(Photo Credit: lolesports.com)

Well, the old LMQ is gone. But a new one shall rise again in NA LCS. So don’t worry. — Alex Gu (@LMQ_Alex) October 21, 2014

The above tweet heralded sweeping changes for LMQ in an offseason that has already included massive roster swaps. LMQ management, in an exclusive announcement to onGamers.com, stated that NoName, Vasili, and ackerman were voluntarily leaving the LMQ starting roster. This news came as an unexpected shock to many in the LoL eSports community, and left us wondering how the team will recover from such massive roster turnover. Hit the jump for my reflection on LMQ’s unique 2014 season!

I. The “American Dream” or an easy path to Worlds?

The story of LMQ may, over time, be mythologized into the LoL eSports version of the “American Dream” .. The team decided to leave their home country with a shared goal, and came to the United States in order to take advantage of the opportunities that this country could provide [1]. It is an overused, and often politicized, narrative in American culture. However, the basic spine of the “American Dream” mythology provides a somewhat useful backdrop to tell LMQ’s tale, insofar that they chose to go to a country that provided them with the best outlet for achieving their goal. They wanted to compete in the 2014 World Championship, and the NA LCS represented the most logical choice to achieve this dream.

It is almost happenstance that the “American Dream” narrative fits so neatly into LMQ’s story. North America was viewed as comparatively weak to the other major LoL eSports regions at the start of last season. Moreover, LMQ could not find consistent success in China [2], and decided that their road to Worlds could be found in a less competitive region. The fact that it ended up being North America was a reflection of the time in which they made the decision, and the attachment of the “American Dream” narrative to their move is perhaps more circumstantial than it is apt. Regardless of how their decision is ultimately characterized, it is important to take a moment to recognize the courage and resolve of LMQ’s roster. XiaoWeiXiao, ackerman, NoName, Mor, and Vasili chose to uproot their lives in China, and moved to the United States with little guarantee of competitive success. They faced the daunting prospect of cultural differences, language barriers, and possible resentment from NA fans who felt that LMQ’s move disrespected the strength of their region. Despite all of these factors, the team still decided to compete in North America in an attempt to secure qualification for Worlds.

II. Dominance

LMQ’s tore through North American Challenger Series and Spring Promotion Tournament with relative ease [3] [4]. Regardless of that fact, many professional players, analysts, and journalists questioned whether the impressive play LMQ displayed during that run would translate to success in the NA LCS. Could they adapt to the obvious skill gap between the North American Challenger Series and the NA LCS? Would their LAN play reflect their notoriously poor and bloody scrimmages? In retrospect, it is easy to say that the answers to these questions should have been obvious before the summer split. The majority of LMQ’s roster had professional experience in a much stronger region than North America. Additionally, Ackerman, LMQ’s top laner, appeared in the finals of the 2013 World Championship for Royal Club under the username GoDlike [5]. They seemed, on paper at least, to be the perfect blend of youth and experience. Despite all of this, many in the LoL eSports community questioned their actual strength, and predicted a mid-table finish for the LCS newcomers.

What was, and sometimes still is, overlooked about LMQ’s promotion to the LCS was the seemingly perfect set of circumstances that coalesced in their favor before the summer split. TSM, CLG, and Dignitas all made roster changes that put their future strength into question. Furthermore, the odds of Cloud 9 repeating their dominant spring performance looked questionable with Hai’s hospitalization and ongoing recovery. LMQ’s roster, however, entered the summer split unchanged since their move to North America. Their cohesion as a team was evident in the first weekend of the summer split as they handily defeated all four of their opponents [6]. Was it a fluke? Did their style of play merely catch these teams off guard? The answer to these questions turned out to be a resounding “No” as LMQ stayed at or near the top of the standings throughout the vast majority of the summer. Questions over their adaptability were suddenly turned upside down. LMQ often dictated the terms of their games, and ultimately forced the NA LCS to adapt to their style of frenetic aggression. Their ability to thrive on chaos, while occasionally backfiring, led to more victories than it did defeats. As the summer split began to wind down it seemed as if LMQ was destined to take the top seed in the North American regional playoffs.

III. Achievement through adversity

Late July saw adversity rear its ugly head for the players of LMQ. An ownership dispute and subsequent turnover in team management threw LMQ into chaos throughout the final weeks of the NA LCS summer split. This story has been covered more eloquently by writers with better sources, so it is unnecessary to rehash the details in this post (onGamers Article on LMQ’s Ownership) [7]. This off the rift controversy compounded what already must have been a difficult situation for the LMQ players. Instead of just dealing with issues endemic to moving to a foreign country, the team suddenly found themselves in a legal tug-of-war between two parties purporting to be their rightful managers and owners. The amount of stress they must have endured during this ordeal is unimaginable.

Despite their overwhelming success in the NA LCS, LMQ’s roster suddenly found themselves wanting for the security of stable ownership. All of these facts make their achievements this past summer all the more impressive. LMQ dealt with far more off the rift chaos and adversity than any other team in the NA LCS. Furthermore, their situation suddenly put recent twitter squabbles and social media drama into stunning perspective. These players found themselves in a situation over which they had no control of the outcome. LMQ’s success in the aftermath of this ordeal is a testament to their players’ mental fortitude more so than their in-game skill. The outpouring of support from both the LoL eSports community and their fellow professionals was heartening to see in what is often viewed as a cutthroat industry. In spite of all of the distractions and adversity they faced, LMQ still managed to secure second place in the regular season of the summer split [8], and ultimately finished third in the North American regional playoffs [9].

IV. Tragedy of Dissolution

After LMQ’s dramatic third-place victory over Curse at PAX Prime in Seattle, there was a mingled sense of relief and joy seen on the faces of LMQ’s roster. Players like XiaoWeiXiao and Vasili spoke about theiit desire to perform well at Worlds in order to represent the pride and strength of North America as a region [10]. Cynical observers may say that this was PR driven nonsense, but something about the consistency and tenor of their statements seemed incredibly sincere. They quickly built a solid fan base in the region, and were respected by the vast majority of the North American LoL eSports community. Throughout the regional playoffs, there were more posts on the League of Legends subreddit dedicated to showing LMQ support than perhaps any other team in the NA or EU LCS. Thus, a sincere wish from the LMQ players to repay the faith of their new fans and adopted region was not at all surprising.

Whether or not you were a fan of LMQ this past summer is immaterial to the fact that there will never be another story like theirs in the foreseeable future. The “Interregional Movement Policy” was put in place in order to prevent entire teams from moving to NA or EU to compete in the LCS [11]. The narrative arc of LMQ in 2014 will come down to who is telling their tale, and the community perception of their season over time. Their aggressive style of play undoubtedly changed the NA LCS meta, and led to what is generally agreed to be a peak in the regions’ depth and strength. The personal and professional circumstances that led to LMQ’s sweeping roster changes leads one to conclude that such moves were not the only offseason outcome for the team [12] [13]. The chemistry that LMQ displayed in the summer split will no doubt take months to rebuild with a new roster. With minimal roster turnover, it is entirely conceivable that this team could have achieved continued success in the NA LCS next season. The rules, circumstances, and conditions that led to LMQ’s Worlds qualification will never again occur in North America. LMQ chased some oddball eSports form of the “American Dream” and the fact that they achieved their goals in the face of unimaginable adversity is a testament to their character as a team. Thus, the recent dissolution of LMQ, coupled with the utter uniqueness of their story, should rightly be regarded as a modern LoL eSports tragedy for their players, their peers, and the community as a whole.

-Joseph T.

Twitter: JThorn_14

SOURCES:

[1] http://www.ongamers.com/articles/chinese-professional-lol-team-lmq-tian-ci-moves-to-na-with-new-title-sponsor-ibuypower/1100-395/

[2] http://lol.gamepedia.com/LMQ

[3] http://na.lolesports.com/na-cs/2014/na-half-2/standings

[4] http://na.lolesports.com/na-lcs/2014/summerpromona/standings

[5] http://lol.gamepedia.com/Ackerman

[6] http://na.lolesports.com/na-lcs/2014/split2/schedule/1

[7] http://www.ongamers.com/articles/report-the-story-behind-the-lmq-ownership-dispute/1100-2003/

[8] http://na.lolesports.com/na-lcs/2014/split2/standings

[9] http://na.lolesports.com/na-lcs/2014/na-regional-2014/standings

[10] Interview with XiaoWeiXiao during the TSM v. Cloud 9 Regional Finals (Riot Games)

[11] http://na.lolesports.com/articles/interregional-movement-and-expansion-tournament

[12] http://www.ongamers.com/articles/lmq-announces-departure-of-vasilii-ackerman-noname/1100-2279/

[13] http://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflegends/comments/2k0mzz/lmqs_vasili_apparently_reconsidering_his_future/