I love following Phoenix One. Their story-line really piqued my interest from the beginning, but they’ve especially caught my eye this split. Watching them at the start of this split was like watching a car crash in slow motion. I wanted to turn away and look at something else, but couldn’t tear my eyes away. It was tragic to watch the third-place team from NA fall to a win-less last place for three weeks. Then the magic began. P1 picked up rookie sensation MikeYeung and LCS mainstay Xpecial and started picking up wins.

They are coming off of a two-win weekend in the NALCS with one win against the now tied for second Immortals. They’ve also had a fairly successful first day at Rift Rivals. P1 came out strong against FNC, even though they ultimately lost the game. They then picked up a convincing win against UOL. P1 is definitely on the come up.

Source of Success

So where does the success stem from? The immediate answer is the roster swaps. Xpecial has provided an anchor for the team. The bot lane has stabilized a lot since he joined the squad. A stable bot lane for Arrow is just what Phoenix One needed. Arrow was the last split MVP and star player of the team. Being able to funnel him more resources and keep him safe during laning phase has helped propel him in mid and late game.

Rookie jungler MikeYeung’s play making ability and skill shadows the stabilization that Xpecial has provided. This guy came out of the gates hot and has already impressed on his Nidalee and Lee Sin. Not only is he a good player, but he is fun to watch. His play against IMT around the Baron Pit was hype, and catapulted them to victory.

He also takes a lot of pressure off of Ryu and gives Ryu a lot of priority. Ryu showed consistency as a player last split and throughout his time on H2K. Though caught out in the side lanes a little too often, he plays team fights well and is an aggressive laner. Ryu having a jungler that provides pressure has allowed him to play that aggressive style that he favors and be relevant in mid and late game.

Chances for Playoffs and Beyond

With Phoenix One’s new-found success it’s hard not to get excited about their post season prospects. Though they are 3-7 right now they are only two games down from fifth place. Their remaining schedule is rather difficult though. They still must face TSM twice, as well as C9 and CLG once more. P1 took down IMT, and looked strong doing it, but will have their work cut out for them against the other top teams.

They can definitely pick up some wins against those top of the table teams and if they do they will inevitably find themselves in the top six and in the playoffs.

The interesting thing about Phoenix One in the Playoffs will be where they finish in terms of circuit points. Phoenix One can make a legitimate run to make it to worlds. It’s likely that it will have to be a gauntlet run. TSM won spring split, and have a good chance to win this split, so will either be sent on circuit points or as Summer Split champions. C9 has a good chance at both of those tickets as well. CLG will likely have to win the split or the Gauntlet to go to worlds.

If P1 does better than C9 in the playoffs, and TSM wins, P1 can go to worlds on circuit points. If not they have a chance to win the gauntlet.

Concerns

The only issue is that Phoenix One has yet to prove if they are consistent with this roster. Sure, they’re on an upswing right now, but will they stay on this level? Sometimes MikeYeung plays as if he’s been in the league since season five. Sometimes he still occasionally shows his level of experience making overly aggressive plays.

I personally want to see Phoenix One make a run to the playoffs. Everyone likes to see a good underdog story, and P1 is definitely an underdog.

Cover Photo Via lolesports

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