First in our staff intros is Naser “Empyre” Al-Naqi (@NaserAlNaqi) who joins Clutch Gaming as our Analyst!

Q: What got you started in League?

A: I wanted to find an online multiplayer game to play with my friends that lived in different countries and we stumbled upon League of Legends. Needless to say I feel in love with the game and its competitiveness. I spent so much time playing and watching that I ended up writing articles about competitive League, which got noticed by people within the scene and that helped me get my foot into the professional world of esports.

Q: What’s your personal take on Challenger transitioning into Academy League?

A: The introduction of the Academy League is a positive step forward to developing North American talent. The system has a lot more potential than the challenger series due to the stability and resources of LCS organizations and the low risk of taking the time to develop amateur players instead of trying to create “win-now” teams for promotion. With that said, it will still be up to Riot and the LCS teams to create a competitive and educational environment for North American talent to actually grow.

Q: What made you decide to join Clutch Gaming?

A: I was very impressed by Clutch Gaming’s professionalism and organizational philosophies. I wanted to join an LCS team that I could help develop both in and out of game, as well as be a part of an organization that can provide a flourishing environment for not only their their players, but also their staff. Clutch was the team that offered exactly those things.

Q: What’s your specific duty at CG?

A: I will primarily work as a “qualitative” analyst and scout for the team. My role is to provide the coaches and players with the necessary amount of digestible information to succeed including but not limited to gameplay feedback, scouting reports, champion itemization, and VOD research.

Q: Who’s your favorite champ?

A: Ivern. I enjoy the tactical side of playing him that focuses less on ganking and more on jungle control and punishing enemy jungler.

Q: What are you looking forward to most in 2018?

A: Watching our players grow as a team and winning.