Hello and welcome to The Draft – a series of weekly installments showcasing five players from around the world who shone in their respective roles this week (one player from each position).
Please note: these lists will not necessarily pick the absolute best players each week, or those who won the most games, but rather those who stood out in their teams, matches or regions and had an impressive week, whether through strong teamplay and careful movements or brave picks and even braver plays.
Top – Ssumday (KT Rolster, LCK)
As KT Rolster improve to a 9-4 record for the split with a 2-0 week, Ssumday’s steady yet strong plays from the top lane stood out throughout all the games.
With some fancy plays in KT’s 2-1 victory over SSB, including a no-nonsense Fizz backdoor and a strong Maokai baron steal, Ssumday impressed fans and non-believers alike in his ability to have an impact at any point in the game.
Despite this, however, it was Ssumday’s Maokai performances in KT’s 2-0 series over JAG that impressed the most, with strong flanks and powerful teamfight presence helping to carry his team to a 2-0 week.
Jungle – Clearlove (Edward Gaming, LPL)
Playing four different champions in four games, Clearlove had an impressive week in EDG’s two series wins over LGD and IG.
Most noticeably on Clearlove’s pallet this week were his aggressive early-game Evelynn plays against LGD in game #2, and his ‘brave’ Nunu moves in game #1 against IG.
With the ability to always find his way into the enemy backline, whether by sneaking around the edges on Evelynn or making questionable flashes on Nunu, Clearlove’s pressure and control of the situation were so immense that the enemy carries never had a second to themselves.
His vision control, team fight prowess and bold decision making emphasize his skill as a jungler and confidence as a player, as his strong moves this week allowed EDG to continue their strong season with a two perfect series as they set their sights firmly on a World Championship slot.
Mid – Incarnati0n (Cloud9, NA LCS)
Week 8 of the NA LCS led to Cloud9 climbing out of their slump resulting in some impressive games, and while their entire team stepped up and played well, it was Incarnati0n who impressed the most.
Finally coming into the form we’ve been waiting for since his addition to the Cloud9 roster, the Dane showed some volatile Ahri play against Enemy eSports, with a deathless game and and impressive teamfight and roaming play to lead his team to victory.
The next day against Counter Logic Gaming, his Orianna proved to be a worthy lane opponent for Pobelter’s Azir, as he displayed the dominating lane form he was renowned for in his EUW solo queue play.
Though Cloud9 in the end lost to CLG, it was a thrilling nailbiter of a game, much attributed to Incarnati0n and Sneaky playing out of their minds to keep the game close until the nexus finally exploded.
From this week’s play, it seems Incarnati0n is finally coming into his element in the NA LCS, and we can only hope his stylish play continues for future games.
ADC – Raydere (The Chiefs eSports Club, OPL)
From a relatively small and unrecognized region, Raydere definitely made his play known this week in a 3-0 victory over Avant Garde to secure his team a spot in the Oceanic Pro League Grand Final.
With dominant lane and teamfight play, Raydere was able to dish out absurd amounts of continuous damage, only to finish game #3 in stylish fashion.
With not a single death in the first two games, Raydere’s positioning and prowess were enough to carry his team through the semis, channeling his inner xPeke to finish off the 3-0 and continue The Chiefs’ perfect season.
Support – Wolf (SK Telecom T1, LCK)
Grabbing the MVP title in both of SKT’s winning games over the KOO Tigers, Wolf had a dominating performance in his teams methodical tearing apart of their closest Korean counterpart to continue their perfect season.
Playing Alistar and Leona, Wolf’s aggression in engages paved the way for his team to steamroll teamfights and tower dives to collect their 13th win of the season.
His Alistar play in game #1 led to some incredible headbutt-pulverize combos which allowed Faker’s Viktor to lay down immense AOE damage to demolish teamfights, with MaRin’s Fizz jumping around the backline to clean up any stragglers.
Game #2 led to KOO target banning his Janna and Alistar, which only prompted Wolf to show he has other weapons hidden up his sleeve. His crowd control prioritization and deadly dives facilitated another dominating win to take the series 2-0.
While playing two heavy dive supports to great effect but only dying once over the series, Wolf’s aggressive support prowess is one that any aspiring support player can definitely learn from.
———————————————————————————————————————–
Thankyou for tuning into this week’s edition of The Draft. Be sure to follow me on Twitter where you can ask me any questions you might have, and to check back here next week for the next installment of The Draft.
