This is the first installment of a series I'll be doing leading into North American Regionals. Up first is Team Curse.
Who is Curse?
Solo Lane - Voyboy:
Voyboy the staple that holds the Curse roster together. Aside from being adored by fans all across the world, Voyboy is capable of being extremely innovative and superbly versatile. He's able to play carry picks like Tryndamere and Elise and is also proficient in support laners like Zac and Shen.
Solo Lane - NyJacky
Following the moniker "Curse or Die" Jacky has stayed with the team since its birth in August 2011. He has evolved as a player since the start of Season 3, formerly infamous for his small champion pool, and has proven that he, like Voyboy, is capable of carrying and supporting.
Jungler - SaintVicious
Being the oldest (and self proclaimed slowest) professional in the North American League scene; Saint relies on good decision making, rather than mechanical play, to outplay his opponent. He has been Curse's main shotcaller since joining in May 2012. Unfortunately, he has been in a bit of a slump in the Summer Split (placing 2nd for most deaths). But after his strong showing in the recent superweek his, and Curse's, play seem to be on an upward trajectory.
Support - Edward
The League world was shocked when Gambit's former support, Edward, abruptly left and joined Team Curse. Keeping his nickname "The Support Carry", Edward brought a new play style to Curse's botlane. Curse's old duo, Cop and Elementz, focused on getting Cop farmed and playing safe in preparation for mid game dragon fights. Curse's new duo look for more 2v2 lanes and often challenge other botlanes to skirmishes.
AD Carry - Cop
Previously known for his passive play style and holding the highest KDA last split, Cop's new support has changed him into a blood thirsty hard carry. His new favorite picks being hyper aggressive ADs like Twitch and Draven. With these picks he's able to follow up Edward's aggression. If he continues to play as he is now, we may just see him reach critical mass and become FAT COP.
Being one of the longest standing teams in North American League of Legends, expectations for Curse are always high. After the acquisition of Voyboy in November 2012 Curse has not only grown popular in the eyes of fans but also as a team. Team Curse's manager, Liquid112, has played a large role in the teams recent successes. Liquid's coaching methods have resembled those of traditional sports and have brought a level of professionalism that the North American League of Legends scene hadn't seen before by giving his team tools like a dedicated analyst, an amateur team to practice against, and a deep sub reserve of four players.
Performance in the NA LCS:
Going into the first split of Season 3 Curse was a fan favorite and showed why in their 8-0 start. Their dominance slightly faltered through the season but still finished second with a strong 19-9. Unfortunately when playoffs came they couldn't reproduce their regular season performance by losing to Coast (Former GGU) in the semis and losing to Vulcun in the 3rd place match. Enforcing the "Forever Fourth" Curse stigma.
Curse's start in the Summer split was nearly the exact opposite of their first run. Starting off the split 2-7 did no favors for Curse's chance at a repeat performance. Despite Curse finishing 4th last split, they were still a top competitor in North America. So what could have changed over the All-Star break? Turmoil within the team's roster led them to replace support player Elementz with the very suprising Russian support player Edward. For those of you who are a bit new to League eSports: Edward (formerly Gosu Pepper) was a member of the long standing Gambit Gaming roster (formerly Moscow 5). They were the most stable roster in League history up until June 2013. When questioned why he chose to leave Gambit Gaming, Edward blamed a poor relationship with Gambit AD Carry Genja. Although many would say Edward is one of the best supports in the world, it took Curse a long while to adjust. They showed gradual improvement throughout the season they finished 13-15 (tied for fourth nonetheless).
So what has been working for Curse this split? Here are some of their top picks.
Top: Zac
Mid: Jayce, Orianna
Jungle: Jarvan IV, Amumu
ADC: Draven, Twitch
Support: Sona
In the recent Superweek Curse used an AOE Wombo comp with Amumu, Orianna, and either Kennen or Zac. They used Saint's Amumu to win mid game skirmishes and transition well into their comp's main strength of late game team fights. I don't expect to see this comp again in NA Regionals as it was most likely something unique used to secure a spot in playoffs.
Curse will be pitted against Dignitas in the first round of NA Regionals at PAX. Click here for a full schedule.
If you enjoyed this, please share with your friends! Come back on Friday for a highlight of Team Dignitas.
Thanks for Reading,
BohemianD
No comments:
Post a Comment