compLexity.LoL’s Jungler and most experienced player, Tyler “Lautemortis” Nicolls, discusses his squad’s LCS play and transition to living in Los Angeles, California. With the team off to a slow 1-6 start, they’ll need to capitalize on the remainder of this week’s overloaded schedule, or risk falling into the basement of the LCS.
First off, what did you guys do after your first LCS win on Friday. Any celebratory events? More GLEE sing-alongs?
We went home and started practicing for our next set of matches. After experiencing the joys of winning, we realized how much practice was required to continue feeling that way. We did find some time to relax and sing though.
Prior to the match GGU boasted about implementing their cheese strategy (however, it didn’t work.) Do you guys plan on doing something innovative in the weeks to come or stick with a more traditional play style?
We have a few tricks up our sleeves if the picks/bans go our way. We’re trying to remain very flexible in champ select and adapt to styles that beat our opponent’s team composition.
Speaking of champ select, some of the community has questioned the picks you guys have made as a team, such as Soraka and Kog’Maw. What goes into your selection thought process after the bans are down?
We primarily pick for overall team composition. We’ll sometimes pick into weaker lanes and force our laners to deal with it until we get into team fighting.
The nature of the LCS allows you to see who you are playing several weeks in advance. How do you prepare for each of your upcoming opponents?
We write out all the picks/bans we anticipate from the other team and plan out team compositions against what they may pick.
As far as team compositions are concerned, which is your favorite and which do you dislike the most?
My favorite to run is poke because it’s really fun to watch your opponent slowly lose towers and die without being able to engage because they are all too low. The hardest to play against is split pushing because you have to micro where everyone is at all times.
What do you think are the top three Jungle champions at the moment?
Obligatory Xin / Jarvan / Vi comment. I think Voli / Hec / Elise are on the outside looking in.
Who do you think the top LCS contending team is? How do you plan on overcoming them?
CRS (Curse) has been the most consistent team thus far. We came close to beating them once; we’re hoping new strategies will keep them on their heels next time. (Interview conducted prior to matches on Super Wednesday.)
You’ve now been with compLexity for about a month. What is your relationship like with the gaming organization?
Even though the team has had a rough start to the season, the management is still very enjoyable to talk with. They help us with anything and everything! As players, it takes all the stress off of our shoulders.
What are the biggest issues your team faces? What do you see yourself working on improving?
Frustration after losing is the hardest issue we’ve faced. We all anticipated starting on a better note to the season and we know we’ve let a few wins slip through our fingers, so just staying optimistic and drawing positives out of the losses has been the biggest challenge we’ve encountered thus far.
How do you like living in Los Angeles? What are the differences coming from Idaho?
I stay inside a lot so I can’t say I’ve noticed a ton of differences. It’s really fun living with all my friends and teammates, but sometimes it can be a little hard to mask frustration. Overall it’s been really fun so far.
Have you finally gotten settled into your place? Are you on a normal scrim schedule yet?
We’re finally all settled in and have a pretty consistent scrim schedule with team MRN.
You seem to be really enjoying streaming to your fans, do you plan to stream on a regular basis after LCS settles down?
Yeah, I love all my fans. I stream occasionally and don’t have a huge following, but I truly enjoy the 70-80 people that consistently show up. They make it a lot of fun for me to play. As the season wears on and we establish ourselves (and are happier with our play) there will probably be more time to stream.
What advice do you have for someone who is looking to improve their jungling abilities that might just be starting out?
Play smart and help lanes frequently. In competitive play, farming and counter ganking are best bets. If you play intelligently in the early game, you are rarely forced into situations where you will die if you prepare accordingly!
Shoutouts?
Shoutouts to my team and compLexity for all the help they’ve given us. Shoutouts to Sound Blaster, QPAD, PNY, Creative, Origin, G8 Brand and Twitch, all the sponsors that make this dream possible! And everyone who watches my stream (you know who you are!) and cheers for us! Lots of things to be grateful for!
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