bigfatlp possess great knowledge of the game. Will Bigfatlp be able to bring these qualities together and be the stable and reactive jungler CLG needs?

Bigfatlp has been known for his lack of communication in-game, and if he is to influence the game in CLG’s favor he needs to step up his communication.

Traditionally CLG wants a jungler with strong counterganks and objective control. Junglers like Nasus, Zac and Jarvan all provides tankiness, peel for Doublelift and good countergank potential. What Bigfatlp will play and how he will do however is nothing more than speculations.

Mid

Coming of the Spring Split as one of the most consistent players on CLG, LiNk will provide some much-needed stability to this new CLG lineup. Having a deep champion pool, LiNk can easily adapt to whatever play style and compositions the new CLG choose to run. LiNk will perform whether he plays Lux or Diana, protecting Doublelift or bringing the heat to his opponents up close.

The one weakness LiNK has shown during the Spring Split is that he seldom carries games. More often than not, he operates as a co-captain on the Doublelift carry-train, depending on his AD-carry to lead CLG to victory.

CLG will use LiNk as a cornerstone, and build their new team upon their stable midlaner. LiNk can hold his own in the mid, allowing Bigfatlp to focus on CLG’s botlane, which will surely need the help to fend of the inevitable attention of the enemy jungler.

Bot

The botlane has been the strongest part of CLG for a long time, and this might be more true now than ever. It is commonly known how Chauster took the mechanical talent of Doublelift under his wing and forged him into the CLG spearhead he is today.

The return of Chauster to botlane reunites a duo that has the potential to singlehandedly carry CLG to the World Finals, and they are sure to receive a lot of attention from the opponents.

Doublelift had some minor slumps during parts of the Spring Split, but his performance at worlds placed him firmly back among the very best AD-carries in the world.

His support on the other hand has more to prove. Arguably one of the best supports in the world when he left the support role, Chauster did to perform in the jungle.

Chauster returns to the botlane with a desire to prove himself, and we can expect him to play mechanically rewarding champions such as Thresh.

The botlane will be the lynchpin of CLG’s success this season, and may be responsible for some of the biggest and most exiting plays we will see in the NA LCS.

The Joker

When HotshotGG announced his retirement he also announced that he would be taking the role of coach for the CLG team, aswell as team owner and manager. HotshotGG will therefore be in a unique situation, coaching a team he was upon very recently a part of. Having also played with four of the members for a long time, he will have good insight into the personas and relationship dynamics involved.

Doublelift said in a V-log from the end of may that the main difference between CLG and the top NA teams TSM and CRS was the team cohesion.

With the fresh roster, and the short time span they have together between the start of LCS Summer Split, the team needs to come together fast. Hotshot might prove instrumental in making this happen, being able to observe and advice from the side.

Putting it all together

Hotshot stepping down might turn out to be one of the better things that could have happened to CLG, because it gives him time to focus on the team from an outside perspective. Having a dedicated coach, recruiting a new, motivated toplane and getting rid of a player that forced the team in to certain picks and compositions reduces the teams predictability and increases their flexibility. This new CLG might be a harder nut to crack then the old one, if they can get their shell together in time. And this will allways be the big issue with a new roster, especially one with the big egos of CLG.

The few scrims the team has streamed with the new roster showed a lack of command and direction. When Chauster left the jungle he seems to have left his shotcalling behind, and CLG acted very unorganized during these scrimms. If CLG is to have any success with their new roster, a clear chain of command has to be implemented.

If CLG can overcome these issuse and come together as a team, the potential for this roster is extremely high. If the new CLG can get their midgame objective control and teamfights in order, aswell as relieving some pressure from Doublelift by running multiple threaths, CLG will almost certainly be a top contender for the NA World Final tickets.