"Baron has become a habit," DAN Gaming Coach Luo "BSYY" Sheng said reverently in a news conference after Week 3 of the LPL. "Our feelings for the Baron run deep."
DAN Gaming from the LPL has gained a reputation for bold 20-minute Baron pulls.
By the team's own admission, DAN merely "rush" the Baron when the appropriate situation arises. There's no special preparation, only a constant vigilance when scouting enemy mistakes in map positioning. Long range engage ultimates like those of Zyra and Rumble only do so much to zone the opposition away from key vision control points. DAN doesn't make special attempts to move its vision line; it merely takes advantage of the low value most teams place on Baron wards at the cusp of its first spawn.
So far, the strategy has only failed DAN against Team WE and Royal Never Give Up, the finalists of the LPL 2017 spring split.
On or off the Rift, DAN showcases a strong bond between the players. In a news conference after DAN's defeat of I May in Week 2, the first question for jungler Jeong "Karin" Soojong prompted mid laner Yu "Ggoong" Byeong-jun to lean over to whisper something to support Wu "Cat" Yao in Mandarin Chinese. They both looked to their hands in their laps and snickered, a show of easygoing trust and camaraderie.
"Just like in interviews," BSYY said, "we're all very unified in game."
Their commitment to each other harkens to a more proactive play-style -- there's rarely time to dwell on mistakes. Acquiescing to a call, even when it might not be optimal, has made DAN appear more fluid as a team. In their very first match against EDward Gaming after Zhang "Qiuqiu" Ming and Cat gave up a double kill to Hae "Zet" Sungmin and Tian "Meiko" Ye, Goong dropped mid priority to hold bottom lane. It may not have been the best call as it exposed Guo "Lies" Haotian in the top lane, but it emphasized DAN's quick ability to assess a situation and respond as a team.
This type of play is showcased most in the early Baron calls.
DAN consistently procures the first Baron of any game between 20 and 25 minutes. It occasionally likes to choose champions with strong objective control like Kalista, but DAN relies more on having the best early lane matchups and a hard leash for the jungler to give a tempo advantage.
"As a bottom lane," Cat said after a win against Invictus Gaming, "we are resistant to pressure. So we always want to give our jungler a king's start to make him happy. That way, it's convenient for him to carry us."
"Heavy clear and poke champions like Varus, meddlesome split-pushers like Shen, and teamfighting junglers give DAN an advantage when Baron comes into play."
Karin most often uses the early start to clear his side of the jungle quickly and get a strong back or counter-jungle. A lot of his champions of choice like Zac, Graves and Gragas require a few levels before they can have a major impact.
These clear leads in tempo give Karin a stronger Smite with an experience advantage. He can successfully contest a variety of neutral objectives as well as make himself effective in teamfights.
Heavy clear and poke champions like Varus, meddlesome split-pushers like Shen, and teamfighting junglers give DAN an advantage when Baron comes into play. As long as it keeps mid and top lane controlled, bottom lane becomes a heavy crowd control accessory. Cat makes the power calls and plays with the likes of Thresh, Tahm Kench and even Leona to set up the flank.
But perhaps the team's relationship with Baron should admonish the rest of the region more than it should elevate DAN. In DAN's very first series against EDward Gaming, minimal forethought went into securing Baron. DAN simply rushed the objective with mid pushed out and members of EDG in the bottom lane at just over 20 minutes.
By Week 3 of the LPL, teams began to chip away at DAN's approach. DAN's final intra-group match against Invictus Gaming was the last glaring failure made by a team. Both of iG's solo laners went bottom at around 20 minutes in Game 1 without Teleport, making for an easy Baron call. Neither WE nor RNG gave DAN that opportunity.
"Our style just favors rushing Baron," BSYY said. "We also had the highest Baron control rate in the LSPL."
It's telling that the first team DAN lost to in LPL was Team WE, whose jungler, Xiang "Condi" Ren-Jie, once bore the title of "Son of Baron" for his near-miraculous Smite steals. In Spring of 2016, WE abused the same gap in Baron setup that DAN abuse now.
In the first fifteen minutes of Game 1 against WE, Condi and the rest of the team sought Karin out and killed him four times. WE denied DAN strong lane matchups, making it harder for them to keep mid pressure and hold WE off the Baron vision line. In both commanding wins over DAN, WE secured pre-25 minute Barons with DAN in the pit, unable to contest Condi's smite level advantage or WE's teamfighting lead.
Royal Never Give Up followed a similar formula On Thursday. Rather than hunt Karin down, the team made mid lane pressure a priority, with Li "xiaohu" Yuanhao pushing forward aggressively. As a result, RNG could place vision around Baron when it spawned and keep control of the area, challenging DAN whenever they sniffed around Baron.
Without their gimmick-like 20 minute Barons, DAN still have decisive calls. But a smart lane swap trade and sweep to mid lane seems just as likely as losing full control of top side committing to a dragon without mid lane pushed. DAN's fast decisions have overwhelmed opponents, but have also ended in disaster.
In the press room after a victory, DAN often laugh amongst themselves. After DAN defeated the final "Lingshi Road Brother" (so named because I May, Snake, and EDward Gaming's houses all sit next to one another on Lingshi Road), Ggoong joked that he would consider moving there because he "heard the food is very good."
Moments like that make DAN an easy team to like, but it doesn't have the depth of strategy to remain perched at the top. It isn't a great team in the LPL yet. It's a team of young players that has risen on the back of a strategy with an easy counter, and WE and RNG have already laid out the instruction manual.
But this confidence and communication is a point in DAN's corner. DAN aren't a great team yet, but atmosphere and teamwork often bolster a team while experience develops it further. With a year under its belts, the team could follow in WE's footsteps from Baron crutch team to LPL championship contenders.