When someone brings up the name "Easyhoon," the reactions are mixed.
They range from: "Why is he still on SK Telecom T1? He put me to sleep with his Ziggs play," to the ever popular, "What the hell, why is SKT T1 playing him over Faker!?" to the always loving, "Who?"
No matter what Easyhoon does on SK Telecom T1, he will never be Faker. If he plays perfect from this point on, and doesn't lose another game for the rest of 2015, people will still clamor for Faker to be the starter over him. With Faker, the League of Legends scene has seen him grow before their eyes – from hyped, brash rookie, to the best player in the world, countless titles and a Worlds MVP under his belt.
Summer of Fire
Easyhoon, who started his career before Faker, played on the amateur GSG. Ironically seen as a boring grinder during his days on SKT T1 S, Easyhoon was a part of one of the most innovative, exciting games in LoL history. GSG won 2012-2013 NLB Winter against CJ Entus using an unorthodox strategy centered around a jungle Heimerdinger with four Doran's Rings. With the victory, Easyhoon and his GSG teammates re-qualified for Champions Spring 2013.
Their first season in Champions, GSG didn't have the best time. As an amateur team without the backing of an organization or the stable infrastructure, Easyhoon and the rest of the team struggled to a 2-10 record. Although there was talent, their oddball picks and strategies didn't work on the big stage, getting beat down by the more established, well-run teams. After GSG finished in last place in their group alongside MVP Blue and won NLB Winter, the latter team decided to dump most of their current roster to take a chance on GSG and their qualified spot in Champions.
Easyhoon, alongside Solo (Heart) and Cheonju (Acorn). went over to MVP Blue, with GSG's support PoohMandu going to the new SK Telecom T1 K team. SK Telecom T1, a standard bearer in Korean eSports, had finally taken the plunge into League of Legends. They had already acquired a team with former Champions winner Reapered as the star player, and they now were building a second team around a promising rookie called Faker.
Moving from a team that had fun with the game, playing unique champions not standard in the meta, to a more polished, refined Champions team, Easyhoon became one of the strongest mid-lane players from his debut onward. MVP Blue picked up a young AD Carry from solo queue, Deft, and never looked back, as they vied to become one of the elite teams in Korea.
Faker's Shadow
The new MVP Blue's debut into Champions wasn't the strongest, finishing last place in their first-round group with a disappointing 3-7 record. The transition from an amateur setting to a professional structure was difficult for everyone on the team – except Easyhoon. In a season where his team finished in last place, Easyhoon placed second in KDA rankings for Mid players, with an astonishing 4.40 ratio.
Right below him was SK Telecom T1's new golden boy, Faker, finishing his rookie season with a 4.19 KDA. More importantly, Faker led his team as a rookie to a third-place finish, eclipsing Easyhoon's individual accomplishments. Easyhoon might have had the overall better season statistically, but Faker brought a sense of excitement and play-making ability that Easyhoon simply couldn't.
The first meeting between the two in Spring would summarize their futures – Easyhoon on his signature Karthus, and Faker on what would become his signature LeBlanc, highly mobile with the ability to make awe-inspiring plays. With the gold tied in the early part of the game, Faker turned the tide with an all-in solo kill of Easyhoon's Karthus. While Easyhoon would keep safe and play well after the single outplay, it didn't matter – Faker snowballed that single opening and rolled SKT T1 K to a blowout victory.
In a world without Faker, Easyhoon could have been the king of Champions. His main champions – Karthus, Orianna, Ryze and Ziggs – weren't similar to Faker's assassin-happy favorites, such as Ahri, Zed or LeBlanc. But there was no question about his strength in lane and team fighting. Where Faker's strengths were quick thinking and outstanding mechanical skill, Easyhoon relied on his positioning and slow, methodical timings to give him an advantage.
Faker's meteoric rise continued, winning Champions Summer and then going onto raise the Summoner's Cup in Los Angeles. Easyhoon, still in Korea, had to watch on, as his own career was beginning to stagnate. He was on the verge of becoming one of the biggest names in Champions, but Faker's rise along with Dade's emergence pushed Easyhoon down the ladder.
Following Season 3, Easyhoon caught the eye of SK Telecom T1. With their secondary team not doing well compared to Faker's dominance, they looked for a change and signed Easyhoon as their Mid lane. With Marin, a player regarded as "Faker of the Top Lane" due to his solo queue performance, Easyhoon was finally put on a team where the spotlight could be on him.
Unfortunately, SKT's ideal of the S team with Easyhoon never came to fruition. Instead of SKT T1 K, which had a quick, run-and-gun offense that rewarded big plays and highlight-reel-carrying performances, SKT T1 S put the team first before everything. Marin, who people thought would turn the Top lane on its head with roams and mechanical out duels, played more utility champions to help the team win.
Easyhoon, as the centerpiece of the team, would utilize Ziggs during the champion's peak. Even when SKT T1 S would fall into impossible situations in the late game, bleeding behind a 10k gold deficit, they would extend games over the 50-minute mark with their plodding style.
Faker, with his glorious blade, would get all the praise with his masterful solo lane victories. Easyhoon would do what he did best – slowly kill his opponents, stretching the match long enough to hopefully break through. If Faker saw a wall in front of him, he would burst through with no caution in the world and reach his goal. If Easyhoon was faced with the same obstacle, he would walk up to the wall and patiently start digging into the wall with his plastic fork until he got the job done.
Lost Temple
Even in the season Easyhoon's Team S outperformed Faker's K, no-one really cared. K, who barely made it through the group stages, got stomped in the quarterfinals by rivals Samsung White. S, who quietly got through the group stages for the first time, scratched their way to a 3-2 victory over NaJin Black Sword in the quarterfinals.
In the semifinals, Easyhoon was one game away from making the Champions final. The games weren't pretty against the KT Arrows, barely scraping their way to wins and getting blown out in losses. Still, they made it to the fifth and deciding set against Arrows, but lost again in a demoralizing fashion. They got crushed by Samsung White in the third-place match, and once again, even outperforming Faker. But Easyhoon and his team were seen as boring and difficult to watch.
When it was announced Korea was disallowing an organization from having two teams, it felt like the end of Easyhoon – at least, the end of him on SK Telecom. Next to Faker, what was he? Faker was the most beloved player in Korea. Easyhoon, in comparison, was simply the guy who abused Ziggs and made it easier for people to fall asleep after his team's games. He might move to another team in KeSPA, but it seemed like his time to shine on Korea's most famous team was gone.
Surprisingly, he has stayed on SK Telecom T1 as the sub behind Faker. During the off-season, Easyhoon has been shooting up the Challenger ladder, currently 8th. Of course, Faker sits at 7th on his main SKT account, and 2nd on "Hide on bush" ID, one-upping his former rival and now teammate for the umpteenth time in their careers.
Trading off time during the preseason, Easyhoon and Faker shined with their new teammates. Easyhoon, who is familiar with Marin and the Bottom-lane duo of Bang and Wolf, has been successful with his usual robotic style. Faker, placed together with Marin, has brought out the best in the young Top-lane player, letting Marin be a Top-lane carry and live up to the potential he had when he first started with SKT T1 S.
Now with the season upon us, the opening match against NaJin e-mFire summed up Faker and Easyhoon's relationship perfectly. Faker, playing a bit arrogant, first-picked Xerath and let the NaJin team counter-pick him. On a siege champion that needs the right team composition and support to work well, Faker and the rest of SKT were trounced in the first game against Ggoong's Zed-led NaJin team.
Easyhoon, playing in the second game, waited till the last pick of the draft and chose Xerath. On the slow-moving, siege tank-like champion, Easyhoon crushed NaJin, picking up the MVP award for the game and getting SKT back into the series.
So with Easyhoon picking up a big win with his safe, simple style, and Faker falling on his face with a bit of arrogance, who did SKT choose to go with in the end? With the series on the line, SKT went with Faker, pushing Easyhoon back on the bench and letting their crown jewel have one last shot at redeeming himself.
Faker, being Faker, did just that – he picked the same LeBlanc that crushed Easyhoon in the two players' first meeting, and did the same thing against NaJin. Easyhoon, sitting from the sidelines, watched as Faker picked up the first Pentakill of the season and gained the attention for his amazing play. Easyhoon might have chipped away at the wall, but Faker was the one who finally broke it down.
If I were to tell you these were the five best Mid laners in the Korea the past two years, the obvious answer to who Player A would be easy. Yes, it's Faker, the best player in the world himself. The highest KDA, the most kills, and a bunch of assists to go along with his play-making ability.
Player C is Ggoong from NaJin e-mFire. Player D is Ambition from CJ Entus. Player E is Dade formerly of Samsung, now Master 3.
Yeah, that's that right – Player B is Easyhoon. Boring, Ziggs-stretching Easyhoon. He averages more kills than the assassin monster Ggoong, and he backs it up with having the lowest death total of the five best Mid lanes due to his cautious style. You can say that Easyhoon isn't the most exciting player, but you can't say he doesn't get the job done when it comes to picking up kills and assists.
With the season only beginning, the story of Faker and Easyhoon isn't finished. SK Telecom T1 have ended up with the two best Mid lane players in Korea – one loved and praised, the other overlooked and pushed to the side. Easyhoon has waited for his chance to shine and make a Champions final his entire career, and this SK Telecom T1 team is his best chance at getting there.
Faker will continue doing what he always does – making jaws drop and leading SKT to another chance at the Summoner's Cup. Easyhoon will stand behind him, watching and waiting for his chance. Faker might be the King of Korea, but Easyhoon will stab him continuously in the back with his plastic fork until the crown drops.
On January 09 2015 14:14 Zess wrote: Who's ambition? I've never heard of that guy.
He is the star jungler of CJ Entus.
Thank you for anyone who reads this piece. We want to bring more character/story building articles to the League of Legends community. I hope you enjoy it!
On January 09 2015 14:14 Zess wrote: Who's ambition? I've never heard of that guy.
He is the star jungler of CJ Entus.
Thank you for anyone who reads this piece. We want to bring more character/story building articles to the League of Legends community. I hope you enjoy it!
On January 09 2015 14:32 Inflicted wrote: Ahaha the Player E was so obvious, dade dies so much
His assists show how great of a team-fighting player he is. He has always been great at letting Imp/Deft clean up with his amazing team fighting engages and plays.
But yeah, Dade dies a lot of the top mid laners in the past two years of Korea. Enjoy him, China.
Excellent piece, Fionn! I especially loved the bit about Easyhoon's GSG days. That team was fun as hell to watch even if their record was less than stellar.
Also, that bit at the end with the Player A, B, C, etc was a brilliant way of ending the article and a real eye-opener - I was shocked when Player B was Easyhoon, I really thought he was going to be D or E.
If I can offer one piece of advice (and this may be a stylistic critique rather than a technical one), it would be to limit the amount of times you reference your similes. For example, the plastic fork simile is a really great and hilarious way of describing SKT T1 S (and Easyhoon, of course), but after hearing the term "plastic fork" numerous different ways it begins to lose its effect.
Other than that, the article looks great and I'm looking forward to more!
Hoon is a term used in Australia and New Zealand, to refer to anyone who engages in loutish, anti-social behaviours. In particular, it is used to refer to one who drives a car or boat in a manner which is anti-social by the standards of contemporary society, i.e. too fast, too noisily or too dangerously.
On January 09 2015 14:34 fanaticus wrote: Excellent piece, Fionn! I especially loved the bit about Easyhoon's GSG days. That team was fun as hell to watch even if their record was less than stellar.
Also, that bit at the end with the Player A, B, C, etc was a brilliant way of ending the article and a real eye-opener - I was shocked when Player B was Easyhoon, I really thought he was going to be D or E.
If I can offer one piece of advice (and this may be a stylistic critique rather than a technical one), it would be to limit the amount of times you reference your similes. For example, the plastic fork simile is a really great and hilarious way of describing SKT T1 S, but after hearing the term "plastic fork" numerous different ways it begins to lose its effect.
Other than that, the article looks great and I'm looking forward to more!
I actually really agree about your criticism! I just edited it specifically for you. <3
Thanks for reading and continue supporting! We have a lot of great pieces on the way.
Oh, and, the sentence, "Faker would get all the fans and praise, killing his foes in glorious duels with his shining blade of glory" is a bit awkward.
I'm a fairly critical reader, and the fact that there were only two things that bugged me about your article really speaks volumes of your skill at writing.
Rewatching Faker's complete destruction of MVP Blue makes me feel sorry for Blue, although I guess I can't really complain much about MVP's results in Spring :>
I'm pretty sure Easyhoon didn't last pick Xerath against NaJin though, it was like 2nd rotation or something.
On January 09 2015 14:39 Slusher wrote: For me the last section is more of an indictment on KDA than an indicator of Easyhoon's skill
Yes and no. I don't really think KDA is always the 100 indicator of skill -- see Cop's KDA lowering but becoming a better player -- but I'm a stats guy. I've always thought Easyhoon was an extremely good player. Not flashy, but really good. There is a reason why SKT T1 S, through their boring style centered, made it all the way to the semifinals and one game away from the finals.
Oh, and, the sentence, "Faker would get all the fans and praise, killing his foes in glorious duels with his shining blade of glory" is a bit awkward.
I'm a fairly critical reader, and the fact that there were only two things that bugged me about your article really speaks volumes of your skill at writing.
You're right. I was going for a goofy, over-the-top type description and it can come off as awkward. Fixed it. I can see where you came from. Again, I appreciate all the words and reading!
I'm going to get ready to watch Champions in two hours.
I really don't understand the hate for SKT T1 S... Yes, they were boring. Yes, they had a tendency to lose early game hard and stall games out, but Europe's darling CLG EU were known for just that also. Their play styles are actually extremely similar in my mind, but CLG EU is remembered fondly while SKT T1 S is not.
The irrational hatred of SKT T1 S really seems to just stem from the fact that they peaked during SKT T1 K's slump and SKT T1 fans were frustrated that it wasn't K and Faker up there in the semi-finals.
On January 09 2015 14:39 Slusher wrote: For me the last section is more of an indictment on KDA than an indicator of Easyhoon's skill
Yes and no. I don't really think KDA is always the 100 indicator of skill -- see Cop's KDA lowering but becoming a better player -- but I'm a stats guy. I've always thought Easyhoon was an extremely good player. Not flashy, but really good. There is a reason why SKT T1 S, through their boring style centered, made it all the way to the semifinals and one game away from the finals.
I mean if you want to talk about getting deep into the playoffs, a guy referenced in that section, Ggoong, got his team into a finals by killing himself to remove double buffs from ambition.
A play that moved him further from being player B on the chart but got his team one round further in the playoffs.
(I like the section I just feel the need to shit on KDA when given the opportunity I can't help myself)
Now with the season upon us, the opening match against NaJin e-mFire summed up Faker and Easyhoon's relationship perfectly. Faker, playing a bit arrogant, first-picked Xerath and let the NaJin team counter-pick him. On a siege champion that needs the right team composition and support to work well, Faker and the rest of SKT were trounced in the first game against Ggoong's Zed-led NaJin team.
Easyhoon, playing in the second game, waited till the last pick of the draft and chose Xerath. On the slow-moving, siege tank-like champion, Easyhoon crushed NaJin, picking up the MVP award for the game and getting SKT back into the series.
So with Easyhoon picking up a big win with his safe, simple style, and Faker falling on his face with a bit of arrogance, who did SKT choose to go with in the end? With the series on the line, SKT went with Faker, pushing Easyhoon back on the bench and letting their crown jewel have one last shot at redeeming himself.
Faker, being Faker, did just that – he picked the same LeBlanc that crushed Easyhoon in the two player's first meeting, and did the same thing against NaJin. Easyhoon, sitting from the sidelines, watched as Faker picked up the first Pentakill of the season and gained the attention for his amazing play. Easyhoon might have chipped away at the wall, but Faker was the one who finally broke it down.
I don't really agree with this.
I think they have a plan on using Faker on Red side and Easyhoon on Blue side. Also, I doubt Faker got cocky and said "first pick me Xerath". It's pretty obvious the picks and pick order are mandated by KkOma when he's in the booth with them. Why KkOma would want to first pick Xerath? I don't know, maybe he wanted to see how Najin would react and adapt for the next two games with the information he got from Game 1. I mean they didn't ban Annie in game 1 but banned her for game 2 and game 3. They probably would have target banned that Annie if they didn't lose game 1 to her.
Faker's aggressive style fits red side better too since they have a better concave at early dragon fights with the way the pits work. Easyhoon's farming playstyle is probably better for blue side since they seem to prioritize turrets and barons.
On January 09 2015 14:39 Slusher wrote: For me the last section is more of an indictment on KDA than an indicator of Easyhoon's skill
Yes and no. I don't really think KDA is always the 100 indicator of skill -- see Cop's KDA lowering but becoming a better player -- but I'm a stats guy. I've always thought Easyhoon was an extremely good player. Not flashy, but really good. There is a reason why SKT T1 S, through their boring style centered, made it all the way to the semifinals and one game away from the finals.
I mean if you want to talk about getting deep into the playoffs, a guy referenced in that section, Ggoong, got his team into a finals by killing himself to remove double buffs from ambition.
A play that moved him further from being player B on the chart but got his team one round further in the playoffs.
Oh god I remember that play and thinking immediately as it occurred, "that was game-saving." Huge, ballsy, but necessary move.
Wow, I don't remember that play. Do you mind linking it if it's available anywhere?
Ace match NaJin vs CJ Blaze Semi Finals Spring 2014? Le Blanc mirror match iirc.
On January 09 2015 14:49 fanaticus wrote: I really don't understand the hate for SKT T1 S... Yes, they were boring. Yes, they had a tendency to lose early game hard and stall games out, but Europe's darling CLG EU were known for just that also. Their play styles are actually extremely similar in my mind, but CLG EU is remembered fondly while SKT T1 S is not.
The irrational hatred of SKT T1 S really seems to just stem from the fact that they emerged during SKT T1 K's slump and SKT T1 fans were frustrated that it wasn't K and Faker up there in the semi-finals.
It's because Marin was a 'bust' for not being the next Faker/Flame, H0R0 was never that exciting, and the bottom lane were guys who had already been passed around NaJin and CTU. I would compare S to Greece from when they won the European Championship. An underdog team that played to their strengths to beat more talented teams, but got roasted by casual fans for being too boring or not playing fast pace enough.
KT Arrows were the exact opposite. They had all the talent in the world, but really bad strategies and planning half the time. If SKT T1 S had beaten Arrows, I think they could have given Blue a shot at their money. Obviously glad that didn't happen, seeing as A vs. Blue was the series of the year.
I mean if you want to talk about getting deep into the playoffs, a guy referenced in that section, Ggoong, got his team into a finals by killing himself to remove double buffs from ambition.
A play that moved him further from being player B on the chart but got his team one round further in the playoffs.
Wow, I don't remember that play. Do you mind linking it if it's available anywhere?
Game 5. CJ Entus Blaze vs. NaJin White Shield.
Ambition picks up a kill on Watch and has double buffs. He has a huge advantage over Ggoong in a LB vs. LB mirror. Ggoong goes balls to the wall, trades kills with Ambition, and gets the buffs off him. White Shield turns the tide and rolls to a big win.
I mean if you want to talk about getting deep into the playoffs, a guy referenced in that section, Ggoong, got his team into a finals by killing himself to remove double buffs from ambition.
A play that moved him further from being player B on the chart but got his team one round further in the playoffs.
Wow, I don't remember that play. Do you mind linking it if it's available anywhere?
Game 5. CJ Entus Blaze vs. NaJin White Shield.
Ambition picks up a kill on Watch and has double buffs. He has a huge advantage over Ggoong in a LB vs. LB mirror. Ggoong goes balls to the wall, trades kills with Ambition, and gets the buffs off him. White Shield turns the tide and rolls to a big win.
I hate that game so much.
I imagine you feel that way with a lot of Blaze games though.
On January 09 2015 14:49 fanaticus wrote: I really don't understand the hate for SKT T1 S... Yes, they were boring. Yes, they had a tendency to lose early game hard and stall games out, but Europe's darling CLG EU were known for just that also. Their play styles are actually extremely similar in my mind, but CLG EU is remembered fondly while SKT T1 S is not.
The irrational hatred of SKT T1 S really seems to just stem from the fact that they emerged during SKT T1 K's slump and SKT T1 fans were frustrated that it wasn't K and Faker up there in the semi-finals.
It's because Marin was a 'bust' for not being the next Faker/Flame, H0R0 was never that exciting, and the bottom lane were guys who had already been passed around NaJin and CTU. I would compare S to Greece from when they won the European Championship. An underdog team that played to their strengths to beat more talented teams, but got roasted by casual fans for being too boring or not playing fast pace enough.
KT Arrows were the exact opposite. They had all the talent in the world, but really bad strategies and planning half the time. If SKT T1 S had beaten Arrows, I think they could have given Blue a shot at their money. Obviously glad that didn't happen, seeing as A vs. Blue was the series of the year.
Yeah that makes sense. I'll admit I was disappointed with Marin too, but honestly that guy had an unbelievable amount of pressure on him going into the season. Even Faker didn't have that much hype around him.
As for the hypothetical SKT T1 S vs. Samsung Blue finals match, I actually disagree - I think that Blue would have had a very easy time winning the series with a 3-0.
I mean if you want to talk about getting deep into the playoffs, a guy referenced in that section, Ggoong, got his team into a finals by killing himself to remove double buffs from ambition.
A play that moved him further from being player B on the chart but got his team one round further in the playoffs.
Wow, I don't remember that play. Do you mind linking it if it's available anywhere?
Game 5. CJ Entus Blaze vs. NaJin White Shield.
Ambition picks up a kill on Watch and has double buffs. He has a huge advantage over Ggoong in a LB vs. LB mirror. Ggoong goes balls to the wall, trades kills with Ambition, and gets the buffs off him. White Shield turns the tide and rolls to a big win.
I hate that game so much.
I imagine you feel that way with a lot of Blaze games though.
No lie, they went down 2-0 and felt like shit. I really wanted to see Blaze back in a Spring final. Then the come back happened, I was happy as hell and then Emperor had his godly Draven game. Game five comes. Ambition gets the kill on Watch. I am going crazy and screaming in my apartment.
Ggoong takes away the double buffs. Lustboy has a lackluster game. Flame's teleport on Jax gets stopped. Everything falls apart. White Shield stomps to a victory. I passed out at like 6:00 AM when the games were over and it was the worst I had ever felt about a LoL series in my life. MVP Ozone's 3-0 was nothing compared to the White Shield heartbreak.
I mean if you want to talk about getting deep into the playoffs, a guy referenced in that section, Ggoong, got his team into a finals by killing himself to remove double buffs from ambition.
A play that moved him further from being player B on the chart but got his team one round further in the playoffs.
Wow, I don't remember that play. Do you mind linking it if it's available anywhere?
Game 5. CJ Entus Blaze vs. NaJin White Shield.
Ambition picks up a kill on Watch and has double buffs. He has a huge advantage over Ggoong in a LB vs. LB mirror. Ggoong goes balls to the wall, trades kills with Ambition, and gets the buffs off him. White Shield turns the tide and rolls to a big win.
I hate that game so much.
I imagine you feel that way with a lot of Blaze games though.
No lie, they went down 2-0 and felt like shit. I really wanted to see Blaze back in a Spring final. Then the come back happened, I was happy as hell and then Emperor had his godly Draven game. Game five comes. Ambition gets the kill on Watch. I am going crazy and screaming in my apartment.
Ggoong takes away the double buffs. Lustboy has a lackluster game. Flame's teleport on Jax gets stopped. Everything falls apart. White Shield stomps to a victory. I passed out at like 6:00 AM when the games were over and it was the worst I had ever felt about a LoL series in my life. MVP Ozone's 3-0 was nothing compared to the White Shield heartbreak.
And then you realize it's Ambition's Le Blanc. I have no idea why Blaze would ever try to go for the "let's outplay assassin extraordinaire Ggoong strategy." Game was over before it started barring some Flame miracle.
I mean if you want to talk about getting deep into the playoffs, a guy referenced in that section, Ggoong, got his team into a finals by killing himself to remove double buffs from ambition.
A play that moved him further from being player B on the chart but got his team one round further in the playoffs.
Wow, I don't remember that play. Do you mind linking it if it's available anywhere?
Game 5. CJ Entus Blaze vs. NaJin White Shield.
Ambition picks up a kill on Watch and has double buffs. He has a huge advantage over Ggoong in a LB vs. LB mirror. Ggoong goes balls to the wall, trades kills with Ambition, and gets the buffs off him. White Shield turns the tide and rolls to a big win.
I hate that game so much.
I imagine you feel that way with a lot of Blaze games though.
No lie, they went down 2-0 and felt like shit. I really wanted to see Blaze back in a Spring final. Then the come back happened, I was happy as hell and then Emperor had his godly Draven game. Game five comes. Ambition gets the kill on Watch. I am going crazy and screaming in my apartment.
Ggoong takes away the double buffs. Lustboy has a lackluster game. Flame's teleport on Jax gets stopped. Everything falls apart. White Shield stomps to a victory. I passed out at like 6:00 AM when the games were over and it was the worst I had ever felt about a LoL series in my life. MVP Ozone's 3-0 was nothing compared to the White Shield heartbreak.
And then you realize it's Ambition's Le Blanc. I have no idea why Blaze would ever try to go for the "let's outplay assassin extraordinaire Ggoong strategy." Game was over before it started barring some Flame miracle.
If Ambition picks Lulu, Blaze goes to the final and destroys Samsung Blue like always. Then Flame goes to Worlds and makes it to the semifinals before White 3-0's them again.
Ambition's hubris at his LeBlanc really killed Blaze in the game. I could write a whole article about how that series broke my heart.
This is the type of article we need. People focus way too much on highlight reels and outplays that they forget to look at the people who consistently play at a high, yet not as flashy level. It's like the people who forget about farm because they just want kills. While Faker definitely deserves all the hype he gets, sometimes the people playing the not as bursty, showy champions deserve some recognition.
On January 09 2015 15:46 Tyki wrote: This is the type of article we need. People focus way too much on highlight reels and outplays that they forget to look at the people who consistently play at a high, yet not as flashy level. It's like the people who forget about farm because they just want kills. While Faker definitely deserves all the hype he gets, sometimes the people playing the not as bursty, showy champions deserve some recognition.
To be fair, Froggen and Alex got a lot of recognition for their farming shenanigans in Season 2.
On January 09 2015 14:37 Kendrick wrote: Really hope Easyhoon transfers to a team where he can really show his true potential. (ahem CLG ) Well written article Fionn, keep it up!
I've actually talked to the head of SKT and she said that a LOT of offers came in for him but Easyhoon just wants to stay with SKT. He knows that he's in Faker's shadow but I think it pushes him to work harder. Also, imagine always having the God himself practicing with you!
On January 09 2015 14:37 Kendrick wrote: Really hope Easyhoon transfers to a team where he can really show his true potential. (ahem CLG ) Well written article Fionn, keep it up!
I've actually talked to the head of SKT and she said that a LOT of offers came in for him but Easyhoon just wants to stay with SKT. He knows that he's in Faker's shadow but I think it pushes him to work harder. Also, imagine always having the God himself practicing with you!
I like Easyhoon's style. He is taking on the impossible task of defeating Faker. It takes balls when he could start for almost any team in the world. He's taking his shot at God.
On January 09 2015 14:37 Kendrick wrote: Really hope Easyhoon transfers to a team where he can really show his true potential. (ahem CLG ) Well written article Fionn, keep it up!
I've actually talked to the head of SKT and she said that a LOT of offers came in for him but Easyhoon just wants to stay with SKT. He knows that he's in Faker's shadow but I think it pushes him to work harder. Also, imagine always having the God himself practicing with you!
On January 09 2015 14:37 Kendrick wrote: Really hope Easyhoon transfers to a team where he can really show his true potential. (ahem CLG ) Well written article Fionn, keep it up!
I've actually talked to the head of SKT and she said that a LOT of offers came in for him but Easyhoon just wants to stay with SKT. He knows that he's in Faker's shadow but I think it pushes him to work harder. Also, imagine always having the God himself practicing with you!
Oh, that's interesting. It's kind of a shame in a way though. Still, SKT seem committed to giving him games at the moment and he's been performing well.
I immensely enjoyed your style of writing in this article. I also found it very informative as I didn't know very much about Easyhoon. Please keep going! It was very enjoyable to read and look forward to your future work!
Excellent writeup man, summed up the first match of Champion's series extremely well!
This is my first time trying to keep up with the champions series, so the first match featuring SKT was really great. Watching Faker FP Xerath was definitely confusing, but then again, he was Faker, so who was I to question?
After game one I thought it was a great move to put in Easyhoon, even if it was pre-determined, Faker probably needed a little break after that performance. Easyhoon was a breath of fresh air for me. Seeing all the assassin midlaners in NALCS coming back into favor it was really cool to see GOOD Xerath play (against ZED of all opponents.) Of course, game 3 was all Faker (to be honest I felt awful for Ggoong, 4 deaths so quickly is extremely demoralizing).
But all in all, I enjoyed game 2 the most. Easyhoon is most definitely a compliment to SKT T1, and he's already become one of my favorite players. Here's hoping he can get some minutes over the god himself!
Nice read as always. Personally I never liked Easyhoon's playstyle but you can't take away the fact that he has produced results. Though I wonder how much that first pick Xerath was Faker's decision as it was Kkoma's. Remember coaches are now allowed in the booths and if you saw the cam it was Kkoma and Marin talking on camera through the p/b
Thanks Fionn, I loved this style of article when I was following SC2 religiously years and years ago and now I get it for league. <3
Seriously looking forward to more articles and hopefully in a year or two, final edits for LoL. I feel it deserves it for becoming the first 'mainstream' esport.
On January 09 2015 15:46 Tyki wrote: This is the type of article we need. People focus way too much on highlight reels and outplays that they forget to look at the people who consistently play at a high, yet not as flashy level. It's like the people who forget about farm because they just want kills. While Faker definitely deserves all the hype he gets, sometimes the people playing the not as bursty, showy champions deserve some recognition.
Article looks good, but I wanted to comment on your first segment: "Summer of Fire."
The start probably needs to be re-written, as the sequence of events is out of order. GSG started out in Champions Winter, they didn't win NLB to enter champions. It's important to note that GSG went 2-10 during Champions winter, and they were competing against the now critically-acclaimed CJ squad that almost upset a top-seed in bracket stage. They cheesed out of necessity and managed to get the win over CJ leading GSG to get a guaranteed spot in Champions Spring.
On the other hand, MVP Blue was not a good team. They also went 2-10 in Champions and lost in the Seed Challenge (which if I recall would have given them a spot in Champions Spring) before losing in NLB which was their last chance to secure a spot for Champions Spring. Their two best players (NoFe and Hermes) jet for greener pastures which left MVP without a team. They released their entire roster and picked up GSG largely due to the fact that GSG needed a sponsor and had a free spot in Champions.
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As a side note I often wonder how different the following seasons of Champions would have been if MVP Blue had simply beat KT Arrows, their opponent on the last week that everyone expected them to 2-0. That outcome would have put the season points difference between SKT (Group A 1 seed) and MVP (Group A 4th seed) at 3 points! Blue could have beat that Frost team any day of the week... Would Easyhoon have stayed with Blue if they had finished top 4? Would Frost and Sword have made sweeping roster changes at that point? Some fun story lines around that season of Champions.
On January 09 2015 16:43 Endless Tyler wrote: Article looks good, but I wanted to comment on your first segment: "Summer of Fire."
The start probably needs to be re-written, as the sequence of events is out of order. GSG started out in Champions Winter, they didn't win NLB to enter champions. It's important to note that GSG went 2-10 during Champions winter, and they were competing against the now critically-acclaimed CJ squad that almost upset a top-seed in bracket stage. They cheesed out of necessity and managed to get the win over CJ leading GSG to get a guaranteed spot in Champions Spring.
On the other hand, MVP Blue was not a good team. They also went 2-10 in Champions and lost in the Seed Challenge (which if I recall would have given them a spot in Champions Spring) before losing in NLB which was their last chance to secure a spot for Champions Spring. Their two best players (NoFe and Hermes) jet for greener pastures which left MVP without a team. They released their entire roster and picked up GSG largely due to the fact that GSG needed a sponsor and had a free spot in Champions.
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As a side note I often wonder how different the following seasons of Champions would have been if MVP Blue had simply beat KT Arrows, their opponent on the last week that everyone expected them to 2-0. That outcome would have put the season points difference between SKT (Group A 1 seed) and MVP (Group A 4th seed) at 3 points! Blue could have beat that Frost team any day of the week... Would Easyhoon have stayed with Blue if they had finished top 4? Would Frost and Sword have made sweeping roster changes at that point? Some fun story lines around that season of Champions.
Thanks, man! Rewrote it. Yeah, I remember but got my facts messed up. I really appreciate your Korean history and understanding. Would love to discuss past Korean events with you sometime. I totally put GSG winning NLB as the season before when it was after they got stomped. Seeing as NLB Winter was in Feb of 2013, I believe. Right after Winter and before Spring season.
Also I really loved the old MVP Blue team. I thought Flahm was going to become one of the star supports in Korea. I liked Deft, but thought Flahm was what Gorilla is today -- a Thresh master who is getting stronger on other pocket picks. Too bad he didn't live up to my own silly expectations.
Great work Fionn. Great story as well, and as someone who only recently started watching OGN (OGN summer final was the first match I watched live), I really appreciate you helping familiarize people like me with the storylines involved in Korean League of Legends.
On January 09 2015 14:14 Zess wrote: Who's ambition? I've never heard of that guy.
He is the star jungler of CJ Entus.
Thank you for anyone who reads this piece. We want to bring more character/story building articles to the League of Legends community. I hope you enjoy it!
Thanks for writing it! I did enjoy reading the article. Helps me to keep in the loop.
while i can't say i'm a fan of his style of play, i think it's fair to say that easyhoon is one of the most underrated players in the scene. while he's not a particularly flashy play maker, he's always been consistent. he could be a starter on almost any other team in the world.
i enjoyed the article. i look forward to reading more like it in the future.
I think they will let Easyhoon play some games in the reagular season, but I don't think they trust him enough to let him play in playoffs. I mean, if SKT lose a game with Easyhoon everyone is going to blame the coaches, even if he is not the reason why they lose. Faker is the star of the team and the best player in the world, it's kinda crazy to bench him.
Pre-Impact leaving SKT, I always thought it would have been interesting to have different members specialize heavily in certain champions/compositions. Would be really hard for anyone to prep again SKT when you know your going up against a team that could swap Marin/Impact and Faker/Easy at any time and dramatically change the team.
The idea of teams having subs that differ in style from their main roster has always been intriguing to me. With how often the meta falls in and out for certain players, I always believed it would be extremely valuable for teams to have extra options in the event of a long lasting meta that doesn't fit their current playstyle. Similar to how baseball uses relief pitchers for different scenarios as the games go later, these subs would be invaluable to teams as they would help patch a weakness.
Last year was a good example of the shifts, as there were three prominent metas that existed in the mid lane. It started with a free for all, where anything was basically viable, then shifted to the farm heavy style of Ori/Ziggs/Xerath/Yasuo, then once again shifted late in the year back towards assassins. As someone who admittedly only watched LCS, it was clear to see Bjergsen and Hai's level of play drop when the meta shifted away from their comfort assassin picks to farm heavy style mids. I think that TSM and C9 would be very hesitant to go away from these players, but I could 100% see other teams doing something similar.
easyhoon is very very good. he's best at zone control and defensive plays, but he's not incapable of playing assassins. it's just that in stage matches he is very conservative and doesn't have the aggressive sense required to play assassins.
his laning is okay, not that strong, but he's very good at smelling out ganks so he doesn't tend to die at all in lane.
as a scrimmage partner vs faker i don't think easyhoon is a good choice though. faker's problem is he's too greedy/arrogant sometimes and you need another aggressive, high mechanical guy there to punish his carelessness and force him to play smarter and study tendencies. faker is as good as anyone mechanically but with the decline of bengi he actually should be playing conservative vs some of the better mid-jungle pairs, but he is still all out kill pressuring and whatnot.
honestly easyhoon is very solid. just think of their performances last year vs. k before k (arguably) slumped. and after faker messed up in the first game vs najin on wed. he easyhoon played a very good xer... it's a bit like fabregas at barca- when you have xavi and iniesta on your team it's hard to ger recgnition as a midfielder. now that he's with chelsea he carries hard and works well with hazard...
there's the other narrative here. the role of a sub/secondary team is partly to develop young players. i don't see easyhoon having as much upside as some of the young players passed over to field him.
if this was a sport with some kind of injury factor, then okay, easyhoon can sub for faker when he gets hurt. but it's really hard to see that scenario.
Interesting profile on Easyhoon. I agree that he is among the top mids after the exodus and could potentially shine as a star of his own team.
In my opinion, Easyhoon has the stuff to become the next great Korean mid, specializing in champs that faker played throughout his career, such as Orianna, Ahri, and more recently, Xerath. One thing, however, that Eazyhoon will need to change is his aggression. Eazyhoon, in order to fix his previous years-worth of problems concerning his ability to mesh with Marin will need to play farther up with his waveclear mids.
I think the experiment is going to work out very well for SKT. It gives them two players with a very different playstyle. I'd like to think of it like offense in American football. You have your running game, and the passing game. If you do extremely well with one area, the defense will adjust accordingly and thus creating a weakness against the other style. Likewise, if you are doing poor in say passing, you aren't going to keep passing or start running with your QB, you are going to go to the running game. Of course, this comparison could very well fall flat on it's face since football and League of Legends are two very different creatures, but that's just how I think of it.
The obvious drawback is that enemies will be able to predict drafts easier based on which player is in the booth, unless T1 decide to play mindgames ("You expect some farming mage now that Easyhoon is in booth? Well take that leblanc to your face!"). Interesting stuff nevetherless, I always like seeing teams play with the traditional 5-man setup with each player's role defined by the lane he goes to.
On January 09 2015 14:32 Inflicted wrote: Ahaha the Player E was so obvious, dade dies so much
The number of the assists was the giveaway for me, knew it was Dade the moment Fionn posted those stats and I saw one guy with a bunch more assists.
On the other hand, considering EasyHoon spams PvE-master Ziggs, I was certain he'd be the guy with the least deaths, and considering his picks him having a great KDA didn't impress me either, because he can just never die and rack assists through AoE spells. Don't pick Ziggs, guys.
Great article. I would love to see more like this in the future. Since I only really followed one team in Korea (SKT K) up until recently, I did not know much about Easyhoon. I would love to see more informative and historical articles like this in the future!
We want to bring more character/story building articles to the League of Legends community. I hope you enjoy it!
Yes please! The character stories make it so much more interesting to watch league. Now every time I see easyhoon i'll have so much more back story and interest in the games. For every one of these you write, that's one more person / team I can look forward to watching
On January 10 2015 16:00 Fionn wrote: Thanks everyone for the kind words! Next up from me -- Faker? Flame? A breakdown of the potential that CTU had? RYU!?
CTU plz, easily my favorite when they first came on the scene.
On January 10 2015 16:00 Fionn wrote: Thanks everyone for the kind words! Next up from me -- Faker? Flame? A breakdown of the potential that CTU had? RYU!?
On January 10 2015 16:00 Fionn wrote: Thanks everyone for the kind words! Next up from me -- Faker? Flame? A breakdown of the potential that CTU had? RYU!?
On January 10 2015 16:00 Fionn wrote: Thanks everyone for the kind words! Next up from me -- Faker? Flame? A breakdown of the potential that CTU had? RYU!?
On January 11 2015 10:19 Saechiis wrote: I literally don't know anything about LoL, but I wanted to say I really like this kind of article. Gives the player a story.
On January 11 2015 10:19 Saechiis wrote: I literally don't know anything about LoL, but I wanted to say I really like this kind of article. Gives the player a story.