Isles discusses Split 1 of LTAN and Format Changes
Isles discusses playing with his third Dignitas roster, his thoughts on Fearless Draft, the controversial LTA format, and his hopes for the 2nd split of the season.
Following the first split of the new LTA format with fearless, we discuss with Jonah “Isles” Rosario on adapting to the changes within Dignitas, his thoughts on the new format changes, as well as expectations for the team.
You’ve been part of three different iterations of Dignitas, with Tomo returning as well as changes in the coaching staff with Rigby/Lira. What do you enjoy most about playing with this roster?
Isles: “I think this roster impressed me, and what stuck out the most to me is our coaching staff. I think our coaching staff is extremely studious and knowledgeable, which has not been my experience in the past. Usually, coaches in competitive League are the vibes guys, the people who facilitate conversation, and manage arguments, that kind of thing. Our coaching staff is trying to update our rookies with some of the new strategies, like how to utilize grubs, what the best teams are doing, and I think they're really great at sharing this knowledge with the team. That's probably what I've been most happy about.”
With the conclusion of LTA North’s first split, teams that could not make playoffs played significantly less games than previous season splits, including not being able to play versus every team. How much does this affect how Dignitas handles the season with matches being more high stakes, but less chances at improving results throughout the split?
Isles: “I don't think Split One’s format really affected most team. A lot of the teams went to Korea anyways to spend their off-time, including us. I wouldn't say we're behind, because other teams spent more time because they got further. I do think the format from Split One was very flawed. Obviously, we played two best of threes and that was it, but I don't really think it matters that much. We're still scrimming in Korea, we still have a lot to work on regardless.”
As a fan, it's kind of rough seeing your teams get eliminated in what feels like they don't really get enough games.
Isles: “Yeah, I don't think there's anyone that hasn't really been outspoken about how the format was flawed, but that's just how it is sometimes.”
The first LTAN split featured the implementation of Fearless Draft and globally appears to be the format going forward. Do you have any general thoughts on the format now that you’ve played a split of fearless?
Isles: “Fearless is definitely fun, sometimes, but it's also a lot of work. Fortunately, my coaches do a lot of draft prep on their own, but it definitely is a lot of work trying to figure out what to do in later series. It gets very chaotic particularly in the 5th game. I do welcome seeing some change! It's true that in certain metas, it gets somewhat stale when people just start banning lane bullies like Varus and Kalista every game. There have been many, many metas over the years where there are just champs on blue and red side that are just auto bans, so it's a lot nicer seeing more champions being played already.”
There's been a lot of discussion around the merging of the playoffs between the LTA North and LTA South, with consensus being that LTA North historically (as the LCS) outperforms LTA South. In the Split 1 Playoffs, only one team managed to take a single game (the first seed, Isurus who came from the LLA) off Team Liquid. What do you think are the main gameplay differences between the LTA North teams and LTA South?
Isles: “Not really sure, to be honest. NA historically has had more imports than Brazilian teams, but Brazilian teams also have Korean imports and whatnot. Gameplay wise, I think just the macro from northern teams is sometimes a little more superior. I don't think mechanically the players are necessarily worse in Brazil, I think there are definitely some great players out there and they have highlight moments sometimes. The teams from the North sometimes are just a bit more disciplined, more methodical sometimes. Just a little bit of a step up, I suppose.”
If I recall correctly, you used to play for OCE with Legacy Esports, where it definitely used to get compared a lot with other regions as a wildcard. But perhaps it's similar where the players weren't necessarily too mechanically different, just weaker macro.
Isles: “Yeah, I think OCE is kind of a step past Brazil as a minor region. Australia didn't have the funding, it didn't have the crowd support, it didn't have the expensive imports, maybe a few here and there. Australia has had this problem for a multitude of areas like centuries now, it's an isolated country. It's isolated, had no one to scrim internally, and had one of the lowest player bases globally. The talent pool was smaller, but macro-wise, yes, very inferior, but there were a few mechanical players as you say, but I think OCE was maybe a step down yet again, with a few exceptions of course, a few standout players.”
There have been adjustments to lane-swapping targeted towards pro play, more extreme than the previous attempts by Riot. Notably, this patch came directly during the First Stand tournament, and many believe it has impacted the teams that were more dependent on lane swapping. What is your opinion on lane swapping in general and its presence in pro play?
Isles: “I think lane swaps honestly made the game more complicated… Well, maybe that was obvious. Some of the really good teams I think weren't affected by them, but now they’re maybe negatively affected by laneswaps being removed. Teams like Gen.G or HLE, those really good teams were very good at managing laneswaps. It hurts them that it got removed, but I think it helped worse teams.”
I believe TL, the region’s representative for the First Stand, was considered particularly laneswap heavy.
Isles: “Yeah, I mean there is that narrative that TL was considered very laneswap heavy, particularly in top lane internationally, where Impact hasn't fared as well in laning phase against international tops as he has domestically, so people would point to that as a reason why laneswapping was favourable for TL. But also, I think TL was just very good at laneswapping, it was a separate skill that they honed. I wouldn't say perfected, because laneswaps are very complicated and there were so many iterations that I don't think anyone truly had it perfect, but they definitely understood it better than most. Definitely hurts to take it away, but I think really great teams were also good at it. I think maybe for LTAs sake, I do think it was a nerf for TL.”
What is it like to work with both Rigby and Lira as your coaches? What do you think they've brought to the team that you've learned, picked up from, or has helped you or the team?
Isles: “Yeah, Rigby and Lira are both Korean, and I think that culture gap contributes to their work ethic. They are very serious about League, very committed, always willing to talk about the game, always willing to provide examples, talk about LCK games, talk about our games, and try to employ the techniques that the best teams use, and the best champions that people use, and try to add all that to our game. It's definitely been great to have them on board to steer our team in a direction and try to get everyone on the same page. I still think our team is rough around the edges, there's a lot of work to be done still, but I think our team would be way worse off without them.”
We've seen some more unique picks become popularized in the Support role, such as Elise. Now, hopefully without having to reveal any secret drafting advantages, what champion would you want to play in the Support role, even if perhaps far-fetched?
Isles: “I think some of the really fun champs, like the mechanical champs. I would really love to play Ambessa, but she has no Support implications [laughs]. She’s completely useless! I don't really mind playing the simpler champs. I kind of like the way Riot designed the class system, how champions in Support don't rely on gold and experience as much. I don't really think there are standout champions that I really like playing. Oftentimes when champions I really like are introduced into the meta, I get bored of them quickly anyway. I'm kind of happy with how it is, to be honest.”
Yeah, I imagine any strong picks you'd be practicing a lot on scrims/solo queue so it'd get pretty boring.
Isles: “Yeah, when Elise became popular, I played it a ton in solo queue. Nowadays, I don't really want to play it anymore, you know? Even when Neeko became popular last year, I played it a lot then, and now I don't really like playing it anymore.”
We’ve certainly had some trashtalking between teams, especially from last year where the LCS was pushing hard with the trashtalk angle leaning heavily after APA. Your thoughts on the trashtalking?
Isles: “Yeah, I mean personally, I don't buy heavily into it. I try to be myself, I'm a sincere person, I'm not someone who tries to play up a persona or tries to be malicious to people, it's not part of my value system. I try not to be frustrated at people individually, or express negativity to them. I can criticize their gameplay, that's one thing, but even then, I usually just leave people to their own ends, I suppose.”
How much impact do you think you have as a Support to affect the game from understanding the game better over say pure mechanical skill? Do you have any examples where you've done this, whether more noticeable or something that as a viewer we don't see from watching games?
Isles: “It's more of a behind the scenes thing. To be honest, to be critical of myself, I don't think I show how much I know on stage all the time. Sometimes I get a bit overloaded or stressed on stage, so I don't play as well as I understand. I know more than our gameplay shows at times, but I think it's more of a personal flaw if anything else. I do think, in review, my teammates could speak to how knowledgeable I am about the game and how I try to steer the team in the right direction. It's something you kind of have more of a luxury to do as Support, in general, who have less need to worry about laning and CSing.”
Do you have anything to say to the fans of both Dignitas and yourself?
Isles: “Thanks for the support, I really appreciate it. This year has the potential to be a great time, it definitely is going to take some time, so bear with us. I'm always grateful for the support that we have received, and the support we've received for quite some time now. We'll continue to do our best.”
With that, we conclude our interview with Isles. We appreciate him taking the time to share his thoughts!
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