The opening weekend of North American and European League of Legends action saw six recently graduated Oceanic Pro League players take to the rift across the LEC, LCS and LCS Academy.

While this is not the first time players from Oceania have stepped up to play in major regions (see: Victor “FBI” Huang and Lawrence “Lost” Hui), the sheer number of oceanic players now being given an opportunity to regularly showcase their talent on an international stage was cause for celebration amongst OPL fans. By contrast, the international community had eyebrows raised. Question marks hung over the validity of signing so many players perceived to be from a weaker region, particularly at the expense of veteran players and known quantities. By the close of opening weekend, the oceanic exports had delivered convincing arguments in their own favour.

The prospect of signing players from Oceania became more attractive for North American organisations in November of 2019 after Riot Games updated their rules on the importation of non-resident players. The update granted organisations an additional import spot for their academy team, with the caveat that it could only be filled by a player from a “participating emerging region”. Suddenly, importing a player from Oceania did not impinge upon the single, valuable non-resident player spot available to NA Academy teams.

As a consequence, three of the five members of Mammoth’s 2019 World Championship play-in roster found homes on NA academy teams. Top laner Ibrahim “Fudge” Allami and bot lane Calvin “K1ng” Truong joined Cloud9 Academy, while Stephen “Triple” Li stepped in to the mid lane for FlyQuest Academy. Both teams recorded wins in their opening matches this past weekend.

A fourth member of the 2019 OPL championship winning Mammoth squad made the direct transition from the OPL to a major region league. When he took to the rift as Support for Origen, Mitchell “Destiny” Shaw became the first OPL player to compete in the LEC. Destiny looked at home on the Origen roster, demonstrating proficiency on Rakan and Nautilus during the team’s victories over Fnatic and Schalke 04 respectively. There were no signs of nerves from the new support – Destiny could be seen flashing forward to engage enemies, and expertly threading the needle with Nautilus hooks.

In his post-game lobby with Eefje “Sjokz” Depoortere and Jakob “YamatoCannon” Mebdi on day 1 of the LEC, Origen’s bot lane Elias “Upset” Lipp spoke highly of Destiny.

“…I’ve been pretty happy with him so far. I think that he is not just good in the game, but he has a really great attitude and is really looking to learn from everyone on the team because obviously he comes from a weaker region. I see weekly improvement. I was super happy with the way he played today. Hylissang definitely did not play better than him, and Hylissang is considered to be one of the best supports.”

Former Bombers mid lane and 2019 oceanic representative at the Mid Season Invitational, Tommy “Ryoma” Le also made the leap from OPL to a major region. He impressed new 100 Thieves League of Legends GM Chris “Papasmithy” Smith enough to earn a place on the team’s starting roster for the LCS.

Ryoma was given no time to ease in to the LCS. He faced off against NA’s golden boy in the mid lane “Goldenglue” when 100 Thieves played Golden Guardians in the third match of the LCS Spring split. By the mid-game, Ryoma’s Zoe was three levels and multiple kills behind Goldenglue’s Le Blanc. Instead of making desperation plays, Ryoma stuck to the game plan. His Sleepy Trouble Bubbles and Paddle Stars were enough to delay fights, create significant problems for Golden Guardians, and help keep 100 Thieves competitive in (what could only be described as) a messy match.

In the end, 100 Thieves claimed victory after a win in a fight around Elder Dragon. Ryoma finished the match on a respectable 4/1/9 record. He did not carry the game, but there was no doubt that he needed to be carried.

During the LCS Spring Split, Ryoma will face off against another former OPL champion – Shern “Shernfire” Tai. Shernfire last competed in the OPL in 2018 as part of the Dire Wolves roster. The team won both OPL titles that year and represented Oceania at the World Championships. Shernfire was initially signed as the Jungler for Team Liquid Academy. However, issues with Mads “Broxah” Brock-Pedersen’s visa saw Shernfire called up to the LCS to face Cloud9 in Team Liquid’s first match of the 2020 spring split. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the LCS debut that Shernfire had hoped for. The team lost to a confident-looking Cloud9. Two days later, Shernfire tasted victory when Team Liquid defeated TSM.

The opening weekend of the LEC, LCS and LCS Academy was one of great success for the recently exported Oceania players. While the performances of these players may not yet answer all the questions around the signing of minor region players, they promise an exciting future.

Make sure you tune in to support all our oceanic representatives when they play internationally.

Catch all the action in the LEC at twitch.tv/LEC

Catch all the action in the LCS at twitch.tv/LCS

Scott “Westonway” Farmer is the king of home improvement.

During his four years as a League of Legends coach, Westonway took Abyss from the Oceanic Challenger Series to the Oceanic Pro League, and was instrumental in the Bombers rise from a middling team to OPL champions.

Last split, his position as an analyst for EXCEL in the LEC provided Farmer with the opportunity to improve his understanding of the game and develop new coaching strategies. Now, he is back in Oceania to coach the OPL’s newest team – Pentanet.GG. Westonway expects to surprise the OPL teams. I just hope he calls his VOD reviews “Tool Time”.

Pentanet.GG is the esports arm of Perth-based telecommunications company, Pentanet. Early last month, the company announced that it had acquired the OPL slot previously owned by the Essendon Football Club. Since then, Pentanet has already established a strong social media game and invested heavily in branding.

Westonway had no hesitation about joining Pentanet.GG. “The general manager, Pete Curulli, is somebody with a well-established reputation in the scene, and I instantly had a good impression from how closely he’s working with the team,” he explains. “There was never a question of trust in working with the new organisation.”

It appears that players had no hesitation to join Pentanet.GG either. The team revealed a star-studded line-up, which includes previous OPL title winners Biopanther and Rogue.

“This is a team that works really well together already,” asserts Westonway. He acknowledges that some of the players have pre-existing rift relationships, for example Biopanther and Getback played together at the Dire Wolves. However, Westonway attributes the team’s instant cohesion to another factor.

“We wanted to build a team comprised of players with really positive and hardworking personalities,” he explains. “We achieved that. Every player on this team also has a reputation for being a great teammate, which is really showing through in practice. All the players are learning at a very fast rate, and everyone is very supportive of each other.”

Westonway has previously worked with Praedyth and Rogue, but it is Souli – the team’s only rookie – who has piqued his coaching interest. Last split, Souli was the sub in the jungle position for Order, where he was mentored by Spookz (now two-way player-coach for Golden Guardians in the LCS Academy).

“My role as coach changes depending on the player,” explains Westonway. “I’m really looking forward to working with Souli – to help him grow within the game. He has a great attitude and work ethic.”

Westonway hopes that his experience in the LEC will give all the Pentanet.GG players an edge in the OPL.

“The biggest difference between LEC and OPL was the way in which the players played the game,” recalls Westonway. “I think that players in the LEC are a lot more creative than players in the OPL in terms of the strategies they employ. In the LEC, you are encouraged to put together strategies that are about winning the game rather than perfecting League of Legends. They press advantages really hard; the games are a lot faster paced and a lot more punishing. Players are more willing to try new things.”

“This is probably the point in my career at which I have the strongest game knowledge and the strongest ability to coach as well. I feel confident that I can bring some of the LEC flavour to Pentanet.GG.”

We’re excited to officially announce the signing of our Head Coach for the 2020 Oceanic Pro League season, Westonway! #OPLTrades

? @Windowsmonkey pic.twitter.com/tptFGzpIeK

— Pentanet.GG (@PentanetGG) January 19, 2020

Westonway’s accomplishments give him the right to talk a big game, but he is realistic about his goals and expectations for the team during this split.

“I would really like Pentanet.GG to be a team which improves the most over the course of the split,” he explains. “We have a really great environment and positive, hard working players, so the rate of improvement for this team should be fast. We do have a mix of player experience levels, and when you’re a rookie it can take time to adjust to competitive play. So, time is probably our biggest challenge. Can we reach those goals of improvement in the necessary time frames to be our best selves by play offs?

“As far as a results-based goal, we’ll be competitive, but it is team improvement on an organisational level that we’re focused on. We’re setting realistic expectations on ourselves first and if we can achieve those, then I’m confident our results in the OPL will reflect that”

If anyone is still on the fence about whether to support Pentanet.GG this split, Westonway has some parting words.

“This team will be a really fun team to watch and it has some huge potential. Everybody likes to throw that word around – potential – but I really think that any fan that picks us and has faith in us… by the end of the year, it will pay off.”

The Oceania Pro League is returning on January 31, 2020, with games to be played on Fridays and Saturdays from 4pm AEDT.

Photography courtesy of Riot Games

“Do you want to compete?” asks Josh Inman, Operations Manager at ESL Australia. “We have an available spot in the last chance qualifier. You’ll be playing right now. On stage.”

It was the actualization of one of those rags to riches fantasies in which you’re plucked from obscurity to join the ranks of the elite. You know the ones. You’re staring forlornly at your economy class ticket when a flight attendant announces that you’ve been upgraded to business class. Or maybe Jurgen Klopp turns up at your local football match – he’s a fan of your work – to whisk you away to the English Premier League.

No-one turns down the extra legroom or the opportunity to play football at Anfield.

Played over four phases, Red Bull’s Player Unknown Battlegrounds (PUBG) tournament – Fight or Flight – offered amateurs the opportunity to frag alongside professional players while also competing for a paid trip to spectate the PUBG Global Championship in Oakland, USA. Six teams earned their place in the final through phases one and two – a series of matches at PAX AUS 2019 and an online qualifier, respectively. Now, only the two last chance qualifiers remained before an epic twelve-team final.

“Do you want to compete in the last chance qualifier?” There was only one answer to Josh’s question.

Went to #RedBullFightOrFlight to write.
But now I’m competing.
Wait… what?

Cheer us on in Qualifier 2 – team name: Press F. pic.twitter.com/DyGKjgYM9z

— Ellis Longhurst (@BicycEllis) November 2, 2019

Red Bull and ESL Australia promised that their Fight or Flight event would be “PUBG but not as you know it.” As I donned a high-end OMEN headset, and looked out at the cheering crowd and the three professional commentators – surrounded by cameras ready to broadcast our match to thousands of PUBG fans online – I couldn’t help but marvel at how successfully that promise had been kept. This was event production on an epic scale… a far cry from online play at home. Even the game operated differently. The circle closed quicker and the time to revive allies was reduced.

Among the twelve teams that progressed to the final were heavyweights of the Australian PUBG community – Team Immunity, Justice Esports, Team Bliss, and Space Rats. One of these teams was expected to punch their ticket to Oakland.

However, the casters present arguments for the eight amateur teams. Professional players are accustomed to playing by the perceived rules of the standard pro metagame, so perhaps the amateur teams could surprise them? It’s compelling… but the upset doesn’t come to fruition. Immunity fended off a spirited effort from Justice Esports to earn two Chicken Dinners and claim victory overall.

One of the amateur teams chasing Immunity was Sakura. They emerged from the second match of the finals in touching distance of 2nd place and finished the tournament highest of the amateur teams in 4th place.

Sakura came together days before the tournament when team member Justin Mylan put out a call for teammates on Discord. The final team comprised a mixed bag of amateur players keen to prove themselves.  “I have been playing PUBG for about two years now, but only competitively for about six months,” he explains. “My teammates haven’t played too much competitive either. Except for our team captain, ‘Ducklipz’ – she has played open league and amateurs.”

Justin was excited about having the opportunity to show off his skills on-stage and against professional teams. “One of the standout moments was when ‘Ducklipz’ and I were absolutely fragging out,” reminisces Justin. “I somehow had my earbuds in the wrong way and was still able to 180 snap onto a player to save my team.”

The Red Bull Fight or Flight event gave amateur PUBG players the opportunity to compete like a pro. For Justin and the rest of Sakura, it has inspired them to continue to pursue the game competitively. “The Redbull Fight or Flight event was my first LAN event, and it was such an eye-opener to what top tier esports can be,” he said. “It was amazing. It was like playing at a major international event. All I know is that it is only up from here.”

Perhaps next year we will see team Sakura at the PUBG Global Championships. For now, they will have to be content watching it live on Twitch from now until November 24th. Based on the results my team achieved in the last chance qualifier, I might be better off practicing my free kicks.

This year, PAX AUS was dominated by esports. The exhibit floor was awash with tournaments, player meet and greet sessions, merchandise, and casual games. Everyone was chasing the high of a chicken dinner, a victory royale or a GGWP. Everyone that is, except for a handful of university students. They were chasing a plain old victory and the cash prize that accompanied it.

Beats Fan Club, a League of Legends team comprised of five university students, had traveled to PAX AUS to compete in the University Esports League (UEL) finals. Backed by a range of sponsors, the UEL gives Australian TAFE and University students the opportunity to compete in League of Legends, Overwatch or Counter-Strike: Global Offensive tournaments for cash prizes. Beats Fan Club was very familiar with the UEL – they won the League of Legends tournament last year.

Gian “Styled” Leon, who plays in the bot lane for Beats Fan Club, was confident the team would repeat their success. “When we entered this tournament, we knew that anything but winning would be a bad result,” he said.

Given the resumes of the individual team members, it is hard to disagree with Gian’s prediction. David “Beats” Nguyen-Dang and Michael “Minhcam” Cam, who play in the top lane and jungle respectively, competed for Chiefs Academy in the 2019 Oceanic Challenger Series; Gian competed for Avant Academy; mid-laner James “Halo” Giacoumakis competed for Mammoth Academy, and Support player Jordan “Kpop” Hazeltine has competed for a range of OCS teams since early 2017. Once rivals on the rift, now a mere best-of-three series stood in their way of a joint victory, a novelty check, and a trophy.

Their experience as competitors gave Beats Fan Club an edge over their opponents, but it wasn’t as easy as walking up to the enemy nexus and blowing it over. Prior to the finals, only Kpop and Beats had met face to face (such is the nature of online teams), and playing in a LAN tournament posed other unexpected challenges. “Playing on the ASUS/Hive stage with the casters yelling and the crowd right in front of us meant that we couldn’t hear each other,” recalls Gian.

The ability to keep your emotions in check and cope with pressure is critical to success in League of Legends. This is something that Curtin University student, Gian understands well. “I don’t usually feel too much pressure when I’m playing on stage or in front of a crowd,” he says. “However, the fact that we couldn’t communicate effectively during the game was really problematic. This tilted us and was the reason we lost the first game.”

In qualifying, the team didn’t lose a series, and they were not about to start now. Relying on their individual skill as competitors, the team were able to bounce back to a two to one victory. For the second year in a row, Beats Fan Club earned the title of UEL Champions.

For these five players, the UEL provided an opportunity to hone their skills during the competitive off-season. Gian views every tournament experience as an opportunity to grow. “Every tournament is a stepping stone. For example, the OCS is a stepping stone into the OPL,” he explains. “Hopefully I can perform well individually and I can perform well as part of a team in the OCS next year… and then, who knows…”

“The thrill of competition and that strive for perfection keeps me going, but it’s also about balance. For me, it’s all about keeping a schedule – University in the morning and League at night.”

Like a typical Uni student, Gian assures me that the $1200 cash prize would be spent on food. And RP. It’s all about balance.

After the exhibition hall doors of PAX Aus were closed to the public and the noise of the Saturday crowds had finally dissipated, the ESL stage, alone, remained lit – a beacon to anyone who wasn’t ready to call it a day.

Roped off and with only a couple of hundred seats available, it felt like an intimate and exclusive experience awaited. The free food and open bar coaxed me further, but it was the epic scenes that played out over the next four hours that kept me glued to my seat.

Eight players took to the stage to compete in the finals of TOTAL KOMBAT AUSTRALIA – a Mortal Kombat XI tournament organised by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and ESL.

Three of these players earned flights, accommodation and a place in the tournament by winning a regional qualifier. The others earned their place at the last minute through the PAX tournaments.

Now, they were all in touching distance of the top prize – flights, accommodation, and free entry to compete at the NEC 20 Pro Kompetition qualifier in Philadelphia, USA, as well as a share in over $20,000 worth of prize money.

Tasman “Waz” Stoker was one of the players around which much excitement was generated. Representing the esports organisation Dark Sided, his achievements include a 5th place and 9th place finish at Combo Breaker 2018 and 2019, respectively.

He was also one of only fourteen players from around the world to be invited to compete at the 2019 Summit of Time – a tournament at which he mashed buttons alongside 2018 Esports Player of the Year, Dominique “SonicFox” McLean.

Having won the Sydney regional qualifier for the TOTAL KOMBAT AUSTRALIA tournament, Waz starts the finals series on the winner’s side of the double-elimination bracket. Contrary to his opponents, and in defiance of most Mortal Kombat highlight reels, he favours a slow and controlled fighting style. He prefers to poke at his opponent and whittle down their health bar.

In a game where players are punished by hard-hitting combos and take massive damage if their selections are not frame-perfect, Waz’s strategy may seem risky. But he assures me that it’s actually a safe and consistent way to play. Waz dispatches three players to the loser’s bracket and sets up a final match between himself and Edison “Googie” Nguyen of Oddity Esports.

The opportunity to represent Australia at an international qualifier was now closer than ever.

At this point in the tournament, it is past 9pm and the free food and open bar have long been forgotten.  All eyes are on Waz and Googie as they take to the stage for the final match. This roped-off corner of the PAX exhibition hall is now packed. Standing room only is not a deterrent.

Waz looks relaxed. His demeanour isn’t a result of arrogance; rather it is all part of his strategy.

“I always like to meditate or relax before the set, it’s just a way to keep me focused and not let nerves or anything get in the way,” mentions Waz post-tournament.

Having breezed through the winner’s bracket with mostly 3-0 victories, he has had time to sit back and meditate through the last few. Googie takes a deep breath. He hasn’t had time to regroup. The seat is still warm from where he sat, moments earlier, trying to keep his tournament hopes alive.

He has played double the number of matches as Waz and each one was under the intense pressure that comes from the threat of elimination. There was even a shaky moment where he was a set down to the dark horse of the competition. How could that not play on his mind?

As training partners, Waz and Googie have a read on each other. “Facing your training partner is certainly a double-edged sword,” admits Waz. “On the one hand, it is good because you know a lot of their tendencies. However, they also know a lot about your tendencies.”

There would be no need to collect data on the opponent by starting with standard play. It would require rapid innovation from either player to gain an edge over their opponent in this match.

Unsurprisingly, it is Waz who brings something different to the stage. He selects Cetrion for the first set – a fighter we haven’t seen yet this tournament. The crowd erupts. Googie responds with Geras. Maybe this is his counter-pick. Maybe he has faith in muscle memory.

As soon as they begin to fight, it is clear that Waz will continue to dominate this competition. He effortlessly transitions between a poke strategy and huge damage-dealing combos. The first set is over … and then the match. Waz earns himself the title of Australian Total Kombat Champion and punches his ticket to the US for the NEC 2020 qualifier.

“I’d like to give a big shout out to the whole AUS/NZ community for keeping the game alive,” says Waz after the tournament.

“Thank you to Googie and Blake “Castiel” Asquith for training with me so much in the weeks leading up to PAX, and to my team Dark Sided and my family for backing what I do. I expected the grand final to be closer because Googie has been training with me so much and has levelled up a lot, but I think he was gassed out by the time he got there.”

One thing is certain – those 200-odd people in the exhibition hall at PAX late into Saturday night witnessed something special. It was artistry from a true master of Mortal Kombat.

If you would like to become involved in the Mortal Kombat community in Australia, you can find out more information via the links below:

NRS Community Australia and New Zealand Facebook

Official ANZ NRS Hub Discord

Aus Kombat on Twitter

Header image credit: Sarah Cooper, ESL & Steve Andreou, Dark Sided

Last weekend, over 80,000 people descended on the Sydney Olympic Park precinct to see the Canberra Raiders take on the Sydney Roosters in the 2019 NRL grand final.

Amongst the sea of blue-specked green could be found a handful of young adults who were there for a completely different reason – to earn prize money and, for one, to eventually own a dog.

The five players, aged between 13 and 17 years, were gathered to compete in the League Royale – a Fortnite competition organized by Let’s Play Live (LPL) in partnership with the NRL. These players earned flights, accommodation and a ticket to the NRL grand final by placing in the top 5 during the LPL qualifiers. Now, they had to battle 5 content creators/influencers, 3 NRL players, each other and over 60 pros competing from home to earn a share of over $18,000 worth of prizes.

This is not the first time that traditional sports and esports have intersected. Earlier this year the Australian Open also played host to a Fortnite competition, albeit on a much larger scale. The AFL have invested in professional and high school League of Legends in Oceania. The A-League has a video game equivalent called the E-League. These are just some of many examples.

Despite the best efforts of stream host Robert “ManicMunday” Munday, it was a slow start to the day at the League Royale, with crowds anywhere but the LPL stage. However, this all changed when the three scheduled NRL talent – Josh Mansour of the Penrith Panthers, Ryan James of the Gold Coast Titans, and Benji Marshall of the Wests Tigers – turned up to play, and the competition began in earnest. Josh and Ryan promised big performances but recorded an early exit in the first two matches. In the end, it was smiles from the trio, who shared a moment with fans before leaving prior to the third match.

As expected, the top 5 qualifiers had much more compelling performances. Before the matches, the five teens chatted and laughed, but once the headsets were donned, steely expressions indicated that it was time for serious business.

For some of these competitors, Fortnite IS serious business. Ryley “Jynx” Linde is a sponsored player for the Esports organization Corvidae. He’s hoping to turn enough money playing Fortnite to turn it into a career. It’s not unrealistic. Earlier this year, Kyle “Bugha” Giersdorf earned $3 million USD at the Fortnite World Cup. Closer to home, the Fortnite Summer Smash at the Australian Open offered a prize pool of $300,000.

Matthew “LunR” Conlon was the winner of the LPL qualifiers, meaning he was the one to watch at the League Royale. He wants to share in the big Fortnite money so he can buy a house for his family. It’s an admirable and selfless goal for a 15 year old. His father, Jason Conlon, is quick to reveal the whole story. “He really wants a Samoyed. It’s a fluffy, white dog that looks like a cloud. If we move into our own home, then we can get a dog. It’s Matthew’s dream to own his own cloud dog.”

In the first match, with half the players remaining, we hadn’t seen LunR at all. I make this remark to Jason. He doesn’t seem phased. “That’s LunR’s strategy. He will lay low and try to go for the placement points rather than trying to accumulate eliminations.”

The strategy works. With 15 players remaining, we finally see LunR. He fends off an onslaught of fire from competitors with quick builds and bold rotations, eventually placing second. The placement points are good, but he only secured one elimination. The Victory Royale and a whopping seven eliminations went to @PriceFNBR – one of the qualifiers playing from home. Price was going to be difficult to catch.

Unfortunately for the on-stage pros, and LunR’s canine-owning aspirations, the next two rounds don’t go so smoothly. LunR is out early, while Jynx is only able to record a top 20 placement in the final round. In the end, it was Price who secured the victory and the right to have the last dance.

While you’re catching up on the LPL twitch VODs here, LunR will be working on getting his Samoyed.

It takes a certain je ne sais quoi to master an activity, to be recognised as one of the best in your field, and to rise above the jack of all trades. But what does it take to become a specialist in two pursuits? Perhaps something more than the ability to speak French. 

There is precedence. John Surtees won multiple Grand Prix motorcycle racing world championships before earning another in Formula One. Ellyse Perry represented Australia at the Cricket and Soccer World Cups. In League of Legends, there is Luka “Perkz” Perkovic. He dominated Europe from the mid lane, and continues to do so from a new lane. So talented is Perkz in his new role that he and teammate Rasmus “Caps” Winther have earned themselves a nickname- the artists of EU.

The Oceanic Pro League has its own example. This one features not one, but two players – teammates, even – making names as a dual specialists. One was called Crazyee, the other prefers Mark. Let me paint you their picture. 

Our story begins in Split 1 2019. Legacy Esports turned heads when they reveal their starting line-up would feature Mark “Praedyth” Lewis – an established top laner – in the ADC position. A week later, they raised eyebrows when his lane partner turned out to be William “Crazyee” Dobie – a first time support – of ADC origin. Question marks hung over the suitability of these players. Legacy’s power ranking plummeted. 

Behind the scenes, Praedyth was unfazed.

 “The role swap was not a huge problem for me. I have been playing off-role as an ADC since I was practicing in Korea in the middle of season 8,” explains Praedyth. 

“I thought it would be awesome to commit to the bot lane because it is a lane in which you have someone else to learn and grow with. If you were both good enough, you could become a pair that is feared and respected like FBI and Rogue.” 

Crayzee was definitely the partner to learn and grow with.  

“I was signed to be Legacy Genesis’ ADC and the OPL team’s sub for 2019. One or two weeks before the start of the split, I was informed that I would be needed to play the first week of the OPL. When I heard that, I swapped to playing support in solo queue. After a couple of scrims, I was asked if I wanted to role swap permanently and be the starting support for the OPL team.” 

Where Praedyth had played on numerous OPL teams from the age of 17, Crayzee’s resume featured far less on-stage experience, and nothing from the support role. His last taste of the OPL was a winless split with Exile 5 back in 2017.

However, it was not all doom and gloom bots for Crayzee. 

“I already had knowledge of the laning aspects for Support because I was swapping from AD,” he explains. “On top of that, our coach [James “Denian” Goddard] was able to guide me, as he has done the swap too.

“In general, we have a great set up at Legacy Esports and we put in a lot of work to make sure that we have the best chance to win. So, outside of the normal pressure that any player feels, I didn’t feel there was any added.”

If Praedyth feels any pressure to perform, he doesn’t show it. In post-match interviews, he appears to walk the thin line between confidence and arrogance. 

“I normally try to make my interviews a little more interesting by making bold, confident statements. I do believe that if you’re playing anything competitively, you should believe that you can be the best. But I do respect the good ADCs in our league. Last season, Raes and FBI definitely outperformed me.” 

He is keenly aware that belief is not everything. “Most of my focus while practicing for the new ADC role went into learning how to set up minion waves properly, and positioning well for team fights. It was quite strange to play as the most influential member in a team fight, and that took a lot of practice and research to become good at. 

“Switching roles and remaining in the OPL is highly unlikely, so being able to do that and not having to go back through the OCS feels like a pretty big success to me.”
– Mark “Praedyth” Lewis

A lane duo that both Praedyth and Crayzee respect and take their inspiration from is Team Liquid’s Yilliang “Doublelift” Peng and Jo “CoreJJ” Yong-in. 

“They are the duo that I would compare us to,” says Crayzee. “It’s because, like them, we go in confident, we can win any lane, and I know Praedyth can carry any game if he is given the tools to do so.” 

Despite all the confidence, Legacy Esports finished the first split of 2019 in 7th place. However, the standing belied a strong final third of the split that saw close matches between Legacy and teams at the top of the table. 

Off the back of these performances, they were unarguably the most improved team of the split, with the title of most improved player firmly in Praedyth’s grasp. 

This split they look to continue this upward trajectory. “Going in to this season, I expect no excuses from anyone. We continue to work hard. Either we win, or we’re not good enough.” 

So we are closer to an answer. To specialize in two fields, we need equal parts confidence and hard work. Using this combination, will Praedyth and Crayzee create a Rembrandt on the rift? Or a faux Bob Ross Gragas? 

Shoutouts 

Praedyth: I want to thank my parents, who have always been supportive of me. I also want to thank my friends who watched all my games. 

Crayzee: Shoutout to all my former teammates, in particular Seb, FivetoEight, Chrismastrees and my old coach, Jordy. Also, to Tim [Carbon] for picking me up and being nothing but supportive the whole time. Last but not least, my girlfriend Eva and my parents who have also been nothing but supportive. 

Unlike their namesake, the history of Mammoth is quite short. However, don’t let the organisation’s history distract you from the fact that this is one of the most experienced teams in the OPL.

The trio Stephen “Triple” Li, Calvin “K1ng” Truong and Mitchell “Destiny” Shaw have eight OPL titles between them. Leo “Babip” Romer and Ji-hoon “Topoon” Kim have been rising stars of the OPL over the last couple of years and have forged a crucial part of the Mammoth super team.

Born from the ashes of Sin Gaming, Mammoth first stampeded onto the Rift in Split 2 of 2018. They may have stampeded in the wrong direction, as they finished the season with a record of 3-7. Despite missing out on a gauntlet position, Mammoth succeeded off the rift. #TUSKSUP and images of plush mammoths won over many OPL fans and presumably some Elephantidae enthusiasts.

Absolute honour and privelege. I will produce the results! ? https://t.co/w5TJxjsyOe

— Richard Su (@Phantiks) December 5, 2018

The Gauntlet 

Coming into the gauntlet at fourth place means that Mammoth have a prehistoric mammal of a job ahead of them if they want to join Bombers in the grand final. However, it’s in Mammoth’s blood – after all, they were born from the team known for the Sinderella story.

Interestingly, one aspect of the Gauntlet favours Mammoth. While the regular season was a best-of-one format, the gauntlet matches are best-of-five – at which Mammoth have been predicted to excel.

“Due to the number of strategies and adaptations required across the multiple games, the best-of-five format is a true indication of who is the better team,” explains Destiny.

“I believe our team will do better [in the best of 5 format], as we have had many successful experiences in the past.” – Mitchell ‘Destiny’ Shaw

Babip also believes that playing a best-of-five removes a lot of the pressure for the team. “Playing a best-of-five takes a lot of the stress away compared to the best-of-one. Knowing that the better team will take the series at the end of it gives me confidence we will do well.”

In the first round of the gauntlet, Mammoth face Order – a team that surprised many when they struggled throughout the season, and then again when they scraped into fifth place.

Mammoth come into this match looking the better of the two squads. They had a 2-1 head to head record over Order in the regular season and appear to be playing with more conviction than their opponent.

Regardless, Destiny is keenly aware that “mental fortitude will play a major part” for both teams.

Player to watch

Stephen “Triple” Li. Triple by name, Triple kill by nature.

This mid lane dynamo has proven time and time again that he is a force to be reckoned with, consistently making disciplined decisions and executing strategies flawlessly.

In the 2018 season, Triple was part of the 20-0, dual premiership Dire Wolves squad, competed at the Mid-Season Invitational, and the Worlds Play-in. He and bot lane teammate k1ng have recently stepped into the international spotlight and are likely driven to make sure they stay there.

In the match against Order, all eyes should be glued to the mid lane, as Triple faces off against Simon “Swiffer” Papamarkos. Order are known to favour their jungle-mid combination, both of whom are players known to have their performance greatly affected by their emotions. If Triple can dominate his lane, Order could struggle.

If Mammoth can turn Order into chaos, they will face off against Avant Gaming in the second round of the gauntlet. Avant Gaming may prove to be a challenging opponent for Mammoth. Their unconventional, flexible pool of champions make them difficult to prepare against and their 2-1 head to head record against Mammoth this season will give them confidence heading into the match.

On the flip side, four of the five players on Mammoth have experience competing in high-pressure best-of-5 matches while most of the Avant Gaming players are gauntlet debutantes.

Clip: Triple gets himself a Pentakill in Week 10 of the OPL.

If Mammoth defeat Avant Gaming, they must face one of the two teams who have had a stranglehold on the competition – The Chiefs. At this point, one would wonder about the performance effects of momentum and fatigue. These are factors that the team acknowledges.

“We believe we can run the whole thing as long as we have the endurance to do so,” said Destiny. “I’m glad to have this opportunity to do something that nobody has ever done before and I know my teammates feel the same way. The better team will always win, so if we lose, we can accept that.”

Babip backed up Destiny, saying “although it’s not where we hoped we would be, it’s kind of exciting to have the chance to be the first team to run the gauntlet successfully.”

Will Mammoth trample the gauntlet and meet the Bombers in the final, or will they end up as fossils? It’s a challenging road, but with the experience of this herd, anything is possible.

Catch the Mammoth vs Order game on Thursday 27 March via the RiotGamesOCE Twitch channel.

You can follow Destiny, Babip and Mammoth on Twitter.