Contents
DetonatioN FocusMe
CROOZ Rascal Jester
Ozone Rampage
DetonatioN RabbitFive
Salvage Javelin
7th Heaven
Introduction
We're just a week into the first season of the 2015 League of Legends Japan League. After all the interest the Western community showed this event, we thought we'd take a minute to introduce the teams for you. Each team and player provided a message to their fans on the official LJL website, which we've translated below alongside a list of their accomplishments.
DetonatioN FocusMe
Team Profile
DetonatioN has always been Japan's premier eSports organization, with players in games from SC2 to Smash Bros., and FocusMe is definitely the most successful team in Japanese League of Legends. Now, in 2015, they've taken the next step to go full time and move into a training house. With a commitment to excellence far beyond that of any other Japanese team, DetonatioN FocusMe will be the squad to beat in this year's LJL and the favorite to earn the Wild Card spot.
Players
Top - Keisuke “BonziN” Oda: “I will work hard to carry from the top lane.”
Jungle - Yuta “Astarore” Hiratsuka: “I will give my all to ensure we win this year as well.”
Mid - Yoshida “Ceros” Kyohei: “I'll grab another championship, and this year's MVP.”
ADC - Yuta “Yutapongo” Sugiura: “This year, I'll be the MVP!”
Support - Yusuke “Arden” Suga: “I would like to play without hesitation.”
Achievements
2014 LJL Grand Championship2014 LJL Summer Champion
2014 LJL Spring Champion
IEM Season VIII - Singapore: 4th Place
Message to fans
As the 2014 champions we may be the ones everyone else will be chasing after, but we're aiming to be a team that can win on the world stage, and by bringing in new members we would like to win successive championships, with our team in top form. We promise to dazzle you with our play this season, so please cheer for us throughout the 2015 LJL!CROOZ Rascal Jester
Team Profile
Bursting onto the scene in 2013 as PeachServer AllStars, Rascal Jester quickly established themselves as a force to be reckoned with through strong showings in the JCG online circuit. In the 2014 LJL, they took home the inaugural Winter season's championship, and advanced all the way to the Grand Finals, where they lost in a close 2-3 to FocusMe. Offered a sponsorship by Japanese game company CROOZ in the offseason, RJ has moved into a gaming house to practice in preparation for the new season. If any team will be able to match FocusMe, Rascal Jester would be the team to bet on.
Players
Top - Ryohei “cogcog” Matsuda: “I'll work hard this season!”
Jungle - Ryo “apaMEN” Odagiri: “I will aim for the championship.”
Mid - Yasuhiro “Scotty” Konaka: “I'll be working hard.”
ADC - Rikiya “Rkp” Yuasa: “My goal is to win LJL with no losses, and stand on the world stage. Please cheer for CROOZ Rascal Jester again this year!”
Support - Yoshiaki “Lillebelt” Koka: “We'll definitely win this year.”
Achievements
2014 LJL Grand Championship Runner-Up2014 LJL Winter Champion
2014 JCG Premier League Grand Finals Champion
2013 WCG Japan Qualifier Runner-Up
Message to fans
We have been training in our gaming house since last November, and now we will be able to play like we never could before. Now there are six teams, and things are different from last year, so we imagine that we cannot underestimate any one of our opponents. We may have ended last year's LJL by taking second in the Grand Championship, but this year we're coming for 1st. In order for our fans to be able to say “I'm glad I supported this team,” we will continue to work hard to dazzle all of you with our play, so please cheer for us!Ozone Rampage
Team Profile
One of Japan's top teams back in 2013, Ozone Rampage is the only Japanese team to have an official win against a Worlds-attending team in a foreign tournament. They took out Rascal Jester (then PeachServer Allstars) to earn a seed at WCG 2013, and managed to defeat KaBuM in the group stage but were ultimately eliminated 1-3. Since then, Rampage has clearly settled into their role as the third place team in Japan. They were strong enough to take down DetFM and RJ before, but now that both teams have taken steps towards competing on a higher level, it's up to Rampage to follow suit or get left behind.
Players
Top - Takahashi “Amuse” Ohtsuka
Jungle - Yoshikazu “Envy” Tanaka
Mid - Suzuto “tei” Shimizu
ADC - Kiichi “Mmeron” Watanabe
Support - Hiroyuki “alk” Okano
Achievements
LJL 2014 3rd Place OverallJCG Premier League Grand Finals 3rd Place
WCG 2013 Japan Qualifier 1st Place
2014 JCG Premier League Season 1 2nd Place
WCG 2013 13-16th Place (defeated KaBuM in their only win)
Message to fans
It's a strange feeling that our team is still going today. None of our current members expected our team to last this long, and we are very thankful. We think things may not go as they've been so far, but we pray we can continue to be a team with a relaxed attitude while having fun.DetonatioN RabbitFive
Team Profile
As the brother team of FocusMe, they're receiving financial support as part of the new sponsorship deal, but aren't joining them in going full time. You can expect these guys to work twice as hard, knowing the potential exists for them to join FocusMe in the gaming house. Given their dominance throughout last year's Challenger tournaments, and their constant access to FocusMe as scrim partners, RabbitFive has all the resources they need to take their game to the next level.
Players
Top - Yuta “Moyashi” Noguchi: “I'm finally standing on the start line. I would like to show everyone what we've accomplished.”
Jungle - Kentaro “Awaker” Hanaoka: “Tremble before my Lee Sin”
Mid - Sho “Estel” Takahashi: “The unseen blade is the deadliest.”
ADC - Shotaro “Zerost” Ikeda: “I've accomplished my goal of entering the LJL, so I'll try my best from here. Please watch me, everyone!”
Support - Motoki “7kane” Asanuma: “I will give it my all so as to not embarrass my teammates, so I hope you will support me.”
Achievements
2014 LJL Challenger Winter Champion2014 LJL Challenger Spring Champion
Message to fans
Because our brother team FocusMe became Japan's #1 last year, we have spent this past year training hard to surpass them. With our new members, we've become a new RabbitFive that'll become Japan's top team, and then aim from there to become a team that can compete with the world.Salvage Javelin
Team Profile
One of the newer teams in the LJL, Salvage Javelin was a strong performer throughout 2014 during the Challenger tournaments and earned a seed in this year's tournament by finishing in the Top 2 overall. Their rise to the top and their active recruitment on Twitter indicates they're taking this year's league very seriously, so it wouldn't be too surprising to see them make a run for the top.
Players
Top - Kento “Aero” Inoue: “My goal is to contribute the most to the team as a top laner!”
Jungle - Shiro “Intension” Sasaki: “I will work hard to fascinate those watching with my play!”
Mid - Ryota “Sweet” Murakami: “I will try my best to get those who may not know this game very well to want to try playing, just by watching my play!”
ADC - Takuya “Joke” Hiraishi: “I want to try to pull out my best, both as a player and as a team member.”
Support - Ryohei “Cool” Tsuji: “As a support player, I want to do my best to support my team both inside and outside of the game.”
Achievements
Challenger Tournament for LJL 2015 ChampionMessage to fans
We began our team in 2014 with the goal of competing in the LJL, and we worked hard to achieve it. The anchor and javelin emblazoned in our emblem represent our courage and strength to push through any difficulty, as well as our team unity. We hope to show you all play overflowing with fighting spirit in this LJL, so as to not shame that emblem. We are a new team, but our desire to win is just the same. We will work hard to win. Please cheer for us!7th heaven
Team Profile
It's fitting that 7th heaven is the only team to promise “entertainment” rather than victory, as 7th heaven is most notable for their popular mid-laner. A Nicovideo streamer with 16,000 subscribers, Clockday is known for his cheerful attitude on stream but is reportedly as serious as any during a real match. The team wasn't originally qualified for LJL this year, but the second challenger team who qualified alongside Salvage Javelin dropped out. A Replacement Match was held to determine the final team, and 7th heaven seized their chance. Will they capitalize? That much remains to be seen, but we can at least expect some fun games from this new team.
Players
Top - Yuuki “yunn” Doi: “Every team's pretty strong. No one's weak at any stage of the game. But I won't lose.”
Jungle - Yoshiaki “Yoshiaki3110” Saito: “I'm the best in the world at Nasus ADC!”
Mid - Kazuhiro “Clockday” Suzuki: “Nice to meet you!”
ADC - Kento “Mueki” Ojima: “Don't worry about me, I've been training. I won't die to Ignite.”
Support - Ryosei “enty” Tanioka: “I'm working hard. Please cheer for me.”