GBM – What to Expect from NA’s Freshest Import

GankedByMom (GBM) recently announced that he would be leaving the Jin Air roster to seek new adventures in North America. This news came quickly after fans noticed his absence from the Kespa Cup rosters. He was once known as the Orianna one trick pony, the guy that played Heimerdinger that one time and the player that failed his shadow dash over the baron pit, which cost his team the 5th game against Samsung Ozone. In season 5, GBM has shown remarkable progress becoming arguably the most improved player from Korea.

GBM Statistics for the Regular Season

By briefly looking at his statistics, they aren’t particularly outstanding compared to other Korean midlaners. His KDA and Kill participation during the regular season shows his teamfighting prowess as he has specialised in playing more mages (as the meta demanded) but is capable enough to play assassins as shown during the spring season. His CS @ 10 mins indicates that he is one of the weaker laners in the region but I think it can be argued that his laning is not much of issue. GBM is a very defensive laner which explains his relatively low score but it’s rare to see his opposing mid laner to get out of control. Overall, he is a very consistent player with a good understanding of how to play teamfights.

GBM is player that expresses a wide champion pool. He doesn’t demand too many resources from his team, which will benefit him in adjusting to a new team dynamic. The downfall in Jin Air was never due to individual talent but an inability to play different playstyles after the Jugganaut patch. GBM in particular shined in poke meta when he was able to play Xerath and Ezreal. His Xerath was heralded as the best in the world due to his pin-point precision ultimates. Throughout the summer season, he has specialised in mages with showing solid performances on Viktor, Lulu and most recently Gangplank.

Conclusion

With weaker competition in North America, we can expect at least a strong showing from GBM in the LCS. He is comfortable in playing different types of midlaners and is relatively low resource. Don’t expect any flashy playmaking from him, but expect a good level consistency from his play.

Credits to Inven for the photo. Statistics are from gamesoflegends.com and Oracles Elixir.