Welcome back to the LEC preview!
We here at Gromp News have made it our mission to go through every organisation in Europe’s top division. After analysing Rogue in the last article. It’s now time to talk about a returning face in the League of Legends community. Origen.
The Spanish now turned Danish organisation marks its return to League of Legends as one of the new sides making it into the LEC’s franchising system. With big backers Astralis funding the operation. A lot of people are rightfully hyping up Origen and their potential. However, have their coaching and player appointments matched the expectation that the fans have set on the Org.
We finally know when Origen will play, but how will they perform!
The old, the new and the experienced
Origen’s choice of coaching additions both related to the squad and the over viewing of the org are brilliant. With a mixture of familiar faces and young blood, it’s safe to say that they have approached the upcoming LEC split with a brand new intent, to prove that this is a new Origen.
Firstly, it’s good to see xPeke still involved with the team. His experience will undoubtedly play a big part in how a League of Legends team should be run, from a players perspective. We do not know how hands-on xPeke will be at Origen, will he provide a TSM Reginald type role, or take more of a step back and let the coaching staff deal with the inner workings of the squad. The acquisition of Deficio as General Manager also provides an analytical eye on the whole operation, especially when it comes to scouting players and building a team from an ‘outsiders’ view. While these two aren’t directly involved with the coaching and practicing on the rift. Their knowledge could arguably be a major factor in how Origen plays and adapts throughout the split.
Now, we have talked about the back… back…room staff. It’s time to discuss the men brought in to coach the players. Guilhoto has a wealth of experience as a coach now, being involved with Schalke last split and also Giants Gaming before that. His switch from the German side to Origen shows that he must believe in the project that has been laid in front of him. In terms of solid coaches in the League community, he ranks pretty highly. Guilhoto is also joined by Fabian Brioch, who has also left Schalke to join the Danish team. Little is known about Brioch apart from the fact that he has a very good working relationship with Guilhoto. Overall the coaching staff should provide a solid foundation for the players to fully excel.
The Year of the Duck, the Year of Origen?
Top Lane: Alphari
Jungle: Kold
Mid Lane: Nukeduck
ADC: Sheriff
Support: Mithy
Considering we have already talked about Schalke in this article it would be rude not to start with Nukeduck. The midlaner is back in the hands of Guilhoto and Brioch, but more importantly, Deficio. When it was announced that Deficio would be apart of an organisation, the community knew that if he had any say on the situation then Nukeduck would find his way to Origen. They weren’t wrong to doubt. But all jokes aside, Nukeduck was one of Schalke’s best players last split and has proven that he has the potential to be a top-tier player in his role. The carry was one of the main components to his sides summer promotion push to qualify for worlds. Despite not securing a worlds spot he was recognised as a player who, given the right teammates, can lead a team to eventual success. The issue with Nukeduck is his consistency, when he is at his best he is at a 3rd place Vitality side or a 2nd place Schalke team. But he has also shown performances that have left his side 8th. Still, with the right staff behind him, it appears to be more than likely that the Year of the Duck could be 2019.
Alphari’s transfer to Origen is a confusing one. There are not many trades that happen in the offseason where you can definitely say that it benefits both teams. Unless you’re talking about this trade. With Misfits assembling a super team consisting of former Fnatic player Soaz, it left Alphari on the free agent list. However, this was not for long as he quickly was snapped up by Origen. There is no doubting that Alphari was one of the best top lane free agents going around in Europe and for Origen to pick him up so early, along with Nukeduck and Sheriff, clearly shows they rate all three of these players highly. Arguably the Brit was one of the most consistent players in a roller coaster Misfits side over the past four splits. Showing that even when a team is going through a bad run, he would always remain consistent. We here at Gromp News believe that consistency is key especially in the top lane and if he can co-operate well with the rest of his team, he should reveal to be a low-risk high reward pickup for Origen.
Nukeduck and Alphari’s confirmation on to the team built up the hype for this roster. Much like Rogue, it seemed as they were trying to play it safe with proven players at LEC level. Then you look at Sheriff and Kold. Now, this is not slating these two players as a whole, but compared to the caliber of sides Alphari and Nukeduck have come from, if you heard that a team signed two players from Unicorns of Love and H2K last split, you wouldn’t be too confident. While these two players are not completely new to the scene they are yet to prove themselves in what many would consider ‘higher tier teams’. Deficio has been very open about how he believes Sheriff is a star in the making and better than the players he had around him last split and this is the chance he has to prove himself. This is also the ADC’s second time working under the Origen banner as he played for them briefly in Origen ESP in 2017. For Kold, it’s time to redeem himself from an average time at Unicorns of Love and hopefully, he can show his exciting style of play now that he has (much like Sheriff) higher quality players to work with. Both of these guys were the best players for their respective teams last split. But, now with the pressure on them can they perform when there are no excuses.
Finally, to finish off this roster they needed a shot caller, somebody who is a proven support in the league and has a way of making potential stars exceed peoples expectation. There was only one choice, it had to be Mithy and they certainly delivered by bringing him in. If there was one person who would help Sheriff during this split and develop him into the player he mechanically has the potential to be, it is the former G2 support. Before we get into the positives it’s important that we do not disregard Mithy’s season for TSM last year. Simply put, he underachieved. Something just didn’t seem to click with the botlaner is the US. However, if he can put that season aside and return to the European Mithy, then he could yet again be one of the best supports in the league. It’s upsetting not seeing him partner Zven in EU but Mithy has been successful with every bot lane partnership he has been a part of. Leading that ADC to perform to their very best. This signing is a real sign of intent for this Origen roster and immediately makes them a team to be worried about if you are other organisations. This is due to Mithy’s ability to lead a team during a game, something which perhaps he couldn’t do whilst at TSM. This isn’t even mentioning the fact that technically he is a solid support for any team. Mithy to Origen had to happen to complete this roster.
Is Origen the team to watch?
To conclude, we may be critical of the top tier inexperience that Kold and Sheriff show. However, their infrastructure looks strong and if these two players perform then they are a strong playoff side. Mithy’s leadership along with Alphari’s stability and Nukeduck’s carry potential has the arrows pointing in the right direction for Origen’s reincarnation into the LEC. Still, this is guaranteeing that all the players play to their full potential. If we get 8th place Nukeduck, Shaky Misfits Alphari and TSM Mithy then it could be a rocky road. Personally, I believe in all of these players to show that they have only had blips in the careers and they can carry on strong. Either way, it is going to be exciting whenever Origen play.
Ratings
Coaching: A
Players: B+
Predicted finish: 4th/5th
By Tom Daniels
Gromp News 