We took two players from this week's North American League Championship Series' Match of the Week between Team Liquid and Counter Logic Gaming and gave them the same seven questions to ponder. First, we have Samson "Lourlo" Jackson, the vastly improved top laner from TL who has gone from primarily utility last split to one of Liquid's leaders this summer. Then there's Jake "Xmithie" Puchero, CLG's consummate jungler.
We ask the questions. You decide who gave the best answers.
You are given the responsibility to plan where next year's Riot events will take place. Where would you put the 2017 World Championships, Mid-Season Invitational and All Stars?
Lourlo: It'd probably be nicer if [Worlds] was in North America, then we could get home-field advantage. For All Stars, I guess [South] Korea, and then for MSI, somewhere in Europe would be nice.
Xmithie: Group stages in Philippines for Worlds. For [bracket stage], maybe Africa? MSI, I'd like to visit London. [All Stars] in Amsterdam.
What are your initial impressions from seeing the teaser for the new champion Kled?
Lourlo: It could be a cool champion. Most of the Riot champions that have come out recently have neat mechanics and change the game a lot. Hopefully, maybe [a top laner].
Xmithie: I actually haven't seen what he does, but hopefully he's a jungler. Because meta or not, it's been the same thing for like a year now, so I want something.
You get to make a starting five around yourself. The only catch is you can't use any players from North America. What is your team's lineup?
Lourlo: Anyone? Peanut jungle. Faker would be the obvious answer [mid], but I'd pick Rookie or someone. AD carry, I want Deft. And for support, I want Wolf.
Xmithie: Probably Faker. Faker mid. I don't know why, but I want to go for Acorn. I don't care if he plays, but I want [brTT] on my team. Dumbledoge for support.
You have South Korea, China, North America, Europe and Taiwan. Rank them how you believe each region stacks up, strengthwise.
Lourlo: [South] Korea number one. I think [NA] is even with China right now. Personally I don't know much about China, but every time they've gone to an international event recently, they always have a good team. So I think they're still on the higher end. Then I think Europe and LMS are below us.
Xmithie: [South] Korea. NA. China. EU. Then LMS.
If your career as a pro gamer ended tomorrow and you were pushed into either a role as a manager, analyst, coach, or commentator, which would you choose?
Lourlo: I'd want to be a coach, manager or even an analyst, just something I could work with the team with. I don't want to be a commentator. I don't think my personality fits that. I'd rather just work with teams because I love the game so much and use what I learned from my whole career.
Xmithie: I'd want to be a coach. I've been coached by so many people now, maybe I can turn into one on my own after this.
What's one aspect of your position that people don't normally pick up on from just watching the games?
Lourlo: Top lane, obviously everyone knows being the bruiser -- you mainly play tanks and stuff. The main thing people don't recognize, in particular top lane, is wave control and how you manage it. In terms of getting CS leads or like pushing advantages of your wave in the wrong spot, you're going to lose out a lot. Even in our game today against CLG, my CS lead was really high in our first two games because I managed my wave properly and played around the jungler well. So if you can manage your wave, push in the right way, and back at the right timing, you can get big leads off it.
Xmithie: No one really knows -- except for junglers -- how we route and how to counter the other person's route. Even if you're mid lane and played for a long [time], you really don't know how [junglers] route perfectly every time. If you know a jungler really well, you can predict his jungle start up to Level 5 and pinpoint him any time. But usually, even in spectator view, no one really knows about that. It's the jungler's job to predict where the other jungler is and make the early game as [smooth] as you can.
Finally, let's play some word association. I will say a word, and you give me the first thing that comes to mind:
Team SoloMid
Lourlo: Consistent
Xmithie: Bjergsen
Teemo
Lourlo: Strange
Xmithie: Satan
Faker
Lourlo: The best
Xmithie: The best
Lourlo: XD
Xmithie: Plague
Overpowered
Lourlo: Team Liquid
Xmithie: Malzahar