Snake constantly nipped at the heels of LoL Secondary Pro League powerhouse, King, to take a bite of the league and qualify for 2015 LPL Spring. They haven’t, however, had the same offseason success as first place LSPL team King. Despite having only lost one more game than King during their time in LSPL, Snake hasn’t wowed against top LPL teams like OMG.
In the Chinese roster change frenzy, alterations are expected to come to Snake’s roster, but the story of their climb into LPL will certainly inform fans of moves the organization is willing to make in the future to be the best.
FRESH NEW TAKE
Team Snake.Q was founded in fall of 2013 by an enthusiastic owner who also purchased a few luxury cars with the team’s logo embossed. The team was full of young, promising players who, shortly after the team’s formation, disappeared from Chinese solo queue. Popular streamer and friend of Snake’s top laner, 董小飒, told his fans that Snake had gone to bootcamp in Korea.
Whatever the reason for Snake’s period of absence, the team returned in February of 2014 and its members climbed the Ionian solo queue ladder with renewed vigor. The mid laner, Lu “Copy” Fan, hit rank one for a period of time, and the team began to take control of the amateur scene with just as much gusto. Snake qualified for the Tencent Games Arena tournament that awarded seeds into LSPL with ease.
Snake would win the Spring TGA to enter LSPL alongside Gamtee Fenghui, the second place TGA team. With nine best of two wins, five 1-1 sets, and only one 0-2 loss, Snake just barely fell behind Team King by one game loss to take second in LSPL and receive an automatic qualification into 2015 LPL Spring.
THAT SUPERSTAR MAGIC
The biggest attraction for many fans on Team Snake is their young top laner, Li “Flandre” Xuanjun. Before joining Snake, Flandre was sometimes referred to as “Saint Gun Bro” for his Lucian play, but he has since found his home in the top lane. Flandre is known for his carry top lane champions, and the buzz already has him pegged as the new Liu “PDD” Mou.
The catch is he's very young, with a great deal of room to grow. Some of his questionable picks like Fizz top have raised eyebrows and suggest a small amount of immaturity. Even so, Flandre’s curious selections have gotten target bans all the way through Snake’s final set in LSPL against Ling.
Snake has relied on Flandre’s easy dominance of top lane to allow them to free up resources and force more numbers advantages in the bottom. There, AD carry Yang “F4n2Fan” can often be found playing hyper carries like Kog’Maw. Liu “Reborn” Yuan, the jungler, uses a confrontational jungle style to wait for counter-gank opportunities in the bottom lane and snowball off reversing the situation. The threat of Flandre’s Teleport presence allows Snake to take greater risks and roll through games when up against more hesitant opposition.
ROSTER CHANGE MANIA
Snake’s roster is under scrutiny as rumors circulate about ex-Samsung players and other Korean talent finding homes on Chinese teams. The team has its flaws, but it’s hard to pinpoint exactly where they lie, and it’s possible no spot on the roster is safe.
Solo queue star Copy has most of his success on utility mid laners like Lulu and Orianna. Arguably, this is a by-product of Flandre’s penchant for playing assassins in the top lane, but if he can’t demonstrate more variety beyond a pocket Kassadin, he could be seen as a risky starting mid laner.
F4n2Fan, the team’s AD carry, has favored Kog’Maw to great success, but he and Coa “CoLiN” Hai, the team’s support, seem dependent on jungle intervention and can’t find consistency. CoLiN is known as an exceptional Braum player and the team’s captain and shot-caller, but either he and F4n2Fan decimate their lane or fail to make an impact.
Perhaps the most likely member of the lineup to be replaced is Reborn. His confrontational jungle style can be hit-or-miss, and rumor has it his contract has yet to be renewed. With top brass talent like Lee “KaKAO” Byungkwon and Choi “DanDy” Inyu arriving in China, it’s easy to see how Snake might be tempted. Currently, rumors favor KaKAO and DanDy joining other teams, but Korean junglers are in high demand in China, and more arrivals could appear before the transfer season ends on December 5th.
SHORE UP
With 2015 LPL Spring beginning in February, it’s hard to see this current iteration of Snake topping the standings, but almost no team’s roster is locked in. Regardless of what incarnation of Snake appears in LPL, one has to think their high risk style will need some changes. The young age of many members of the squad -- though none are quite as young as Flandre -- gives the entire team almost assured growth in the future. Keeping the roster might not yield immediate results, but there’s enough fresh talent for it to be a good investment.
One way or another, Snake will shed some skin by the time LPL rolls around, and we’re almost guaranteed a shinier, glossier team. With the team jacket sporting the impressive “China Rare Earth” logo, many are anticipating when the Snake will strike.
Source Article: http://na.lolesports.com/
