LMQ, the pro-Chinese League of Legends that immigrated to the U.S. about six months ago, revealed today that they’ll start training using the English language to communicate.
That may not sound newsworthy, but it’s an important distinction for a team that invaded North America to compete in the League Championship Series. They’re in it for the long haul. They’re going native. And they aren’t just talking about it; they’re actively working towards that goal.
We finally started English only scrims, good boy<3 keep up the good work, gg!
— Xiaowei Li (@LmqSharon) June 13, 2014
That’s in stark contrast to some other teams who have attempted to co-opt the American League of Legends scene. LMQ often draws comparisons to the team of Korean mercenaries put together by Quantic Gaming in a bid to win an LCS spot at the end of last year. Despite the pro gaming talent packed onto that roster, the Quantic experiment crashed and burned as the team struggled to adjust to their new surroundings and couldn’t play their best when it really counted.
LMQ, on the other hand, has shown a willingness to adapt and adopt the new culture around them. And that’s important when you consider that competing in the LCS is a full time, year-round job. Being comfortable in the U.S. is a requirement for them to have a successful professional career. Speaking the lingo comes part-and-parcel with becoming an LCS staple.
LMQ has little to gain competitively from using the English language in their scrims. In fact, it’s probably a detriment to the team, stunting valuable communication and making it more difficult to get what they need from their practice sessions. While the team will likely use Mandarin for matches, at least for now, they’re showing an admirable commitment to becoming part of the local esports ecosystem.
The team already conducts interviews in English, albeit awkwardly, and their attempts are slowly improving. But this is sure to accelerate their language learning. That could, in turn, lead to more media opportunities, like live listen-ins to their comms during matches, something that Riot’s made a staple of their LCS broadcasts.
When LMQ first came to the United States, they were outsiders; foreign professional gamers stepping onto American soil and potentially taking North America’s valuable spots in the world’s premier League competition, the World Championships. But LMQ has worked hard to earn their success—currently 6-2, tied for first in the LCS.
LMQ faces Evil Geniuses and Curse Gaming this weekend in the fourth week of the NA LCS.
