The Best League of Legends Team from Japan to Compete on the International Stage
The top League of Legends team from Japan, DetonatioN FocusMe, is preparing for the International Wild Card Invitational in Istanbul, Turkey on April 24. This is the first opportunity for a Japanese team to compete internationally in League of Legends, and they are taking it seriously.
The Challenges Faced by Japanese Players
Japanese players face challenges due to not having their own local server for the game. In order to play, they often have to use the American server with high ping or play on the Korean server, which requires identification numbers. However, a local server is expected to be introduced in 2015.
DetonatioN FocusMe: The Dark Horse
Despite doubts about their ability to compete with regions like Brazil and Turkey, who performed well as wild cards in the 2014 World Championships, DetonatioN FocusMe has emerged as a strong team. They won the League of Legends Japan League (LJL) with an 8-2 record in the regular season.
Training in North America
DetonatioN FocusMe will enhance their skills by training in North America, where they will be staying at the Logitech headquarters in Silicon Valley. They will practice against the top American team, Cloud9, who is also sponsored by Logitech. This in-house training will give them valuable face-to-face practice.
The team plans to release some of their closed-door practice session in a production with LJL caster “eyes”.
Japan’s Team Lineup
Four of the Japanese players, including top laner Keisuka “Bonzin” Oda, jungler Yuta “Astarore” Hiratsuka, mid laner Kyohei “Ceros” Yoshida, and support Kazuta “KazuXD” Suzuki, will be traveling to the U.S. for training. However, the LJL season 1 MVP, Yuta “Yutapon” Sugiura, will stay in Japan to continue attending college until the wild card tournament.
A Chance to Play Against Top Teams
Even without Yutapon, DetonatioN FocusMe will have the opportunity to play against top teams like Cloud9 and potentially Team SoloMid. This experience will greatly improve their chances at the International Wild Card event.
Continued Growth of the Japanese Scene
This training opportunity is another step forward for the rapidly growing Japanese League of Legends scene. In November 2014, Japan introduced its first pro-gaming house.
The Road to the Midseason Invitational
Only one team will advance from the Wild Card tournament to play at the Midseason Invitational in Tallahassee, Florida on May 7. The team will compete against the best teams from Korea, China, North America, Europe, and Taiwan. Brazil is expected to be a strong contender in the tournament.
League of Legends, Japan, International Wild Card Invitational, DetonatioN FocusMe, training, Cloud9, Japanese scene, Midseason Invitational, Brazil