The Roar
The Roar

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The NA LCS shambles

How far can G2 go? (CHRISTOPHE SIMON/AFP/Getty Images)
Expert
30th July, 2018
0

Shh, don’t tell anyone, but I’ve always secretly preferred the NA LCS to the European one.

I’ve never quite been able to put my finger on why that is, but it fills me with shame to this day. I think it’s probably more to do with the broadcast than the games themselves.

NA LCS always felt more, sort of, “grown up” in a weird way. It might just be the fact that it’s on late at night, whereas, for us Brits, the European LCS is on at the same time as children’s TV used to be on before everyone had cable or satellite.

On top of that, as much as I love Sjokz (literally, please don’t tell my wife), Deficio and Quickshot, I think the overall quality of the American production is better. Americans know how to put on a show and Dash is one of the best hosts in all of esports.

The teams Misfits Gaming and G2 Esports compete in final of the 'LCS', the first European division of the video game 'League of Legends', at the AccorHotels Arena in Paris on September 3, 2017.

League of Legends. (CHRISTOPHE SIMON/AFP/Getty Images)

Just as subjectively, I feel like the North American league produces more interesting characters on the player front, too.

Maybe it’s just the comfort of speaking in your native language, but it’s not as if European players don’t speak pretty much perfect English.

Still, outside of a few exceptions (Perkz), we don’t really get confident players who speak their mind like a Doublelift. In Europe, we get nice, diligent professionals who are actually good at League of Legends instead.

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The observant among you will have noticed I haven’t said anything about the quality of games on display, however. That’s because this is where the NA LCS is vastly inferior to its European cousin.

The NA-EU debate has gone back and forth on the internet for as long as there has been internet, and I try to avoid it as much as I can, but the gap in quality is irrefutable right now.

Optic’s Shakespearean comedy of a game against Golden Guardians on Sunday night really highlighted the issue. It was a joke of a game, which neither team seemed to want to win, but Optic refused to lose and, naturally, the only possible outcome was a farce of a base race. Optic are very much in the running for a playoff spot, by the way.

The same can hardly be said of TSM, barring a drastic turnaround in form. The most successful team in North American history is a shambles, with a 5-7 record. We all know TSM is famed for its slow starts, but this is getting ridiculous.

The mighty have not just fallen, they look down for the count right now. Fans have a hundred different criticisms of the team, but when I watch them I see a team that fundamentally isn’t working. Bjergsen looks like a spent force; Zven and Mithy – especially Mithy – look dreadful; Grig looks out of his depth, petrified into inaction by the pressure on his shoulders.

It’s not like the new kings, Team Liquid, are setting the league on fire either. They top the league, yes, but only with an 8-4 record, tied with 100 Thieves. A dismal showing at MSI, followed by a mediocre performance at Rift Rivals shows just how badly Liquid is struggling after a surprise win in the Spring Split.

Team Liquid’s League of Legends team (Photo: Team Liquid)

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Much was said about the role of adapting to the meta-game in Europe’s Rift Rivals success but it has affected North America’s domestic league too.

The quality of games is noticeably poorer as teams struggle to come to terms with shifting paradigms. Maybe the return shift that started with patch 8.14 will solve some of the region’s problems in time for Worlds, but I think there’s probably a little more to it than that.

Sometimes, when a sporting dynasty like SK Telecom collapses, it’s because other teams caught up or learned how to counter them. In North America, though, it just seems like TSM (and Echo Fox, to be fair) took several steps backwards as opposed to anyone else stepping forward. The void left by TSM has been filled by default, rather than by skill. TL and 100T are not “the best;” they are “the least bad.”

If all of this seems like gloating from an EU fanboy, I assure you it’s not. As I mentioned at the beginning of this article, I have always watched more American League of Legends than European. It’s in my best interests as a spectator and a fan for American teams to improve.

The good news is that it is possible. I mentioned SKT earlier, and we have already seen their form improve drastically in the past month or so.

It is possible for the likes of TSM to turn things around, too. How, exactly, is the difficult part, of course. I don’t have an answer to that, especially with the transfer window closed, but it is possible.

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