I recently had the chance to talk with Origen's analyst Tadayoshi “Hermit” Littleton. We discussed a variety of topics, including his time with Origen, playoffs, and his perspective on the best League of Legends teams in the world.

This interview was taken prior to the European Semifinals.

Greetings Hermit, thanks for doing this interview. Care to introduce yourself for those who might not know you?

I'm Hermit, the analyst for Origen. I started playing in beta, and have been working behind the scenes for the past two seasons.  

How long have you been involved with Origen?

Since January. I put together a document after watching Origen's ranked 5's games and it made the front page of Reddit. xPeke contacted me the next day.  

Wow, that didn't take very long at all. What was your reaction? I'm assuming you weren't expecting anything like that right away.

I was quite happy. I had been in touch with many of the EU organizations but without much success. I briefly worked with H2k at the beginning of Spring Split, but it wasn't the place for me. In Season 4, I worked under an LMS coach and had certain expectations. At Origen, I had an extended trial period and eventually ended up working with the team long-term.

How would you describe your experience with Origen thus far?

Well, initially I worked part time and balanced a full-time job. That was pretty stressful. In the Summer Split (thanks xPeke's generosity) I was able to move to full time with the team. At this time, Ducky and I gathered a few assistants, which allowed us to focus a bit more on the team and less on scouting. Generally, I watch scrims and develop pick/ban scenarios with Ducky, as well as watch other regions and suggest new champions.  

Do you work remotely?

I used to, but I recently arrived in Europe for playoffs. I'm still adjusting to this different way of working. With that said, I'm enjoying the face-to-face interaction much more. Most importantly, post-game discussions and analysis sessions of replays are now something that I can fully participate in.  

That's understandable. Let's talk playoffs. Commonly touted as the third best team in EU, H2K took down Giants rather decisively. How do you think Origen is going to do versus H2k?

If we play at the level we have played for the last week, I think we should at least win 3-1. Giants did not put up a fight and communication between jungle and support is one of the most important things right now. KaSing is an excellent player, but it appears that the team has little faith in Loulex, and betongJocke simply doesn't have the experience yet, in my opinion.

Sounds like a likely possibility. What are your predictions for FNC vs UOL? As far as I can see, the only real question is whether or not FNC will even give up a single game.

FNC are too good at capitalizing on mistakes, and UoL makes so many of them. I can't see Fnatic losing a single game.  

How do you think the finals of FNC vs Origen will go?

Unfortunately, I can't see that far in advance. It all depends on what we have to reveal vs H2k, and whether we're able to bring our A-game to the stage. I think that it will be a very close series and could go 3-1/3-2 either way.

Let's move on to Worlds. How do you think Western teams will fare against the Chinese and Koreans, especially compared to last year?

Very similarly, but I think Chinese teams will surprise western audiences once again. They've improved considerably in their map play compared to last year. Furthermore, it's rare that western teams are able to match the summoner spell usage of eastern teams. I expect some to be overwhelmed, particularly eastern teleport play, a bit like how Huni is able to do so well in EU in that regard. I'm not sure many western teams have mastered the communication and abuse of timing windows created by summoner spell usage, whereas this is a strong point for Chinese teams.

Do you watch any LMS? If so, how do you think AHQ will do at worlds?

This season I have not, but I used to work in LMS. I've never been impressed by their teams, but I believe their experience scrimming better, more strategic teams will give them the edge over most western teams.

Let's say SKT vs EDG meet in the finals - what's the result?

EDG wins 3-2. I believe them to be the more adaptable team, although I think it depends on who they intend to bring to Worlds. SKT is good, but Chinese teams force a different, more adaptable play style compared to Korea. This isn't to say that Korea is behind, though. It's just that EDG has better scrim partners; lower teams in China are better than the bottom teams in LCK. In a best-of-five between SKT and EDG, I definitely expect it will go to five games, unless there is an unforeseen, overpowered champion revealed at worlds that one of these teams can take advantage of. However, I can rate all members of the EDG main roster at top three in their role at the very minimum: Deft, Clearlove, Koro1 and Pawn for sure. I'm uncertain about where I'd place Meiko worldwide, but he's definitely one of the top three supports in China. SKT does not have the same individual skill, unless they are able to leverage their roster as they did earlier in the season. I think EDG would win every best-of-five considering the current meta.  

Aside from Origen, of course, which team is your favorite to watch? Favorite player?

EDG and Clearlove, really an incredible player to watch this season. He has experienced so much growth throughout his career and has become something special.  

Let's shift continents and touch on the issue of native talent in North America. Do you think that North America is inherently lacking native talent, or are organizations simply more interested in importing talented/experienced foreign players?

While I am not all that well informed on NA recently, I think North America's biggest problem (and it's becoming a huge issue in Europe as well) is that it's nigh impossible to train appropriate skills in solo-queue, and this dates back to the days of early streamers. There are far too many one-trick ponies and trolls. People don't take solo-queue seriously enough because climbing the ladder is a high risk/time investment with very low chance of reward. Maybe the answer is to develop Challenger infrastructure, but when Challenger Series playoffs are decided by DDOS it really seems like no one cares.  

Speaking of the Challenger Series, how do you think Dignitas EU is going to do in the LCS?

I think they need to advance their teamwork quite a bit. I can't see them placing in the top six without significant improvement – sorry, Ram!  

What is your opinion on the current meta, and where do you see it going?

My biggest problem is the increasing number of patches. I worry that Worlds will be played with so little knowledge of the many recent changes. Otherwise, I think it's very dynamic and promotes active, intelligent play.  

Do you follow any other Esports?

I don't really have the time, as I only have a few hours to myself each day. I play some other games to free my mind, but otherwise I watch 12+ hrs of League a day. I did have the chance to catch TI5 with Soaz and I watch the occasional CSGO game. I'm paid for my dedication and knowledge, however, so I devote as much time as possible to League.  

Thanks once again for doing this interview. Any parting words? Maybe some advice for aspiring analysts?

The first step is learning the importance of being able to admit when you're wrong. Recognize your own bias, and realize that the most important thing is long term growth – both for yourself and your team.

If you enjoyed this content, follow the author for more on Twitter at @NephilimPatrick. Make sure to follow Hermit on twitter as well at @mtnhrmt.