Flash Wolves came into 2016 with expectations to be able to contest the likes of ahq e-Sports Club and continue their general domination of weaker teams, with a new mechanically improved top laner instead of Steak being their only change. So far, they haven’t exactly met those expectations -- Flash Wolves showed not even a whimper, against ahq, as they were convincingly 2-0d by their recent rivals. Not only that, but Flash Wolves have been unable to dominate the rest of the competition, having lost 2-0 against newly promoted revenge squad, XGamers, and tying against  a Toyz-less Hong Kong Esports.

Steak to Rins

Flash Wolves long time shotcaller, Steak, retired after the 2015 League of Legends World Championship, leaving room for mechanical improvement, but also a hole in leadership. In prior ventures to replace Steak with top laner, MMD, the team clearly lacked direction. So far, it seems that Rins has won the starting top lane spot over MMD, but despite the hype following the young top laner,  the change has yielded mixed results.

Initially, it was clear that Rins brought a wide champion pool to the table and far more carry potential than Steak had ever offered in the past. In his very first game, he carried the Flash Wolves on an 8-1 Fiora, slicing through the Taipei Assassins’ defenses, dealing the second most damage on his team, as a top laner -- This is unheard of from the Flash Wolves, who generally pinned Steak as low-econ meat shield. It doesn’t just stop at Fiora either (though the champion has been banned away from him since), he has turned in very good performances on the likes of Trundle and Poppy, mounting together a 5.2 KDA.

He has also shown a great propensity for split pushing, as many LMS top laners have, but seemingly still lack in the teleport game, as most rookie top laners do. Unfortunately, he’s also shown his vulnerability through being solo-killed in lane a few times, which isn’t so bad in solo queue, but can be absolutely dire in competitive play. Rins’ biggest problem, however, is that he isn’t Steak -- Flash Wolves have done pretty well transitioning into the mid game, but lack decisiveness closer to the late game.

The absence of Steak most affects them when they have to move away from a pre-planned decision, such as pulling away from or finishing a baron. It left them floundering against ahq and XG past the laning phase and most recently against HKE, although to a lesser degree. It really is nothing new, as Flash Wolves have always struggled without their beloved shotcaller, but it is not as problematic as,  say,  Cloud 9’s dependence on Hai over in the NA LCS. Flash Wolves without Steak are no well-oiled machine, but aren’t a mess of parts either. Rins is talented and brings a new dimension for Flash Wolves to attack from - but they had a cool, solid rock in Steak in the past, and will have to adjust to this new, hot tamale.

Shuffling Between NL and Breeze

Flash Wolves’ other attempt at moving away from a veteran player was bringing in long-time solo queue prospect, Breeze, to pressure long-time Flash Wolves AD, NL, for the starting position. Breeze, in his initial trials, was incredibly successful on an individual level, out-laning the likes of ahq’s AN and blistering XG with his famed Lucian, achieving the highest damage output of this season, at 61.9k. Unfortunately for him, Flash Wolves did not perform so well as a whole with Breeze on the roster, going 0-4,  and have largely defaulted to NL since.

Flash Wolves as a team were very close-knit in style, and given that their playstyle has been the same for so long, player subtractions like Steak and NL are not so simple. While it can be said that NL’s presence on the team is important because of intangibles like veteran presence or shotcalling, he also affects how his support and jungler play. SwordArT has long relied on being able to roam freely, knowing his AD carry would be safe, and has not played toward the laning phase since his earlier days. Breeze plays to be the primary carry and to win the laning phase, and as such, SwordArT was invisible in their series against ahq and XGamers.

Karsa has also had his share of struggles in the new season as a result of SwordArT’s lane-shackled play, not making the same aggressive pathing around mid lane that he was known for in the past. However, he has shown more confidence as the split has gone on, with SwordArT becoming a reliable roam-buddy once more, and after becoming more comfortable with the available jungle pool. Karsa is burdened by shotcalling duties that he did not have to deal with in his first season, but if he continues to improve his synergy with their new top laner, Rins, he will have multiple places of attack on the map that will make the top lane change more than worth it.

Looking Toward the Future

It is pretty clear that the combo of Rins and NL will be the ideal combo for Flash Wolves to run, so long as SwordArT and Karsa are still developing their in-game voices. Rins is a solid improvement over Steak and will only learn with time; he probably doesn’t justify a Hai-like return from retirement. NL, on the other hand, allows his team to function in the meantime, while Breeze develops into more of a secondary carry, in practice. Flash Wolves will probably end up playing him for the rest of Spring if they want any hope at taking the crown from ahq.

Flash Wolves have had some identity issues in regards to shotcalling, gold allocation, and general playstyle - but it seems that whenever they hit a wall, they always know how to break it down. It may be in their best interest to move towards having one primary shotcaller, but Karsa and SwordArt have made enough progress to relieve panic. The Wolves have an added dimension in their play with a split-push focused top laner in Rins and Maple is still doing Maple things for the team. There is still much to look forward to for Flash Wolves after they return from the long Lunar New Year break, when they take on Machi 17 on February 18th.

Photo credits to lms.garena.tw