King atop the mountain: How Summit’s lane kingdom was built… and then conquered

Cloud9’s begin-of-season iteration cobbled collectively by then-mentor Nick “LS” De Cesare brought up a whole lot of issue marks. Future to the two bedrock players of 2020 C9 — jungler Robert “Blaber” Huang and (now) mid laner Ibrahim “Fudge” Allami — signed ended up two Korean rookies in Kim “Berserker” Min-cheol and Kim “Winsome” Dong-keon. Then, rounding up the roster, there was major laner Park “Summit” Woo-tae.

 

 

For decades now, Summit has been creating his lane kingdom, out of sight, in the dim, and has quietly received a resume of one particular of the finest laning top rated laners in the globe. In his three many years in the LCK, only as soon as did have a unfavorable gold differential at 15 minutes (GD@15). He has been exterior of major 4 in the GD@15 group only two times in 6 LCK splits and he’s been #1 in it after, all although facing some of the stiffest competition in the environment. So when Summit packed his baggage for a journey overseys, numerous of these who experienced kept tabs on his exploits had been keen to see what he could possibly do in opposition to the inarguably a great deal weaker LCS discipline.

 

What he did through the common year is assert his dominance and just take the lane kingdom to a new peak. To connect with Summit’s guide a “top gap” would be erroneous. A hole indicates the other facet is reasonably shut. And Summit experienced tested to be capable of exploiting even matchups that he must not be in a position to win.

 

 

For instance, in a March 6 match against Golden Guardians, Summit performed the Graves vs. Gnar matchup on the Gnar side. Initially, Summit gets chunked intensely by Graves’ vary edge and substantial-problems spells. Graves is capable to push in early, but curiously he doesn’t increase on his original CS lead as hard as he could have. It’s hard to tell why (either Graves missed opportunities to threaten Gnar as he CSed or Gnar used his spells and Mega sort thoroughly to protected those creeps), but at the 4-moment mark Summit is only down two creeps. He manages to gain a slender 1v1 that honestly Licorice form of misplayed by not estimating his damage thoroughly.

 

An uncomplicated comply with-up gank let Summit get a huge 10-creep edge and by that level the lane was fundamentally above. In nearly 87 pro game titles in important locations, Graves wins the match-up in GD@15 and XPD@15. But since of Summit’s laning prowess, at the 15-moment mark, he was essentially in advance +2748 gold and +1542 expertise. 

 

 

Capitalizing on an additional player’s problems and successful the lane is a widespread concept of Summit and Cloud9 when participating in even or disadvantageous matchups: Summit under no circumstances created errors all through the typical year. He is generally material to get what the enemy laner provides him and punish (normally with the assist of his jungler) when they make a slip-up. He does not stress under tension and constantly appreciates his restrictions perfectly more than enough to win a lane matchup even if he should really lose.

 

But then everything modified. 

 

In the a few-game sweep that 100 Robbers dealt Cloud9 in the Spring Playoffs, Summit was entirely negated. A big (and really apparent) purpose for this is that 100T put a large amount of sources into Summit in the draft, expending 12 of their 15 bans on leading lane champions. They pushed Summit onto Tryndamere, a winner he’d only played twice in the typical time and Renekton, who he hadn’t played all period.

 

Then, on the Rift, factors obtained even worse.

 

In these three game titles, Summit was:

 

• /6/ on Renekton versus Ornn (down 224g)
• // in the exact same matchup (now up 549g),
• /1/ on Tryndamere versus Ornn after all over again(yet again up 568g).

 

This Renekton/Ornn matchup is one particular that Renekton ought to be profitable rather handily, with an ordinary +634 GD@15 centered on 42 professional online games. But Summit was continue to powering in this matchup relative to wherever it must be. In the 1st activity, the reason for failure is form of noticeable Nearer fundamentally sat prime lane and ganked Summit whenever he dared to engage in aggressively and get a lead (which he form of wants to do in this matchup). But the next matchup is what is particularly attention-grabbing.

 

https://www.youtube.com/view?v=3be1G253_fA

 

In sport 2, Summit obviously comprehended 100 Thieves’ approach. He performed the to start with couple concentrations a bit additional reserved in contrast to recreation 1, but he was nevertheless pushing into Ornn for an advantage. He even managed to deny Ssumday a wave as he was compelled to roam and answer to an invade and then prevented a three-male gank leading. This must have resulted in a considerable benefit for both of those himself and Cloud9. But it didn’t.

 

There wasn’t a single particular purpose or occasion to demonstrate why this edge wasn’t as significant as it could (or really should) have been. It is a blend of Ssumday taking care of the wave properly to optimize his CS, even though being respectful of the Diana/Renekton gank combol and 100T having great vision topside to deny alternatives for Blaber to gank best. On C9’s facet, Blaber wasn’t very as intense to that Renekton lane as he could have been (specially with the Rift Herald he received early) and Summit was enjoying a little bit far too conservatively with the sport 1 reminiscences in his head. At 15 minutes, Renekton was up 22 CS and C9 had been up about 1,500 gold, but 100 Burglars experienced scaling on their aspect with Viktor/Aphelios/Ornn.

 

The method from 100 Robbers in this sequence was incredibly apparent: really don’t enable Summit conquer us. Pressure Blaber to play to mid and bot lanes, which are typically playing extra scaling for C9, and place Ssumday on a tank that can survive and outscale Summit’s early aggression. This tactic, when a little bit unexciting, labored to a “T”.

 

With Cloud9 dealing with Golden Guardians in this week’s matches, is it probably that GGS can replicate this components? Regretably, I don’t consider it’s incredibly probable. Prime laner Licorice is no Ssumday and has a tendency to enjoy a little bit aggressively in lane, which Summit would relish in exploiting. I also never know if GGS can find the money for to drop so a lot of bans on prime lane thinking about how exploitable they are in the bot lane. The summit of the lane kingdom is nevertheless as well much in advance for them. But for the elite groups, a path ahead has been uncovered.