The Unicorn Effect

There's no shortage of Unicorns of Love fans in Europe.  It's well deserved attention too--they represent the pauper to prince meteoric rise of a couple of friends to the big time.  They are what most of us following the competitive League of Legends wish we could do, and they've shown that it's really possible.  However, what they've brought to the LCS is much more than a remarkable success story--they really stand to change the way the game is played on a competitive level.

1.  35.  So far, the Unicorns have played 35 different champions in the Spring Split and Playoffs combined, which means they have one of the largest champion pools in the either EU or NA (and represent a little under half of all champions played in either region).  They also specialize in off-the-wall picks, while proving that they have mastery of the standard laners.

Individually, we've seen 9 different champions in the top lane, 9 in the jungle, 9 in the mid lane and 5 in ADC and 4 in Support.  Typically, bans heavily favor top and mid lane (around 70% of bans are targeted to those two lanes), so top and mid lane players are typically forced to expand their comfortable champion pool to 5 champions (3 for bans, 1 for the potential counter pick, and 1 to play).  Not having a standard swath of champions to choose from leads to players being effectively banned out--for example, banning Lucian and Graves against FORG1VEN often forces him onto one of his weaker picks (Caitlyn, Corki), on which he only experiences moderate success and moderates his threat potential.  The Unicorns, however, can never be banned out because every player has at least 5 good picks (we haven't seen Hylissang's fifth, but let's be honest--there's no way on a team like this that he doesn't have a fifth pick).

UOL uses the Yorick + Cassiopeia strategy to the demise of Fnatic.

We get the sense from IEM San Jose (where Kikis ran a jungle Twisted Fate) that we haven't seen the limits of their champion pools, nor who has the ability to play which champions.  The Unicorns have proven they can switch standard picks to flex positions (Sion, Kog'Maw, Nautilus) and play a wide variety of team compositions (everything from siege comps to Yorick + Cassiopeia).  More experienced teams might argue that practicing so many different champions would lead to diminished overall game play, and in the standard meta they'd be correct.  However, the Unicorns show us that it isn't about picking the strongest pick for the meta, but choosing a specialized role and filling it with a champion that can do the role well--for example a tanky Jungle could just as easily be Jarvan IV as Sion, Udyr, Nautilus or Nunu.

This changes picks and bans.  Unfortunately for the opponents of UOL, there really aren't any good bans.  With the diversity of their compositions, typical bans are ineffective.  It also means that a team has to expect the unexpected--that Twisted Fate may not be the mid laner that you're expecting it to be.  If this spreads, we'll see dynamic picks and bans with varied team compositions that are truly unpredictable.

UOL collapses onto Fredy, marginalizing the latter's ability to participate in fights.

It also changes our expectation of individual players.  LCS players have their favorite picks that they're known for.  Giving Bjergsen Zed is akin to giving the game (at least, in most cases), or giving Freeze Draven means you'll have a looming threat that could explode at any time.  While UOL does have a fair share of unique picks (Yorick, Poppy, Twisted Fate, Shaco), we acknowledge their ability to play their role extremely well instead of the champions they often play in it.  If UOL catches on, we'll see a rise of people who master roles, not meta champions.  Is it truly an adequate representation of a player's capability to call them a "master of the mid lane" if they need to be on one of three champions to dominate?

2.  Playing from behind.  Another strength of the Unicorns is their ability to play with confidence from behind.  Over the course of the Spring Split, we've seen a number of wins when a team was trailing in gold but somehow managed to get that last minute Ace at Baron and push for the win.  The Unicorns seem to have made a habit of winning with a gold deficit--with only the rare occurrence of a fortunate Ace that paves the way for the win.

UOL vs Fnatic - While they lose in a trade in the top lane, they push in the mid.

This changes the idea of a team's advantage.  Now, we talk about early game leads, mid game leads, and late game leads.  These leads are typically measured in objectives accomplished (towers destroyed, dragons taken, barons taken, inhibitors destroyed) and gold.  Although we remember those games where a team was able to turn things around at the last minute, when a team cracks the enemy base and takes down inhibitors, the game is pretty much over in the current meta.  However, the Unicorns have shown how they can control a game despite playing from behind in either towers or gold.  If this catches on, we can expect to see more teams with strategies that can over power teams even when they're able to secure a substantial lead.

3.  The shared spotlight.  Individually, there's a lot to talk about when it comes to UOL.  Each of them has individual accomplishments that helps them keep pace with their peers.  The Unicorns, though, are quick to share the spotlight; probably because so much of their success relies on their synergy.  They have what Elements was supposed to have--solid players who do well on their own, but the sort of teamwork and unity that makes them menacing.  Quite often in interviews you'll see them defer to teammates or teamwork for their success rather than their own skill--not because it's the acceptable thing to do, but because they rely so much on their team.

UOL sneaks a baron while SK is occupied.

This changes the way we'll see LCS players.  This isn't a new concept--frequently Korean and Chinese teams have proven that everyone on the team is talented and no one person can be blamed for the success or failure of the team--but it goes against what we're used to in the Western mentality: we're prone to see heroes, not armies; we look for superstars, not super teams.  If this idea catches on, though, we might see less individual trading and more formations of teams that work to create fantastic teams.

4.  The consistency of inconsistent.  The Unicorns did not have the best win/loss record going into these playoffs.  In fact, they're well known for doing fantastically against better teams and losing to teams with worse records.  One could almost say that the Spring Split was sort of an experiment for UOL--they tried out a wide variety of compositions, strategies, and champions, and found what very well could work for them when they entered the playoffs.

UOL zones out Elements with their double tank strategy.

This changes the way we look at a regular season.  Right now, the Spring and Summer Splits are sort of a mini-playoff, with frequent rankings and general estimations of proficiency based solely on performance in LCS games.  However, the Unicorns bring a scrim style to the regular season that leaves them unfazed when they lose.  Recall the devastation of CLG when they lost to Cloud 9 in the tiebreaker game, or Fnatic when they lost for the second time to UOL.  Contrast that with UOL's own loss to Giants or MYM--the Unicorns were here to play and learn, not to walk the red carpet to a perfect season.  If this rubs off on other teams, we'll start to see more of what it takes to make a great team, and less comfort picks and the need to defend a legacy.

5.  Adaptability.  If something doesn't work, try something new.  By their own admonition, the Unicorns are best at Best of 5 scenarios.  Typically, a team goes into a Bo5 with a small handful of tailored strategies to defeat a specific team.  Although UOL no doubt has similar preparation with numerous strategies, they're also willing to throw out whatever needs to be thrown out and roll with the punches.  In the past, we would have expected Gambit to be the same way--but when it entered a tournament setting, Gambit picked basically the same composition with slight modifications.  On the other hand, the Unicorns were all over the place and still managed to pull off wins.

UOL fends Fnatic off the base.

This changes how teams approach playoffs.  There's already a sense of adapting to an opponent over a series of games--but what about adaptation that takes place at every step in the process, from preparation before hand, to picks and bans, to early game, to mid game, and to late game?  Despite falling behind, the Unicorns will often reinvent themselves mid game and try something new.  If other teams start taking this approach, we won't see so many 3-0 series; instead, we'll see more 3-1 and 3-2 sets as teams change their approach dynamically in game.

In the end, UOL success in the playoffs will only open more doors and offer more exciting addtions to eSports.  After all, we could use a little more of the Unicorn Effect in the LCS.