Week 8 in the NA, and you know it's crunch time, because roster swaps have started flying around. A lot of the league is pleasantly modeled after other professional sports leagues, and let me tell you something from years of watching the NFL: benching has it's desired effect, long-term, perhaps 10% of the time. Even if one player is truly better than another, you should have made that determination before the season started - changing now and having no time to develop synergy is a mostly losing proposition. But, corollary to that knowledge, the spectator also has to know that the team HAS to do something, to at least feel like they tried everything to turn their season around. So that's the intricacies behind benching, food for your thought as you assess how the new players are doing this week.
Team Complexity vs Counter Logic Gaming
[coL bans: Vayne, Malphite, Lulu][CLG bans: Rumble, Zed, Caitlyn]
coL: Kha'Zix, Shen, Ziggs, Varus, Zyra
CLG: Udyr, Jarvan, Lux, Twitch, Thresh
Wow, big fight in the first minute. Oddly, both teams stayed in and tried to fight it out - usually at least one of the teams will try to disengage the level 1 fight immediately. Anyhow, coL gets the best of it and comes up 4-1 at 1:15, and then keeps killing HotShot top. It's the kind of game any of us would surrender at 20 minutes, but CLG pretty much has no choice but to grind it out as best as they can. And we should all watch this game to learn how it's done. If you can't watch the whole thing (it's actually pretty long!) watch the part right around the 34 minute mark of the game (53:30 in the vid).
Good Game University vs Curse
[GGU bans: Jarvan, Renekton, Twisted Fate][Crs bans: Jayce, Akali, Kayle]
GGU: Kha'Zix, Nasus, Ryze, Caitlyn, Elise
Crs: Irelia, Volibear, Veigar, Miss Fortune, Thresh
Double-wow, another huge 5v5 at level 1?! This one is even crazier, as both teams alternately engage, disengage, re-engage, try to pick each other off, and keep coming back for more death. Is this a symptom of all the new players? Well it's a little more even, 2-3, so it doesn't make the rest of the game crazy. Clearly, that's left for the Veigar to do - have not seen a Veigar in pro play.... ever, I think. I hate that little bugger. Doesn't everyone? He makes the teamfight even more insane - now there's spirit fire, rappel, rune prison, Veigar stun, and Thresh prison, completely obscuring vision, while MF ult blasts across everyone's face. It's crazy to watch, and I can only assume that Crs gets the edge because their circles are the more dangerous of that mess, combined with MF ult.
Vulcun Command vs Team SoloMid
[VC bans: Draven, Malphite, Caitlyn][TSM bans: Nidalee, Diana, Lulu]
VC: Vladamir, Nasus, Karthus, Tristana, Sona
TSM: Shen, Xin Zhao, Xerath, Varus, Thresh
Interesting thought, pairing Vlad's ult with Karthus'. And Vlad held his 2v1 lane very successfully.
Team MRN vs Team Complexity
[MRN bans: Zed, Amumu, Zyra][coL bans: Renekton, Twisted Fate, Shen]
MRN: Malphite, Evelynn, Kha'Zix, Vayne, Lulu
coL: Rumble, Cho'Gath, Jarvan, Caitlyn, Thresh
Whee, close games. At one point, MRN overstay their welcome in coL's base and gets mostly wiped out, then coL immediately overstays their counter-base-attack, and gets ruined in return. Fun times! It's more entertaining for the spectators when you valiantly refuse to disengage.
Team SoloMid vs Curse
[TSM bans: Miss Fortune, Jarvan, Volibear][Crs bans: Diana, Twisted Fate, Nasus]
TSM: Shen, Nocturne, Karthus, Draven, Thresh
Crs: Renekton, Udyr, Ryze, Kog'Maw, Sona
TSM gets an early first blood, and rides that and their long-range ults to easy victory. I've said it before, even the top-ranked team can be made to look bad by a random off game.
Vulcun Command vs Team Complexity
[VC bans: Amumu, Kha'Zix, Zed][coL bans: Nasus, Diana, Jarvan]
VC: Vlad, Hecarim, Karthus, Miss Fortune, Sona
coL: Darius, Shen, Annie, Varus, Kayle
Yeah, you read that right, that's an Annie on coL's new mid, pr0lly. And a support Kayle. The element of surprise gives them an early lead, and though they stay ahead of any comeback VC tries to make, the game has several interesting engages.
Team MRN vs Good Game University
[MRN bans: Jayce, Elise, Ryze][GGU bans: Malphite, Twisted Fate, Shen]
MRN: Renekton, Nasus, Diana, Miss Fortune, Lulu
GGU: Rumble, Nocturne, Karthus, Caitlyn, Thresh
Classic Karthus game, despite a very fine Renekton game. All my dire warnings about benchings are going for naught - all the new players are doing fine.
Curse vs Vulcun Command
[Crs bans: Diana, Nidalee, Shen][VC bans: Renekton, Twisted Fate, Sona]
Crs: Katarina, Volibear, Kha'Zix, Miss Fortune, Thresh
VC: Rumble, Nasus, Zed, Varus, Lulu
Pretty decisive, even within each engagement.
Standings
Crs 16-4
dig 16-5
TSM 15-7
CLG 10-11
MRN 7-13
VC 8-15
GGU 6-14
coL 6-15
