After another 0-2 week in the LEC, Misfits Gaming is making some changes to their League of Legends coaching staff. They have not been able to live up to the high expectations placed on them at the beginning of the Spring Split.
An update from our CEO, @benspoont on our #LEC coaching staff: pic.twitter.com/5ohc00Z7WF
— Misfits Gaming (@MisfitsGG) February 19, 2019
According to the CEO of Misfits Gaming, Ben Spoont, the changes that the team is making will give the roster “the support, leadership, and discipline they need to work together as a team and succeed”. It has been a tough road for this supposed super team, who was slated to be one of the only teams to be able to challenge European powerhouse, G2 Esports. Unfortunately, as we reach the halfway point of the season, it is clear that something must be adjusted.
Misfits Make Changes
Instead of picking up any new members to the staff, Misfits will be allocating their current resources to different places. For example, Hussain “Moose” Moosvi will be returning to the team as head coach. Moose was the head coach of the Misfits last year, before being replaced by Jesse “Jesiz” Le. Speaking of which, Jesiz will be moving away from the head coaching role and instead will be the new player development coach for the LEC and Misfits Premier team. Lee “PoohManDu” Jeong-hyeon will be keeping his role as the assistant coach of the team, while Robert Yip will remain as the performance coach.
These changes were prompted following a disappointing first half of the LEC Spring Split. In the first two weeks of the season, Misfits were touted as one of the best teams in the league. Behind the great performances of Steven “Hans Sama” Liv and Kang “GorillA” Beom-hyeon, the team stormed out of the gates with a 3-1 record. Their matchup against G2 Esports was one of the most anticipated matchups of the season. Unfortunately, the team would begin to falter soon after.
A Troublesome First Half
Through week three to five, Misfits began to suffer some pretty disappointing losses. For example, the team lost against EXCEL Esports, Splyce, Schalke 04, G2 Esports and even Rogue. They have only managed to win one game in the past three weeks. Additionally, their reliance on Hans Sama and GorillA went from being a strength to a glaring weakness pretty early in. Whenever their star ADC and support duo did not garner a significant lead early, the team could not provide enough support behind them.
Paul “sOAZ” Boyer and Fabian “Febiven” Diepstraten haven’t been playing good enough to carry if Hans Sama isn’t leading the team. There might need to be a change in strategy where the other two solo lanes are more of a focus. This team cannot lean on Hans Sama too much, or they won’t be able to make any progress. Spoont would reassure their fans in the team statement, saying, “We want to show fans and the esports community that Misfits never stay down. Through grit, perseverance, humor and lots of creativity, we evolve and grow”. Hopefully, Moose can give this team a different mentality for the second half of the LEC season.
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