And with that the first event of the 2015 offseason is a wrap.
Origen walked away as the clear-cut champions while the rest of the teams in attendance will have to settle for lessons learned the hard way and a better understanding of themselves heading into the new year.
CLG can rest easy knowing that their veteran core is solid. Jin Air have discovered a new aggression they can work with. Origen's PowerofEvil pick up paid off in spades.
And the rest? Well, read on and see.
The Final Few: CLG and Origen
When it came down to it, the most stable rosters prevailed.
Needless to say, Origen was as dominant as expected. They understood the patch perfectly, played their team compositions well and were hungry for the win. It was well deserved in just about every sense.
Of note, PowerofEvil proved his worth as a replacement for the legendary xPeke. Stylistically, he slotted into his new team without a hitch — in terms of champion selection, other than the Cassiopeia, it might as well have been xPeke with multiple Orianna picks. However, his superiority in terms of skill was evident, as he solo killed HuHi, landed some good Shockwaves and made no significant errors. His transition was obviously eased by the strength of the roster around him, but it’s clear that Origen made the right choice trusting the up-and-coming star.
For CLG, it was much more of a mixed bag. Let’s start with the positives. Darshan had an absolutely fantastic day, especially coming up clutch against Jin Air. His backdoor win on Jax got the team hyped, and his Fizz was unstoppable once it got rolling. Just like on Saturday, Xmithie and Aphromoo were a reliable duo to which the team can look to support and grow the confidence of their new players, with their experience paying off with a consistent result and great individual moments. Even Stixxay did his job, although his status as a greenhorn was apparent.
Unfortunately, it was HuHi who came out of the event looking the worst out of everyone. His champion selection was awkward and his decision making was questionable. Granted, Origen was in top form and the still new CLG stood little chance in the long run, but it was still a disappointing result for the North American team.
Bad Habits: TSM and Jin Air
Unlike Saturday, when newcomer Hauntzer was Team SoloMId's standout performer, Sunday looked much more like the Summer Split. And that’s not a good thing. Bjergsen was once again a man on mission, trying his hardest to carry his team despite his supportive champion choices. Origen was the test, and TSM failed.
There are some small positives to take away from the event, however. Man to man, the skill on TSM's roster is evident. It was also nice to see an effort to make plays, even if more often than not it was the wrong one. The team was willing to trust in their abilities and attempted to outplay their opponents, which will, in time, become one of the main strengths of this roster.
The worst part was clearly TSM’s communication. The scattered and awkward shot calling from yesterday was magnified 10 times against an actually competent opponent in Origen. As Doublelift would later explain, it’s largely due to the vocal nature of each player on the team, causing the comms to be cluttered with dissenting opinions. Considering the star power present on this roster, it will be crucial for TSM to iron out their issues and grant one or two people shot calling authority in 2016.
For now, TSM should take their IEM outing as a test drive, a chance to identify their flaws and move forward with a goal to work towards.
Across the bracket, the Jin Air Green Wings were once again struck down by their own failings, much like in the KeSPA Cup. Their early aggression in Game 1 got them ahead, but they were unable to transition it into anything concrete. Their team fighting was also slightly off, as they forced initiations with Teleport that turned advantageous for CLG. In Game 2, they looked shaken, scared to make a move and allowed CLG’s lead to pile up against them.
It was nice to see some uncharacteristic aggression out of Jin Air, but the young team clearly needs more time to find their identity in the post GBM era. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, and considering a key player, SoHwan, is very new, growing pains are expected.
Last Words: The Roster Report
IEM San Jose is officially completed, but that doesn’t mean we got definitive results. However, we can make some preliminary evaluations of the roster changes we saw at the event.
Jin Air Green Wings
It will be difficult to say if this team will be able to win without Chaser and GBM. SoHwan had some moments, especially on his famous Riven, and Pilot and Chei were solid, but otherwise there was something missing from the Korean squad. More experience will put a shine on their new aggressive mindset, and allow their new rookies to come into their own.
LGD Gaming
This one is a bit trickier. Based on their recent results at Worlds, NESO and now IEM, it’s not a stretch to imagine that there are more than a few internal problems in the LGD camp. And honestly, it’s hard to blame them. However, there is still plenty of time before LPL gets back into full swing to iron out issues, but more likely than not a few players might need to pay the price. Pyl and imp could be safe, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if the team took a long hard look at TBQ and GODV as potential scapegoats based on their IEM performances.
Counter Logic Gaming
Again, it is difficult to evaluate this team. Other than Origen they had the best communication and cohesiveness, which isn’t saying much given the competition, and they at least put up a fight. Darshan and Xmithie were solid. HuHi needs to prove he deserves his spot on this roster, and IEM didn’t exactly help his case.
Origen
Not much to say here: everyone was great, including and especially PowerofEvil. The new mid laner is a strict upgrade in terms of mechanics, and the team should benefit greatly in the long term if he takes up the starting role on a more permanent basis. The Worlds semifinalists didn’t miss a beat.
Unicorns of Love
As was said yesterday, UoL’s lack of synergy was their greatest flaw. It is possible that this roster, in time, could become competitive, so don’t take this event too much to heart. Similarly to Jin Air, UoL needs time to carve out a new identity for themselves in the void left by PowerofEvil’s departure.
Team SoloMid
Much like UoL, TSM’s obvious and glaring errors are likely more a symptom of their rebuild. I already detailed some of TSM’s problems and strengths, so let’s say no more than TSM’s top priority will be to ensure the issues they showed at IEM, namely communication, are squashed before 2016.
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