A full run-down of what to expect and what to look for at this coming edition of the international tournament known as IEM Cologne.
The last true international tournament of the year for League of Legends finally comes in the form of IEM Cologne. And, in similar fashion to the last IEM tournament at San Jose, it will feature teams that are either new to the international scene, undergoing dramatic roster changes, or both. With all this, it definitely becomes difficult to parse out predictions for the event. New teams to international competition may falter, new rosters may fail to gel right away and perform at their full potential. But, with a healthy prize pool and an automatic trip to the final IEM tournament in Katowice, you can expect lots of dramatic action this weekend.
Fnatic
Roster:
- Top: Noh "Gamsu" Yeong-jin
- Jungle: Lee "Spirit" Da-yoon
- Mid: Fabian "Febiven" Diepstraten
- ADC: Martin "Rekkles" Larsson
- Support: Lewis "NoXiAK" Felix
The first team that needs to be discussed is EU's Fnatic. Losing the majority of their previous roster to the NA LCS during the offseason, the European powerhouse is in a definitive state of flux at the moment. These changes actually forced the team to drop out of IEM San Jose, which they were also invited to via the fan vote. The team doesn't look to drop out again this time though.
After the departure of the dynamite Korean Top and Jungler duo of Heo "Huni" Seung-hoon and Kim "Reignover" Ui-jin, Fnatic look to reignite that Korean dynamic with Top Laner Noh "Gamsu" Yeong-jin, previously of Team Dignitas, and Jungler Lee "Spirit" Da-yoon, formerly of Team WE. Fomer MYM and Fnatic Academy Support, Lewis "NoXiAK" Felix, has also been pointed to as the replacement Support player for Bora "YellOwStaR" Kim. It will be important to see whether one of the top 4 teams at Worlds can continue their international success with a new squad. Most of the pressure will definitely lie on the shoulders of the remaining members of the old Fnatic, Rekkles and Febiven, to provide a solid base for Fnatic's future success.
Ever
Roster:
- Top: Kim "Crazy" Jae-hee
- Jungle: Kim "Ares" Min-kwon
- Mid: Kang "Athena" Ha-woon
- ADC: Lee "LoKen" Dong-wook
- Support: Kim "KeY" Han-gi
Ever's Cinderella story at the 2015 KeSPA Cup has brought them to their first ever international tournament. The Korean Challenger team who beat the World Champion SKT T1 in the semifinals of the KeSPA Cup will be tested by teams from other regions to see if they can continute their magical performance.
It remains unknown whether the team will field the same roster they did at the KeSPA Cup. Not only are the players assuredly being scouted and could be poached by bigger name teams, but also their MVP Support player, Kim "KeY" Han-gi, is currently under investigation for elo-boosting and might not be allowed to play at this tournament. The Korean representive will have a lot to prove, but may be able to upset the competition if they can somehow replicate their KeSPA performance.
Team Dignitas
Roster:
- Top: Lannart "SmittyJ" Warkus
- Jungler: Thomas "Kirei" Yuen
- Mid: Danny "Shiphtur" Le
- ADC: Apollo "Apollo" Price
- Support: Jesse "Jesiz" Le
Team Dignitas wasn't even supposed to be here, and yet they field one of the more interesting rosters. Replacing Team Liquid, who had to drop out after Diego "Quas" Ruiz suddenly retired, the NA squad is similar to Fnatic in that the majority of their previous team was shuffled elsewhere. In fact, if rumors are correct, Gamsu might be forced to face his previous team.
That largely depends on whether or not this new roster, which was bolstered by the addition of EU Challenger players Kirei and SmittyJ who have proved on the NA solo queue ladder to be talented players, can come together and quickly build synergy. They will also have to compete without their long-time Support player Alan "KiWiKiD" Nguyen, as a part of the team's future coaching staff and previous AD Carry for Gamers2, Jesse "Jesiz" Le, has agreed to sub in for him at IEM Cologne.
Qiao Gu Reapers
Roster:
- Top: Bao "V" Bo
- Jungler: Baek "Swift" Da-Hoon
- Mid: Kim "Doinb" Tae-sang
- ADC: Yu "TnT" Rui
- Support: Zhang "TcT" Hong-Wei
Despite filling in for EDward Gaming due to player health issues, Qiao Gu is the most stable squad out of all the team participating, having went through practically no roster changes coming into this tournament. However, they are also one of the teams with the most to prove on an international level. Competing against teams from other regions for the first time, it will be up to QG to bring the ship around when it comes to Chinese teams playing on the international stage this year.
Team synergy shouldn't be an issue with this squad, as QG has consistently been seen as a strong team-fighting team that comes at you with creative strategies. However, Qiao Gu's weakness of early laning deficencies may be their downfall, espcially on this patch that emphasizes building and snowballing early leads. We'll have to see if they can shore this up or make up for their early game weaknesses against international squads.
Cloud9
Roster:
- Top: An "Balls" Le
- Jungle: Lee "Rush" Yun-jae
- Mid: Nicolaj "Incarnati0n" Jensen
- ADC: Zachary "Sneaky" Scuderi
- Support: Hai "Hai" Lam
As for the hopes and dreams of NA, Cloud9 probably holds the strongest chance at a good showing at IEM Cologne. Having put together their new roster last month and had some time to practice together, C9 will put their new team to the test with this tournament.
The main things to look for with C9 will be to see how Hai "Hai" Lam transistions to Support from Jungler from Mid Laner and whether the sub Support Michael "Bunny FuFuu" Kurlyo will be used at all. Highly touted Jungler Lee "Rush" Yun-jae's impact on the team dynamic will also be seen for the first time in competitive play. If Cloud9 can come together and perform as a unit, they will look to push any success they can muster towards the upcoming NA LCS season.
h2k Gaming
?Roster:
- Top: Andrei "Odoamne" Pascu
- Jungle: Marcin "Jankos" Jankowski
- Mid: Ryu "Ryu" Sang-ook
- ADC: Konstantinos "FORG1VEN" Tzortziou
- Support: Oskar "VandeR" Bogdan
h2k's offeason moves (and drama) have certainly been large and loud. But, in the end, the team's new roster definitely looks strong on paper with the addition of players like Konstantinos "FORG1VEN" Tzortziou. However, h2k will have to look whether or not the individual talent of their players can almost instantaneously gel on stage as the team has had little time to practice before IEM Cologne.
h2k will also look to bounce back against international teams after a disappointing showing at this year's World Championship. Granted they had to compete against some of the top teams during the Group Stage, so we shall have to see how h2k can fare against teams that aren't called SKT T1 or EDward Gaming.
That's all of the teams that are set to compete at this year's IEM Cologne. Who will stand on top at the end? Will Fnatic continue their strong international play with their new roster? Will QG be able to finally redeem China? Who will actually be playing for Ever? We shall find out the answers to all of these questions and more following the conclusion of this coming weekend and we shall discover who will be joining Origen at IEM Katowice.
