FlyQuest is sitting firmly in 4th place right now, with a record of 9-7 which is good enough for a playoff spot. Prior to the split, I was unsure of how good they were going to be. In my preseason power rankings, I listed FlyQuest at 7th place. This was based on how good other rosters were, at least on paper. I had them and CLG clumped into the “consistent but maybe not good” category. I stated that Pobelter was a definite upgrade at mid, but was unsure if he would be as good as he was in 2018’s Spring Split. Pob has been great, proving me wrong. However, my biggest concern for FLY coming into this season was in there top lane. Flame would be let go, which I viewed as a massive loss. A perennial top three top laner in the league replaced by an unknown rookie seems like a definite downgrade. To my surprise, V1per has stepped up to the challenge.

Let me begin by saying this: V1per certainly isn’t playing as well as Flame was in years prior. Flame was an absolute rock in top lane, constantly winning lane and being able to provide to the team later. No matter the circumstance, Flame was performing amazingly. He’s played well in the few games he’s played on Damwon this year as well. V1per hasn’t been Flame good, but he’s definitely filled the role the team needed him to be in.

I think some consider the term “middle of the pack” to be insulting, but in this case I think it’s very fitting and even a compliment. His KDA, Kill Participation, Kill Share, Death Share, and Gold Share are all near the middle of the pack. The one thing that has been extremely good from him is his CS per minute, ranking 2nd in the league behind Ssumday. This shows me that he’s been effective, even if he’s not receiving all the resources. It also shows that he’s playing very smart, not overstepping his boundaries for the sake of his team.

This is a player who came into the league with everyone thinking he was just a Riven one-trick. While that’s what he’s viewed as, it’s safe to say there’s been more impressive picks than his Riven. His Aatrox and Irelia have looked good. He’s looked spectacular on Jax and Ryze. But the champion I found him most impressive on was Sion. He only played it once, but that one game he looked good. Again, “good” might not seem like much of a compliment, but this is for someone who is seen as a carry top laner. To be effective on a tank is such a great asset to a team, especially a team like FlyQuest.

While he is playing well, it could be said that the meta is in his favor. Carry and counterpick top laners have been the meta for a good while now. Even when Urgot was dominating the top lane, people were willing to take a carry into him. While I think his Sion was good, it’s still yet to be seen if V1per can perform in a tank focused top lane meta. That certainly does not knock down his performance this split, though. If I were to judge him on that, I’d be basing an argument on hypotheticals. Not something I’m willing to do, especially since he’s playing well.

V1per is one of three rookies in the LCS this year, and is likely the winner of the Rookie of the Split award. Before TSM fans get on me, Broken Blade does not count as a rookie due to his time in the TCL. The other two rookies are Wiggily and Vulcan. Wiggily has been okay, but certainly not great. Definitely not performing well enough to earn Rookie of the Split. Vulcan on the other hand could be a good contender for it. He’s been pretty solid for Clutch Gaming, but his team’s results may end up losing him votes. V1per performing well for a better team could definitely sway votes his way.

With the loss of Flame, they needed V1per to step in and try to fill his shoes. While that’s certainly no easy task, V1per has done a very good job of it. While the individual stats may not be mind blowing, the eye test clearly shows that he’s been playing well. Huni even said that V1per was one of the top three top laners in North America, which is a high praise. If I had a vote, I’d certainly have him as my Rookie of the Split. He’s been exactly what FlyQuest has needed him to be, and it has helped propel them to a playoff spot.