After last week's LCS matches, I sat down with Yuri "KEITHMCBRIEF" Jew, the dark horse substitute ADC for Team Liquid, and asked him to give some insight into the matches that took place and his predictions for playoffs. In this interview, we discuss Team Liquid's changes to their team composition in their games against T8 and Dignitas, C9's victory over CLG with an unorthodox pick and ban, the overall Cinderhulk meta shift and how an ADC must adapt to succeed. With playoffs nearing, Keith also gives us his analysis into the match-ups between CLG vs. Team Liquid and TiP vs. Gravity that will take place this weekend.
GameSpot: Liquid has been hit or miss with their pick & ban phase in the past. What did they do differently against Dignitas and T8 and could you elaborate a bit on their team composition?
Yuri "KEITHMCBRIEF" Jew: Liquid was able to pick up a team comp that was relatively simple to play as a team. With just a "go hard" mindset, there's little room for error. It's also important to note that Dignitas gave up a lot of power picks. As for the T8 game, I think Piglet really showcased his skill. He had a lot of support from Quas and Xpecial and I think he did well. They played decently all around.
A lot of people have put C9 on the back burner, but they've really solidified themselves again this past weekend in their games against TSM and CLG. What do you think of the Vayne pick into Draven and how that match-up usually works?
To me, that game wasn't very serious. I actually consider Draven to be a counter to Vayne because of how much stronger he is. Vayne gets bullied in lane but it could work out if there's a lane swap.
What do you believe Vayne needs in order to be viable in the meta again? What kind of team composition needs to be built around her in order for her to really carry the game?
Honestly, Vayne is viable, but she's not a strong pick. There's just a lot of other AD carries that are better. What she needs is stronger laning because she has the kiting and damage potential, but picks like Kalista can do everything better. Protect the AD comps as well as standard engage comps could work well with Vayne because she follows up well and she can kite on her own with relative ease.
Meteos chose Zac jungle, and Hai chose Jarvan mid in this game against CLG. It seems like a lot of teams are trying to adapt to this new "Cinderhulk" meta, where tank junglers seem to have more success. What specifically does an AD carry have to do in order to adapt to this meta?
For an AD carry, it's become a lot harder to showcase individual skill. With the new Cinderhulk meta, there's a lot less potential for outplay. I think hyper carries like Kog'Maw will become meta again, relying on more passive play. The game has become very team based and the AD carry's job is just to deal damage.
What do you think Liquid has to do in order to defeat CLG in playoffs?
CLG is definitely a tough opponent. To be honest, it's hard to say what weaknesses CLG has that you can exploit in order to win. I think it will depend on the draft and maybe forcing Doublelift onto a lesser carry/outplay AD carry like Sivir. Of course, at the same time, Liquid will have to win the vision battle and the objective control in order to defeat CLG.
It looks like TiP has really found their footing in the LCS. What do you think has been the reason for their recent success? Is it a change in play-style? Or do you think it has more to do with an improvement in communication?
I think TiP is a team with an incredible amount of individual talent that became strong after getting used to playing with each other. They are really smart about their draft and can play the map out extremely well. But I think the reason for their improvement is ultimately their communication.
Who do you think is the favorite coming into TiP vs. Gravity? What do you expect from the lane match-ups between the players?
Both are, without a doubt, great teams that are fun to watch. However, I think the match favors TiP because of how well they have been playing. Bunny is a monster on Thresh but I think if you take that away from him you can abuse his weak laning. I also think that Impact has the edge on Hauntzer because he has proven that he is one of the best top laners. On top of having stronger laning match ups, TiP has the better rotations and objective control.
Gravity has been innovating some unconventional picks like Urgot mid. In what situation would picking Urgot be viable for a team composition?
Keane sparked a lot of Urgot play in competitive play as well as in solo queue. People didn't realize Urgots strengths until Keane beat TSM with it. Urgot is actually really strong in general as a mid-laner because he can shut down assassins effectively. Although he has a lack of wave clear, his sustained damage and tankiness more than makes up for it.
If you could make an all-star line-up of NA players, what would that line-up look like?
My personal all-star line-up would consist of Impact, Meteos, Bjergsen, Sneaky, and Aphromoo. They all have incredibly strong mechanics and game sense and they would mesh well as a team.
What's next for you after you graduate high school? Any plans to return to the LCS? Or maybe the challenger scene?
As of now, I think I want to pursue a year of playing professionally. I have already shown that I have the potential to be one of the best and I want to make the most out of it.
If the LCS didn't work out for you, what would you be doing instead?
If I didn't think I could make it back into the LCS, I would go to university after graduating high school in hopes of pursuing a career in engineering.
Any last words you want to say to your fans?
Thank you for all the support! I truly love the league scene whether I'm in the LCS or not. I would be a different person without this game and the people that play it. If I do play in the LCS again, I'll give it my best to make you guys proud.
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