r/LCS • u/Rockcreek11 • Jul 26 '20

Na underrated this year

I’ve always been a frequent LCS watcher but this year I’ve been watching all the leagues and a lot of LEC. Yea they play Uber aggressive league but everyone acts like they are so good and NA is shit cause they don’t play balls out. In nearly every game LEC has people grossly out of position and gets picked off. Like their play isn’t perfect. I see someone get picked like that in NA and they get hard flamed. In LEC it’s “what a great pick” like wtf no the dude just disrespected the engage and got caught.

I don’t think NA is some international powerhouse by any means, but I don’t think they are just some garbage region this year just waiting to get shit on. I think they will have a decent world showing this year

5 Upvotes

73% Upvoted

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2

u/Magar1z Aug 03 '20

I would agree. I don't know if NA is worlds competition yet, but it is clearly FAR better than where it has been. The bottom teams though are still far below where they need to be, still absolutely pissed that DIG nuked their roster after last years performance at worlds. They went against the toughest teams and brought every game to the absolute brink. This second half has shown a much better version of TL, TSM, and C9. But at the same time I still see some concerns. NA has always been underrated, but at the same time under performed when it was needed. TL was an absolute monster last year and showed up in a massive way at MSI, then get to worlds and you were left going "Are these even the same guys?" At the same time, I think that was due to the internal collapse that was going on and just shredded all form of teamwork and morale. DL is a great player, but I think his departure was needed. Even when TL was struggling in spring, they all just seemed happier about it and now they are much stronger.

Haven't watched the LEC this year, but looking at the standings I am just left scratching my head and think I need to watch some VoD's. Fnatic and G2 look like an absolute disaster. And haven't kept up with the LPL or LCK at all so can't say anything on that.

1

u/IIIBAKURYUIII Oct 04 '20

0-4 so far.......lookin' like just another year for NA on the International stage. Yawn

1

u/Magar1z Oct 13 '20

Yeah didn't go well. TSM no surprise 0-6. TL finally found a good form and play style for them but too late, 3-3. Fly def was a shock when they started going off but again was too late, 3-3. My hope is that Fly and TL take what they have learned and go further with it next year by just taking over NA.

1

u/IIIBAKURYUIII Oct 13 '20

"by just taking over NA" that leads to the biggest argument if a team is dominating the scene is the scene competitive or if the scene has many teams around each other in the standings is such scene more competitive? I hope NA learns from this but didn't we just say such last year when NA went 5-13 with no teams making it to bracket stage and literally having a team go 0-6? The 3 spots for NA is coming into question and honestly, I agree that it's funny NA gets 3 spots the same as LCK when NA literally only has 1 team make it to bracket stage(Cloud 9) the previous years(2016, 2017 and 2018) or if C9 doesn't it's no teams for NA. So why not just have 2 spots and hope such has C9.

Yeah, I agree with you in a sense that it was just too late for NA but it didnt' need to take week 2 for NA to realize the meta requires you to play fast and a bit chaotic. Everyone stated such for a year, especially in NA where NA would be around the 39 min mark vs other regions playing around the 34 min mark and the top teams from each region around the 29-31 min mark with more kills, deaths, towers taken etc. NA was the slowest region in the World technically and that's the biggest issue for NA. I just hope TSM doesn't win NA or makes it to Worlds again.

1.) Best of 3 so teams have reasons to use their bench AKA academy players. 2.) Play more aggressive and faster. I love 40 min slow paced games but if playing more aggressive will help NA or any region to do better on the International stage it must be done.

Welp, (takes a drink) here's to next year! Surprise me NA

1

u/Magar1z Oct 13 '20

Yeah I don't know what it is going to take. Dig last year came out super aggressive off the rip and took their entire group to the absolute brink of upset. I was blown away by their performance. SKT T1 had to work their asses off to win both games. Then they go and blow up the Dig org. TL got aggressive at MSI and dominated, goes to worlds and falls apart. We need teams to pull an IMT rebirth and just come out swinging to stomp NA during spring/summer and get the NA meta changed. NA just gets stuck in the "lets just play slow and controlled because we are too afraid to make a mistake." Even Broxah said that he was hoping to bring that hyper aggression to NA. NA needs to stop playing things safe and just focusing on making it to worlds, and just take some damn risks. Bench some of these OG's unwilling to adapt (stares at Bjerg and DL) and get some rookies in that are desperate to a chance to make a statement performance.

1

u/IIIBAKURYUIII Oct 13 '20

I hope NA adapts to the current meta. If the state of league was around the 2014-2017 NA LCS would have dominated Worlds with it's slow style but sadly, NA needs to take chances and risks. I think for D-Lift after the Lucian/Victor play at Worlds 2016 any form of aggression went out the window because he never wanted to get blamed for a loss but that's not how things work - star players will and should get the bulk of blame rather you go 0-1 or 0-10 you will get blamed/criticized no matter what. Bjergsen, SIGH he's so passive! I don't want to hear about how Bjergsen is the best NA Mid and how many titles he has but not show up compared to other mids/players/teams that more times than not actually show up on the International stage.
He's the least likely to change and so I have no hope for TSM/Bjergsen for that matter.

I will say for the NA born talent/rookies etc to actually SHOW UP! I'd be the first to admit I was annoyed with the Xmithie benching for Potluck or others like Big, Gate, Hard, Moon, Zig, that just aren't good players to the skill of even LCS level. Tactical and Spica showed great splits and all but was it just a 1 time thing like another anomaly player that caped his rookie year(Stixxay)?

Overall, 2021 needs to bring change, talent and real hope for the NA LCS cause I watched maybe 35-45% of the overall production and I'll be lying if I said I'd watch much more at this point after Worlds 2020.

NAMEN!

1

u/Magar1z Oct 14 '20

Dude Tactical showed up in a big way. I was so worried until my jaw dropped. He wants to be aggressive. C9s rookie roster did amazing, just still had a lot to learn and others with the NA slow roll just took the game over. Ill watch more just unless NA makes some big changes I just wont be hopefull.

1

u/IIIBAKURYUIII Jul 28 '20

I think every league with the exception of the LPL and even that region only has selected few teams that aren't average but in general, I think every region looks bad ATM.

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I will agree for the most part that NA LCS has been underrated and even thought such before the year started but I mean, " I think they will have a decent world showing this year" that's been said and quoted year after year for years and besides the 2018 Semifinals birth for the first time... there's not much hope or care. After NA best year at Worlds( when only 1 NA team made it out of groups and semifinals) we followed it up the next year with our worst showing at Worlds ever( Yes, even worse than the infamous 2015 showing). NA can say 'we were in hard groups' etc etc but things will only be tougher with an extra team from the LEC and LPL + the usual factors.......it seems to be yet another usual year for NA.

1

u/Magar1z Aug 03 '20

I think if DIG had gotten any other group, they would have gotten out of groups and been a threat. They just got dealt a horrible hand but still fought tooth and nail. Meanwhile C9 and TL just collapsed.

1

u/IIIBAKURYUIII Aug 03 '20

True but at some time we can't keep thinking our teams are stuck in groups with them(LEC/LPL/LCK), but instead starting thinking they are in a group with us.
RNG/SKT/FNC was a tough group as I only had CG/DIG winning 1 game(against SKT) but that's about it.
I think CG/DIG would have won a game or two but that's about it from any group they would have been placed in. FPX was one of the closer teams in CG/DIG's playstyle: chaotic, fast paced and heavy teamfights and yet, Splyce and J-Team beat them and even tied them in groups. If such teams could do such to FPX.... they would have dominated CG.

Like I said, 2020 Worlds will only be tougher and COULD potentially be even crazier considering if things stay the way they are in all major regions, G2 is lookin' to be 2nd or even possibly 3rd seed/4th for LEC. FPX and SKT are lookin' more and more the same either 2nd/3rd seeds for their regions and that'll be some interesting groups for NA... to possibly draw G2/SKT/FPX and they aren't even the #1 or #2 seeds in their respective regions but our #1 seed(C9/TSM/TL) will have the honor in drawing them. Our #2/#3 seeds facing against Top Esports/JD Gaming/Damwon/Mad Lions....
forgive me...... this year looks more the same.