Playing Dirty for a Starter Position

Izento
Izento
Aug 9, 2017 · 3 min read
* Courtesy of Riot Games

The off-season roller-coaster ride is coming up, so we’re in for a bigger upheaval than past seasons as Riot has partially unveiled details of the academy team system, in that each LCS team must field an academy team. This means that there are more opportunities for rookies to transition from the amateur league into the LCS stage without the overbearing pressure of promoting an entire organization into the LCS. With these changes, it’s likely that the academy players will serve as subs to the main LCS roster, but with this type of system, we could see inner-team feuds for starting positions.

The current sub system in the professional scene has been under scrutiny as it’s attempted uses are primarily to differentiate play styles between players. The likes of Jeon “Ray” Ji-won and Jung “Impact” Eon-yeong on Cloud 9 have shown that this system is plausible but difficult to maintain, as Impact has been used more frequently as both the tank meta has been reintroduced and Ray’s last showings have been sub-par. One can see that the meta largely influences which players retain a starting position, with the likes of Bae “Bengi” Seong-ung taking a backseat on SKT T1 last season. But this gets to a deeper problem, in that, could starters and subs intentionally withhold information to retain an edge over their counterpart?

* Courtesy of Riot Games

With someone looming over your shoulder to replace you, it might be in your best interest to gain a competitive edge with whatever means necessary. This can be as innocent as not sharing tips about mid lane match-ups and feigning ignorance to intentionally instilling doubt in your counterpart to sabotage their confidence. The veteran has much more knowledge to impart rather than vice versa, so from the viewpoint of the veteran, he doesn’t gain much from the relationship other than the “protégé effect”. In short, the effect is learning by teaching someone else. While these views may seem pessimistic, it can be a reality when players are looking to stay on LCS starting rosters. These veterans may not have a choice to impart some knowledge though, as in-house scrims are sure to increase in number, but this could lead to more hostility.

* Courtesy of Riot Games

In-house scrims are fantastic for building strategies or champion pools in seclusion. This type of setup will create a rise in competition amongst subs and starters, as they will be directly facing their counterpart. This allows for a more direct comparison of talent and skill, so the stakes are higher in this regard. Proving you can best the other player in a particular matchup gives credence as to why you should start above them. The power struggle along with a poor week’s performance could see a lot of subs starting over their fellow teammate.

* Courtesy of Riot Games

The race to grab rookies and veterans alike has already begun, with many big names already added to rosters. These extra reinforcements allow for coaches to swap out players based on performance, behavior and work ethic. Having so many players at their disposal, there will almost certainly be starters moving to the Academy teams and rookies moving up to the LCS stage within their own organizations. These players have fought to the bitter end for high salaries, fame and to play the best competition possible. Internal rivalries aren’t outside the realm of possibility when confronted with the choice of feast or famine.


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Izento

Written by

Izento

League of Legends Content Creator

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