LCS All Star Picks, Part Two - NA

Just like my EU post I'm going to break down my top 3 choices for each role for the NA All Star team. I'm going to reiterate that I'm working on the assumption that the teams have the same 3 players per LCS team restriction as last year's All Stars, which is why you might not see some strong players make the top 3 list. Riot has yet to release concrete details on the All Stars game beyond that they're eliminating byes from Worlds, so that wont be a reward for All Stars, but an announcement should come soon. Regardless of the reward for All Stars we all want wins for the LCS regions so I've done my best to pick the absolute best for the #1 spot in each role.

TOP LANE

1. Dyrus - TSM. Dyrus being the top of this list should not be a surprise. He's strong enough on the meta champions to be a lane bully, he was the NA All Star top laner last year, he's helped TSM to maintain a top 3 NA position for a long time, I could go on. Dyrus has been a top tier player and a fan favorite for a very long time and his consistent performance has definitely earned him the top spot on this list. 
2. Nien - CLG. Reddit might have a hate boner for Nien, but that does not in any way translate to the strength of his play. Nien's performance on the current top lane meta champions has been second only to Dyrus in consistently creating a snowball. Nien has demonstrated an impressive versatility as a player switching not just roles but also teams between spring and summer split, and is constantly working to improve himself. That earns Nien his spot on this list. 
3. Zionspartan - Coast. Though Coast has under performed so far this split, Zion's recent Jax play has shown that he's still a very dangerous top laner. One of the most innovative top laners in NA Zion is credited with bringing to light the Tryndamere Jayce counter last spring, and the reminding NA that Jax is still a thing this season. All of that combined with the fact that Zionspartan is always a major component in Coast victories should make it clear why he has a spot on this list. 
4. Honorable Mentions: Balls who was primarily left off the list due to the 3 member rule, as well as Quas and Innox two strong players on their own champions that aren't quite in the Meta right now.  

JUNGLE

1. Meteos - Cloud 9. After Cloud 9 burst onto the NA scene last split it quickly became clear that Meteos was a jungler on a whole other level. Things haven't changed in that regard. Cloud 9 and Meteos are both shifting their play styles to fit more in line with what they encountered at Worlds, but are still holding strong in the top of the NA LCS despite their growing pains. Meteos being the top pick for Jungler is hardly a controversial pick. 
2. Dexter - CLG. Now that the Visa troubles have finally been settled the Dexter hype train has arrived and things are looking good for CLG. While he may not be blowing the world away with flawless play just yet, Dexter has performed above and beyond expectation for someone who's just finally escaped the US border red tape after nearly a month of the team having to delve into their bag of subs. The quality play he's brought to CLG should earn Dexter a spot on any list of top NA junglers. 
3. Crumbzz - Dignitas. There's been a resurgence for Dignitas in the early part of this split and a large part of it is thanks to the smart play of Crumbzz. Crumbzz is probably the most underrated jungler in North America despite numerous flashy plays from Lee Sin kicks to Mobi boots rush Rammus. The quality play Crumbzz has routinely demonstrated for over a season makes him one of the best Junglers in NA and earns him the final spot on this list. 
4. Honorable Mentions: Snoopeh, TheOddOne, and IWillDominate, all of which are great players that on any given day could vie for a spot on this list. 

MID LANE

1. Bjergsen - TSM. The BjergerKing cometh, and TSM did say unto NA "let there be wins!" The hype around Bjergsen was immense when people first learned he was coming to NA and for good reason. He has dominated the mid lane helping to lead TSM to first place and 11 straight wins so far with no end to the streak in sight. It's impossible to think of anyone that deserves the NA All Star mid spot more than Bjergsen. 
2. Hai - Cloud 9. No slouch himself, Hai has performed spectacularly as the leader of Cloud 9, the only team to take a win off TSM so far this split. Cloud 9 has continued to look strong since they first exploded into the LCS last summer so it should come as no surprise that Hai has a firm spot in the top 3 mid laners for NA. 
3. Pobelter - EG. Pobelter was nother mid laner at the center of a hype storm leading into the season. Unlike Bjergsen, Pobelter failed to deliver in the first weeks. Since then he's clearly gotten over his issues, whether it was LAN jitters or synergy with the rest of EG, and become a strong force in the mid lane. Pobelter enjoys rare company as one of only a few in NA to have out played Bjergsen thanks to his tricky moves on Fizz. The sheer amount of improvement shown by Pobelter already this split earned him the number 3 on this list. 
4. Honorable Mentions: Link, Shiphtur, and Scarra. All are strong players and have shown a few flashes of brilliance this season, but they haven't quite replicated the heights of play coming from the top 3.

AD CARRY

1. Doublelift - CLG. It should surprise no one that Doublelift tops the list for ADC. He's consistently making highlight reels, ADC All Star last season, routinely winning bad lane matchups against the best competition NA has to offer. NA has gotten much better over the course of the last year, but Doublelift remains top of the pile. 
2. Sneaky - Cloud 9. Last split the utility AD did little to showcase Sneaky's skill at ADC and I even criticized him when the few times he played mechanically demanding champions like Vayne he wasn't up to par with the likes of Doublelift or Wildturtle. This season Sneaky has clearly taken to the current bot lane meta and demonstrated that he clearly deserves his place on one of the best teams in NA, as well as on this list. 
3. Cop - Curse. If I had to pick one player from either LCS region as the most improved, it would be Cop. At the beginning of Season 3 he was a very passive player relying mostly on the long range aoe of Miss Fortune. Since then he's picked up the highly demanding Draven, and become as blood thirsty as the best ADCs. His incredible Draven play helped Curse keep their spot in the LCS and made Cop a strong pick for this list. 
4. Honorable Mentions: WildTurtle who was left off this list because of the 3 per team rule, and Imaqtpie who's inconsistency as a player over shadows the incredible heights of play he can reach. 

SUPPORT

1. Xpecial - TSM. The idea that Xpecial is the best support for the job of All Stars is not a controversial one. He proved he works well with Doublelift last year at All Stars, and has showcased incredible mechanics and decision making in the support role for years. Xpecial remains arguable the most mechanically gifted support in NA, which means he remains the best choice for top of this list.
2. Krepo - EG. It should be no surprise Krepo makes this list, he was one of the most gifted supports in EU last year and he's risen right to the top of the pile in NA. From his strong game sense to call Leona a counter to Annie before anyone picked it up, to his impressive play that forced Soraka bans in a bloodthirsty support meta it's clear Krepo earned his place as a top NA support. 
3. Saintvicious - Curse. With less than a month in the support role Saintvicious is probably the most controversial member of this entire post. None the less Saint has always been a player praised for his shot calling. His decisions in the jungle helped lead Curse to qualify for the LCS, a strong finish in the spring split, and lead the NA All Star team to victory over EU last year. The role may be different but Saint is still calling the shots on Curse, leading them to victory in his first support outing with his incredible Alistar play. Saint has made an impressive show so far, and I have no doubt that he will help Curse to improve as the split goes on, that makes him a suitable pick for All Stars. 
4. Honorable Mentions: LemonNation who's infamous notebook was only left off this list to fit the 3 member rule, as well as Aphromoo who could easily vie for a spot on this list. 

It was incredibly tough to make these picks, as much as I'd like to just send all of TSM or C9 that's not how All Stars works. I'm sure the biggest gripe that anyone reading this will have is with the lack of WildTurtle on the ADC top 3. While I would agree with most that Turtle is very close to Doublelift in skill I simply can't justify dropping Xpecial, Bjergsen, or Dyrus from the list just to give Turtle a place over someone who's arguable just as good or slightly better than him. I am confident that my assembly for the number 1 picks of each role is the best possible under the 3 player constraint. 

An additional note, Bloodwater's recent AMA suggested the All Stars team might be limited to 2 members of any team rather than the 3, whether that's his inside track to Riot talking or just him making a mistake is unclear. If Bloodwater is correct the 2nd and 3rd choices of the list would need a heavy revamp but the top spots could mostly stay the same with only elevating Krepo to the top. Krepo is a strong support and would satisfy some fan desires that emerged after he joined Doublelift on the analyst desk at worlds. 

LCS All Star Picks, Part One - EU

With 5 weeks and just under half the spring split completed it's time to start really giving thought to All Star picks as the vote should be coming in just a few short weeks. Riot has said that the reward for All Stars will be different this year, as they're eliminating byes from Worlds. Beyond that we don't know what changes may come for the second incarnation of the All Star event, but it doesn't stop us wanting a win for LCS regions. So I'm going to give my top 3 picks for each role along with why I think they're the best choice for the All Star team.

TOP LANE

1. Xaxus - ROCCAT. Since qualifying for the LCS Roccat has proven to be a juggernaut of a team and currently sits alone in the number 1 slot taking games off Fnatic and Gambit. Xaxus has been a major contributor in a number of Roccat's victories including creating the early advantage against Fnatic in their most recent clash. Xaxus has also demonstrated strength across the current meta champions like Mundo or Shyvana, as well as an ability to dominate the lane on bullies like Renekton or his heavily favored Trundle. 
2. Darien - Gambit. It simply wouldn't be an All Stars list without the man who is solely responsible for making Warwick a thing. Darien and Gambit have long been hovering around the top of the pile in Europe and this season is no different. His ability to play from behind, and draw heavy focus both in games and in champion select make Darien a worthy addition to any All Star team. 
3. sOAZ - Fnatic. Despite his current slump sOAZ still clearly deserves a spot on this list when we look at his achievements. Part of the Fnatic team that won both splits of the EU LCS last season, last year's All Star top laner, a major player in Fnatic's 7-0 start to this season, and the list goes on. There's no doubt that sOAZ will sort his problems before the split is over and help Fnatic to more victories and that makes him a good choice for All Stars. 
4. Honorable Mentions: Honestly top lane is super hard to chose from in the EU LCS, all the players could easily perform as All Stars. With such an incredibly hard choice I had to go with the ones who've helped their teams to the best results.

JUNGLE

1. Jankos - ROCCAT. Picking the top jungler was a hard choice, I finally settled on Jankos for two reasons. The first is his team, Roccat, currently sits the undisputed top of the EU LCS. The other reason being his incredible synergy with my pick for mid lane All Star, Overpow. Jankos and Overpow have made an impressive team, from their ability to play hide the pantheon, to the way they pair their movements across the map. That synergy earns Jankos the number 1 choice for All Stars. 
2. Diamondprox - Gambit. It was tough to not put Diamond first on this list, he's always been a successful innovator of new champions and builds in the jungle. Gambit's strong performance even while Diamond pulls out new junglers and builds that the rest of the world struggles to wrap their heads around makes him an obvious choice for this list. 
3. Araneae - Millenium. While Millenium has struggled to close out games, resulting in them being tied for the bottom of the EU LCS, the only reason we can tell that is their intense early game built on the back of Araneae's fierce jungle style along with mid laner Kerp's strong roaming presence. The fact that Araneae is often able to build his team an early lead earns him the third spot on this list.
4. Honorable Mentions: Cyanide, Svenskeren, Amazing - all have had strong showings in the jungle this split and could easily contend with Araneae for the third spot on this list. 

MID LANE

1. Overpow - ROCCAT. If there's one Roccat member I'll get nearly unanimous agreement on it's got to be Overpow, which should make it no surprise he tops this list. The list of Overpow's strengths are immense, carried his team through promotion against NiP, top mid lane KDA, man handled star mid laners like xPeke and Alex Ich, enormous champion pool, this list could go on all day. Overpow has been such a major component of the Roccat team that it's hard to believe many would argue with him as the best choice for a winning EU All Star team. 
2. Alex Ich - Gambit. It's no surprise Alex is on this list, Gambit is the current number 2 in EU and a constant top team, multiple visits to Worlds, All Star mid laner last season. Alex Ich continues to show an ability to carry games with his impressive mid lane play, it simply would not be an All Stars list without him. 
3. Kerp - Millenium. The man with the trackball has made quite the splash mid lane this season. While Millenium has yet to sort out their late game problems, Kerp's early lane prowess and mid game roaming is something to behold and that earns him a spot on this list. 
4. Honorable Mentions: All the mid laners in EU from farm master Froggen to superstar xPeke are world class players and could easily be All Stars.

AD CARRY

1. MrRallez - Supa Hot Crew. Even when SHC was under performing in the opening weeks of the LCS MrRallez has been a shining beacon for the team. The continually impressive play whether his team is winning or losing enamored me to this fresh face in the LCS and it's what earned MrRallez the spot on this list.
2. Rekkles - Fnatic. After going 3 games without a death it would be impossible to have an All Stars list without Rekkles. Fnatic has not had the best results of late, but that does not take away from Rekkles setting the record for most kills without a death in LCS history. The Rekkles hype is real, and it earned him a well deserved spot on this list. 
3. Candy Panda - SK. After a not great start to the split Candy Panda has stepped up in a big way and helped to Carry SK into a tie for 4th place. Candy Panda is definitely the most improved player on this list and his performance makes him a strong choice for All Stars. 
4. Honorable Mentions: Celaver who was primarily left off this list because I'm working on the assumption that the 3 players per team rule remains in effect, as well as Forg1ven, Creaton, and Tabzz who are all strong players in their own rights.

SUPPORT

1. YellOwStaR - Fnatic. The last half a year has shown Yellowstar's impressive range as a player. He transitioned from ADC to Support, had a single game role swap with top laner Soaz, and adapted to a new lane partner when the team had Rekkles take over for Puszu after season 3 Worlds. Yellowstar's incredible adaptability makes him the single best All Star support option, no matter which AD Carry makes it through he's sure to make the EU All Star a force to be reckoned with. 
2. Migxa - Supa Hot Crew. This fresh face to the LCS has done a "Naiiice" job of making his ADC MrRallez look good in all of SHC's games which makes it no surprise that he's earned a spot on this list. 
3. Jree - Millenium. The strength of Jree's play is no secret, the casters love to mention Jree's play and especially his epic hooks while covering Millenium games. It should be no surprise that such a consistently talked about player has a spot on the All Star list. 
4. Honorable Mentions: Vander who only failed to make this list because of the 3 player rule, as well as EdWard who has always been a strong support player, and Unlimited. 

It's always hard to chose the best players in such a competitive region but I really do believe that assembling the number 1 picks in each role would produce a team well suited to bringing the EU All Stars a win. This post is a bit long so I'm going to separate out the NA picks and post them later in the week.

Edited to add: Bloodwater's recent AMA suggested the All Stars team might be limited to 2 members of any team rather than the 3, whether that's his inside track to Riot talking or just him making a mistake is unclear. If Bloodwater is correct the 2nd and 3rd choices of the list would need a revamp but the top spots could mostly stay the same with only elevating Diamond to the #1 spot. I only barely left Diamond off the top spot on this list because of Jankos' synergy with Overpow and it's no doubt that Diamond would perform. 

Tied for first in the EU LCS it's... Roccat?

Despite having been around the scene in one form or another for quite some time, Roccat (playing under KMT at the time) was almost instantly counted out of the LCS spring qualifiers. Everyone expected Ninjas in Pyjamas to re-qualify and gave Roccat little consideration. So how does a team go from being counted out completely to tied for 1st in the EU LCS?

Not so New Faces

Despite not getting a ton of recognition the members of Roccat have been around the league scene for some time now. Xaxus, Overpow, and Celaver were together as a team for over a year, and boast some impressive results including 2nd at IEM Season VII Sao Paolo as Anexis eSports. Jungler Jankos participated in numerous Go4LoL tournaments as well as his own prior run at the LCS during the season 3 summer promotion, losing out to Team Alternate.

The current roster of Roccat, fully assembled around mid November of 2013, makes excellent use of the talent and experience in their lineup. Much like fellow top team Fnatic, Roccat's entire roster has the ability to make plays and carry for the team making Roccat difficult to ban out or shut down early.

Superb Champion Select

Roccat plays champion select as well as they play the actual game. Bans are always strong, hitting not just common "OP" champions, but also taking problematic or comfort champions out of the other team's hands.

Typically Roccat plays champion select safe, picking top, support, or jungle first, focusing champions that don't dictate the team's strategy and forcing their opponents into exposing their plan before Roccat chooses their carries. This safe picking allows Roccat to react to their opponent's strategy. In their games against NiP this picking strategy allowed Roccat to see NiP's late game focused, very mobile, relatively low CC, team comp being built and adapt with Vayne and Kayle to have their own late game strengths. Roccat has demonstrated a consistent ability to come out of champion select strong, with their own comfort champions such as Thresh which Vander has played in 8 of Roccat's 10 games so far.

Medium Risk High Reward

The strong champion select leaves Roccat able to play a more adaptive style of game. A style that doesn't necessarily result in a blatant stomp, but also doesn't require taking big risks to succeed. Jatt did an excellent job of highlighting Roccat's medium risk play style in his break down of the first meeting of Roccat and Fnatic, which is one of the best back and forth games of League of Legends I've ever seen.

We can see examples of this play style in all of Roccat games. The famous Unstoppable Skyfall from Roccat's first LCS game is a great example. They burn Pantheon's ability to split push and Malphite's hard engage, which if it failed would not turn the game, but would put them on the back foot, and from it they gain 4 kills and a Baron that essentially seals the game. Plays like this and ones highlighted in Jatt's breakdown are present in all of Roccat's games, and they're a large reason the team is so successful.

High Expectations for the Future

Potential pitfalls for Roccat are minor at worst, Kayle nerfs in the latest patch will do little to hamper Overpow's impressive champion pool, and Vander has proven he can still perform even without his heavily favored Thresh. Short of unforeseeable from the outside problems, such as team attitude changes, we're unlikely to see major issues surface for Roccat in the short term.

That low exploitable weakness along with Roccat's exquisite champion select and strong mid-late game play suggests they're a strong bet for a top 4 finish to the split. Some stumbles when their risks backfire can be expected, and we all hope that every team will get better over the split, but it's quite likely we'll see Roccat in the spring split playoffs.

Friends don't let friends jungle Nunu

The yeti rider's popularity, and strength, in the jungle hit it's peak in season 3. Patch 3.7 brought changes to Consume, giving him buffs for consuming jungle monsters, intended to make Nunu a more competitive jungler.

The Rise

During his prime jungle Nunu was adept at counter jungling, able to steal away an enemies buff and set them behind all game thanks to the huge consume damage. That same consume damage also made him great at controlling important objectives like Baron. The benefits of a Blood Boiled AD carry in fast push strategies certainly didn't hurt Nunu's popularity.

The power of Nunu jungle made him an often target for bans, he ate a ridiculous 41 bans in NA and 53 in EU LCS summer split. When he did make it through a few players like TheOddOne were able to make great use of him. Despite his strengths and his popularity Nunu actually ended with a losing record in both regions, foreshadowing the problems the pick would suffer when nerfs came down.

A new kind of Jungle

All things must come to an end, and Nunu's popularity is no exception. The first hit to Nunu came with a change to the jungle intended to hamper counter jungling. Experience granted by the large monsters in the buff camps was reduced so stealing away a buff at level 1 would no longer give you a level advantage. Nunu fell in popularity though he was still an okay choice for siege compositions.

The preseason changes brought another wave of changes to the jungle hit Nunu hard. With jungle monsters now scaling to the average level of everyone counter jungling does little to put people behind. Nunu's primary strength in the jungle, was completely negated. To make things worse Nunu's favored team composition, the siege comp. became weaker as changes to turrets made it harder to safely gain a turret advantage by sending your duo lane to 2v1 the top.

The Worst and the Best

Thus we come to today, where conveniently week 3 of the LCS has given us examples of good and bad team comps revolving around Nunu jungle, and a clear indicator of why he's no longer a strong pick.

First up Alliance over in EU broke out the Nunu jungle.

Alliance's team comp with the Nunu jungle did not make much sense sadly. Lucian does get benefits to his ultimate with Blood Boil but it does little to boost his tower pressure. Malphite has absolutely no way to make use of Nunu's skills. The only bit of synergy with the Nunu pick is Kayle, but once Kayle has her Nashors tooth the benefits of Blood Boil are a lot less significant in comparison to a jungler who can make picks.

Nunu's few strengths in the team don't even get to show up. Gambit quickly forces kills against Froggen's Kayle and Wickd's Malphite setting Alliance behind. Because he can't out fight or out gank Evelynn, the lack of an early lead for Alliance instantly made Nunu a non factor. With such a weak jungler on the enemy team Gambit was able to safely expand their lead all game long.

NA had the other side of the coin when Curse brought out Nunu against CLG.

The team comp from Curse is much more set up to make use of the jungle Nunu. Every champ other than Mundo is great for sieging turrets. Jinx is already a monster at killing towers, and with Janna AD buff and Nunu Blood Boil her tower crushing just gets magnified early game. Ziggs similarly is great at sieging turrets thanks to his poke and the extra auto attack damage from his passive. Add to that the strong disengage from Nunu and Janna, and you have a team that can come together to siege a turret and then safely back away when CLG tries to engage. Curse was also very smart in what they picked this team comp into. CLG rushed out Shyvana and Renekton in their first picks, exposing a lack of hard engage that would make Curse's team comp that much safer.

For the first 20 minutes of the game Curse plays their team comp perfectly. They send their duo to 2v1 top and fast push towers. Map rotations are on point quickly securing all the outer and inner turrets, and even picking up a few kills while staying relatively safe.

At 21 minutes Curse has taken the first inhibitor tower top lane and is beginning to siege for the inhibitor. This is when Curse makes the mistake that turns the entire game. First Nien on Shyvana and Aphromoo on Lulu are seen by Curse wards attempting to flank.



Curse plays this engage attempt well, using their disengage to safely prevent the fight. On important aspect they miss though is that Shyvana did not use her Dragons Descent ultimate in the fight. Right here Curse should back away, respecting the Shyvana ultimate, and wait for their own cool downs to come back. Instead, feeling the pressure of Nunu's looming time limit, Curse moves back in to try for the inhibitor.



A relatively simple mistake, but it was enough to completely end the dominance of Curse's team composition. Shyvana and Yasuo combo their ultimates and CLG gets three kills from this reengage. The pressure taken off from CLG picking up 3 kills was enough for them to take back control of the entire game. Soon after CLG pick up the Baron and Curse are never again able to dictate the flow of the game.

Please let Nunu die

Even in the perfect comp, played to near perfection we see the weakness of Nunu jungle. He can no longer effectively counter jungle to get ahead, Nunu cannot out fight or out gank any of a dozen more popular jungle picks, and lowered dragon value makes objective control with Consume less crucial. All that adds up to Nunu only being okay in a fast push team, and even then one small mistake turns Nunu from controlling the pace of the game to dragging his team to the bottom along with him. We can only hope that our favorite teams will finally get the message, Nunu is simply not up to par. .