2021 World Championship Team Break Down

LNG Esports
League of Legends Pro League (LPL)
10-6 (8th Overall, 2nd in Regional Qualifiers)

If you are looking for a Cinderella team to root for this World Championship, LNG is the team for you. With an unlikely run from the losers bracket to nearly securing a third seat and automatic bid to the group stage, LNG has seen it all. Behind the top tier play of their jungler (Tarzan) LNG went from a tough out to a legitimate threat in what seemed like overnight. Their roster isn’t overly intimidating compared to some of the top teams in the group stage, but in the play-in stage there is a legit conversation for them to be seen as a #1 seed overall.

TOP: Ale: If I had an analysis of Ale, it would be serviceable. I wouldn’t bet the bank that he will win lane everytime but I also wouldn’t necessarily bet that he would get rolled in lane either. His KDA ranged from 2.3-3.3 between the Summer Split and the LPL Regional finals so we see that Ale is not the win condition. A lot of his lower stats come from the playstyle of LNG and how they normally leave Ale in a sidelane for the majority of a match. He catches waves and knows when he has to rotate to a teamfight. I think into the lower tier teams picking up Ale wouldn’t be terrible but his pricetag will most likely be inflated in the early rounds and not worth the cost of investment. 

JUNGLE: Tarzan: Break the bank here. Tarzan may honestly be the best jungler in the tournament and could be the sole reason that LNG are where they are at right now. In the regional finals (7 total games) Tarzan had a 42.5 KDA which is bananas. He is aggressive and knows how balance when to fight versus when to scale so incredibly well. Throughout all of Summer Tarzan had a team kill participation rate of 70% or higher and because of that, Tarzan will be pricey in most lobbies, but there really isn't a reason to cut corners with this player.

MID: icon: This mid laner suffers from being surrounded by greatness. With the elite talent in the mid lane that is found in the LPL, it is so easy to look over this star player. This man plays almost every champion, including Xerath, Galio, Lulu, and LeBlanc. Each of these champions are so dramatically different from one another and how they help their team win is also dramatically different. The use of icon in the mid lane will allow LNG to remain flexible and responsive in drafts. While icon doesn’t put up the same numbers as other mid laners, he is just as pivotal to their success. 

ADC: Light: Light is always a safe bet. He may not be the best bet, but always a safe one. He does not rank in the top of the LPL in terms of kills through Summer but he was third among ADCs for the KDA stat (6.8). He will not be a player who is going to put himself in harm’s way to make a play, like a Carzzy or JackeyLove, but what we find is he has a sustained impact on a match. You rarely see him get picked off and he is always finding ways to output damage in teamfights. I would have lower expectations of him into Deft (HLE) and in the group stage but he should be a decent pick up through most of the Play-In Stage.

SUPPORT: Iwandy: There is something to be said with how differently Iwandy plays the bottom lane as compared to a lot of supports. Most supports in the tournament are aggressive, and focused on initiating the fight and being overly aggressive in the early to mid game. While Iwandy can have that playstyle in his toolbox but we find him to be more focused on protecting his carries. He allows Tarzan to do the heavy lifting and he fits the role of protecting Light and icon with picks like Braum and Karma rather than always picking the more initiation champions like Thresh and Nautilus. This won’t take away from his output but instead I think help with his overall total score in a DFS lobby because he will limit his total deaths.

 

Look out for LNG. While I don’t have them advancing beyond the Group Stage, they have proven to the World already that they can make a run. They can threaten top teams and have put teams like Team WE into an early offseason already. You cannot take them lightly and your jungler will be tested when they face Tarzan and the red-hot LNG squad. 

Cann’s Final Prediction: Play-In Stage Winner, Group Stage Participant