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ESL One Birmingham 2024

ESL Pro League Season 19

ALGS Split 1 Playoffs

PGL Wallachia Season 1

DreamLeague Season 23

Riot Games has finally revealed when their Vanguard anti-cheat is going live for League of Legends players. LoL cheaters, count your days.



When (and why) is Vanguard coming to LoL?



A recent dev blog by Riot Games revealed that Vanguard will hit League of Legends players this year. Good news for VALORANT players though: "if you have it for VALORANT you have it for LoL." If you're on Windows 10, you also would not need Windows 11 for this, but note that Vanguard requires some BIOS-specific settings. 



Linux players, however, are all out of luck. Yes, all 800 of you.



Riot K3O went into more detail as to when Vanguard will go live for LoL players. For players in the Philippines server, this is Patch 14.8, scheduled for April 17, 2024. The rest of the world will be one patch behind on the anti-cheat, receiving it on Patch 14.9, scheduled for May 1, 2024.




He edited to correct to be 14.8 and 14.9 pic.twitter.com/OlP5UG2vFP— Spideraxe (@Spideraxe30) April 11, 2024




Vanguard is an anti-cheat, and its primary purpose in LoL is to prevent cheaters. However, it can offer more to the whole ecosystem. Botting will be more difficult, and getting banned in LoL by Vanguard can no longer be bypassed by buying another account. 



"With its device fingerprinting, Vanguard also gives us a renewed opportunity to sink teeth into boosting, smurfing, and account compromise," explains the devblog. "We'll be able to revoke rewards boosters didn't deserve, get smurfs to their proper rating faster, and maybe even invalidate 'unfair' premades." 



What is Vanguard?



Vanguard isn't a new software by any means. VALORANT players will recognize it as Riot's proprietary kernel-level anti-cheat and the one that the shooter game released with. It's the anti-cheat that VALORANT players have to thank for the hardware ID bans that cheaters are getting.



According to Riot Games, 30 people are now working on Vanguard. This is a stark increase from the three that they began with

Vanguard in League of Legends explained

The League of Legends Patch 14.8 is here! This is the patch that the upcoming Mid-Season Invitational 2024 will be played in, so there are a lot of tweaks geared towards professional play. Check out the League of Legends 14.8 Patch Notes here.



League of Legends 14.8 Full Patch Notes



League of Legends Patch 14.8 Notes summary (Image via Riot Games)



The League of Legends Patch 14.8 update will go live on April 17th, 2024.



This patch will also introduce Blood Moon Fiddlesticks, Blood Moon Zed, and Blood Moon Zyra.



This is the League of Legends MSI patch, and while Skarner is live in this update, he cannot be played in the competition just yet.



Vanguard in League of Legends



Vanguard will be activated this patch for the Philippines server. The rest of the player base will instead get a compatibility check to see if your computer can support Vanguard.



Vanguard goes live on the rest of the live servers on Patch 14.9. We go into more detail on Vanguard in League of Legends here.



Champion Changes in League of Legends 14.8 patch



Akali



Base Stats




Base Health: 570 >>> 600




Azir



Base Stats




Health Regeneration per 5 Seconds: 5 >>> 3.5




W - Arise!




Magic Damage: 0-77 (based on level) (+50/67/84/101/118) (+55% AP) >>> 0-77 (based on level) (+50/65/80/95/110) (+55% AP)




Briar



Base Stats




Health Growth: 100 >>> 95




Q - Head Rush




Range: 450 >>> 475




W - Blood Frenzy




Bonus Attack Speed: 54/68/82/96/110% >>> 55/65/75/85/95%




Draven



Q - Spinning Axe




Bonus Physical Damage: 40/45/50/55/60 (+75/85/95/105/115% bonus AD) >>> 45/50/55/60/65 (+75/85/95/105/115% bonus AD)




Galio



Base Stats




Base Movement Speed: 335 >>> 340




Q - Winds of War




Cooldown: 12/10.75/9.5/8.25/7 >>> 11/10/9/8/7 seconds




Graves



Passive - New Destiny




Attack Speed Scaling: Increased Attack Speed scaling from non-level sources towards reload time by 35%



Critical Damage Ratio per Pellet: 40% >>>

League of Legends 14.8 Patch Notes: MSI update nerfs key picks

Riot Games, the developer of League of Legends, has announced the return of the LoL Arena game mode with tons of new changes. Here are all the details you need to know before dropping into Arena.



Arena is meant to be a fast and casual game mode that's less intensive and time-consuming than games of Summoner's Rift. The mode first debuted in 2023 with the Soul Fighter game mode as an eight-player 2v2v2v2 mode. It's been gone for several months, but will return during the mid-year with some serious modifications. 



LoL Arena 2024 update brings new map



The previous maps for Arena will be sticking around, joined by a completely new map that Riot Games is referring to as the "Koi Pond." The Koi Pond is made up of three circular islands separated by terrain walls and a river. However, this map isn't as reliant on mobility as it might seem.







Throughout matches that take place on the Koi Pond, a secondary area called the Bloom Bridge will spawn. The Bloom Bridge will allow players to cross between areas of the new LoL Arena map without needing to use mobility tools. There will still be Blast Plants and Hextech Portals, but those offer less information and higher risk of dying.



16-player lobbies hit Arena 



The other huge change to Arena is that instead of 2v2v2v2 lobbies, the player count will double to account for eight two-player teams. In order to account for this, Riot has previewed a much larger central lobby map, able to hold all of the new teams. The larger lobbies are part of Riot's attempt to increase the diversity of gameplay experiences in any given match of Arena.







Prismatic, Legendaries, Anvils, oh my! 



The next biggest change is a rework to the item system that will apply only to Arena. The first change is the biggest, a new class of items called Prismatics. These are non-purchasable, incredibly powerful items that can completely change how a champion plays. Three examples given in Riot's preview are Flesheater, Reality Fracture,

All the LoL Arena 2024 changes you should know

Riot Games uncovered details about League of Legends cheaters, scripters, and botters — and there are a lot more of them than we had thought. 



Cheaters in League of Legends



The most important thing first: Vanguard, the proprietary Riot Games anti-cheat, is coming to League of Legends.



Phil "mirageofpenguins" Koskinas, head of Anti-Cheat at Riot Games and self-proclaimed banner of 85 million users, revealed statistics on League of Legends cheaters in developer blog.



In this blog, he discussed how the bans they currently hand out are practically meaningless. People who use scripts and cheats get one account banned, then buy a second level 30 account for under $2.



Cheaters in League of Legends (Image via Riot Games)



Mirageofpenguins provided us with this graph that relates the percentage of cheaters on games played to bans handed out. The graph states that last year, bots and scripters plagued up to 15% (3 in 20) of games. In recent months, mirageofpenguins revealed that 7% (1 in 15) games played globally had a scripter or botter. 



This sounds like an improvement from last year's 15% peak, but it unfortunately gets worse. In some regions, there's a cheater in 20% (1 in 5) of games played. "Cheating isn't really region-specific, cheaters just go wherever cheating is easiest," mirageofpenguins explained. "In eastern countries, we see higher rates of scripting, because they're getting spillover from cheaters in China and Korea, both of which have region-exclusive anti-cheats and more importantly, identity requirements for gaming from their regional governments."



Where can I find cheaters in League of Legends?



So, we've identified that up to 20% of games, depending on the region, have cheaters. Want to find a cheater? There's a graph for that.



League of Legends cheaters (Image via Riot Games)



Based on the data in the graph, scripters are the most prevalent in the Master to Grandmaster tiers. Thanks to their superhuman advantages, their

There are more League of Legends cheaters than you think

Lee Sin, the Blind Monk, is one of League of Legends' oldest characters. The new Lee Sin rework on his visuals finally brings him in line with the rest of the roster. Here's everything you need to know about the new Lee Sin. 



Lee Sin is one of the game's most iconic characters. The blind martial arts expert has an incredibly skill-intensive kit that has aged surprisingly well over the years. However, his in-game model and effects have fallen behind the curve of what Riot wants for their AAA game. The Lee Sin Aesthetics Sustainability Update (ASU) has hit the public beta environment (PBE) to help him fit in with the rest of the cast.



Lee Sin ASU hits PBE



The Lee Sin visual rework hit the PBE on April 16, featuring overhauls to all of his skins and visual effects. His kit remains entirely unchanged, unlike visual gameplay updates, serving as a beacon of design that has aged well even alongside modern champions. He keeps his core visual identity, but with much crisper textures and animations.




Master yourself, master the enemy. pic.twitter.com/dPi4CME9nK— League of Legends (@LeagueOfLegends) April 16, 2024




Lee Sin now much more closely resembles the aesthetic of fellow Ionian champions, with his robes and garb all keying into the Ionian visual identity. Several of his skins have been upgraded, moving up to Epic and Prestige. This is a great value proposition for Lee Sin players who already have the skins. Fans who want some free value can purchase Traditional Lee Sin, now a Deluxe skin, or Dragon Fist, now Epic. The skin price won't change ahead of Lee Sin's release, so fans can get a bit of bang for their buck there.









Lee Sin should launch on League of Legends' live servers on patch 14.9, which is slated to drop on April 24. The next champion on the ASU schedule is Teemo, which Riot has previewed some early concept art and skin adaptations of. Teemo should arrive later this year, likely in the latter half.

The Lee Sin visual rework finally updates the Blind Monk

Fortnite’s Avatar: The Last Airbender collaboration event is officially underway. Between now and May 3, players can enjoy the Elements Pass, which includes the Aang skin and various other Avatar-inspired cosmetics. Additionally, three new Avatar Mythics, including Earthbending, Firebending, and Airbending, have debuted in Fortnite. 



These three in-game abilities join Waterbending in the Fortnite Chapter 5 Season 2 loot pool. This article explains everything you need to know about the Avatar Mythics. 



New Fortnite Avatar Mythics explained (Earthbending, Firebending, and Airbending)







Waterbending has been in Fortnite since April 2, meaning the three other elemental abilities were held aside for the Fortnite Avatar: The Last Airbender event. Those familiar with the source material should know what to expect, but if you’re not, here’s an official description per Epic Games. 














Earthbending – Summon chunks of earth to hurl at foes or use them to create defensive barriers.



Firebending – Produce flames to launch arcs of fire towards foes, or slam down from above in a fiery explosion.



Airbending – Harness the air around you to enhance your mobility. Use “air wheel” to traverse great distances, or “air jump” to launch yourself and nearby players into the air.








Where can I find Earthbending, Firebending, and Airbending?



Bending Scroll Containers (Credit: Epic Games)



Like the Waterbending Avatar Mythic in Fortnite, you can find the Earthbending, Firebending, and Airbending Mythics as Floor Loot or in Chests. However, new shrines have appeared following the latest update. These structures are themed to water, earth, fire, and air. Head inside any of these shrines and open the Bending Scroll Container to acquire the associated Avatar Mythic. 



It’s also worth noting that the Olympian Mythics have been vaulted for the duration of the Fortnite Avatar Elements event. There are plenty of Avatar Mythics to go

How to get Avatar Mythics in Fortnite (Airbending, Earthbending, and Firebending)

The FIDE Candidates Tour enters its mid phase as the standings slowly reflect the final results of the tournament. But on top of elite chess action, we also saw some heated drama. This time, between Alireza Firouzja and the chief arbiter of the Candidates Tour.



EDIT: In an interview later, Alireza's dad stated that he doesn't want to play chess anymore after the incident. "Last night, Alireza told me, "Dad I don't want to play chess," Hamidreza Firouzja stated.




"Last night, Alireza told me, &#39;Dad I don&#39;t want to play chess.&#39;"#FIDECandidates pic.twitter.com/fxlzehh8HQ— chess24 (@chess24com) April 15, 2024




Alireza complains after an arbiter interrupted him amidst Candidates Tour game



Round 9 of the Candidates Tour ended in a draw for the French-Iranian Grandmaster, Alireza Firouzja. He went up against the current leader of the standings, Ian Nepomniachtchi, - putting up a great performance met with Nepomniachtchi's brilliant defense. But Alireza would express dissatisfaction afterwards because of a much different reason.




Firouzja played a strong game with a brilliant exchange sacrifice, but Nepomniachtchi held the draw with a fortress!Nepomniachtchi is the only undefeated player in the tournament.https://t.co/wTs0nVlaGA#FIDECandidates pic.twitter.com/nxwjIL2Brd— chess24 (@chess24com) April 14, 2024




After the Candidates Tour Round 9 ended, Alireza Firouzja took to Twitter/X to publicly call out chief arbiter, Marghetis, for interrupting him mid-match. The reason was that Alireza's shoes were making noises on the wooden floor thus the arbiter told the GM to stop walking around. He also asked Alireza to wear a different pair of shoes for the next days.




Shameful action by the chief arbiter Marghetis towards me during the game. Middle of the game in the most intense moment, when i was walking during [Ian's] move, chief arbiter , came to me and told me to not walk anymore because my shoe is making noise on the wooden floor.
Alireza

Candidates Tour: Alireza calls out arbiter for interrupting him mid-match due to noise complaints

MoistCr1TiKaL, owner of Moist Esports, has taken to YouTube to complain about his Apex roster struggling to acquire a visa for the ALGS Split 1 Playoffs. Two members of the team are from Australia, and do not have legal status in the United States. 



This roster, which is one of the favourites to win the competition, still does not have permission to enter the United States to compete. According to MoistCr1TiKaL, the team will only be able to compete if they are released from the organisation.



According to his YouTube video, the team has been released as a result of this struggle. Supposedly, this was the only way the team would be able to compete at the event. 









MoistCr1TiKaL takes to YouTube to vent about Moist Esports Apex Visa struggles



MoistCr1TiKaL vented passionately for over ten minutes on YouTube about his experiences trying to get the Most Esports Apex Legends team permission to enter the United States for the ALGS Split 1 Playoffs.



In an impassioned rant, MoistCr1TiKaL revealed that even with EA executives and the best immigration lawyers working alongside the organisation, they simply cannot get the visas sorted before the event.







"We have been working with the best lawyers in the industry. The best lawyers on the f***king planet that specialise in this field. None of them can believe that we have been declined, again. They've never had these issues before. They are as stunned as we are. 



"We even have one of the highest level executives at EA going to bat for us with US immigration and lobbying for us...even with the goddam Avengers on our side US immigration slams the door and turns us away like it is a lacrosse house party in college."



He goes on to add that he believes "I'm convinced that if Jesus Christ resurrected right now, US immigration would turn him away."



As hinted at in the video, this is not the first issue Moist Esports have had with US immigration. The team were unable to secure visas to relocate to the

Moist Esports release Apex team to resolve visa issues

Since Teamfight Tactics (TFT) Set 11 Inkborn Fables' release, there has been a dominance in reroll compositions, both 2 and 3-cost. In the latest B-patch, 3-cost reroll compositions such as Yone reroll and Duelist reroll that benefit from level 7 odds and Titan's Resolve are very prevalent.



Additionally, 4-cost carry compositions are less prominent than what is considered healthy for the game. While Kai'sa carry functions at level 8 and caps well at level 9, it is harder to compete with the reroll meta with any other level 8 and 9 standard composition. 



Many of the changes in the large upcoming patch remedies the state of the meta to expand the diversity of playstyles and meta compositions. 



Here are the TFT patch notes for patch 14.8, releasing April 17, at approximately 6 a.m. PT. 



Set 11 TFT patch 14.8 notes: systems changes



Inkshadow Senna (Image via Riot Games)



Player Damage




Stage Base Damage from Stage 2 to 6 increased by 2 each

Stage 2: 0 to 2



Stage 3: 3 to 5



Stage 4: 5 to 7



Stage 5: 7 to 9



Stage 6: 9 to 11



Stage 7: 15 to 17



Stage 8: 150





Surviving Enemies Damage Standardized

Every unit will now count as 1HP of damage






Streaks




Win/loss streak of 2 now grants 1 gold, lowering the threshold to receive streak gold




Shop Odds




Level 7: 19/30/40/10/1% to 20/33/36/10/1%

1 and 2-cost odds increased on 7 



3-cost odds decreased on 7






Set 11 TFT patch 14.8 notes: augments changes



Porcelain Lux (Image via Riot Games)



Boiling Point



"Porcelains' attacks grant 5 bonus Mana. While boiling, their attacks also Burn and Wound. Gain a Lux."




Mana per attack decreased from 5 to 3




Call to Adventure



"Every 2 takedowns, Storyweaver Kayle permanently gains 2 Ability Power and 12 Health. Gain a Garen and Riven."




No longer offered on 3-2




Everything Must Go



"Your units buy and sell for 0 gold. Gain 1 gold."




Disabled




Fine Vintage



"Completed items left on your bench for 3 rounds

TFT Patch 14.8 Notes: Set 11 Inkborn Fables

Leakers have already confirmed on Twitter everything to expect in next week's Fortnite update (29.30) and it seems like we are going to get a lot of great content. From Battle Royale content to Fortnite Festival content, it seems like we are getting quite the Fortnite fix.




NEXT FORTNITE MAJOR UPDATE (29.30) IS CONFIRMED FOR NEXT TUESDAY 🔥• NEW ICON Artist• Fortnite Festival Season 3• Return of the Tactical AR• New LEGO Edit Styles & MUCH MORE.. ‼️ pic.twitter.com/4DOEoALGMG— HYPEX (@HYPEX) April 16, 2024




Here is everything confirmed for Fortnite's next update.



Fortnite update: Everything confirmed for 29.30



The 29.30 Fortnite update has a lot of content for players to explore. Obviously, the Battle Royale mode is the most popular, so let's talk about everything we can expect for next week.



Return of the Tactical AR in Fortnite update



The Tactical AR is officially making its return to the Fortnite island. While this gun's bloom may be a bit heavier than other ARs, it has a fire rate that makes other guns look weak. Not only that, but its scope abilities will give players a chance to really hone in on their sights. 







The gun was first released back in Chapter 1, and since that has been seen on the island multiple times. This, however, will be the first time the gun has been available with interchangeable scopes. 



LEGO Fortnite Edit Styles



Edit Styles are officially coming to LEGO Fortnite. This means your favorite skins that have multiple options in the Battle Royale, will now also include multiple options in LEGO Fortnite.







Details on the new Edit Styles in LEGO Fortnite have not yet been released, so whether or not every skin will have them is unknown. 



Fortnite Festival Season 3



Probably the biggest news for next week is the release of Fortnite Festival Season 3. This means a brand new Icon Artist will be emerging, giving players a whole new list of songs to choose from.



We have already had The Weeknd

Everything confirmed for Fortnite's next update (29.30)

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The first match of the LCS Super Week has been postponed, Riot announced in a statement today. The match between Evil Geniuses and Flyquest will now take place on the 27th of February, the fourth game of the day.


The first match of the LCS Super Week has been postponed, Riot announced in a statement today. The match between Evil Geniuses and Flyquest will now take place on the 27th of February, the fourth game of the day.


Technical issues in the LCS studios have resulted in this decision to postpone the highly anticipated game.&nbsp;


Technical issues in the LCS studios have resulted in this decision to postpone the highly anticipated game.&nbsp;


League Officials have identified a technical issue that they believe will impact the integrity of the upcoming game, so Evil Geniuses vs FlyQuest will be postponed until a later date.

Why was the match between Evil Geniuses and Flyquest postponed?

Technical issues in the LCS studios plagued the game between Immortals and CLG with multiple pauses on the first day of Week 4. The players and fans were frustrated with the poor playing conditions during the last game of the day.


Technical issues in the LCS studios plagued the game between Immortals and CLG with multiple pauses on the first day of Week 4. The players and fans were frustrated with the poor playing conditions during the last game of the day.


Eventually, Immortals closed out the game in 31 minutes, but there were obviously some technical issues that could affect the LCS games going forward.&nbsp;



Eventually, Immortals closed out the game in 31 minutes, but there were obviously some technical issues that could affect the LCS games going forward.&nbsp;


Riot Games has now changed the schedule to fix these issues and ensure a smooth viewing and playing experience. This would be the first time in history that a regular season LCS match has seen a change in schedule.


Riot Games has now changed the schedule to fix these issues and ensure a smooth viewing and playing experience. This would be the first time in history that a regular season LCS match has seen a change in schedule.


Team Liquid has had a great start to the year. The team won the LCS Lock In tournament and has had very successful start to LCS Spring Split. All of this without one of the key members of the squad as Corejj was not able to secure his green card and gain US residency. With Corejj's return, Team Liquid now has one of the strongest bot lane duo in the LCS.


Team Liquid has had a great start to the year. The team won the LCS Lock In tournament and has had very successful start to LCS Spring Split. All of this without one of the key members of the squad as Corejj was not able to secure his green card and gain US residency. With Corejj's return, Team Liquid now has one of the strongest bot lane duo in the LCS. 


Esports.gg's Devin “PiraTechnics” Younge was on site at the LCS and caught up with Steven "Hans sama" Liv after the team's victory over Evil Geniuses. The 22-year-old botlaner spoke about playing with Corejj, the new LCS Champions queue and Renata Glasc.


Esports.gg's Devin “PiraTechnics” Younge was on site at the LCS and caught up with Steven "Hans sama" Liv after the team's victory over Evil Geniuses. The 22-year-old botlaner spoke about playing with Corejj, the new LCS Champions queue and Renata Glasc.


Congratulations on your win. You finally got to play with CoreJJ for the first time since the Lock-in. How does it feel to have Team Liquid at full power?


Congratulations on your win. You finally got to play with CoreJJ for the first time since the Lock-in. How does it feel to have Team Liquid at full power?


Hans Sama: It feels so so nice. I think since CoreJJ came we’ve had really good practice. I feel like everyone was playing better, me included. Me and CorreJJ at the bot-lane. I thought that we could beat a lot of people in the entire world and I still think we can be a really good bot lane.


Hans Sama: It feels so so nice. I think since CoreJJ came we’ve had really good practice. I feel like everyone was playing better, me included. Me and CorreJJ at the bot-lane. I thought that we could beat a lot of people in the entire world and I still think we can be a really good bot lane.


I also like how the day is going. The team has a good vibe during the scrims and then the Champions queue, it’s also a good vibe to try the Champions Queue. So during the day, I feel very happy to practice the game.


I also like how the day is going. The team has a good vibe during the scrims and then the Champions queue, it’s also a good vibe to try the Champions Queue. So during the day, I feel very happy to practice the game.


"Champions Queue is better than EU solo queue. That’s for sure"

Tell me a little bit more about Champions Queue. I know this is a new thing in North America, but as you are just coming into this region from many years in Europe. Have you seen a massive difference in the way people play in the two regions and is that changing because of the Champions queue?


Tell me a little bit more about Champions Queue. I know this is a new thing in North America, but as you are just coming into this region from many years in Europe. Have you seen a massive difference in the way people play in the two regions and is that changing because of the Champions queue?


Hans Sama: Champions Queue is better than EU solo queue. That’s for sure. The Champions queue is something that I'm so happy that it's brought in. Usually I wouldn’t be able to play as many SoloQs after scrims because Soloq is an environment where you don’t really practice the thing that you practice in scrims. It’s not the same vibe. A lot of people are not taking it seriously. There’s a lot of ping, there’s a lot of weird things. It’s not the same game that you are playing in scrims.


Hans Sama: Champions Queue is better than EU solo queue. That’s for sure. The Champions queue is something that I'm so happy that it's brought in. Usually I wouldn’t be able to play as many SoloQs after scrims because Soloq is an environment where you don’t really practice the thing that you practice in scrims. It’s not the same vibe. A lot of people are not taking it seriously. There’s a lot of ping, there’s a lot of weird things. It’s not the same game that you are playing in scrims. 


But the Champions queue makes it very similar. People are talking. There’s low ping. The low ping is huge, Everything just feels smooth. I feel the quality of the games are very good to improve. I just like to go to Solo Q and build a habit. So when I enter the queue, no matter how many hours I put in, I don’t mind. I play scrims from 5-6 and from 6-1, I spam the Champions Queue. And this is something new to me, because I would not be able to spam solo q from 6pm to 1 am.


But the Champions queue makes it very similar. People are talking. There’s low ping. The low ping is huge, Everything just feels smooth. I feel the quality of the games are very good to improve. I just like to go to Solo Q and build a habit. So when I enter the queue, no matter how many hours I put in, I don’t mind. I play scrims from 5-6 and from 6-1, I spam the Champions Queue. And this is something new to me, because I would not be able to spam solo q from 6pm to 1 am. 


Clearly, you are not the only person that is going to get something out of Champions Queue. Do you feel like this is going to elevate North America as a region? By the time Worlds rolls around, you should be more competitive, do you think?


Clearly, you are not the only person that is going to get something out of Champions Queue. Do you feel like this is going to elevate North America as a region? By the time Worlds rolls around, you should be more competitive, do you think?


Hans Sama: It’s elevating a few players that I know. Me included, we like it very much and we feel that it’s an improvement. So it’s clearly elevating the level of NA for sure.


Hans Sama: It’s elevating a few players that I know. Me included, we like it very much and we feel that it’s an improvement. So it’s clearly elevating the level of NA for sure.


You said you felt very confident in the team especially now with CoreJJ on the roster. Obviously it's been a very good start for Team Liquid. How confidently do you feel that Team Liquid could be going for not only the title for this split, but also as a MSI representative. Do you feel that is well within reach or are there things you want to work on still with the team?


You said you felt very confident in the team especially now with CoreJJ on the roster. Obviously it's been a very good start for Team Liquid. How confidently do you feel that Team Liquid could be going for not only the title for this split, but also as a MSI representative. Do you feel that is well within reach or are there things you want to work on still with the team?


Hans Sama: I think we are working on a lot of things and still need to work on a lot of other things. I think we are improving quite fast, honestly. Every time we look through our play, I feel we are training to build a new habit for the next games. We are getting used to each other. CoreJJ just came this week to practice. Before he was practicing but it was not like him officially playing with us.


Hans Sama: I think we are working on a lot of things and still need to work on a lot of other things. I think we are improving quite fast, honestly. Every time we look through our play, I feel we are training to build a new habit for the next games. We are getting used to each other. CoreJJ just came this week to practice. Before he was practicing but it was not like him officially playing with us.


He has his green card. Also mentally you can’t be fully there if you are worried about something else. I was thinking, ``What if I’m not able to play with Corejj in the future. Is this for the whole time?” And I had to swap between Eyla and Corejj which was a bit rough.


He has his green card. Also mentally you can’t be fully there if you are worried about something else. I was thinking, ``What if I’m not able to play with Corejj in the future. Is this for the whole time?” And I had to swap between Eyla and Corejj which was a bit rough. 


I think the team is stepping up, I think we can be such a strong team and I am really excited to give it my best everyday.

I feel really excited to see how far we can go. But as someone who doesn’t really like to be like ‘Internationally we can do super well…” I don’t want to put this weight on me. Maybe week by week. I really want to beat CLG tomorrow and then next week, beat an even stronger team than this week. [Team Liquid won )


I feel really excited to see how far we can go. But as someone who doesn’t really like to be like ‘Internationally we can do super well…” I don’t want to put this weight on me. Maybe week by week. I really want to beat CLG tomorrow and then next week, beat an even stronger team than this week. [Team Liquid won )


This week we stepped up really well in practice and the game today. I think last week, we didn’t have that many great games. We won the games but the games that we were playing weren't good with our vision that we wanted to play. I think it’s getting there. We are a very strong team.


This week we stepped up really well in practice and the game today. I think last week, we didn’t have that many great games. We won the games but the games that we were playing weren't good with our vision that we wanted to play. I think it’s getting there. We are a very strong team.


"Corejj just knew how to win a game and it was really impressive" - Hans Sama

You won today in 28 minutes and obviously it seemed like the biggest difference with Corejj in the roster is that the decision-making is faster. Do you feel like that in the roster that there is a quicker click in how you are all making comms and making plays?


You won today in 28 minutes and obviously it seemed like the biggest difference with Corejj in the roster is that the decision-making is faster. Do you feel like that in the roster that there is a quicker click in how you are all making comms and making plays?


Hans Sama: Corejj was definitely carrying the calls today. It was really nice to hear him shot-calling. He just knew how to win a game and it was really impressive. When the game is slow, it feels a little bit harder for people to make very good calls to win it. It feels like it didn’t really affect him, he knew the way to play.


Hans Sama: Corejj was definitely carrying the calls today. It was really nice to hear him shot-calling. He just knew how to win a game and it was really impressive. When the game is slow, it feels a little bit harder for people to make very good calls to win it. It feels like it didn’t really affect him, he knew the way to play.


I feel like in scrims the games are faster. On stage, they went slower so things such as taking vision, engaging at the time feels slower. But Corejj just knew all these steps, so that was nice.


I feel like in scrims the games are faster. On stage, they went slower so things such as taking vision, engaging at the time feels slower. But Corejj just knew all these steps, so that was nice.


Hans Sama on the meta and the new Champion

Speaking of steps, you had some nice stuttered step plays on Jinx today. This meta of course has shifted a lot more in favor of scaling hypercarries. I know you are famously a player who does like to dominate lanes with a couple of champions, most notably Draven.&nbsp;


Speaking of steps, you had some nice stuttered step plays on Jinx today. This meta of course has shifted a lot more in favor of scaling hypercarries. I know you are famously a player who does like to dominate lanes with a couple of champions, most notably Draven.&nbsp;


Are you really enjoying the way the meta has shifted since 12.1 and the season started.


Are you really enjoying the way the meta has shifted since 12.1 and the season started.


Team Liquid has had a great start to the year. The team won the LCS Lock In tournament and has had very successful start to LCS Spring Split. All of this without one of the key members of the squad as Corejj was not able to secure his green card and gain US residency. With Corejj's return, Team Liquid now has one of the strongest bot lane duo in the LCS. 



Esports.gg's Devin “PiraTechnics” Younge was on site at the LCS and caught up with Steven "Hans sama" Liv after the team's victory over Evil Geniuses. The 22-year-old botlaner spoke about playing with Corejj, the new LCS Champions queue and Renata Glasc.



<figure class="wp-block-embedpress-twitch-block ose-twitch-presentation"><iframe src="https://clips.twitch.tv/embed?clip=BashfulPoisedAlfalfaYouDontSay--Z8m0wjOkiN6SoIH&amp;autoplay=false&amp;parent=esports.gg" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen width="600" height="450"></iframe></figure>



Congratulations on your win. You finally got to play with CoreJJ for the first time since the Lock-in. How does it feel to have Team Liquid at full power?



Hans Sama: It feels so so nice. I think since CoreJJ came we’ve had really good practice. I feel like everyone was playing better, me included. Me and CorreJJ at the bot-lane. I thought that we could beat a lot of people in the entire world and I still think we can be a really good bot lane.



I also like how the day is going. The team has a good vibe during the scrims and then the Champions queue, it’s also a good vibe to try the Champions Queue. So during the day, I feel very happy to practice the game.



<h2 id="h-champions-queue-is-better-than-eu-solo-queue-that-s-for-sure">"Champions Queue is better than EU solo queue. That’s for sure"</h2>



Tell me a little bit more about Champions Queue. I know this is a new thing in North America, but as you are just coming into this region from many years in Europe. Have you seen a massive difference in the way people play in the two regions and is that changing because of the Champions queue?



Hans Sama: Champions Queue is better than EU solo queue. That’s for sure. The Champions queue is something that I'm so happy that it's brought in. Usually I wouldn’t be able to play as many SoloQs after scrims because Soloq is an environment where you don’t really practice the thing that you practice in scrims. It’s not the same vibe. A lot of people are not taking it seriously. There’s a lot of ping, there’s a lot of weird things. It’s not the same game that you are playing in scrims. 



But the Champions queue makes it very similar. People are talking. There’s low ping. The low ping is huge, Everything just feels smooth. I feel the quality of the games are very good to improve. I just like to go to Solo Q and build a habit. So when I enter the queue, no matter how many hours I put in, I don’t mind. I play scrims from 5-6 and from 6-1, I spam the Champions Queue. And this is something new to me, because I would not be able to spam solo q from 6pm to 1 am. 



 [esports_link url="https://esports.gg/guides/league-of-legends/lol-champions-queue/"]



Clearly, you are not the only person that is going to get something out of Champions Queue. Do you feel like this is going to elevate North America as a region? By the time Worlds rolls around, you should be more competitive, do you think?



Hans Sama: It’s elevating a few players that I know. Me included, we like it very much and we feel that it’s an improvement. So it’s clearly elevating the level of NA for sure.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://esports.gg/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/msedge_OGeGzHqpK6-1024x572.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-72734" width="842" height="470"/><figcaption>Team Liquid's Hans Sama</figcaption></figure>



You said you felt very confident in the team especially now with CoreJJ on the roster. Obviously it's been a very good start for Team Liquid. How confidently do you feel that Team Liquid could be going for not only the title for this split, but also as a MSI representative. Do you feel that is well within reach or are there things you want to work on still with the team?



Hans Sama: I think we are working on a lot of things and still need to work on a lot of other things. I think we are improving quite fast, honestly. Every time we look through our play, I feel we are training to build a new habit for the next games. We are getting used to each other. CoreJJ just came this week to practice. Before he was practicing but it was not like him officially playing with us.



He has his green card. Also mentally you can’t be fully there if you are worried about something else. I was thinking, ``What if I’m not able to play with Corejj in the future. Is this for the whole time?” And I had to swap between Eyla and Corejj which was a bit rough. 



<figure class="wp-block-pullquote"><blockquote>I think the team is stepping up, I think we can be such a strong team and I am really excited to give it my best everyday. </blockquote></figure>



I feel really excited to see how far we can go. But as someone who doesn’t really like to be like ‘Internationally we can do super well…” I don’t want to put this weight on me. Maybe week by week. I really want to beat CLG tomorrow and then next week, beat an even stronger team than this week. [Team Liquid won )



This week we stepped up really well in practice and the game today. I think last week, we didn’t have that many great games. We won the games but the games that we were playing weren't good with our vision that we wanted to play. I think it’s getting there. We are a very strong team.



<h2 id="corejj-just-knew-how-to-win-a-game-and-it-was-really-impressive-hans-sama">"Corejj just knew how to win a game and it was really impressive" - Hans Sama</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://esports.gg/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/msedge_U15STB9O37-1024x418.jpg" alt="Hans Sama and Corejj make for a deadly bot lane duo." class="wp-image-72690"/><figcaption>Hans Sama and Team Liquid before their match against EG in Week 3 Day 1.</figcaption></figure>



You won today in 28 minutes and obviously it seemed like the biggest difference with Corejj in the roster is that the decision-making is faster. Do you feel like that in the roster that there is a quicker click in how you are all making comms and making plays?



Hans Sama: Corejj was definitely carrying the calls today. It was really nice to hear him shot-calling. He just knew how to win a game and it was really impressive. When the game is slow, it feels a little bit harder for people to make very good calls to win it. It feels like it didn’t really affect him, he knew the way to play.



I feel like in scrims the games are faster. On stage, they went slower so things such as taking vision, engaging at the time feels slower. But Corejj just knew all these steps, so that was nice.



 [esports_link url="https://esports.gg/news/league-of-legends/tsm-huni-playing-smite-top-makes-me-more-intelligent-about-the-game/"]



<h2 id="hans-sama-on-the-meta-and-the-new-champion">Hans Sama on the meta and the new Champion</h2>



Speaking of steps, you had some nice stuttered step plays on Jinx today. This meta of course has shifted a lot more in favor of scaling hypercarries. I know you are famously a player who does like to dominate lanes with a couple of champions, most notably Draven.&nbsp;



Are you really enjoying the way the meta has shifted since 12.1 and the season started.



Hans Sama: I’ve always enjoyed every meta I feel like. There wasn’t a single meta where I went like ‘Oh no’. Always enjoyed practicing different champions for each meta. And I ended up being quite good at all these AD Carry champions. All the time, in a meta it’s 2-3 ADCs and I enjoyed most of them I would say. 



<figure class="wp-block-pullquote"><blockquote>Maybe people would think I enjoyed more of the Draven style, but in fact no.</blockquote></figure>



I just enjoy every single one. I try to be the best in each meta. That’s the way I feel nice. I don’t want to be like “Ok I cant play Aphelios, Jinx, I want to play Draven, Kalista’ type of mind. I don’t really like that. I’m not like that. 



I really like it when the game is changing, the items change. There is more damage output for AD carries. I really like the new opportunities that I can find. The game is always changing, so I like the current meta.



[esports_link url="https://esports.gg/news/league-of-legends/renata-glasc-release-date-lore-abilities/"]



Of course next week patch 12.4 will arrive and a week or two after that in theory we will get Renata Glasc enabled, a champion that a lot of people are calling really broken. Is this something you think we will actually get to see or do you think it's a perma-ban like Zeri. What is your take on the new champion coming out?



Hans Sama: I think this new champion might have some games in the LCS. And if he does super-insane could be perma-ban. Like Zeri (Pira corrects Danny) Penta kill, and we didn’t see that champion again. We don’t see that champion in the Champions queue, we don’t see that champion anywhere.&nbsp;



You can only play the champion in normal games, which is what I’m trying to do because I won't have a chance to practice the champion otherwise. In scrims, it's perma-banned, everyone is just banning her. 



But surprisingly in LCK, they don’t think the same. Zeri is like Open, I would say, which is surprising. Maybe they just maybe they just have a different read. Usually in the region, the teams are all copying themselves. Everyone is kind of doing the same stuff low-key; they are not completely different.



Stay tuned to&nbsp;<a href="https://esports.gg/">esports.gg</a>&nbsp;for the latest&nbsp;<a href="https://esports.gg/games/league-of-legends">League of Legends news and updates.</a>

Hans Sama: “I feel like [with Corejj in the roster], everyone was playing better, me included”

The first match of the LCS Super Week has been postponed, Riot announced in a statement today. The match between Evil Geniuses and Flyquest will now take place on the 27th of February, the fourth game of the day.



Technical issues in the LCS studios have resulted in this decision to postpone the highly anticipated game.&nbsp;



<figure class="wp-block-pullquote"><blockquote>League Officials have identified a technical issue that they believe will impact the integrity of the upcoming game, so Evil Geniuses vs FlyQuest will be postponed until a later date.<cite><a href="https://twitter.com/LCSOfficial/status/1497409800463806464" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">LCS on twitter</a></cite></blockquote></figure>



<h2 id="h-why-was-the-match-between-evil-geniuses-and-flyquest-postponed">Why was the match between Evil Geniuses and Flyquest postponed?</h2>



Technical issues in the LCS studios plagued the game between Immortals and CLG with multiple pauses on the first day of Week 4. The players and fans were frustrated with the poor playing conditions during the last game of the day.



 Eventually, Immortals closed out the game in 31 minutes, but there were obviously some technical issues that could affect the LCS games going forward.&nbsp;



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://twitter.com/LCSOfficial/status/1497433326738567170
</div></figure>



Riot Games has now changed the schedule to fix these issues and ensure a smooth viewing and playing experience. This would be the first time in history that a regular season LCS match has seen a change in schedule.



[esports_link url="https://esports.gg/news/league-of-legends/hans-sama/"]



<h2 id="h-when-is-the-eg-vs-flyquest-game">When is the EG vs Flyquest game?</h2>



In a subsequent tweet, LCS has announced the match between Evil Geniuses and Flyquest will take place on February 27. The match will take place right after 100Thieves and Cloud9 match.&nbsp;



This means Flyquest will have to play two consecutive matches as it also plays against Immortals soon after.&nbsp;



The LCS Super Week comprises some really exciting matches including 100Thieves vs Cloud9 and Cloud9 vs Flyquest.



Stay tuned to <a href="https://esports.gg/">esports.gg</a> for the latest <a href="https://esports.gg/games/league-of-legends/">League of Legends news and updates</a>.

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