MoonBear Profile Joined November 2010 Straight outta Johto 6431 Posts Last Edited: 2012-08-30 04:15:44 August 30 2012 03:25 GMT #1 Table of Contents





Introduction







Summary of MLG Raleigh







Ward Watch on the NA Top Eight







Editor's Predictions









Introduction

The final pit stop for North American teams, MLG Raleigh, North Carolina. With a number of seeds still up in the air, teams from across the country summoned their strength in order to qualify for the NA Regionals at PAX Prime. Surprisingly, the first and second seed teams, TSM and CLG.na respectively, chose to bow out of this circuit tournament, confident in their place at PAX. More interested in rest, TSM and CLG.na allowed themselves the luxury of scouting the other teams from the comforts of their own homes rather than being bogged down in travel.



While Dignitas and Curse.na had secure a berth to PAX, six other seasoned teams (Team Dynamic, Monomaniac Ferus, Orbit Gaming, 4Not Gaming, Team Solomid.Evo, and CLG Black) battled it out for the final four seeds. Placing in the Top 3 would have guaranteed any of these teams safe passage to Seattle. Failure to do so and their dreams for glory at the end of Season 2 dwindle in vain.



And with the dust still settling from MLG Raleigh, PAX Prime looms across the horizons. Its promise of glory and treasure whisper into the ears of all. An unrivalled dream of success and riches. There is but one last challenge for these teams to overcome. So North America, it is answer the question of your life: How hungry for victory are you?



Summary of MLG Raleigh

Results and Standings

1st - - Curse Gaming (Crs.na)

2nd - - Dignitas

3rd - - Team Dynamic

4th - - Orbit Gaming (oRb)



* Dignitas and Curse Gaming were disqualified by MLG due to collusion. The prize pool was split over the 3rd to 8th place teams. They also forfeit all Circuit Points gained from MLG.



Overview of MLG Raleigh

If there was one word to describe MLG Raleigh, it would be "disappointing". With the titans of TSM and CLG.na both absent in order to rest and focus on the NA Regional Qualifiers, it was a rare chance for other teams to take the spotlight, show off their skills and claim the grand prize. However, the vast majority of games were a showcase of sloppy play and poor decision making. While they made for entertaining games, from an analytical point of view they were incredibly disappointing.



There were two big problem teams faced. The first was that often in the mid-game they do not know what they want to be doing. Teams would often secure and early advantage, only to throw it away by making very questionable decisions. The second was that teams seemed to be unable to understand how to end games. Perhaps it is a reflection of the solo queue style of training many NA teams use, where games are hard to end and sloppy and there is a lack of practise ending games in a 5v5 scenario. Indeed, we saw many times teams attempting Baron trying to close out the game only to have it stolen from right under their noses. Other times, they would take Baron, but be too low hp for the ensuing fight and swept by the opposing team. All of these scenarios could have been easily avoided.



The NA Regional Qualifiers are just around the corner. The well rested teams of CLG.na and TSM will be waiting for the upstart challengers. If MLG is any indication of the quality of competition offered by the rest of North America, we may once again be in for disappointing games. And if MLG is any indication of the skill level in North America as a whole, the entire NA Regional Qualifiers may be trivial in the grand scheme of things. Because right now, none of these teams look like they are in any position to confront the S-Tier teams who rule Europe, or the fearsome Asian teams.



Editor's Note:

As the Editor-In-Chief for the League of Legends Staff, I want to take a moment to talk about the decision by MLG to disqualify Dignitas and Curse Gaming from MLG.



We live now in an age where competitive gaming is starting to become a more serious form of entertainment, rather than the niche it used to occupy. As with anything that becomes mainstream, there are certain rules and standards that now apply where they once did not. Sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse. But necessary all the same.



MLG is a company that sells a product. Specifically, they sell eSports competition with a defined format. As such, they invite teams to compete in MLG under the condition they abide by MLG rules. These rules are designed to create a standardised product they they can then sell. When they sell HD passes to viewers, this is the specific product they sell you. When they approach sponsors and advertisers, this is the specific product they market. Nothing more, and nothing less. When people pay to travel to an MLG or purchase a HD Pass, they do so with the knowledge that what they are being sold is what MLG has offered them. When sponsors and advertisers offer funding to MLG, they do so with the knowledge of what they are buying into. Nothing more, nothing less.



Any act by any team to undermine this entire system places the system at risk. MLG has created a clear meaning for what their brand stands for and markets themselves as such. The decisions made by Team Curse and Dignitas, whether entertaining or not, at the most fundamental level disrespects and undermines what MLG sets out to achieve. Whether you enjoy what they do, or whether their games are still competitive is completely irrelevant. It runs anathema to MLG's core product. Teams compete at the invitation of MLG, not the other way around. At these tournaments, it is MLG's house just as these forums are Teamliquid's house. You abide by their rules and respect them, or you suffer the consequences. No one wins when something like this happens. There can only be losers.



I sincerely hope we will never have a situation like this again.

- Curse Gaming (Crs.na) * - Dignitas * - Team Dynamic- Orbit Gaming (oRb)If there was one word to describe MLG Raleigh, it would be "disappointing". With the titans of TSM and CLG.na both absent in order to rest and focus on the NA Regional Qualifiers, it was a rare chance for other teams to take the spotlight, show off their skills and claim the grand prize. However, the vast majority of games were a showcase of sloppy play and poor decision making. While they made for entertaining games, from an analytical point of view they were incredibly disappointing.There were two big problem teams faced. The first was that often in the mid-game they do not know what they want to be doing. Teams would often secure and early advantage, only to throw it away by making very questionable decisions. The second was that teams seemed to be unable to understand how to end games. Perhaps it is a reflection of the solo queue style of training many NA teams use, where games are hard to end and sloppy and there is a lack of practise ending games in a 5v5 scenario. Indeed, we saw many times teams attempting Baron trying to close out the game only to have it stolen from right under their noses. Other times, they would take Baron, but be too low hp for the ensuing fight and swept by the opposing team. All of these scenarios could have been easily avoided.The NA Regional Qualifiers are just around the corner. The well rested teams of CLG.na and TSM will be waiting for the upstart challengers. If MLG is any indication of the quality of competition offered by the rest of North America, we may once again be in for disappointing games. And if MLG is any indication of the skill level in North America as a whole, the entire NA Regional Qualifiers may be trivial in the grand scheme of things. Because right now, none of these teams look like they are in any position to confront the S-Tier teams who rule Europe, or the fearsome Asian teams.

Ward Watch on the NA Top Eight By MoonBear, Chiharu Harukaze, JBright and NeoIllusions

The North American scene has forever been haunted by the



The NA Regional Qualifiers have a deeper meaning however. For long now, the North American teams have looked inferior to their overseas counterparts. No North American team has ever been able to take a match off teams such as Moscow Five or Azubu. The general state of play in North America also still revolves heavily around solo queue, and creates sloppy team play. The NA Regionals is a chance for the North American teams to finally show the world that they have what it takes to compete with the best. It is also the best chance for newer teams to finally break the stranglehold that the Troika have held over the North American scene since the beginning of Season 2. If they cannot, the shadows that haunt North America may never leave.





The Reign of the Troika

We start with the Troika, the three teams who form elite of the North American Scene. Together, they have enough Championship Circuit Points to surpass every other team excluding Moscow Five combined and still have enough Points left over to qualify for the North American Regionals twice. A staggering amount. They are also established names with a long history from Season 1 behind them and have built up a brand and reputation for themselves. There is no doubt who the favourites for this tournament will be. Anything less than qualification for the Season 2 World Championships and Season 3 will be a complete failure for them.





Team Solomid (TSM)

+ Show Spoiler + Team Solomid are the de-facto leaders of the Troika. With the most Gold Medal finishes at Premier Tournaments, multiple wins at the most recent LANs they have participated in, and the highest ranked NA Team at the Season 1 Championships, they come into the NA Regions as the team to beat and the clear favourites to win the entire tournament.



Team Solomid is the most adaptable team in North America. Whenever they face a strategy or another team they cannot beat, they learn from them and absorb that knowledge. After a disappointing loss to Moscow Five at the Finals of IEM Kiev and IEM Hannover World Championships, they roared back and took first place at IPL4, MLG Anaheim and IPL Face Off one after another. Their only stumbling block has been their loss in the Finals of the MLG Summer Arena to Azubu Blaze. However, they will no doubt have learned important lessons and taken them for their own.



Their key strength is the strength of their individual lanes and their jungler. With many teams, it is easy to pinpoint a key weakness you can exploit. In TSM however, if one lane fails another lane will pick up the slack. Chaox and Xpecial are renown for being a strong bot lane combination, with Xpecial constantly making big plays and Chaox often carrying TSM hard. However, Reginald on champions such as Karthus can farm extremely hard and become a major threat. Yet if Reginald is camped, Dyrus is equally able to win his lane without being hampered and camped up top while TheOddOne has evolved from his old ward-bearing state and is a legitimate threat of his own. While there are players on TSM that will whiff key skills or employ dubious builds, at the end of the day at least one player will be able to step up and carry TSM hard. Almost every team in North America primarily creates advantages for themselves through focusing on one lane over the others and riding that momentum to victory. However this strategy is risky against TSM because they have the advantage of having strong lanes across the map.



Furthermore, their Captain and main shot-caller Reginald is incredibly aggressive. This is a key strength as it allows them to create plays to exploit weaknesses where opposing teams expect none to exist. The ability to look at any situation and throw caution to the wind and face an adversity head on means that even when behind, TSM can never be counted out. If any team gives them an opening, they will pounce and swing the game back into their favour as hard as possible. And when TSM is ahead, they will try to relentlessly pressure and hound their opponents into submission. Their philosophy to LoL is perhaps best summarised by their most famous catch-phrase: "Fk it, Baylife!"



That doesn't mean that TSM is unbeatable however. Since Season 1, their biggest problem has been their emotional play style. When TSM tilt, they begin to tilt hard. In several key games, TSM's tight play has started to fall apart and become sloppy. For example, in MLG Summer Arena we saw Reginald build Gragas with 2xDRing into a Rod of Ages when his team was depending on him for damage to carry themselves as their lanes failed around them. Their plays became timid, and they seemed scared to make plays. While they have matured greatly as a team, their biggest threat remains themselves and their mental condition. At the NA Regional Qualifiers, they cannot allow doubt to cloud their judgement. They have the power to win through their own skill. They should never find themselves in a position where they need their opposition to lose rather than for themselves to win, yet it happens far too often for them.



Having pulled out of MLG Raleigh to rest and prepare for the NA Regionals, all eyes will be on them to see if they can live up to their recent success. Having declared Moscow Five as their rivals long ago, they cannot afford to stumble here. To send a message they need to win, and win big. Nothing less can do.



Counter Logic Gaming (CLG)

+ Show Spoiler +



Counter Logic Gaming are difficult to evaluate. On one hand, they have removed themselves from the North American scene and have been training in Korea. They also have access to a training partner in the form of CLG.eu who are one of the few S-Tier teams in the world. Yet at the same time, they often struggle against other strong teams. Most recently, in the NiceGameTV Battle Royal they have lost 3-1 with disappointing performances. In the OGN tournament they have dropped out of the Quaterfinals both times they have competed. Before MLG Anaheim, they were considered to have been the worst off in the merry-go-round of trades that occurred amongst all the teams involved.



Yet at a second glance, they are also a formidable threat. They are the only team to have challenged TSM in their most recent tournaments. Each time, CLG has come in from the Loser Brackets and won the first Bo3 series against TSM before forcing them to play a full three games in order to claim the tournament. No mean feat and an act of fortitude and stamina for a team that had to play 11hrs straight in order to even advance through the Loser Bracket. Every other team has simply rolled over and died against TSM. Their losses in the OGN Tournament have all been eliminations by the eventual finalists of MiG Blaze and Azubu Frost who are the best of Korea. Their losses in the NiceGameTV Battle Royal are to Invictus Gaming who are perhaps the best in China currently, while they have managed to beat Startale and NaJin in series play before. It paints a mixed picture, suggesting a team that has the potential to win big, but struggles with its internal demons.



What are these demons? It is clear that CLG's weakness lies in its poor laning phase. One hailed as the King of Midlane, Bigfatjiji is a shadow of his past self. His inability to make plays and be aggressive causes him to lose his lane far too often and to be bullied around by other, and impacts the rest of his team. It was once that all was required in a mid laner was the ability to farm hard, and then bring tactical usage of CC and overwhelming burst into a teamfight and power their team to victory, which is Jiji's key strength and one he still retains to this day. However, times have changed now. Nowadays, mid laners are required to be aggressive, exert pressure on the opponents jungle (especially stealing Wraiths), influence map control and roam to threaten ganks. Yet as the times change, Jiji seems perhaps stuck as the world evolves around him. Yet is is not only Jiji who has problems during the laning phase. Where Jiji is under-aggresive, Voyboy is over-aggressive, often getting caught and punished for it. This again impacts the rest of his team because weak lanes translates into weak map control. And that translates into lost jungle control, lost buffs and a snowball against CLG. It does not help that HSGG is still relatively new to the jungle. He often shows difficultly in understanding when to farm the jungle, when to camp lane and which lanes to camp. With the weak top and middle lanes, he often also loses control over his own jungle and cannot protect his own Buffs for his team. The lack of jungle presence only further hampers his team's critical laning phase.



Yet CLG are not without their key strengths. Doublelift has the



CLG has all but disappeared over the last few weeks, save for their show match in the NiceGameTV Battle Royal and will have been frantically training. They need to have ironed out the imperfections in their play. Otherwise, they will likely be the first major casualty to the upstart teams raring for blood in Riot's harsh single elimination system. There can be no mercy. There can be no quarter.



It is time for CLG to take centre stage. There can be only two options for CLG. They will either reinvent themselves on the greatest North American stage they have ever competed upon and legitimately eclipse every single team in North America. Or they will forever be in the shadows of their successful brother team CLG.eu.



It is time to make a choice. Counter Logic Gaming were one the oldest and most successful teams that have been feared in League of Legends during the early stages of Season 1. While they no longer casually win everything they compete in, they are still the team with the highest number of podium finishes in North America over all.Counter Logic Gaming are difficult to evaluate. On one hand, they have removed themselves from the North American scene and have been training in Korea. They also have access to a training partner in the form of CLG.eu who are one of the few S-Tier teams in the world. Yet at the same time, they often struggle against other strong teams. Most recently, in the NiceGameTV Battle Royal they have lost 3-1 with disappointing performances. In the OGN tournament they have dropped out of the Quaterfinals both times they have competed. Before MLG Anaheim, they were considered to have been the worst off in the merry-go-round of trades that occurred amongst all the teams involved.Yet at a second glance, they are also a formidable threat. They are the only team to have challenged TSM in their most recent tournaments. Each time, CLG has come in from the Loser Brackets and won the first Bo3 series against TSM before forcing them to play a full three games in order to claim the tournament. No mean feat and an act of fortitude and stamina for a team that had to play 11hrs straight in order to even advance through the Loser Bracket. Every other team has simply rolled over and died against TSM. Their losses in the OGN Tournament have all been eliminations by the eventual finalists of MiG Blaze and Azubu Frost who are the best of Korea. Their losses in the NiceGameTV Battle Royal are to Invictus Gaming who are perhaps the best in China currently, while they have managed to beat Startale and NaJin in series play before. It paints a mixed picture, suggesting a team that has the potential to win big, but struggles with its internal demons.What are these demons? It is clear that CLG's weakness lies in its poor laning phase. One hailed as the King of Midlane, Bigfatjiji is a shadow of his past self. His inability to make plays and be aggressive causes him to lose his lane far too often and to be bullied around by other, and impacts the rest of his team. It was once that all was required in a mid laner was the ability to farm hard, and then bring tactical usage of CC and overwhelming burst into a teamfight and power their team to victory, which is Jiji's key strength and one he still retains to this day. However, times have changed now. Nowadays, mid laners are required to be aggressive, exert pressure on the opponents jungle (especially stealing Wraiths), influence map control and roam to threaten ganks. Yet as the times change, Jiji seems perhaps stuck as the world evolves around him. Yet is is not only Jiji who has problems during the laning phase. Where Jiji is under-aggresive, Voyboy is over-aggressive, often getting caught and punished for it. This again impacts the rest of his team because weak lanes translates into weak map control. And that translates into lost jungle control, lost buffs and a snowball against CLG. It does not help that HSGG is still relatively new to the jungle. He often shows difficultly in understanding when to farm the jungle, when to camp lane and which lanes to camp. With the weak top and middle lanes, he often also loses control over his own jungle and cannot protect his own Buffs for his team. The lack of jungle presence only further hampers his team's critical laning phase.Yet CLG are not without their key strengths. Doublelift has the best mechanical control out of any North American AD Carry. Fact. With Chauster, one of the most versatile and knowledgeable players in the game, beside him they are the biggest threat on CLG and regularly run havoc over anyone who slips up against them. Indeed, it is telling that during their time in Korea, teams would repeatedly attempt to 4-man gank bottom lane even if it would have been disadvantageous for them. That is how much the CLG bot lane is feared. At the same time, having been a former jungler, HotShot has perhaps the best mechanics out of any jungler in the world and "Top Three Smite Control". In the all the games CLG has played in Korea, he repeatedly terrorised any team attempting Baron or Dragon and stolen it for CLG, even when he was behind in levels compared to the opposing jungler. He's stolen Barons before at large LANs such as MLG . In less serious events, he's even stolen Baron on Smite-less Nidalee and Jungle Taric CLG has all but disappeared over the last few weeks, save for their show match in the NiceGameTV Battle Royal and will have been frantically training. They need to have ironed out the imperfections in their play. Otherwise, they will likely be the first major casualty to the upstart teams raring for blood in Riot's harsh single elimination system. There can be no mercy. There can be no quarter.It is time for CLG to take centre stage. There can be only two options for CLG. They will either reinvent themselves on the greatest North American stage they have ever competed upon and legitimately eclipse every single team in North America. Or they will forever be in the shadows of their successful brother team CLG.eu.It is time to make a choice.



Dignitas

+ Show Spoiler +



There is one key aspect which causes Dignitas to fall behind the Troika, and it is their decision making. Dignitas has often demonstrated weak decision making skills. At times they mill around, uncertain as to what they want to be doing. The loss of Jatt set them back greatly as Jatt was instrumental in making calls for Dignitas. Indeed, we saw at MLG Raleigh how the lack of a dedicates shot caller hurt them as Crumbz proceeded to hard random Vayne because the team could not decide on who they wanted to pick fast enough. This is something that should just never happen for any team in a tournament and represents the fragmented nature of their leadership. While other teams such as CLG also lack a dedicated shot caller, it has never quite reached this level of play. Indeed, Dignitas lacks a bread and butter strategy that the entire team just knows how to execute in times of no leadership. While CLG is notorious for just split-pushing and slowly grinding out games and can do so almost instinctively, Dignitas doesn't quite have that same fall back strategy in their pocket.



These weaknesses have not been immediate as Dignitas, even in their post-Jatt era, still outclassed many teams. However, we have seen other teams become better and better recently and begin to challenge the Troika. That Dignitas often find trouble with Team Dynamic is perhaps representative of how the Troika have stayed much the same while the rest of the NA scene has gotten better. But we have seen Dignitas evolve and become much better at preparing for major tournaments. The Dignitas of old often had split commitments between school and playing LoL, and admitted before that sometimes they would find it hard to practise as much as other teams could.



However, since their time in Korea we have seen Dignitas improve upon many of their past mistakes. At MLG Raleigh, Dignitas showed off their understanding of the Double AP Skarner composition, no doubt influence by the article written by our very own MoonBear (read it



It is perhaps interesting that Dignitas has a history of confrontation with Team Dynamic. Almost every tournament they seem fated to play them in gruelling series where each team forces the other to the bitter third game in a Best of Three. Once again, Dignitas finds itself paired with Team Dynamic in the very first round of the Regionals. An amusing coincidence, and no doubt both will be looking to exact revenge upon the other.



For Dignitas, the NA Regional Qualifiers represents their chance now to show everyone how they no longer want to be treated as the lowest of the Troika. By seizing victory here, they will finally prove to everyone that they really can beat TSM and CLG head-on and that they deserve their place at the forefront of the elite of North America and will allow themselves to wipe away the stain on their history that was MLG Raleigh. Since their only major win at IPL3 they have been looking for that chance to assert their dominance. This is it. Dignitas has always been the red-haired stepchild of the Troika. They are the least successful of the three, and often drop out of tournaments because of TSM and CLG. They also have a smaller fan base, partially because as (then) Rock Solid they failed to qualify for the Season 1 Championships being eliminated, again, by TSM and CLG. For the WCG qualifiers they were eliminated by a combined TSM-CLG team. In IPL they were eliminated by TSM in Winner Bracket and then CLG in Loser Bracket. Again, the same story at MLG Anaheim.There is one key aspect which causes Dignitas to fall behind the Troika, and it is their decision making. Dignitas has often demonstrated weak decision making skills. At times they mill around, uncertain as to what they want to be doing. The loss of Jatt set them back greatly as Jatt was instrumental in making calls for Dignitas. Indeed, we saw at MLG Raleigh how the lack of a dedicates shot caller hurt them as Crumbz proceeded to hard random Vayne because the team could not decide on who they wanted to pick fast enough. This is something that should just never happen for any team in a tournament and represents the fragmented nature of their leadership. While other teams such as CLG also lack a dedicated shot caller, it has never quite reached this level of play. Indeed, Dignitas lacks a bread and butter strategy that the entire team just knows how to execute in times of no leadership. While CLG is notorious for just split-pushing and slowly grinding out games and can do so almost instinctively, Dignitas doesn't quite have that same fall back strategy in their pocket.These weaknesses have not been immediate as Dignitas, even in their post-Jatt era, still outclassed many teams. However, we have seen other teams become better and better recently and begin to challenge the Troika. That Dignitas often find trouble with Team Dynamic is perhaps representative of how the Troika have stayed much the same while the rest of the NA scene has gotten better. But we have seen Dignitas evolve and become much better at preparing for major tournaments. The Dignitas of old often had split commitments between school and playing LoL, and admitted before that sometimes they would find it hard to practise as much as other teams could.However, since their time in Korea we have seen Dignitas improve upon many of their past mistakes. At MLG Raleigh, Dignitas showed off their understanding of the Double AP Skarner composition, no doubt influence by the article written by our very own MoonBear (read it here ). The Dignitas of old would often make very serious mistakes often due to their impatience, such their attempt at Baron at MLG Anaheim which saw them throw the game against CLG.na in the Loser Bracket. Gone now is that Dignitas. At MLG Raleigh we saw a Dignitas who was much more patient and calculating as they baited Baron fights, and allow the other team to misposition before they forced an engagement. When they are behind, they allow the other team's over confidence to open chances for big plays to bring themselves back into the game, where as before they would try to fight head on and lose. And no doubt they will have learned vital lessons from MLG Raleigh as they go into the NA Regionals. It will be a much wiser and cunning Dignitas that teams will have to deal with.It is perhaps interesting that Dignitas has a history of confrontation with Team Dynamic. Almost every tournament they seem fated to play them in gruelling series where each team forces the other to the bitter third game in a Best of Three. Once again, Dignitas finds itself paired with Team Dynamic in the very first round of the Regionals. An amusing coincidence, and no doubt both will be looking to exact revenge upon the other.For Dignitas, the NA Regional Qualifiers represents their chance now to show everyone how they no longer want to be treated as the lowest of the Troika. By seizing victory here, they will finally prove to everyone that they really can beat TSM and CLG head-on and that they deserve their place at the forefront of the elite of North America and will allow themselves to wipe away the stain on their history that was MLG Raleigh. Since their only major win at IPL3 they have been looking for that chance to assert their dominance. This is it.





Upon the Wings of Icarus

The Troika are not without competition however. Since IEM New York, newer teams have been making their presence felt. However, they are still a tier below the Troika. Their team co-ordination is still a level below the Troika as they often fail to correctly focus targets or make misplays that cost them games, and as a result have never won a major title. Yet the gap is closing. Games between Icarus and the Troika have become closer and closer in recent months. Every one of these teams has it in them to be a legitimate contender for Top 3 at PAX. But how close to the sun can Icarus fly?



Curse Gaming

+ Show Spoiler + Curse Gaming is a team that has had some of the most changes in their roster ever since they were picked up during their days as unRestricted. In fact, the only remaining player still on Team Curse since their early days in Nyjacky, with every other role having been replaced at least once and sometimes up to three times. Ever since then, they have had a long string of decent results, constantly placing Top 8 and coming close to a podium finish at many events yet always falling just short.



Team Curse has come of age recently after the big merry-go-round of swaps that occurred. The addition of Saintvicious gave them a much needed leader and shot caller who could focus the team's energy. His experience has also been invaluable to them in the drafting stage as his insight and orders helped players on Team Curse to stop counter-picking themselves in lane or creating anti-synergies within their teams. The result was a Team Curse that managed to storm through the Loser Bracket at IPL Face Off and secure a 2nd place finish, the highest they have ever achieved.



Yet while Curse is looking stronger than ever, many issues still plague them that cause them to still fall short of the Troika. Team Curse still often fails to listen to Saintvicious' calls, as shown by Westrice choosing to pick Darius into a top lane Nunu. If it wasn't for Ball's terrible Nunu build and heavily misplaying the midgame, Westrice could have been a non-factor for not only the early game but the entire game itself. Other times, the team seems to be unable to find the co-ordination they require in hectic teamfights. Where some teams rejoice in absolute chaos, Team Curse find their communication and focus breaking down. It is perhaps a sign that many of them are still inexperienced on the big stage and unable to just instinctively react and respond to their own team without the need for words the same way that other teams can play. At the same time, Saintvicious also shows some of the poor decision making that he did when he was on Counter Logic Gaming. He has a love of diving the opposing AD Carry non-stop and can be very greedy in his play, which costed Team Curse several games they should not have lost in their recent tournaments.



Nevertheless, as the fourth place seed at the NA Regionals and the best funded out of the many teams that wish to challenge the Troika, Team Curse is perhaps best placed to pose a challenge to the status quo. No doubt they will be incredibly hungry for a win. To them, a win would help in forgetting the bitter memories of the debacle at MLG Raleigh, silence their critics and finally prove to everyone that they deserve to be a contender and a winner.



Team Solomid.Evo (TSM.Evo)

+ Show Spoiler + Team Solomid.Evo as a brand is relatively new to the League of Legends professional scene but they were once feared as one of the best in North America when they were still known as Epik Gamer. Epik Gamer was a team of all stars. In Season 1, when they were reformed as a team they boasted Dan Dinh, Salce, Dyrus, Westrice and Doublelift. Every one of these had a signature champion that could just take over the game at an instant's notice and they powered themselves to a 2nd place finish at the Season 1 NA Qualifiers and a 4th place finish at the Season 1 Championships. With all this power, many people felt that Epik could continue to make their mark on the North American and global scene. However, dedication and performance issues have constantly plagued the team. Even before being picked up by TSM, they went through no less than eleven roster changes including some of their original superstar members and core players like Dan Dinh, Dyrus and Westrice. Even as TSM.Evo they recently lost Aphromoo. The loss of key players and constant roster changes have caused TSM.Evo to become unstable and inconsistent. This is in stark contrast to their sister team TSM whose only roster change before replacing The Rain Man with Dyrus was Westrice leaving to join Epik right before the Season 1 Championships at DreamHack.



On paper, TSM.Evo still has some of the strongest North American AP and support players in Salce and Nhat Nguyen. UnstoppableX, WingsofdeathX, and Dontmashme are also Solo Q stars but the team just haven't been able to mesh together. One of the reason cited for Aphromoo's departure from the team in late July was that there were internal problems with team members. This could explain how a team that has played together under the TSM.Evo banner since May has been underperforming. No matter how good each individual member of a team is, ultimately League of Legends is a team game. After a string of second place finishes as Epik Gamer, the inability to coordinate as five has left TSM.Evo barely breaking Top 8 at tournaments, if even that.



The North American Regional Championship will be a really big test for TSM.Evo. They qualified largely from points earned during the preseason (300/350) and the only member who has stayed with them during the roller-coaster ride of roster changes is Salce. It would be a very similar story to Ocelote and SK Gaming, except SK Gaming place third in the last European Challenger Circuit event. TSM.Evo however left MLG Summer Championships empty handed. Will TSM.Evo be able to replicate a surprise run like SK at the European Regional Championships? Or will allow themselves to be relegated back to amateur tier-status in a playground filled with the big boys?



Team Dynamic

+ Show Spoiler +



However internal team conflict meant that soon after these victories, NintendudeX was kicked from the team. He was replaced by Atlanta and most people expected him to be an upgrade to NintendudeX because of his extensive experience in competitive League of Legends. However,



The other members of Team Dynamic are no slouches themselves. Their AP player Paradoxical plays a mean



For Team Dynamic, PAX represents a new life to them. We've all heard the stories of people dropping out of school to pursue gaming. Time and time again, the more level-headed members of the community have shunned against it. Even players like Voyboy and Dyrus made sure to finish school before finally committing to League of Legends. But when you have the giant carrot of sponsorships and salaries being dangled in front of you, how can you not resist the ultimate lure? The draw of being paid to play in front of giant crowds cheering your name as you take the stage. The joy of winning.



Are these rising stars ready to take it to the next step and start the revolution to overthrow the Troika on the biggest North American stage yet at PAX? Team Dynamic came storming onto the League of Legends scene as one of the best success stories - an upstart team of teenagers playing for Monomaniacs who took 4th place at IPL4 while taking down Curse and losing to Dignitas in 3 hard fought games. Then they proved to everyone that IPL4 was not a fluke and repeated their 4th place finish at the MLG Spring Championships. If there is one word to describe the way Team Dynamic plays League of Legend, it would be visceral. They play with a style that is very aggressive and at the same time very messy. Things just come to them by instinct and always happened to work out. It is a strategy that was worked well so far, as many other teams are only used to controlled and clean teamfights and their communication breaks down when they face the chaos Team Dynamic revels in.However internal team conflict meant that soon after these victories, NintendudeX was kicked from the team. He was replaced by Atlanta and most people expected him to be an upgrade to NintendudeX because of his extensive experience in competitive League of Legends. However, the team didn't look the same . Atlanta played a much more passive style and that didn't seem to fit with the rest of the team. At IPL: Face Off they lost 2 straight series to end 7-8th place out of 8 teams. Now reunited with NintendudeX, they once again they manage to secure a top 4 finish at MLG Summer Championships. Does he just have that X-factor that Atlanta lacked, or was it a case of TDSucksBallswithoutMe The other members of Team Dynamic are no slouches themselves. Their AP player Paradoxical plays a mean Cassiopeia while their bot lane is still capable of taking on established duos, although they are still inexperienced and Zig can only play Corki . Their biggest problem however is that as a group of highschool students they simply lack the time to sit down and practise full time the way a team like TSM or Curse can. Indeed, this is perhaps the reason Team Dynamic favours their chaotic style of play so much. If they can't take on other teams who have more experience in orderly engagements, why not just level the playing field and force everyone into a free-for-all?For Team Dynamic, PAX represents a new life to them. We've all heard the stories of people dropping out of school to pursue gaming. Time and time again, the more level-headed members of the community have shunned against it. Even players like Voyboy and Dyrus made sure to finish school before finally committing to League of Legends. But when you have the giant carrot of sponsorships and salaries being dangled in front of you, how can you not resist the ultimate lure? The draw of being paid to play in front of giant crowds cheering your name as you take the stage. The joy of winning.Are these rising stars ready to take it to the next step and start the revolution to overthrow the Troika on the biggest North American stage yet at PAX?



Team Legion

+ Show Spoiler + Team Legion, once known as RFLX Gaming, is one of those North American teams who is just looking for a chance to show everyone what they are capable of. They may not be the flashiest team around but they're able to stick around the top, showing with consistent play in the IPL Face Off qualifiers. They took out CLG.Black, TSM.Evo, and Orbit Gaming to make it to the Top 4 and received a spot at the live event in San Francisco. Once there, they surprised everyone by taking out mTw.na as well as World Elite in the opening rounds to secure a Top 3 finish and enough Circuit Points to place them safely into the 7th seed of the North American rankings. Their spectacular performance was led by their substitute player, WildTurtle. His fantastic Gragas play decimated World Elite but his unorthodox Ryze build against Curse was part of the reason Legion lost in the Losers Bracket Finals. Team Legion also claimed a win over Team Solomid to win the most recent MLG Prizefight with WildTurtle and oRb Nien substituting for them. This led to the question - did WildTurtle carry Legion to their podium finish or did the other members' play help make him look good? And was their win over TSM real or not? The return of PR0LLY at MLG Summer Championships answered this as the team only managed to land a 7-8th place finish. A disappointing result, given the hype surrounding them.



The newest addition to LgN’s arsenal is their Top laner, Cruzerthebruiser. One of the best Lee Sin’s in North America, Cruzer brings greater champion flexibility in a variety bruisers LgN can implement in team comps. However he is also capable of playing AP Champions top as well as his bruisers, something many top laners seem to struggle with. If Team Legion is to try and win without WildTurtle substituting for them, it will likely be off the back of Cruzer's plays.



Team Legion has been straddling the line between a top and an average team. PAX is the perfect opportunity for them to showcase their abilities and turn a few heads again. It will be a chance for PR0LLY to prove himself to be better than WildTurtle and Legion's success does not hinge on the play of a substitute. If they fail, it will simply only add credence to the suggestions that Team Legion was simply a flash in the pan, and a team carried by WildTurtle and his Gragas.



Monomaniac Ferus

+ Show Spoiler + mMe.Ferus is the new name for one of NA’s oldest teams. Formerly Picture of a Goose and mTw.na, mMe Ferus’s players have been known to be notorious flexible with many of their players have rotating positions in tournament games. Their kill lane of Leona and Jarvan was perhaps their first claim to fame, often wiping unprepared teams including that of the Troika back when they had yet to be sponsored by any organisation. Their recent addition to the Monomaniac line-up fills a hole created ever since the original Monomaniac team became Team Dynamic, and other attempts at finding replacements all fell apart with Patoy and Dontmashme leaving to other teams and the remaining members choosing to no longer play.



Xmithie, Balls and mandatorycloud have been the frontline of mMe Ferus since its conception and are all solid players. Recent additions to the team have been Aphromoo and Muffinqt. It was a surprise when Aphromoo left TSM.Evo for mMe Ferus when it was commonly thought he had good synergy with Nhat Nguyen. However ever since his initial days playing for v8, Muffinqt has been the player he felt most comfortable with and disagreements with TSM.Evo led to his decision to rejoin his v8 compatriot to terrorise bot lane again. Indeed, their synergy is perhaps the strongest out of the Icarus team bot lanes, with Muffinqt being known for playing Leona long before she became poplar and Aphromoo following up his partner's aggression wonderfully.



Online, mMe Ferus has been on a tear, placing first and second consistently in recent tournaments, including a number of Solomid Invitationals. However, that success online has yet to translate to placements offline. They have yet to break Top 3 at any LAN event and it was only until IPL Face Off that they finally broke into the Top 8. PAX is a vital opportunity for mMe Ferus’s to convert their potential into a tangible offline result and making a name for themselves.



The North American scene has forever been haunted by the Shadows of Demons Past . It still remains that only the North American Troika have ever claimed a major title. Yet perhaps the NA Regional Qualifiers will offer the first possibility for the upstart teams such as Curse Gaming and Team Dynamic to finally reach success where before they have been struck down by everything from the NA Troika to fate itself.The NA Regional Qualifiers have a deeper meaning however. For long now, the North American teams have looked inferior to their overseas counterparts. No North American team has ever been able to take a match off teams such as Moscow Five or Azubu. The general state of play in North America also still revolves heavily around solo queue, and creates sloppy team play. The NA Regionals is a chance for the North American teams to finally show the world that they have what it takes to compete with the best. It is also the best chance for newer teams to finally break the stranglehold that the Troika have held over the North American scene since the beginning of Season 2. If they cannot, the shadows that haunt North America may never leave.We start with the Troika, the three teams who form elite of the North American Scene. Together, they have enough Championship Circuit Points to surpass every other team excluding Moscow Five combined and still have enough Points left over to qualify for the North American Regionals twice. A staggering amount. They are also established names with a long history from Season 1 behind them and have built up a brand and reputation for themselves. There is no doubt who the favourites for this tournament will be. Anything less than qualification for the Season 2 World Championships and Season 3 will be a complete failure for them.The Troika are not without competition however. Since IEM New York, newer teams have been making their presence felt. However, they are still a tier below the Troika. Their team co-ordination is still a level below the Troika as they often fail to correctly focus targets or make misplays that cost them games, and as a result have never won a major title. Yet the gap is closing. Games between Icarus and the Troika have become closer and closer in recent months. Every one of these teams has it in them to be a legitimate contender for Top 3 at PAX. But how close to the sun can Icarus fly?

Editor's Predictions By MoonBear, Chiharu Harukaze, JBright, NeoIllusions

Once again, our Editors weigh in with their thoughts on who will take the top three slots at PAX Prime in order to claim bragging rights about who best knows the NA Scene!



MoonBear:

The CLG fan inside of me wants CLG to win this all and cares not for the remaining two spots. However, the rational side of me knows that this is highly unlikely. CLG goes into this tournament not the favourites, but perhaps the underdogs. That being said, I counted them out at MLG Anaheim as well and look where that got me. Somehow they manage to perform at every turn no matter how dire the situation, and the competition they have been practising against in Asia is far better than the North American scene.



It is clear that TSM will advance from the top half of the bracket. And it is more likely than not that Dignitas and CLG will meet at the semis in the lower half as Dynamic and Legion are good, but not good enough to consistently win. However, in single elimination all that matters is your performance on the actual day. Doesn't matter if in a million repeats you win them all if on the real day you fail. There is a very clear possibility for an upset here.



That being said however, TSM for first place, CLG.Prime for second and Curse for third. I cannot see the reign of the Troika being broken this tournament. It will take Season 3 for someone else to finally win a North American Tournament.



JBright:





Since losing to Azubu Blaze at the MLG Summer Arena, TSM just gives off an aura similar to the one after their poor performance at IEM Hanover. Will they be able to repeat their June run and take down the next few major LAN events? I sure hope so...I am the TSM fan here to balance out the CLG praises from Neo, MoonBear, and Chiharu.



CLG.na has always been a very strong team in the North American scene and the bracket seems to favour them. They have historically done very well against Dignitas and TD and I would expect no less from the 2nd seed this weekend.



Curse probably has the easiest ride to the semis since they are going up against Evo in the first round. Then I predict that they will lose to TSM and then face either Dignitas or TD in the 3rd place match. Considering their impressive wins against Dignitas in the final 3 games of the DQ'd finals, I would give them the edge in that fight.



Let's just hope I do not repeat my 1) TSM, 2) CLG.na, 3) Curse.naSince losing to Azubu Blaze at the MLG Summer Arena, TSM just gives off an aura similar to the one after their poor performance at IEM Hanover. Will they be able to repeat their June run and take down the next few major LAN events? I sure hope so...I am the TSM fan here to balance out the CLG praises from Neo, MoonBear, and Chiharu.CLG.na has always been a very strong team in the North American scene and the bracket seems to favour them. They have historically done very well against Dignitas and TD and I would expect no less from the 2nd seed this weekend.Curse probably has the easiest ride to the semis since they are going up against Evo in the first round. Then I predict that they will lose to TSM and then face either Dignitas or TD in the 3rd place match. Considering their impressive wins against Dignitas in the final 3 games of the DQ'd finals, I would give them the edge in that fight.Let's just hope I do not repeat my Fionn impression and mess things up! It is possible for mMe, Legion, and Team Dynamic to upset the higher seeds in the first round but I want some bragging rights too!



NeoIllusions:

1) CLG.na, 2) TSM, 3) TD



As a fan, you always want to give your team the benefit of the doubt. Despite early news of success during scrims in Korea, CLG.na made yet another early exit out of OGN The Champions. Shortly after, they had a disappointing showing against iG and other Asian teams in the NiceGameTV Battle Royal.



On the other hand, TSM is on the hottest streak we've ever seen for any NA team. They took home first at IPL4, MLG Anaheim and IPL Face-Off back to back. Although they suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of Azubu Blaze, you could tell that Reginald and co took the experience to heart and even adapted their gameplay as a result of that experience.



Regardless, I'm going to maintain hope that CLG.na's trip to Korea has netted them the trials and tribulation that will result in a first place finish at PAX. It is not enough for CLG to simply qualify for the Season 2 Finals in Los Angeles. They need to prove to themselves and their fans that they have not fallen behind TSM.



For 3rd, I'm going to predict an upset by the little guys: Team Dynamic over Crs.na.



Chiharu Harukaze:

Quite frankly, every single series has the potential to be an upset. It's probably impossible to predict what's going to happen. I expect only one of Dignitas and/or CLG to make it out of their first Round matches. Everyone could lose their games in a blink of an eye with no Loser Bracket to cushion their fall. So I'm just going to say what I want and because everyone's predictions will probably be wrong any way.



CLG first, TSM second, Dignitas third. That's right, clean sweep by the Troika. Oh, and top lane Nunu+Jayce picks, with one of them ending up on permaban status. Jayce the Meta Sculptor OP. Heard it here first folks.



Once again, our Editors weigh in with their thoughts on who will take the top three slots at PAX Prime in order to claim bragging rights about who best knows the NA Scene! Moderator A dream. Do you have one that has cursed you like that? Or maybe... a wish?