We're a third of the way done with the League Championship Series Summer Split. The short of it is there are still people vocal about dynamic queue and cloud dragons.
The rotating dragon system, though, has been one of the most exciting additions to League of Legends. The idea was to add a significant neutral objective to encourage more fighting prior to the Baron spawn. Making the Dragon important again might even cause teams to pause before an early lane swap.
I understand the strategic importance and genius of lane swaps. I get it. But I also dream about Faker's Zed outplay. With the rare exception, the games I play are standard lanes. 1v1s. 2v2s. We kill and we die and we blame our junglers. I'm going to tell my grandchildren about Mike "Wickd" Petersen and Paul "sOAZ" Boyer duking it out for an all-star spot. I am all for changes that put players in positions to duel. As they say, it's always high noon somewhere in the world.
If you've missed any of it, then you're in luck. With twice the games in Europe and sometimes thrice in North America, there are a whole lot of dragons left to slay. These are what I consider the best and worst things that have happened this split.
Best: Best of X
This split has turned the regular season into a bit of a gauntlet for players and viewers alike. Riot's decision to finally adopt this model for its League Championship Series was and should continue to be lauded. It provides ample opportunity for teams to make use of their substitutes, and both leagues should benefit greatly from the spike in experience as they head into the World Championships. It's almost impossible to replicate the pressures of being on stage in a practice setting. The only logical result is to replicate the process on stage.
It's easy to pin the blame on a player for screwing up a game. Extending the series provides them with an opportunity for immediate redemption.
Worst: Counter Logic Gaming's start
Team SoloMid have won three North American championships, but it's never had a start like this. It's been a long time since it's been the clear-cut favorite to take home the trophy. Its newest support rental looks like he might stick around for longer than a split, and Kevin "Hauntzer" Yarnell is close to evolving into one of the strongest top laners in the LCS. Things are clicking for TSM. And to make things all the sweeter, its crosstown rival is suffering through a rough patch.
What's there to really say about this start? The reigning NA LCS champs are taking the Golden State Warrior's recent "live by the three, die by three" mantra to heart as it continues to suffer game three losses.
This is the stiffest the competition has been yet, and CLG look less like the team that reached the Mid-Season Invitational finals against SK Telecom T1 and more like the team that went home with a consolation prize.
Best: Enrique "xPeke" Cedeño Martínez as ADC
I just really love xPeke. I like the European League Championship Series a lot more when he's playing. Imagine Doublelift in the top lane farm-starved as the enemy freezes juicy minions at their tier two turret. What could go wrong? Maybe some coach could sub in. Maybe he'd just switch over to Overwatch for the second game.
I hope Origen plays a kill lane next week, at least. What does it have to lose, at this point? It looked like it went on vacation with G2 before MSI, except it might've missed the flight back.
Worst: Phoenix Down
It's hard to rag on Phoenix1 for being manhandled.
Phoenix1 is the equivalent of an expansion team. It will probably flame out (and not rise from the proverbial ashes). There isn't a consolation draft pick for a team to rest its future on. There is no franchise savior. There is only winning and losing, and Phoenix1 are only losing. I hope people don't shoulder blame on the players; after all, we've seen cogs find life in different machines before.
Best: Toronto to host NA LCS finals
I've seen countless petitions and pleas for Riot to bring something to Canada. Some might argue Drake's newest album is a thinly veiled cry for a LCS event.
Toronto is a great city. There's a heart-warming video of a singer's microphone getting cut out during their rendition of the America national anthem prior to a Toronto Maple Leafs hockey game. The fans proceeded to sing the rest of it together. How many Americans can even name the Canadian Prime Mister, let alone sing their national anthem? Canada, you're finally getting the chance to shine. I'm excited to see the reception you give the LCS.
Worst: Echo Fox's start
If I told you Henrik "Froggen" Hansen was on another struggling team, well -- at this point -- you'd just say you already know. What I'm left to wonder at this point is if he's a Carmelo Anthony on the Knicks kind of deal -- a talent without a team -- or if he's 37-year-old Kobe throwing up clunkers.
Echo Fox are toiling at the bottom of the standings again without Visa issues to blame for its struggles. It had the split and the offseason to gel, and it's just not getting there.
Best: Heo "Huni" Seung-hoon's death count
If Echo Fox are the classic case of a team doing nothing and losing, then Immortals are the very opposite. Aggression is a step away from stupidity, and we've seen countless cases of IMT finding itself in positions it had no business of being in. You could drop a ward in the middle of the Nile River during crocodile mating season and there's still a fifty/fifty chance Huni teleports to it.
One of the most frustrating things to watch as a fan is when a team sits back and concedes turret after turret while praying for the enemy to make a mistake. Yes, sometimes you probably shouldn't engage 1v5, Huni. But players are far more likely to make a mistake during a chaotic moment than when they're allowed to slowly engineer a push. Watching IMT play reminds me of why I play League of Legends and why I fell in love with it in the first place.