With Riot Games revealing their latest LCS Summer Split 2016 awards — for Rookie of the Split — theScore esports sat down to break down our votes.

Tim Sevenhyusen — Vincent "Biofrost" Wang

Vincent "Biofrost" Wang exceeded all expectations over the course of the regular season. Considering the built-in burden that comes with serving the huge TSM fanbase, not to mention the pressure of replacing the legendary — if underperforming — Bora “YellOwStaR” Kim, it would have been perfectly understandable for Biofrost to struggle for a while before finding his footing. That didn’t really happen. There did seem to be a few initial nerves, but his misses were followed with bigger, better and more frequent hits.

As Biofrost gained experience, he became a steady, solid contributor, among the stronger all-around supports in the NA LCS. Biofrost’s understanding of his role within TSM is evident. He’s well aware that babysitting Yiliang "Doublelift" Peng is his primary responsibility. Rather than leaving Doublelift alone in lane to roam the map, something YellOwStaR was more likely to do, Biofrost stuck right by Doublelift’s side most of the time. The two constantly moved around the map as a duo, and that helped solve the classic Doublelift problem of getting caught out farming, which was part of why Doublelift looked so good all split long.

Bard was Biofrost’s most notable champion for much of the split, since it helped with his and Doublelift’s duo-roaming map mobility and allowed him to make proactive plays without having to put himself in harm’s way. Karma was another high-priority pick, again giving Biofrost the tools to boost up Doublelift, get around the map fast, and position safely in the backline. But Biofrost also showed that he has other tools in his arsenal, bringing out a very effective Alistar when the team called for it.

There’s still room for Biofrost to prove himself as a more consistent game-breaker in his own right, and his vision output has been at the lower end among NA LCS supports, but Biofrost has shown that he can learn and grow quickly. His future is definitely bright.

I voted Rami "Inori" Charagh as the first runner-up. His role in Phoenix1’s relative surge in the standings is undeniable. He showed himself as one of the new-school generation of "let me carry" junglers, in the vein of Dardoch, and delivered pretty well on that premise. If he can avoid a sophomore slump in the spring, it will spell good things for the growth of local jungle talent.

Jeon "Ray" Ji-won was my second runner-up, because his big play ability was undeniable. He played like Huni lite, without a Reignover to properly support him. If he can beef up his team play and get more effective help, he’ll definitely be someone to watch next year.

Runners-up: Inori, Ray

Emily Rand — Vincent "Biofrost" Wang

When Bora "YellOwStaR" Kim didn’t work out on Team SoloMid this past spring and returned to Europe, the rush was on to find his replacement. A lot of names were thrown about the community, some more likely than others. TSM’s Korean bootcamp in the offseason only fueled speculation that they would pick up a Korean support, despite the fact that they had invited Toronto native Vincent "Biofrost" Wang, a North American Challenger support for Dream Team, to tryout during the bootcamp.

Due to TSM’s struggles to gel in the 2016 NA LCS Spring split, Biofrost's signing was met with cautious optimism — and a few complaints about how they hadn’t managed to drag Lee "Piccaboo" Jong-beom out from wherever he was hiding. Though Biofrost had stood out on Dream Team, it was unclear how well he would perform at a professional level. The support position for TSM meant an instant spotlight and a lot of pressure, especially after the team fell to Counter Logic Gaming for a second straight final in the spring.

Biofrost proved to not only be up to this challenge, but exceeded expectations, with excellent laning coordination with his AD carry, Yiliang "Doublelift" Peng. The duo were able to put on the laning pressure that the Doublelift/YellOwStaR lane had lacked throughout spring.

Across the span of the season, Biofrost came into his own, continuing to improve his communication with his teammates, as evidenced by his teamfight plays and crowd control. As jungler Dennis "Svenskeren" Johnsen emerged as one of TSM’s primary initiators, Biofrost was right behind him to chain CC while continuing to protect his ADC. He did not falter in the playoffs — the last hurdle to jump in his rookie split, and the time that rookies are most likely to suddenly develop nerves.

Team chemistry is something that’s impossible to understand without being on the team itself. Sometimes, a player just works. What’s most impressive about Biofrost is not only how well he has fit with the team, but how little anxiety he’s shown when placed in high-pressure situations on North America’s most popular team.

Now, TSM is also NA’s best team, coming off a dominant split that only included one series loss in the regular season. They are heavily favored to win yet another LCS title before their appearance at the 2016 World Championship, and no small account of credit goes to their rookie support.