CuVee Praises Hauntzer as One of the Best Top Laners
Lee “CuVee” Seong-jin, world champion top laner for Samsung Galaxy, had some praise for TSM’s Kevin “Hauntzer” Yarnell in a recent interview with InvenGlobal.
CuVee was asked about the players he was excited to face at All-Stars, and he mentioned only one player. He expressed his desire to compete against the NA superstar, considering him as one of the best top laners outside of Korea.
Hauntzer vs CuVee: A Comparison
While hearing such commendation from one of the best top lane players in the world is great for Hauntzer, how does he actually compare to the world champion?
One notable difference is that CuVee has achieved international success, whereas Hauntzer has not. CuVee performs exceptionally well on the international stage, particularly in tank metas. CuVee excels with tank champions like Maokai, Nautilus, and Shen, and the current meta favors tank picks due to the strength of Aftershock and the revitalized Grasp of the Undying with the new rune system.
Hauntzer, on the other hand, has shown proficiency with carry top laners such as Jayce, Camille, and Rumble, but his three best champions align with CuVee’s—Maokai, Nautilus, and Shen. In the NA LCS, Hauntzer secured most of his wins this year using these tank champions, so it’s likely that both players will opt for similar picks during All-Stars.
Similarities in Playstyle
Not only do CuVee and Hauntzer have similar champion pools, but they also share comparable playstyles. Both top laners excel at diverting the attention of the enemy team, allowing their teammates to secure objectives across the map. This remains true regardless of whether they are playing a carry or a tank. On their best days, both CuVee and Hauntzer can be extremely challenging for the enemy team to handle.
However, CuVee is objectively better at this strategy and demonstrates greater proficiency in winning fights against multiple opponents. If Hauntzer wants to compete against the champion CuVee this weekend at All-Stars, he needs to display more confidence than he did at Worlds—and then some.
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