0:00 – Initial Reactions to Victory

0:32 – Pocket Nidalee Pick

1:27 – Preparing for the Finals

2:06 – Adjusting in a Best of 5 Series

2:40 – Lee Sin

3:25 – Collegiate LoL and Finding a Life Balance

4:07 – Coaching Staff and Collegiate Infrastructure

4:41 – College Experience and Pro Play

5:20 – Going Pro After College

5:30 – Closing Statement

The 2017 League of Legends Championship came to a close yesterday, with Maryville University defeating University of Toronto in a convincing 3-1 Grand Final. The series ended in dramatic fashion, with MU Jungler Cody “Walrus” Altman capping things off with a pentakill on his pocket pick Nidalee.

This came as a shock to all: Nidalee has not been prevalent in the competitive League of Legends meta for some time, and is an extremely difficult champion to score a penta on, regardless of relative strength.

Nidalee was not the first choice for MU. Five jungle champions were banned in Game 4, and with UoT Jungler Jacob “Susice” Bulir picking away Olaf, Walrus was forced to reach deep into his champion pool.

“You can’t ban me out,” said Walrus, laughing when asked about the Nidalee pick. “[MU AD Carry Marko] Prototype [Sosnicki] was like ‘No no no no!'”

Maryville University started the tournament by defeating two-time reigning champions University of British Colombia in the LoL Collegiate Championship quarter finals. They did not slow down from there, sweeping two-time runner-up Robert Morris University 3-0 in the semifinals.

Maryville had experience playing these two teams, but the finals against University of Toronto was uncharted territory. “To be honest with you, we didn’t know much about Toronto, so going into it we were just kinda like ‘alright, let’s just do our standard stuff and see what happens.'”

Walrus also attributed his adjustment to the big stage at the NA LCS arena and the pressure of the LoL Collegiate Championship to his time in college. “You get more mature from going to college. You experience a lot of things. If I had this interview at 17, I wouldn’t be as confident,” said Walrus, “Going to college first is a better way to go into a pro lifestyle.”

When asked if he was planning on pursuing a professional career in competitive League of Legends, Walrus grinned.

“Yes sir, hopefully…not many people get a penta on that stage.”

Check out out our off-season interview with Immortals Head Coach Robert Yip.