Learn about the real Super Team
This off season has been full of twist, turns, drama, and incredible roster moves, and arguably the most important thing to come out of it has been the formation of several so called super teams. These “Super Teams” are teams that have managed to bring together multiple highly skilled all-star level players, but also put them together in the right combination to form what on paper seems to be perfect fits of playstyles gold distribution and personality.(of course sense none of them have really played this is all speculation) Of these teams many are incredibly hyped by fans and expected to be very successful such as TSM or H2K, but one of these super teams has been looked over by many or perhaps they don’t realize it exists. This team however has one advantage over all the other super teams, an advantage that could take them all the way… its Korean.
Incredible Miracle a team long considered by many to be the worst in Korea, after receiving a massive investment from a chinse backer has rebranded to Longzhu and has created a star studded roster of some of Korea’s best most of whom have never had a chance to prove it internationally. With just a few millions dollars the team has gone from last to a contender for not just the LCK title but potentially the Summoner’s Cup as well. It is of course far too early to say this with certainty but on paper this new lineup can match pound for pound all of the best Korea and the rest of the world has to offer. Longzhu contains three of Korea’s hardest carrying players a toplane god finally returning home and a talented but unproven support and all of them should be very hungry to earn their titles and prove why they deserve to be hyped.
Flame
Considered by many to be one of the greatest of all time Flame formerly of LGD is one of the most diverse toplaners in the world, being able to put up stellar performances on carries, tanks, and utility toplaners. Although his time in china was definitely not as successful as he would have liked, with him being forced into a sub position and only playing less than half the time. He was able to put up many elite performances on a variety of champions during the regular split, carrying LGD through their biggest win streak and helping earn them their only two wins of the world championship. Some might say his performance on the world’s stage was lack luster however, the statistics of this performance are truly what makes him perfect for a super team. In his three games at worlds flame managed to maintain a 4.0 KDA meanings that he didn’t feed which is exactly what you need to do when earning a measly 19.1% of his team’s gold the lowest of any toplaner in the entire tournament. Being able to survive on these kind of scraps is essential for playing on a team with multiple big name carries like Longzhu. However Flame also had the lowest damage dealt out of all the toplaners, but considering his gold, lack of feeding, and the fact that he was playing with Imp who usually deals 200% of the teams damage I would not be too quick to judge him on this. As long as Flame is able to maintain his form then his experience, consistency and low gold requirements should make him a cornerstone of the Longzhu squad.
Chaser
The single most utterly depressing fact about the LoL pro scene is that Chaser has never played on an international stage. He is arguably the best Jungler in Korea if not the world, yet due to his teams shortcomings he was never able to prove it and now given a team where he won’t have to try and hard carry from the jungle Chaser strengths will truly be unlocked. Known famously for his creativity when using both unpredictable pathing and ganks. Chaser forces other jungler to rethink their entire life as they frantically try and guess where the hell he is or how he just got there. Boasting a massive 77.9% kill participation the highest of all starting Junglers, and the second highest of starting players in any position. Alongside this he also had a 14.4% of Damage dealt also the highest of any starting jungler during the regular season. Notice I said Kill Participation the vast majority of these kills were given over to his teammates to keep them afloat. It is scary to imagine what will happen when this huge amount of help is given to truly skilled players who have already been hard carrying with almost no help at all. However his massive buff does come at cost a whopping 19.4% of team gold also the highest of any starting jungler. If only he were provided with a teammate or two who were used to receiving subpar amounts of gold for their position… Having Chaser on this team is a guarantee that your carries will receive all the help they could ever ask for, and he’s been joined by two teammates who can definitely appreciate and take advantage of it.
Coco
Coco formerly of CJ Entus is famous for his curved back caused by the weight of his teammate’s every single game. He is truly the LCK equivalent of that player in solo que who doesn’t say a word the whole game and even though all four other players on his team are feeding constantly, he still manages to get 30 kills and win without them. Coco has repeatedly proven his skill bringing his team back from seemingly impossible deficits with his play alone. Able to play what appears to be every single midlaner in the game and proficient at or master of all of them Coco is not a carry threat he is the singular king of carry threats. Alongside a gank crazy jungler and top who should never tilt or feed, he can reach a brand new level of destructive force. Already boasting an amazing 74.8% Kill participation highest of all starting midlaners as well as DMG% of 32.5 the second highest behind only Faker himself you can see that the stories of his skill are not lies. However they are accompanied by a massive 24% Gold share but its well worth the cost. It’s time for a new man to where the crown of best mid in the world, and with this new team at his back Coco is ready to do it.
Fury
Fury just like his new midlaner is no stranger to hard carrying his team but with a bit less than success. Formerly of Samsung Galaxy the young ADC has most of his stats such as CSPM, DMG%, and DPM sitting in the middle of the pack at 5th not bad considering his team’s lack luster 7th place finish. But his gold share is perfect for this team, Fury received only 23.2% of his teams gold which is basically poverty compared to most adcs in Korea. Fury does have one stat that stands above average and he shares it with his teammates. 75% Kill Participation third of all starting ADCs, meaning that in the games Samsung won Fury definitely played a huge role in that victory. Fury’s mechanics are top tier especially during team fights and alongside his new damage dealing buddy Coco he could really step up and stand with the best of them. The only thing that could hold him back is his new questionable support.
Pure
Pure is really the odd man out on this roster, an average performer with really no stats anywhere near the top except for Wards cleared per minute in which he is first at .41WCPM. However in wards placed per minute he’s only ranked 5th at .39WPM. Nothing has ever really stood out about Pure, he plays every type of support mage, tank, peel, and initiate, but doesn’t particular stand out as excellent at a specific type just good. He is by no means a bad player yet compared to the stats and achievements of the others he’s defiantly looks just sort of ok. He is a jack of all trades and master of none, which is actually a gift not a weakness. All he really needs to do is step up his warding, because he’s going to really need to pick up the slack due to Chaser basically never warding because he’s too focused on ganking and counter jungling. If Pure can maintain a top 3 in WPM next season and continue to play with a very very small amount of gold he will be more than doing what is required in this lineup. However if he fails to meet the expectations of his new teammates it could destroy any hope this team has of success.
Conclusion
Like I said earlier the one thing that really makes a super team super is how well the pieces will be able to fit together, and Longzhu seems to have found all the perfect sized ones. All five members of this team can play a wide diversity of roles. Flame can play every single type of toplaner at the highest level and his champion pool is massive. Chaser is one of the few actually capable of carrying straight from the jungle; or he can support and help his team instead not shying away from tanks when they are needed. Coco has a champion pool the size of an ocean full of everything you could imagine. Fury plays hyper carries and supportive adcs like Ashe Sivir all at the same level. And finally Pure the jack of all trades. With four players who can carry if needed or step back and let someone else do it instead, and a support player who will perform on just about anything the true strength of this team becomes apparent. No matter how the Meta or strategies shift this team should always be able to adapt and use any strat you could think of. This makes them unpredictable. It should be nearly impossible to prep against them. They can do anything that they want and will only be limited by the creativity of their support staff. These players have never gotten the chance to win and now they have their best chance to win everything. This teams mechanical strength, diversity, and mentality can easily propel them to the LCK Finals and wherever else they want to go. If I may make a bold prediction, “Say hello to your 2016 League of Legends World Champions Longzhu.”
*Stats provided by OraclesElixir.com
Published: Jan 6, 2016 12:53 pm