League of Legends LCS semifinal preview Cloud9 vs. CLG – perfectly balanced
By Josh Tyler
Top lane
Eric “Licorice” Ritchie vs. Kim “Ruin” Hyeong-min
For most of the split, I thought that Licorice was the best top laner in the LCS, only getting passed by Impact at the end of the season. Boasting the second-highest aKDA and highest vision score per minute among top laners, Licorice had an exceptional season that was far below his expectations.
However, Licorice wasn’t just lapped by Impact towards the end of the season. In the last weeks it became evident that, although he is not an MVP-caliber player, Ruin is a damn good top laner.
Although his KDA numbers are below average (1.95 aKDA and 91.1% aKP), Ruin has been exceptional in terms of gold and damage contributions. His 278 aGPM is higher than anyone in the LCS, including carry top laners like Huni, Solo, and V1per. His 478 aDPM, second-best behind only Impact (and Kumo in a four-game sample size).
In terms of laning, it’s incredible to say given how good Licorice was in spring, but Ruin has been massively better. Other than Impact and Solo, no player has been able to do more in his laning phase than Ruin. Considering how much attention the teams may be paying to top lane, I’ll give the edge to the guy who can take a carry advantage and do something with it.
Advantage: CLG