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NA LCS Week One: The Meta in a Nutshell

By Everett Zarnick

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As the first week of the summer split has approached and gone, the curiosity surrounding the pro’s take on the Meta hasn’t simmered down in the slightest.

Solo queue games say “adapt!” While the pro games say…

Well we don’t really know what the pro games are saying right now. They seem to be all over the place. With the in mind, lets define what the current North American Professional meta is by observing the three most impressive team’s compositions this weekend and extracting any information from them that we can.

#3) Team Solo-Mid

The team that runs the most normal composition has returned to form this week. After a disappointing spring split some months ago, it looks like TSM aren’t willing to let an odd moment in LoL history stop them from reclaiming their ‘NA Kings’ title.

Judging from their composition, TSM are in-between ‘adapting’ and being ‘stubborn’ with the current meta. While most teams are experimenting with the ‘bruiser bot lane’ idea, TSM have stuck with the traditional line-ups.

Their first game on Saturday had the following composition:

  • Top – Haunzter’s Aatrox
  • Jungle – Grig’s Olaf
  • Mid – Bjergsen’s Irelia
  • ADC – Zven’s Kai’sa
  • Support – Mithy’s Alistar

While you could argue that Bjergsen’s Irelia in the mid lane is a bit more contemporary than a regular mage in the mid lane, you’d have to concede that Zven’s AP Kai’sa build is the most ‘out there’ part of the comp.

The AP ADC was a running theme for TSM this weekend as whole, actually. Sunday saw Zven take an AP on-hit Varus to the bot lane as well.

So what does this mean?

It means that

  1. TSM aren’t into cheese strats
  2. AP ADC’s with good on-hit effects might be stronger than their high-crit counterparts
  3. An old-fashioned composition is still viable, even if it has a splash of Faker’s Irelia Mid Lane mixed in.

#2) Counter-Logic Gaming

Whether or not the team will continue their run of ‘yeah, okay, i guess’ remains to be seen, but what they’ve shown us is that support Mids aren’t everything their cracked up to be.  And yes, in the case of CLG, a ‘yeah, okay, I guess’ run of form is impressive. Sorry, guys.

In their second game of the week against 100Thieves, CLG pulled a victory from the defending title winners using a standard lineup that consisted of the following.

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  • Top – Darshan’s Ornn
  • Jungle – Huhi’s Olaf
  • Mid – Huhi’s Syndra
  • ADC – Sitxxay’s Ezreal
  • Support – Biofrost’s Braum

Three tanks, and two damage dealers. Similar to TSM, but different in the sense that the mid and the ADC were built a little more traditionally, and without any Irelia business, further cementing the idea that the old-school meta hasn’t fallen out of favor completely.

That being said…

#1) Echo Fox

Huni himself said, “It’s my meta.” and looking at his champion / role pool this weekend, its hard to argue against it.

Echo Fox are 2-0 after this weekend, and they look to be the new rivals of TSM for the summer split with their stark contrast in play style.

Where TSM enjoy their traditional line-ups, Echo Fox have thrown the rule book out the window: Huni playing Yasuo bottom lane, Altec going Mundo top, Huni playing in the jungle… Huni, Huni, Huni.

It’s his split to shine, and its also because of him that the newer, crazier style of LoL is getting more traction than it otherwise would have.

EF have taken the wild meta a step further and instead of letting players pick weird champs, they are letting the players pick weird roles. There’s an element of skill that might be in play, but no one can deny the power that not knowing what the hell your opponent’s are thinking has.

And no one, not even the biggest of fans, know what Echo Fox is thinking right now.

Next: Three Eternal Principles of Solo Queue

So what does this mean?

It means the best teams are the best because they are the best teams, and not because they have the best strategy. When anything seems to be working, games become boiled down to a simple science: Who is better?

TSM have their traditional way, Echo Fox have their contemporary wild way, and CLG will probably be the kind of team to use both depending on what seems to work for them.

And that, in a nutshell, is the NA LCS meta.

For now, at least.

-GLHF

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