CodexCaster's Contribution

Era defining weekend of League of Legends

In one weekend we saw the confirmation of the Team Liquid era by winning their third LCS title in a row. The coronation of G2 as the undisputed Kings of the LEC, and a stark warning to the world that SKT are back, with Faker claiming his 7^th LCK title.

The 2019 MSI is looking to be a huge tournament with these regions in such dominant form. It will be fascinating to see if the western teams can keep their nerve and play the way that has given them regional success. In sport across the world the temptation against big teams is to change the way you play, out of fear your own style isn’t good enough or the ‘correct’ one. However, all this does is confuse and muddy the decisions that have become automatic in securing regional victory.

While the SKT and G2 wins were impressive, neither for me carried the weight of narrative of the LCS final between TSM and Team Liquid. It may just be because I have been a fan of the personalities of the LCS or the fact that Bjergsen and DoubleLift have played together as well as been the fiercest of rivals.

In defeating TSM, DoubleLift has claimed his 6^th LCS title, more than anyone in the league. His team have also claimed their third LCS title in a row. Jensen however, has finally been able to step out from Bjergsen’s shadow and claim his first LCS title. DoubleLift has said before that the joy comes from him helping his teammates to lift the trophy and the image of Jensen lifting it alone on the stage was echoing that sentiment. What a moment from the ultimate professional to understand the magnitude. League will always be a team game, but celebrating individual achievement like that was awesome in the true sense of the word.

What a fantastic weekend of league with huge congratulations to all, but specifically the production of the LEC. Everything about the final was huge except the result. The crowd, the stadium, the talent, the crew made the event seem really special, fitting of a final.

Tlaxtlan Soothsayer wins Everchosen Invitational IV

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In a thrilling best-of series that went all the way to its 5th game, Tlaxtlan Soothsayer becomes the first ever two-time Everchosen champion by defeating ECL Season One winner Felkon. In his previous path to the title Soothsayer only lost one map, and never the first map in a series, this win was far more difficult for him to secure, showing the impressive growth of the scene.

The final map was a thrilling use of terrain as Karl Franz and the Empire managed to form up in a small copse of trees before the wolf based Norscan horde could intercept. There they held, using the small formation to make the most value of buffs to repel charge after charge. As the spears and halberd walls began to break, Franz and his Royal Altdorf Gryphites managed to catch Throgg off guard and kill him. Had Soothsayer not utilised the map like this, it was likely the high-mass mobile wolves and cavalry would have isolated and destroyed the value targets and could well have claimed the series.

The two-day tournament was a huge step up in competition from previous iterations. Newcomer KingoftheDead defeated veteran Romulan Dawg to claim 4th place and even made history by beating Soothsayer on the first map. This new blood shows the health of the scene and hopefully encourages other players to keep trying new things improve to maybe get themselves a place in future tournaments. For the first time 4th place had a prize, furthermore the prize for first place was double what Soothsayer took home last time he was crowned the Everchosen champion.

The first day suffered some technical difficulties but they were covered expertly. Newcomer to the couch Loremaster of Sotek filled time heroically with insight into both the lore and the game, and Turin with ItalianSpartacus created segments out of nowhere. This is a great test of a live broadcast when a desk has to fill an unknown amount of time, they succeeded.

Loremaster and JanetonOccasion also showed themselves as another casting team for the future, they have rapport and a good balance of insight and mechanical knowledge. Not that Turin and Spartacus showed any fatigue but having another casting team is a great sign of a healthier scene and to allow a rotation. I could write for pages about my adoration for Turin and Spartacus as I am constantly learning and kept entertained, suffice it to say they were on top form yet again.

The tournament was a showcase of the new DLC; The Prophet and the Warlock. We saw most of the new units in all their glory and some great strategies to go along with them. The fascinating mind games of trying to guess what a player will bring and then countering that guess still boggles my mind. The Skaven have certainly gone up in terms of strength with the new weapons on offer, especially the Jezzail teams.

I really hope Creative Assembly continue to invest in the potential of the esports side of their product. The game could well claim the void that Starcraft has left, a high intensity, high level of micro-management game. The tactical depth is seemingly unending as the interplay between races and the meta continue to evolve, and new DLC will carry on adding new units or leaders that shift the balance of power further.

Rugby Union: Six Nations 2019: Wales vs Ireland

Wales 25 – 7 Ireland

In what was to be Warren Gatland’s last Six Nations game in charge of Wales, his team utterly smashed Ireland to win their third Grand Slam in 11 years under his guidance. No other coach in five/six Nations history has won three Grand Slams. Ireland were rocked early by a Hadleigh Parkes try from an Anscombe chip over the defence and then punished by penalty after penalty. The water-tight Welsh defence only cracked after the full 80 minutes had elapsed and the game was sealed. In this victory, Wales claim their spot as the second best team in the world rankings, behind only the All Blacks.

Wales dominated Ireland so completely, that they never looked like scoring. As a fan I wasn’t really nervous, whenever Ireland did get the ball they gave away penalties or made mistakes that swung momentum back in Wales’ favour, which more often than not added just a few more points to the board through Anscombe’s boot. Not many outside of that Wales team saw this result coming. Wales have relied on a herculean defence all tournament and not really fired in attack. Surely Ireland were going to figure them out, but it never came.

With the forwards unable to win the collisions and provide Murray with quick ball so key to Ireland’s game, Sexton was unbalanced. He was forced into more kicking than he’d like and made uncharacteristic errors. On two or three occasions, huge kicks were straight into touch handing Wales amazing field position. The one attack that Ireland did make was covered brilliantly by a Hadleigh Parkes tackle and they never really threatened after. What was particularly impressive was that Wales never eased, they never looked like the game was in the bag and they played the full 80 minutes. I thought it noteworthy that with Biggar on the field, Gareth Anscombe kept the kicking duties. It will be good for his development to have had that exposure to finishing off a game.

From this, Wales are in an amazing position going in to the World Cup. They have beaten South Africa and Australia and secured the Grand Slam. They have the mentality to endure patches of opposition momentum by trusting their defence and are incredibly patient in attack. They are equally comfortable in attacking through the forwards as they are through the backs. They run the ball from 9 through their patient attack with the forwards, allowing the Fly-Half to sit back and watch for gaps to then call for the pass and attack. With Biggar/Anscombe and Liam Williams/Halfpenny they have the personnel to change the way they play. In the time before the World Cup I would love Wales to work on breaking down defences more and securing their own lineout – two weaknesses so far. As a fan I still can’t get over the potential of this team, they won a Grand Slam but playing pretty poorly for a lot of it.

Against France Wales were gifted two tries through mistakes, they limped past Italy and Scotland. They weathered the storm against an England side who refused to change tactics and kicked them possession all game, and then dominated Ireland. If they can build an attack as effective as their defence, I can see them getting deep in the World Cup. Perhaps even avenging ‘The Red Card of 2011‘ and setting up a World Cup final with the All Blacks.

Those Wales players are professionals in every sense, lead by the mesmeric, talismanic, herculean (yet humble) Alun-Wyn Jones. Huge congratulations to everyone involved. Thanks also to Warren Gatland. The man who took Welsh rugby from a pretty depressing place to where it is today, a global force.

Rugby Union: Six Nations 2019: Wales vs Scotland

Wales 18 – 11 Scotland

There is an old adage in the NFL “Offence wins games, defence wins championships”, that is certainly a good description of Wales this Six Nations. This game also. Wales scored points to be ahead and then waited to see if Scotland would score enough to force Wales to reignite their attack or just contain Scotland and press for victory.

It was clear in the second half that Wales switched off and Scotland roared to life, maybe Wales had one eye on the Grand Slam already and suffered for it. They reverted to their structure and just absorbed Scottish pressure, there was a period of Scottish attack where they lost about 20m just by being hammered backwards. The Scottish try was stunning from a lightning quick inside ball from Finn Russel, an area where Scotland attacked Wales fairly often through the game. It was my personal favourite try of the tournament thus far. It was a shame for Scotland that the damage was done in the first half and striking once wasn’t enough to put them in position to win the game.

Andy Nicol, the Scottish representative on the analyst desk was challenged by Guscott for taking the positives out of the game and I’m inclined to agree with the latter. Scotland do that too much, the bottom line is for all their positives they will finish 5^th in the Six Nations. They have a host of injuries yes, but they also created enough opportunities to beat teams and were too inaccurate to convert them into points. Even Italy managed to score two great tries against England. No one has really been on top form so far and Scotland could have been in a far stronger position heading into their match against England.

This Welsh defence needs a special mention. It’s build around players trusting each other to do their jobs so they don’t swamp the breakdown often leaving 13 players in the defensive line with only a full-back in the back field. The core of this team have been together so long that each man knows the strengths and habits of those outside him. The players get off the floor quickly and are able to get back in line so there is always a red wall. Also the ability of players like North being able to get over the ball and secure turnover means attackers have to stack the ruck to prevent the ball carrier getting isolated. Tipuric and Navidi topped the tackle charts at 24 and 23 respectively, and Wales made something like 200 tackles in the game, showing the herculean effort.

I’m glad that Wales had this defensive test against Scotland, I think it will help them far more than had they stormed to an easy victory. Looking forward to Ireland, they will probably provide the sternest test to Warren Gatland’s red wall. Their forwards are huge and unused to taking backward steps and the backline are far more clinical and effective than Scotland’s. They are a team used to winning the big game and being as strategic as their opponent. I’m fascinated to see who can implement their game plan and how the game will take shape. It really is too close to call and the home crowd demanding a Grand Slam may just be enough to sway me into predicting a Welsh win.

I’m getting excited now, come on Wales!

CS:GO: Astralis win IEM Katowice 2019

Astralis defeated ENCE 2-0 to win IEM Katowice 2019. This marks the third Major win for the Danish team and their second in a row. Such a feat amidst the scenes most competitive era has many pundits now cementing them as the best team in history.

In the first map, heroically, ENCE understood the need to take the fight to Astralis and play with tempo, knowing that to play the game Astralis wanted to play would be suicide. Unfortunately, a few clutch moments stifled ENCE’s momentum and then they were strangled by the overwhelming pressure that the Danish line up can impose. Astralis are amazing at gaining control of the game and implementing their game plan. Across world sport that is a marker of a truly great team, to not only win but to win through control. The utility play on “Fortress Inferno” was a great example of that with H.E grenades constantly chipping away at health and effective smokes preventing ENCE from having any way into the game. Astralis are now unbeaten in 15 straight games on Inferno.

ENCE had been on a bit of a miracle run, getting to the final by beating Na’Vi and Liquid. ENCE had an all round level that was higher than Na’Vi. S1mple was playing like a god but the players around him were too inconsistent, ENCE’s level was lower but more even with different members of the team being able to contribute at different times. They will take huge confidence from this despite being swept aside by Astralis. There is no shame in being beaten by the best team in the world, none at all. It bodes well for the game to have such a competitive scene, despite the absolute dominance of the number 1 slot.

It’s a huge mark of professionalism that Peter “dupreeh” Rothmann was able to compete so strongly at this event having only just recently lost his father. Of course the game is a team game, but to be able to focus and perform with that extra horrible distraction is a testament to the professionalism of esports players. It also put extra impact on the heart-warming team hug upon their victory. He gave an emotional interview, where he explained his father’s last wish was for him to win. He dedicated the victory to his father.

There are some among the CS:GO community that find the dominance of one team to be boring, it’s not really something I understand. The New Zealand All Blacks have been the dominant force in world rugby for decades. Watching them play is an honour, because their skill level is so much better than yours that they are able to play the game perfectly, and its awesome (in the true sense of the word) to watch. If CS:GO fans are getting bored imagine what its like for my country Wales to not have beaten the All Blacks since 1953. It adds an extra element to the games because at some point all records will fall and even the best teams lose. It’s a truth of sport that its hard to improve when you’re the best, and with everyone analysing the way you play it’s only a matter of time before someone works out a counter. It’s a fascinating process to watch.

Rugby Union: Six Nations 2019: Wales vs England

Wales 21 – 13 England

Warren Gatland had said before the game that Wales would be a different animal compared to what we had seen for the first two games. He was correct. The contact and collisions in the game were colossal, to the point that I was genuinely wincing at times. England played well and deserved their half time lead of 10 – 3.

England had two elements to their game plan, the first was to kick early and often allowing Wales possession. The second part was the herculean defensive effort and blitz defensive structure to put pressure on Wales and force them into making mistakes. The plan worked against Ireland and after 40 minutes it appeared to be working against Wales.

Wales were expected to try and get the ball wide, beyond the blitz defence and exploit the gaps out wide, instead they kept the attack within it and with the forwards, powering through drive after drive. In the second half, the English accuracy faltered and the Welsh strategy proved to be successful. The first Welsh try came from a staggering 35 phases of play with the ball going wide only twice. This is not how anyone would expect a Welsh side to play, but they went at England’s strength and beat them at it.

What may have hampered the English kicking game was Liam Williams, the man of the match and specialist Full-Back was imperious in the air and had a tremendous game, looking dangerous all over the field. Dan Biggar, when he came on at 61 minutes also boosted Welsh dominance in that area. After Gareth Davies had a clearance kick charged down in the Welsh 22, Biggar calmly as anything smashed the ball 60m downfield and into touch. Magnificent.

As Wales crept ahead and started to look more comfortable England didn’t change. There was a single moment of danger when Manu Tuilagi sped past Hadleigh Parkes, but he was unsupported and the threat was quickly snuffed out. Aside from that I can’t remember a single other English attack in the second half. I could probably count the number of passes Tuilagi received on one hand.

Wales are becoming a very dangerous side, already they could play the expansive style, but this game showed they have the power and accuracy to dominate up front. Meaning defences can’t be too wide and risk being punished around the ruck, but then can’t overcompensate and leave the wide channels unmarked. Dan Biggar’s stunning cross-kick leading to the final Welsh try, demonstrating that threat.

Just to touch on the debate over who the Welsh Fly-Half should be, Anscombe has a different skillset to Biggar, but there were a few occasions where he wasn’t doing what he normally does. On a couple of penalty or turnover situations he chose to kick first (not as well as Biggar would have) instead of attack the line and bring in runners. If that is what he’s going to do on the field, we may as well have Biggar doing it better. I would pick Anscombe for Scotland, mainly to rest Biggar and give Anscombe more time, as it can’t be bad having two options. Scotland are tired, demoralised and wounded, there may well be a lot of success for a more aggressive 10 and allow him to build confidence.

Gatland has challenged his team to not rest on this English win and push on to do something special in the Six Nations. The Grand-Slam is on, Wales have Scotland in Murrayfield and then face Ireland in Cardiff. They will fear neither of these teams. I expect injury ravaged Scotland to be swept aside, Ireland will be tough but the Cardiff crowd demanding the Grand Slam and a confident Welsh team can’t be stopped.

I’m really looking forward to Alun Wyn Jones, the titanic, herculean captain to lift the trophy in front of the congregation of the cathedral of Welsh rugby.

TW:W2: Felkon wins Eternal Challenger Series: Season 1

After a fantastic live-streamed event, Felkon managed to defeat Pippington 3-1 in the best-of-5 final to become the first Eternal Challenger Series champion. The event was even attended by the current Everchosen champion Aerocrastic who was defeated by Felkon on his way to the final.

Turin and ItalianSpartacus streamed the near seven hour event with the professionalism and quality I have come to expect from these two streamers. Their commentary is constantly interesting, insightful, funny and engaging with very little noticeable “dead time” barely even any silence across seven hours of streaming. It is just such a fantastic advert for TW:W2 esports to have these two casters doing events.

The matches themselves were also entertaining. Many were 2-1 in their result and showcased a variety of different races. Not only that but the variety within the different army compositions was also there. The commentators were often surprised at the innovation in composition and tactics on display, very much not just a “this counters this approach”. I don’t recall seeing the Dwarves which is always a shame and shall have to be marked in the book of grudges I’m afraid.

Turin will coincide the ECS with the major patches and content updates from CA, so be prepared for another announcement after the upcoming DLC.

Stay tuned to ItalianSpartacus also who has announced another TW:W2 event, the Warpstone Cup.

Rugby Union: Six Nations 2019: Wales v Italy

Wales 26 – 15 Italy

The headlines before the game were talking about the 10 changes that coach Warren Gatland had made to the team that beat France a week ago, the conversation was about how effective Wales would be at imposing a game plan on Italy with so much disruption. Those fears were rather justified. Wales struggled to get going and struggled generally across the game to put a fierce Italian team away.

I feel bad moaning as Wales scored almost double the points and have equalled their record 11 wins in a row, but when you look at how England demolished France in the first half of their game I was left feeling rather jealous. Wales and England go on to face each other on the 23rd Feb 2019, England will be seeing themselves as favourites. They are looking incredibly strong, they beat Ireland through sheer muscle power, and beat France with tactical perfection. It’s no surprise that Wales will have to improve to face them.

Against Italy the backs were nonthreatening and the lineout was garbage, facets that will need to be corrected, and probably will be. Dan Biggar, the saviour a week ago against France, didn’t do himself many favours to be picked against England. Though I have a feeling his defensive strength and aerial imperiousness may just edge him ahead of Anscombe. Wales need to be accurate and strong. It’s so frustrating that the politics surrounding Welsh rugby is keeping Rhys Webb out of the number 9 jersey. In an area where Wales is struggling, having his lethality, bravery and pace really lifts the tempo, a key component of their game plan. Aled Davies, when he did get quick ball, looked hesitant and lethargic, only for a few seconds but that’s all it takes for international level defences to reset.

Gatland is often proven correct in the long run and did lots of good things, players were itching for a chance to play and Gatland offered it to them, trusting them to get the job done. Strength in depth is the best it has ever been and lets not forget that at the end of the season there awaits the World Cup, where depth is absolutely vital. It is, however, a mark of how much we expect from Wales to be disappointed with this game. You get the feeling England and Ireland are going to demolish Italy, and bonus points could be crucial in the context of the tournament. It could be possible that Gatland isn’t focused on winning the Six Nations but focused on the World Cup, the one trophy that has eluded him thus far in his successful career.

Rugby Union: Six Nations 2019: Wales vs France

I’ve purposefully waited a little bit longer than usual to post about this game because there was a lot of emotion tied up in it and I wasn’t quite sure what I felt. With a bit of distance it’s time to look back. From the context of the record breaking autumn series, Wales were terrible in the first half. The weather was a factor but it certainly didn’t bother the French who only had a single handling error compared to 10 from the Welsh. That kind of inaccuracy just stifles any kind of momentum and continually gives possession over to the French, who played the best rugby I’ve seen them play in a long time.

At half time the score was 16-0 to France, deservedly so. The game seemed to turn at half time with France handing Wales two tries from horrendous mistakes. One was from Huget failing to touch the ball down behind his own try line allowing North to dive on it, the second from three absurdly bad French passes leading to a North interception try.

Wales benefitted hugely from Dan Biggar coming into the game. It wasn’t the kind of game for Anscombe and his kicking out of hand was not effective enough to not be punished by the return kick from Lopez. Biggar is far stronger in the air, is better at the territorial game and a bit more strategic in moving the pieces around him, he’s also a more solid defensive option.

There’s little point at this stage in criticising the “long and on” kicking strategy of Wales. I can see the logic of keeping the tempo high to tire out the huge French forwards, but lets just say the execution needs to be better. It happened on so many occasions where France would gain the ball and punish Wales harder and gain more ground than where the kick was taken, which is so frustrating to watch.

What did infuriate me however, was the decision to kick long at the end of the game allowing France a chance to come back at Wales. All they had to do was tap, take one ruck and then kick the ball out. Keep control of the game in that circumstance, if you have the ball then the other team can’t score. Look at it this way, to complete a ruck and a kick has a lot less risk than a long kick allowing a French counterattack.

I think as a whole rugby needs to deal with the period of the game that occurs between the 10m lines, it seems like it’s too much of a risk to play there because too many kickers have 50m range these days, so the only tactic appears to be the up-and-under. This just boils down to “Well, we don’t know what to do here, so let’s kick it and see if we catch it 10m further down the field where things will be different.” I think this is an area for some innovation.

The bottom line is Wales won, they’ve won 10 games in a row, and in the past this would have been another addition to the “Wales left themselves too much to do after a bad start” list of games. It’s also true that Wales improve over the course of the Six Nations, so I expect a lot of improvements in accuracy and handling. As a Welsh rugby fan I should be happier that Wales won badly, having watched so many games of them losing well.

Looking forward I expect Wales to beat Italy, quite convincingly, Wales are simply too strong and I can’t see a win condition for Italy outside of Welsh mistakes. Italy have never managed to address the final quarter weakness in their game, I don’t have any stats to hand but from my impressions a vast amount of Italian points conceded would be in the last 20 minutes

How to enjoy esports: Five titles to watch or play in 2019

Competitive spectator video games, or esports, have surged in popularity in recent years. They now fill stadiums around the world and are the focus of millions of hours of content on YouTube and Twitch. If you’re looking to get into esports as a player or just a viewer here are the top five titles to start with in 2019.

Rocket League.
A criticism of lots of esports games is that there is just lots of stuff happening on screen. Rocket League is 3 v 3 car football. It’s easily recognisable and simple to work out what’s happening even to non-gamers. If you’re a fan of racing games you may enjoy this, but even if you’re not, there’s nothing quite like driving on the ceiling of the arena and rocket boosting to put the final touch on the winning goal.

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
Known as CS:GO, newcomers will easily be able to get a grasp of what’s happening. One team of five has to defend bomb-sites on a map, the other has to plant a device and make sure it goes off to win. CS:GO has an open circuit and four big tournaments a year, so you are never far from top-tier action. If you’re a fan of FPS (First Person Shooters) this is the game for you. Matches can take up to 90 minutes, but there are a range of other modes that provide a quicker experience. The game is quite serious in its ranked mode, with a headset and vocal communication almost necessary to be able to hear footsteps and to communicate quickly to your team. Being an FPS, if you have good reflexes and shooting skills you can bypass a lot of the early ranks without really learning a great deal of the strategic minutiae.

Fortnite
It’s almost impossible to ignore this juggernaut of a title. It features more cartoon-like graphics and is far more geared to the younger gamer. There is a huge selection of items to unlock to further customise your character and it has an element of construction within the game to help defend your team and distract the opponent. It’s not uncommon to be trying to shoot someone as they build a ramp up into the sky. If you like over-the-shoulder 3rd person shooting games then this would be a good game for you. It comes with a range of game modes and focuses around short battles in an ever decreasing game zone until players are forced to fight to crown a victor. Fortnite is the youngest of the esports games on this list, but has experienced a meteoric rise to prominence.

League of Legends
LoL is the game that has long dominated the esports scene. Geographic regions have their own multilingual streams and several international tournaments a year. League belongs to a genre of games known as MOBAs (Multiplayer Online Battle Arenas). You control a single champion with four abilities on a team with four other players. How your champions compliment each other is key to victory, as is teamwork. If you’ve played an RTS game (Real-Time Strategy), like Warcraft 3, with controllable hero units, you may enjoy this intense battle experience. There is a steeper learning curve with LoL. The best way to play would be to find a champion you like and stick with it to learn the basic principles. The user experience as a new player is also not the kindest. In levelling your account to the maximum level, you will encounter far more experienced players playing on low-level accounts called smurfing. They tend to be fairly impatient of new players. Don’t let the early experience derail your journey to a discovering a fantastic game. LoL does a great job of making you feel like your contribution was huge in securing victory.

Overwatch
Iconic games developer Blizzard failed to truly capitalise on esports with Starcraft or with DotA (A mod within Warcraft that spawned the MOBA genre). Overwatch was developed with esports as a prime focus. Anyone who has played Team Fortress will be familiar with Overwatch straight away. Sitting between CS:GO and Fortnite, it is a hero shooter with cartoon graphics. It achieves the usual high standards of anything that Blizzard produces and is unique among esports as it has geo-specific teams, following the traditional sports model. In other esports you may follow an organisation you like that is half way across the world. In Overwatch you can support the London Spitfires or Dallas Fuel or any other reasonably local team.

The above list of games spans the medium enough that any gamer is likely to find something they enjoy. These titles are certain to continue leading the way for esports in 2019.