Jonathan Yee
2017-04-10 09:56:38
Vietnam is seemingly developing a reputation for producing carry junglers. Everybody knows who SofM is, but Levi is a name which people are starting to hear more and more often, since his break into the upper echelons in late 2016, when he was selected as the jungler representative for VCSA (Vietnamese Championship Series A) at the GPL All-Star event. Back then, Levi was on a team named Skyred and had role-swapped from the mid lane, but already had a growing reputation as a titan-killing jungler thanks to his play in solo queue, even besting SofM in the jungle.
When SofM left to join Snake in Summer 2016, there was only one choice for the Vietnamese fans when it came time to pick the VCSA All-Star team at the end of the year.
Even though Levi did not play all summer in the VCSA, the decision to vote him in proved to be an astute one by fans, as the VCSA team blazed through both the GPL and IWC All-Star events and acquitted themselves well at the Barcelona All-Stars main event despite not winning a game in regional play. Word of Levi's deadly Lee Sin had reached the other teams, leading to Lee Sin bans in every game, and he similarly impressed in the All-Star match alongside players like Smeb, Doublelift and Madlife, proving that on an individual level, he had enough ability to be playing amongst some of the most celebrated players in LoL history.
Levi’s stellar performances with the VCSA team partly led to him joining Marines Esports, by then Vietnam’s #1 team due to Saigon Jokers disbanding. Being on the best team with the best midlaner in Vietnam (Optimus), any possibility other than first seemed an implausibility. This proved true as in a post-Saigon Jokers world; there were no adversaries left to stand up to the Marines as they went undefeated through VCSA Spring 2017, ending with a 3-0 sweep in the finals.
Previously active on the Korean Challenger ladder and being only the second Vietnamese player to reach Challenger there, (his account has been inactive for two months and the writer is unsure if he has another one), Levi is already drawing endless comparisons with jungler compatriot SofM, currently with Snake in the LPL, extending to their champion pools and playstyles – Levi is clearly inspired by SofM and arguably has the skills to match.
Questions may be raised as to whether his game is at a level where he is able to carry his team against international competition, yet Marines Esports still enter GPL as favourites, and it will be up to Levi to show that he can be as good as his jungler compatriot. SofM himself never achieved any results domestically; Levi, with a VCSA championship already under his belt, has the opportunity to bring more glory to Vietnam.
Prior to the entrance of Stark, on the 3rd of March, vuhoang (writing for motgame.vn) suggested that GAM primarily play around the Levi-Optimus duo, 'a classic type of combination’, in order to win their matches.
Since Stark’s entrance on the 6th of March, however, Levi’s primary jungle pathing in games with the Marines appears to have switched to revolving around the top lane. His partnership with Stark, another rising top lane star in his own right, has netted GAM plenty of early game victories, and even before Stark joined, Levi had also forged a fruitful partnership with Archie (ex-top laner, currently playing support), indicating his preference for ganking the top lane early.
In both cases cited, it is clear that Levi is integral to the success of the team. His kill participation is the highest on the team; GAM’s plays seem to revolve around him, and he is also relied upon for initiations and clearing up enemy champions. One weakness he has is in getting caught out, much like SofM, by going over-aggressive when GAM is far ahead.
Levi has shown no indications that he is a one- or two-trick pony, being able to wield even champions which he had not practiced with ease. During the IWC All-Star event, he picked Kha’Zix in two games and still performed to a high level, despite claiming afterwards that Kha’Zix had not been part of his practiced champions for the event. This should be taken with a grain of salt given the event’s circumstances where the teams were less than optimal, but it still displays Levi’s versatility in not being limited to Lee Sin and Elise, by far his favoured champions and the ones he plays most often.
Given the high skill ceiling of the team as well, GAM do not overly rely on cheese picks or unconventional strategies, preferring instead to refine their proficiency on current meta champions for pro play. As a result, Levi also plays champions like Rengar and Graves, the former being banned often against him, both due to its overwhelming strength and also due to Levi’s own proficiency on the Pridestalker.
It is, of course, important that we do not over-analyze a player’s decisions and believe that they are all carefully calculated or practiced. Levi is clearly mechanically gifted, and such players tend to allow instincts to drive them, as opposed to ‘smarter’ junglers who carefully plan their routes to make up for their relative lack of skill.
Similarly, we cannot overestimate GAM’s actual ability, or Levi’s play in the VCSA, due to their lack of competition, leading to less pressure overall than if GAM faced a tougher adversary. However, due to Levi’s history on the Korean Challenger ladder, along with his encounters with other All-Stars from the top regions, it is safe to say that pressure will not be a factor should GAM falter in the GPL, or if they progress further, at MSI.
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Cover image courtesy of Lolesports Flickr.