Throughout the 2022 Lock In tournament, many LCS teams have been running makeshift rosters due to issues with visas and COVID restrictions around the world. With more players successfully finding their way to the LCS, however, teams are finally getting a chance to see their full rosters in action.
This past weekend brought plenty of pleasant surprises and expected stomps, leading to a good mix of newcomers and familiar faces chosen for Dot Esports’ Team of the Week in North America. Whether you’re a believer of tried and tested talent or you’re on the side of new stars rising into the league, week two brought plenty of excitement to hold us over until the competition continues on Friday, Jan. 28.
Here is the Team of the Week for week two of the LCS Lock In.
EG Impact
Evil Geniuses are the only undefeated remaining team in the LCS Lock-In, yet to drop a single game. Impact’s excellent consistency has been a key factor in EG’s success and earned him a second consecutive appearance in the Team of the Week.
In the past week, Impact played far more on the weak side rather than as a carry threat. Despite blind picking in every match, Impact still boasted positive laning stats across all major categories including gold differentials (+278), XP (+30), and CS (+6.7). Impact had a marginally less explosive week, making up slightly less of his team’s damage share (23.3 percent) and kill participation (41.8 percent).
Whereas Impact may have stepped back with his individual performance, his steady presence in the top lane has given other teammates, such as Danny and Inspired, room to thrive. As the LCS’ most seasoned veteran, Impact brings countless intangibles to Evil Geniuses. The former world champion’s ability to step back and enable his teammates is a large reason EG are favorites to take the entire Lock In.
DIG River
It’s only taken him a few days, but Team Dignitas’ new jungler River is looking right at home in the LCS. The 22-year-old was a major catalyst for their success in their stunning upset victory over 100 Thieves this past weekend, and has people excited for his potential as a rising name in the North American scene.
It might have taken him a couple of rough games to warm up during the group stage, but he quickly became a consistent, deadly threat against the defending LCS champs on Jarvan IV. He was tied for the highest kill participation percentage in the tournament, taking part in 83.3 percent of his team’s total kills, according to League stats aggregate Oracle’s Elixir. He was active, wasn’t scared to dive forward, and made some game-changing plays to boot.
People need to remember that River has won three PCS championships, has been to Worlds two years in a row, and was even part of a top-four team at last year’s Mid-Season Invitational with PSG Talon. This isn’t his first rodeo, but he must also adjust from being the big fish in a little pond in the PCS where he and PSG dominated, to competing against a much higher overall level of play in the LCS on Dignitas.
EG Jojopyun
The 17-year-old rookie has quickly ascended to one of the LCS’s future generational talents after an exceptional series against Golden Guardians. Jojopyun averaged the highest number of kills per game among all mid laners, averaging 5.5 kills per game. Paired with his average 926 gold advantage at the 15-minute mark, Jojopyun successfully carried that lead into the later stages of the game, and became a constant threat in teamfights, averaging 556 damage per minute on picks like Lucian and Twisted Fate. All of this was done without dying more than once throughout the entire series.
Jojopyun has already become a central part of EG’s winning formula and he has yet to even play a game on the LCS stage. In his first year as an LCS mid laner, Jojopyun could already be making a case for the best mid in the LCS even before the Spring Split has begun.
DIG Neo
Although Neo’s name hasn’t carried as much weight as other young AD carries in the LCS over the last few years like Tactical, FBI, and Danny, the upstart Dignitas AD carry has roared into 2022 looking to prove he’s worth just as much to the LCS as some of its other next-gen stars.
Neo’s 17 kills in his last four games were the second-most among all players competing in the Lock In bracket stage this past weekend, according to League stats site Oracle’s Elixir. Against 100 Thieves in the quarterfinals of the Lock In bracket stage, Neo posted a match-wide KDA of 20.0 in what could be argued as the strongest performance of his still-growing career.
Even despite the fact that Lock In doesn’t count for regular season stats or standings, Neo is already jumping ahead of the curve. If he’s able to lead Dignitas to two more series wins in the semifinals and finals of the preseason tournament, Neo could make the claim that he’s jumped ahead of some of the league’s most promising stars before the 2022 regular season even begins.
TL CoreJJ
Between roasting international talent on Twitter and continuing to run through the field in the Lock In, CoreJJ has had a pretty busy week. For the first time in the Lock In, CoreJJ had the opportunity to lane with Hans sama, the ADC he is expected to play with during the regular season. In just one game, CoreJJ reignited the preseason hype regarding this bot lane duo, taking the opportunity to show once more how his veteran status meshes with a new teammate.
Despite visa issues forcing Liquid to field specific rosters, some of which CoreJJ did not appear on, the veteran support player made sure to bring all of the attention to him when he did step onto Summoner’s Rift in the Lock In quarterfinals. In the series against FlyQuest, almost the entirety of CoreJJ’s champion pool was left up, as the FlyQuest squad opted to instead target ban Bjergsen in the mid lane.
To truly mark the importance of the debut lane with Hans sama, CoreJJ pulled out his patented Thresh, leading to a game that can only be described as “hooks, flays, boxes, and lots of lanterns.” In just this one quarterfinals game, CoreJJ amassed 11 assists while keeping three of his teammates at 0 deaths throughout the entirety of the game—only two deaths on the team in the game’s 30-minute duration. The pair of Hans sama and CoreJJ completely shut down the combination of Johnsun and Aphromoo, quickly becoming bigger problems than FlyQuest could deal with—an outcome CoreJJ is very accustomed to.
The Liquid roster being tentative with each game of the Lock In does continue to bring uncertainties, yet CoreJJ remains one of the biggest constants that keeps the team afloat.
