On Friday, Feb. 10, Kacper “Impressed” Słoma sauntered into the interview room on the Riot Video games Area in Santa Monica, California in excessive spirits. Evil Geniuses had simply taken down Cloud9—one of many few groups above them within the 2023 LCS Spring Break up—and the win was simply the newest instance of Impressed’s constant excellence since being signed by EG forward of the 2022 season.
Impressed established himself as one of the best jungler in North America final 12 months, and when reflecting on his 2023 efficiency to date, he was understandably assured after one more robust efficiency in an EG jersey. However on the subject of the present state of his function, Impressed’s having bother evaluating if he’s sustaining his fame as one of the best jungler in North America.
“Truthfully, I feel it’s actually laborious to evaluate who is an effective jungler and who just isn’t,” Impressed instructed Dot Esports. “I feel jungle doesn’t actually matter.”
The jungler mattered to EG, who locked him up rapidly earlier than the 2022 season in an effort to safe its first LCS title as a company. And Inspired brought the org the success it desired. Impressed was important in EG’s championship run within the 2022 LCS Spring Break up playoffs, however he did a lot greater than that. He adopted up on his particular person success from the earlier 12 months by being named the MVP of the 2022 LCS Summer time Break up and main EG to its first World Championship look amidst a sudden roster swap down the stretch.
All through the Summer time Break up, EG appeared poised to correctly defend their title, taking the highest seed heading into the LCS Championship. However EG barely certified for Worlds by the pores and skin of their enamel, beating out Group Liquid 3-2 for the ultimate qualifying seed on the finish of a loser-side bracket run due largely to constant excellence from Impressed and clutch performances from rookie mid laner Joseph Joon “jojopyun” Pyun.
“I gained a title in my first break up, so I used to be blissful about it, however actually, going into the Summer time Break up, I sort of anticipated us to win once more, as properly,” Impressed mentioned. “In our playoffs sequence towards Group Liquid, earlier than we made it to the highest three, I used to be actually scared. I felt that our complete good 12 months would end in a catastrophe and we’d not make it to Worlds. Nonetheless, we managed to beat Group Liquid, and after that, I felt OK.”
Impressed got here into the 2023 season hungry to show himself additional after EG fell wanting defending their LCS title final summer time, and it’s secure to say he’s carried out his job to date. Midway by the 2023 LCS Spring Break up, EG are in a tie for second place with C9 at a document of 7-2—only one recreation behind the league-leading FlyQuest. Impressed leads all LCS junglers in least deaths, most assists, KDA ratio, and is tied for the very best first blood share with FlyQuest jungler Mingyi “Spica” Lu, in response to League stats web site Oracle’s Elixir.
Regardless of his continued success, Impressed is sad with the state of the function and what he can accomplish within the context of his workforce’s victories.
“I feel that proper now, the worst factor about jungle is that you are able to do no matter you need,” Impressed mentioned. “You actually don’t have to even care about farming anymore. You’ll be able to simply run across the map, do silly issues, and you may’t actually get punished for them as a result of you’re going to get catch-up XP.
“In immediately’s recreation on Maokai, I feel I simply began by doing Pink Buff, Raptors, after which went straight to bot lane. If I did this in earlier metas, I feel any jungler would simply invade my prime facet and I might not have the ability to play for the remainder of the sport, however now, you are able to do no matter you need and never get punished.”
Hopefully for Impressed, the adjustments coming to League of Legends in Patch 13.4 will go well with what he desires out of his function a little bit higher than the present meta. Within the meantime, nonetheless, the jungler can take solace within the seamless nature of the integration of his new teammates.
High laner Kim “Ssumday” Chan-ho and ADC Victor “FBI” Huang joined EG within the offseason from 100 Thieves, and whereas EG’s mid-game has been shaky, each new members have principally had robust particular person performances because the workforce retools its identification and communication all through the Spring Break up.
“Truthfully, I sort of anticipated to match properly with them as a result of they’re skilled gamers. It’s not like we’re bringing in a rookie participant who doesn’t know what he’s doing within the recreation, so I sort of knew how FBI and Ssumday would play,” Impressed mentioned. “I feel they’ve at all times proven they’re excellent gamers in NA. They have been within the finals final 12 months twice, so it’s been sort of simple, as I mentioned. I feel it’s going even higher on stage than in scrims.”
Ssumday shares plenty of similarities with Jeong “Impression” Eon-Younger, who began for EG within the prime lane for the previous two seasons: They’re each veteran South Korean prime laners with an extended historical past of success and over a half-decade of aggressive expertise in North America alone. Whereas that’s made becoming a member of a brand new workforce for the primary time in 5 years simpler for Ssumday in some ways, his self-admitted introvertedness makes him a much different communicator than Impact was within the context of EG’s performance as a workforce. As well as, FBI is searching for a bounce-back 12 months individually and is taking part in with a brand new assist for the primary time in over three years.
“At first of scrimming, I feel we have been sort of having some issues,” Impressed admitted. “We have been sort of inting a bit, particularly within the bot lane, however I feel FBI is now displaying why he’s at all times excessive up within the standings. I simply suppose he performs approach higher on stage. It’s going properly to date.”
Within the upcoming fifth week of the 2023 LCS Spring Break up, EG have the best a part of their schedule in back-to-back matches towards the winless, Tenth-place Dignitas and ninth-place Immortals Progressive. A 2-0 week 5 is a should if EG wish to get even with FlyQuest atop the standings earlier than the groups face off on March 3.
