A month ago, when the unthinkable happened and Doublelift left Counter Logic Gaming for their archrivals, Team SoloMid, the esports world erupted with commentary. Beyond the drama and storylines, most of the analytical work focused on TSM’s prospects and the partnership between Doublelift and Bjergsen. CLG’s side of the transaction was thoroughly dissected for drama and mined for memes, but there was far less conversation about the roster that had been left behind, and what might become of it.
The CLG fanbase was rife with skepticism, some fans saying their loyalty would follow Doublelift to TSM, others simply bemoaning the team’s future. Significant questions were being raised: how might roster changes at AD Carry and Mid lane—where Huhi had already supplanted Pobelter—change the team’s dynamic? Who could possibly fill Doublelift’s shoes?
At Intel Extreme Masters San Jose, we got to watch the new CLG roster in action as they made a run to the Finals. During those games, some questions about the new CLG were answered; others were raised. It was clear that we were watching a different CLG, but how different? Let’s take a look.
In the aftermath of Team SoloMid’s early exit from the 2015 World Championship, the team announced that they would be replacing four of their five starting players. Only Bjergsen remained to anchor the Mid lane. It was a drastic move, though not entirely unexpected.
The next move was bigger. Less than 10 hours after SK Telecom T1 clinched their World Championships victory, TSM dropped the bomb: the star player of their forever-rivals, CLG’s Doublelift, would be joining TSM for the 2016 season, the first new member of their revamped roster.
Let’s see if we can make any sense of this new reality. First we’ll explore the two keystone players TSM will be building around, and some implications. Then I’ll present some players I think they should consider for the other three roles.
This past weekend, the NA LCS Summer 2015 regular season MVP award was given to Rush, the Jungler for Team Impulse. Was he the best choice, or should the prize have gone to a different player?
Today we’re going to present Rush’s case, then explore three other players who made my personal short list. If your favorite didn’t end up on my list, feel free to argue your perspective in the comments!
