I had a chance to talk to Nientonsoh about his recent achievements. Formerly the AD carry for Team MRN, and the AD and Mid for Orbit Gaming, Nientonsoh has played for many teams and has played many roles, but was recently picked up by Counter Logic Gaming to replace Hotshot GG in the top lane.

This is your third different role you've played professionally, what makes you so adept at League of Legends?

Nientonsoh: Well, I'd say a large reason of why I am as good as I am has to do with my mentality. Ever since I started to play League of Legends I always wanted to be the best of the best, I was and still am actively trying to improve. In team games, moba's especially, people love to point and blame their short-comings and mistakes on their teammates rather than facing reality and accepting the fact that they can never play perfectly, limiting not only their potential but their enjoyment of the game.

Of course I've had plenty of times where I was so frustrated that I lashed out at my team, everyone has. But there is no reason to blame your team, or 'elo hell' for your low rating/skill. Critique yourself as un-biased as you can, do your best to improve, and most of all, enjoy the game. After all, League is just a video game meant for entertainment, there's no reason to get so caught up in it that you don't have fun!

Given enough time, do you think your top lane skill will surpass your AD or Mid skill?



Nientonsoh:﻿ ﻿Yes, I do. Being on CLG will help tremendously with learning a new role, as everyone on the team is very knowledgeable about the game. I'd say my mechanics are very strong, and I have the potential to become the one of, if not the best top lanes in the world. I'm going to do my best to achieve that status, and I know that I can with enough hard work. If I were to rate myself in the respective lanes i'd say I was a 9/10 AD, a 6-7/10 Mid lanes, and currently I am a 3-4/10 top lanes. As CLG's top laner I that I can become the very best, the best there ever was. It's time to be 10/10.

What would you say is the hardest adjustment from changing to a new team and a new role?

Nientonsoh:﻿ ﻿Well, I am a very shy/reserved person, and it takes me a while to open up to people, so there's that. But it's really not too big of a deal, everyone on CLG is pretty cool so i'm sure we will all get along. In regards to learning a new role, the most difficult thing is relearning and revamping your entire champion pool/mindset and matchup knowledge. Swapping to top lane seems like it will be a much smoother swap than swapping to mid was for me, as map presence is not as big of a factor for top rather than mid. The hardest thing for me in midland was being confident on where/when I should roam, and how to effectively carry games. I have a much better understanding of the game now than I had before, and with CLG's guidance I will be able to improve at a very fast rate.

How do you fit in with CLG as a whole? Are you going to try and emulate Hotshot GG, or will the CLG dynamic change completely?

Nientonsoh:﻿ ﻿hmm, I guess I fit in decently with CLG? I respect everyone on the team in terms of play, though I hate how useless I currently am in the top lane. I don't have nearly the impact that I would have playing AD or mid, and I hate being carried. Just more motivation to improve I suppose :^).

I am not going to try and emulate HotshotGG, I respect him a lot for the impact he has had on League of Legends, but I do not think that his play style is ideal in this current League of Legends. I will be playing literally every champion top lane, because there are so so so many more things that CAN be played with great effectiveness than are currently played. I love being an innovator, and am constantly thinking about new champions/ways to play the game. I think the CLG dynamic will change completely with me on the roster, but we will see!

CLG is the oldest League of Legends professional team that's still active. How much pressure is there to keep the CLG legacy alive?

Nientonsoh:﻿ ﻿Honestly, I don't feel much pressure at all. Though CLG has been around for a long time, they have not been the reigning champions of League, compared to teams like TSM and M5/Gambit, they have not had much success recently. But that is going to change, at least i'm going to do my absolute best to make it change. I think we have an amazing amount of potential to not only become the best in NA but to be able to be a strong contender internationally as well, so i'm looking forward to that very much. This is a new era for CLG.

How has the way you've seen CLG and it's members changed since you joined and moved in?

Nientonsoh:﻿ ﻿Everyone always says how cocky all of CLG is, but honestly it doesn't stand out to me too much. Everyone on this team just wants to be the best, and will accept their mistakes and learn from them. Internet persona's can differ a lot from how people actually are. ^^

What is the thing you're going to miss most about being an AD carry?

Nientonsoh:﻿ ﻿I think the thing I will miss most about being AD is the control I had over late game. I love being in control of the game's fate, and as an AD carry you have the most impact late game of any role. Though, as a top lanes, I can have much more impact throughout the game and carry games just as easily as I could as an AD, once I get better, that is :)

What is your favorite memory of the time you spent on Team MRN?

Nientonsoh:﻿ ﻿No memories really stand out, I guess I just miss hanging out with everyone. Everyone was pretty cool and I was finally getting used to living in redondo/in the house with everyone when we ended up losing the qualifier, but it's all good. Better to be happy about memories than regret the past.

Looking ahead, where do you see yourself and CLG after Season 3?

Nientonsoh:﻿ ﻿The ideal situation is being the winners of Season 3. I truly believe we have the potential to do this, but it is completely up to us. The competition will be fierce, of course. Everyone wants to win S3. I want this more than anything in my life as of now, so fully applying myself to Season 3 will be of no issue to me, and I very much so look forward to the competitive season up ahead of us!

Do you have any shoutouts?

Nientonsoh:﻿ ﻿First of all shoutout to my family, Mom, Dad, Jake, and Kaela, I love you guys very much and I will do my best to make you guys proud. Shoutout to my friends, not only in real life but friends that i've made through video games throughout the years. Shoutout to all of the fans, new and old. I appreciate you guys way more than I show, reading all of the nice things you guys have to say about me always puts me in a good mood, and I thank you all for that. Shoutout to Ibuypower, Razer, ELOBUFF, Azubu, and last but not least GGWP Apparel. I'm new to the team but I think it's awesome that you sponsor us and I hope to make you guys proud to have us represent you!﻿