Making playoffs as the 5th Seed, Dignitas secured a chance to compete for the Spring LCS title via the lower-bracket. Unfortunately, the journey ended during their first series where the team was defeated by Team Liquid 3-0, in the Quarterfinals. Now with some time to rest and reflect, we took the chance to sit with DIG’s ADC, Frank "Tomo" Lam, to discuss his feelings on the split, playoffs, and his thoughts on the various changes made to the team and the LCS through this last split.

First off, thanks for sitting with me again! To start us off, I wanted to first get your perspective on this split as a whole for both you and DIG. So, what are your impressions overall about your guys’ performance?

Tomo: I’d say we did well despite the expectations for us. We’re a relatively inexperienced roster overall, I think. Other teams have more veterans and experienced players, and with us, we have eXyu on his first split and Isles on his as well, and with those two roles especially, I think you need to be experienced to really shine in those spots and show what they’re capable of.

Overall though, I think we were consistently underrated throughout the split. We were always bottom two or second to the bottom, so I think we did well to come out, make the playoffs as the 5th seed, and show that we have a lot of potential going forward.

And do you have any personal feelings about your own performance this split? What was it like being the veteran presence on this young roster?

Tomo: I feel good about my split, personally. Of course, there’s always things I could’ve done better, especially since we’re so inexperienced, but I think I performed well this split. I can’t say that I did anything special as far as being a veteran or anything like that, I just tried my best to be a good teammate throughout, even as nerves were setting in on us for playoffs. It’s hard because I was also dealing with those nerves too, but I connected with eXyu over them and we kinda helped each other out in that regard.

Having played for the previous iteration of DIG that narrowly missed the chance at playoffs, what would you say is the biggest change that occurred to help you guys land the opportunity?

Tomo: I think we were all really eager to show what we could do. Of course, like I said, I think our inexperience got in the way sometimes, but even as we were consistently ranked low, we were never down or out about our performances, just really focused on the next series and what we could do next time to win. I think that focus is kinda what makes us unique in my mind.

Thinking about Isles, tell me what it’s been like to work with him as a lane partner and teammate? Has he brought anything to the table that was missing in previous lanes?

Tomo: I think he and I are more on the same page than any of my previous lane partners. Often, Support will take a look at that larger picture of the map, and I’d say Isles is very focused on lane, just like me, so he’d be a bit more reserved in making those long roams or big plays elsewhere if it didn’t mean that we both got ahead as a duo. He very much has a Bot-centered style of Support, which I appreciate and think helped us this split.

Taking a look at some fun stats, I noticed you were quite competitive in some categories this split! Do you find yourself watching these stats rise and fall throughout the split? Are they motivating for you? And do you and your fellow AD players ever get at each other over them?

Tomo: I wouldn’t say so. Honestly, I think the stats really show that we found what we like to do quickly as a team. With the meta being so diverse, I think there were a lot of ways to play as an ADC that suited a team comp. We found that we liked to play that scaling style of play and since I was on something like Smolder or Jinx quite often, if we get to that late game point, of course I’m going to get a lot of kills or do a lot of damage and lead in some stats, I guess. The situations just lend themselves to that. But again, I think that just speaks to how well we found what we liked to play and that we did it relatively well.

Looking at the LCS as a whole, it seems the parity of this split seemingly increased. Even the top teams lost a few extra games more than they usually do. What do you think has changed in the space to help create this more competitive field?

Tomo: I’m not too sure, honestly. The top teams didn’t really seem as dominant as they had been in previous splits due to roster changes and maybe team experience. For example, FlyQuest having a rookie Bot Lane that I would say played pretty inconsistent through the split. Or like C9 just not having the same synergy or mesh as they have in previous splits, for example. It’s hard to say what exactly is the cause, but I also think a lot of teams came out this split and just really wanted to surprise everyone. No one thought 100T would be as good as this split for example. No one thought we would be as competitive as we were either. So, teams just stepped up and showed that anyone was willing and ready to win the League with the right momentum.

Thinking about some Riot related changes that occurred leading into the split, how has it been to play and practice on the live patch this split?

Tomo: It’s definitely a new experience. Everyone copies LCK and LPL in terms of drafting. But, now we had to innovate and see what out there is good and can work for us. And with the regular season having fewer teams, it makes things more volatile. You wanted to get that good read on the patch because you could pick games that could secure you a big advantage in the standings.

I kinda think that’s what happened to us when Smolder first came out. I think I was the only one that was really playing the time that it became available for LCS. So, I think we were able to secure some pretty free wins from it.

In a similar vein, you got to be the first to try an uninhibited Smolder on the LCS stage a few weeks back. Many fans are bemoaning Smolder’s existence as retread of similar territory with Zeri. Do you think the Champion has been that defining or are we still in a wait and see phase?

Tomo: I think when he was released, he was definitely over-tuned and it was hard to punish. You couldn’t really stop the scaling because his numbers were too high. But because of this recent patch, going into Summer, I think he’s definitely a lot weaker with the execute cap. So, he’ll be far less spikey. I think, just like Zeri, he’ll have his place. You see her picked up from time to time in the right situations in other regions, and I think he’ll fit into that same way. But once people get much better with him and get used to his changes, I think he’ll be okay but not too powerful.

Similarly, Varus and Senna have been the other two popular picks this split for Bot Laners. Can you unpack what makes them so defining?

Tomo: Varus brings a lot to a team in terms of how he can be played. He can go the on-hit build or the poke build, and both offer their own advantages in playstyle and can be altered based on yours and the enemy team comp. And his ultimate is just a good tool to have. So, that’s why he’s been pretty consistently picked. Senna was picked up heavily because fasting lanes were pretty strong for her, but also because there just wasn’t enough damage in the game to really punish her ability to sustain and scale. Or you’d have to play something like Lucian that could do it quickly but with higher risk.

Speaking of Lucian, LCS teams have put a heavy emphasis on Lucian outside of the big three in Smolder, Senna, and Varus, and the results have been mixed. What’s the draw to pick Lucian in the current meta, and what in your eyes have teams failed to do to capitalize on his strengths?

Tomo: I think he’s right there with Varus and Senna in terms of strength, just as a more raw carry in comparison. Of course he has to take more risks, but the rewards are big. We’ve seen teams like C9 who consistently pick him show that he can still perform at an extremely high level when drafted around.

Lastly, in a bit of reflection on everything that has changed with this split and the LCS landscape, going forward do you think the shifts in the field will ultimately benefit NA come time for MSI and Worlds competition? Or, do you think there’s still something that will be holding NA back from competing against international competition?

Tomo: I think it’s hard to say so early. The larger international tournaments will be on a single patch and teams will have time to experience and get familiar with them quickly. So, maybe we’ll fare better going in? But still, it’s hard to say.

Closing Out

That wraps us up! Thanks to Tomo for taking the time and sharing his thoughts on the split with us! If you’d like to see more of Tomo, you can find him at the following social links:

Twitch