All stats from Oracles Elixir. All photos from lms.garena.tw
Midnight Sun Esports (3-4-7) Third Seed
Split Overview
Midnight Sun Esports has come a long way since joining the LMS in the Spring Split. Originally an amateur team, MSE has moved up from sixth place in the relegation tournament to fourth place in the playoffs. Although their placement is similar, their performance against top teams has greatly improved compared to last split.
The decline of TPA contributed to MSE’s rise in the standings this split. They have maintained themselves in the upper half of the standings and continued to improve. However, weak laners in the team led to the necessity of roster changes. Stitch and CaNdy, two former Xenics Storm players, were brought in to replace CorGi and M1ssion.
With their new roster, MSE performed better against bottom teams by overpowering them mechanically and taking advantage of laning mistakes. However, their communication issues and binary playstyle made it difficult for them to compete against teams with stronger players. This was evident in their inability to win against ahq, FW, and HKE in the latter half of the split. Despite low expectations, taking a game off of HKE in the playoffs shows promise for the team in regionals.
LOFS
4.1 KDA
69.6% AKP
1.5 CSD@10
20.8% DMG
Champions: Gnar, Irelia, Maokai, Nautilus, Ryze
LOFS has always been the star player for MSE. He is versatile in playing any champion his team needs, and excels in both tank and carry roles. LOFS may not dominate the laning phase, but he gradually gains small advantages that make him stronger than the enemy top laner. He effectively uses teleport to flank opponents and has a strong understanding of team fighting. While he can be passive at times, he is currently the second best top laner in the region, behind ahq Ziv.
Empt2
4.5 KDA
74.7% AKP
3.0 CSD@10
15.6% DMG
0.75 WPM
0.30 WCPM
Champions: Gragas, Rek’Sai
Empt2 plays a crucial role in providing vision and pressure on the top side of the map for MSE. However, his neglect of the bottom lane and weak laning from CorGi caused problems for the team, as LOFS was left as the only reliable damage source. With the addition of caNdy and Stitch, Empt2’s playstyle became more efficient as he had stronger laners to rely on. He has shown improvement, but struggled against FW and ahq due to his lack of early game presence. It is yet to be seen if he can continue to grow as a player.
Empt2 has become comfortable with a farming and counterjungling playstyle, similar to Meteos in the past. This style worked well against teams with weaker laners, but fell apart against FW and ahq. In these games, Empt2’s laners were left to fend for themselves, causing issues once the enemy teams turned up the tempo. He showed improvement in playoffs, but still has room to grow.
caNdy
3.8 KDA
67% AKP
2.0 CSD@10
27.7% DMG
Champions: Viktor, Cassiopeia, Azir, Jayce
caNdy has broken the “Curse of the LMS” by winning three consecutive games on Viktor, a champion that had not seen success in seven previous games. He has shown superior laning and teamfighting skills compared to mid-tier mid laners in the LMS. While caNdy tends to play passively and has been solo killed multiple times, he has been allocated more resources and has started to showcase his carry potential on champions like Jayce and Cassiopeia. Although outperformed by Toyz and HKE in the playoffs, caNdy has the potential to improve and compete with top mid laners in the region.
Stitch
4.2 KDA
75.5% AKP
-1.5 CSD@10
28.8% DMG
Champions: Jinx, Graves, Sivir
Stitch’s impact on the team has been significant. Compared to CorGi, Stitch has improved both in cs differentials and teamfight effectiveness. However, Stitch still struggles in teamfights due to poor positioning and lack of damage output on champions other than Jinx. Overall, Stitch has made a positive difference for MSE, but there is room for improvement.
Chunx
2.7 KDA
73.4% AKP
1.41 WPM
0.33 WCPM
Champions: Nautilus, Thresh, Alistar
Chunx may not be a standout mechanical support, but he brings a lot to the team. He is the main engage for MSE, maintaining a high kill participation throughout the regular season and playoffs. Chunx is also exceptional in warding, leading the league in wards placed per minute. His warding allows LOFS to make successful teleport flanks during tower sieges and objective contests. While not as flashy as other supports in the region, Chunx is crucial to MSE’s success in the mid game.
MSE at Regionals
MSE has strong fundamentals as a team, excelling in closing out leads, proper warding, and effective objective control. However, their early game has been a weakness due to communication challenges. They tend to play passively and wait for the opposing team to make the first move, indicating a lack of early game strategy. This passivity is common among Taiwanese teams and can hinder their performance against aggressive opponents.
This is the main reason why MSE struggles against top teams like HKE, ahq, and FW. These teams are known for their aggressive playstyles and often catch MSE off guard. FW, in particular, is able to outplay MSE by adapting to their gameplay and outperforming them. However, MSE showed more initiative in their playoff series against HKE, pressuring their opponents and forcing them into unfavorable fights.
MSE has the talent to compete with HKE and FW at regionals, but they need to improve their early game strategies and continue to refine their communication. In their first bo5 match against FW, Empt2 and caNdy will be crucial in winning the mid lane 2v2 and prioritizing carry champions for LOFS. While FW is favored due to their experience, MSE has the potential to win the series in five games.
Midnight Sun Esports, LMS, regionals, top laner, mid laner, bot lane, support, League of Legends