LCS Honda Scouting Grounds Recap: The 2020 Draft Class

The 2020 LCS Honda Scouting Grounds Draft Class

Although the event had a different look than usual because of COVID, we still saw a ton of awesome young talent show their stuff in this year’s Scouting Grounds.

This article will recap the ten players that were drafted during the recent 2020 LCS Honda Scouting Grounds!

We include stat comparisons from the event versus their solo queue stats leading up to the tournament as well as interview questions that the players answered (before the event) to give you a better idea of their personalities and motivations.

To see predictions leading up to the event by Tim Sevenhuysen and Pastrytime, be sure to check out our power rankings article.

If you want to learn more about Scouting Grounds and how it works, revisit our new viewer’s guide.

Click any of the players below to jump straight to them!

1. IMT – Tony Top

What motivated you to get into League Esports?

Because it’s my goal and I want to become the best player in all regions.

How many hours of League do you play in a week?

90 hours.

What is your proudest achievement?

Thankfully I’ve reached rank 1 on NA servers in multiple seasons, but I am not the best player around all regions yet (I’ve been practice a lot with some teams and pros) so I wish that someday I can join on the big stage and help NA to get what we should’ve done for a long time ago.

What was your most frustrating experience?

Communication is the hardest part for me, but I spent time fixing it and now I’m always chill so it won’t be a problem.

What is your best trait?

I am a patient person, and I wish people can believe in me which is one of my steps forward.

Do you give feedback to your teammates?

To all fight for their dreams, I wish that we have the best of luck and achieve our goals.

What is one thing that changed the way you play?

They commented that I have a positive attitude and tryhard, but I can play more aggro if I need to stand up to cheer up my teammate.

Which pro player do you look up to?

I actually look up to the analysts because it can be the hardest part for a team.

2. CLG – Yeon

What motivated you to get into League Esports?

I want to beat everyone and be better than everybody else.

How many hours of League do you play in a week?

10~15 games a day depending on the day.

What is your proudest achievement?

I don’t have any achievements I’m proud of currently, Hopefully, I’ll make an achievement I’m proud of soon.

What was your most frustrating experience?

Losing due to my own shortcomings, I don’t think anyone wants to be the reason for a loss, I specifically hate it if I win and I play bad. Just playing bad is the most frustrating thing ever, especially when it comes down to finals.

What is your best trait?

I’m not very sure what my biggest impact is on my teammates.

Do you give feedback to your teammates?

I’d like to ask them what their opinions are and say what I’m thinking and what I think could be better.

What is one thing that changed the way you play?

I can’t remember the most meaningful feedback I’ve received from a teammate but if it was anything it’d just be basic reviewing that was most meaningful to me.

Which pro player do you look up to?

I don’t have somebody I particularly look up to, just somebody who is good at the game would be somebody I look up to.

3. DIG – Copy

What motivated you to get into League Esports?

The game is fun to me and I realized that I enjoy competing at the highest level and striving to be the best at what I do.

How many hours of League do you play in a week?

In a week I’d normally try to play every day for about 3-4 hours, but that varies constantly depending on my school schedule/amount of homework.

What is your proudest achievement?

Hitting Rank 2 on the ladder in Season 9. It meant a lot since that was one of my beginning goals when first playing League of Legends (hitting top 10 in the ladder) and even to go as high as rank 2 was eventually a reality and proved to myself that hard work pays off.

I’d say I achieved it through grinding solo queue games and practicing to get better, turning my weaknesses into strengths, expanding champion pool, etc.

What was your most frustrating experience?

High ping, long queue times (20+ minutes). Nothing really in specific.

What is your best trait?

I always tend to take in my teammates information/playstyles and adapt towards them, so I’m more of a team player than a solo carry style.

Do you give feedback to your teammates?

If something they did were to be a mistake, I would offer a suggestion on how to look at the same play in a different perspective or alternate scenario with more ideal circumstances to help them understand.

What is one thing that changed the way you play?

Being a flashy player or “1v9 player” doesn’t always matter when your attitude and mindset towards the game aren’t optimal in a competitive environment.

Being a good teammate and friend both inside and outside of the game are factors that are infinitely more important in creating a winning team because at the end of the day, League of Legends will always be a team-oriented, 5v5 macro game.

Which pro player do you look up to?

Bjergsen due to his champion mindset, amazing work ethic, and because he always strives to be the best or at least top 2 in NA (CONSISTENTLY). He inspired me enough to switch roles from fill to mid lane.

4. GG – Niles (Pick acquired from 100T)

What motivated you to get into League Esports?

I want to save NA.

How many hours of League do you play in a week?

~40 hours.

What is your proudest achievement?

I won the 2019 Collegiate championship, it was most meaningful because of the people I won it with.

What was your most frustrating experience?

My biggest frustration has been not being able to compete against the best players and show how good I am.

What is your best trait?

The biggest impact I have on people around me is making sure everyone is on the same page and making sure that people feel comfortable to have conversations about the game.

Do you give feedback to your teammates?

1 on 1 reviewing afterward and we have a discussion on what our thoughts/problems are.

What is one thing that changed the way you play?

I think the most meaningful feedback I have received from a coach or teammate is that I don’t always have to do everything on my own, just to trust my teammates and let them do their own thing as well sometimes.

Which pro player do you look up to?

NUGURI. 1v9 goat top laner.

5. EG – Tomio

What motivated you to get into League Esports?

1. To see if I like competing.

2. To further learn my knowledge of the game for example fundamentals and team environment.

3. To make a living by doing what I have the most passion for right now and enjoy the most playing.

4. I can see myself becoming something part of a professional League of Legends player as I play it every day.

5. Learning more about what I haven’t yet.

6. Becoming a better player than I already am.

How many hours of League do you play in a week?

I generally play a lot, if I guess the most accurate is about 7 solo queue games a day so it would be 49 a week on estimation.

What is your proudest achievement?

My proudest achievement in League of Legends is hitting 1250 LP mid-season on the ladder on this current season which is Season 10. It’s meaningful because it is my peak rank, it was while pro players were playing, and every game I would queue up, there would be at least 2-6 pro players in the lobby.

I worked on achieving it by starting off to duo with a pro player named “Revenge” then I started to stream every day and shared it with my viewers while I soloed after hitting about 900 LP.

What was your most frustrating experience?

The biggest frustrating experience or most frustrating experience I have in League of Legends is getting teammates that either do not try to win or tilt easily. For example, mid-game, if the game is winnable and they put up the forfeit vote. Basically, teammates who don’t try and don’t try to win.

What is your best trait?

I’d say to try to and motivate my teammates or the environment around me to succeed, strive for success, and build a healthy growth mindset around the game and outside of the game

Do you give feedback to your teammates?

I’d say don’t focus on the loss or LP loss as there is always something to learn from a game. For example, you learn from winning and losing and I feel like losing is really good as you can understand and see what you did wrong or could have done better.

All in all, I would like to give feedback to teammates by helping them understand and see more than a loss rather than just losing as taking in like, “Oh, we lost whatever.”

What is one thing that changed the way you play?

Meaningful feedback I have received from a teammate is having a strong mental, never giving up no matter how bad the situation is, and always try to look for opportunities in-game to win at any state of the game.

This is meaningful because it comes from many pro League of Legends players and from what I observe, you need this skill in order to become a pro player and that it is important.

Which pro player do you look up to?

Johnsun. I look up to this player because they have been a decent long time friend of mine online and is currently a pro player because they teach me a lot from the time I first talked to them up until now.

He taught me to treat teammates with respect or to not type. He taught me about game knowledge, micros me, and overall is a good and smart role model as part of the LoL esports industry.

Johnsun also helps me learn and further my game understanding outside of my main jungle role and matchups and keeps me staying positive when times feel low.

He is always someone that I can go back to if I need any help in game or outside of the game.

6. GG – Yunbee

What motivated you to get into League Esports?

I want to see how I can perform on the stage.

How many hours of League do you play in a week?

6-7 games a day.

What is your proudest achievement?

I got rank 2. I just enjoy playing League and at some point, I was 1500 LP this season.

What was your most frustrating experience?

When people are very negative and toxic when they’re underperforming.

What is your best trait?

Once I get to know an individual’s gameplay style I can be flexible and make my team the best.

Do you give feedback to your teammates?

I don’t say stuff outside of going through the VOD review after the games and we discuss what we could’ve done better.

What is one thing that changed the way you play?

I’d like to receive some feedback, I haven’t really got it since I didn’t play competitive much.

Which pro player do you look up to?

A player with a positive mindset is the most important thing and I hope everyone thinks that nothing is impossible if we put our efforts into it.

7. C9 – Shady

What motivated you to get into League Esports?

It’s the number one thing in my life.

How many hours of League do you play in a week?

65 hours.

What is your proudest achievement?

3rd place in LCS 2017 Spring Playoffs.

What was your most frustrating experience?

I was given a chance to play professionally too early as I had only been playing support for less than a year plus had only 3 months of competitive experience. The perception around me as a player is heavily skewed due to that.

What is your best trait?

Pushing my teammates to improve, helping everyone reach a common goal, developing a camaraderie

Do you give feedback to your teammates?

If it’s in game, then through discussion, giving examples, looking through replays. If out of game, then being direct with them and letting them know what I think. Giving feedback should always be focused on solving a problem and not about attacking a person personally.

What is one thing that changed the way you play?

Know your role in-game and execute it.

Which pro player do you look up to?

Lebron James, hell of a competitor.

8. TL – Spawn

What motivated you to get into League Esports?

I enjoy playing League of Legends and like the competitive atmosphere. I want to be able to compete at the highest level. Also becoming a pro is a goal of mine.

How many hours of League do you play in a week?

Usually 40-50 hours a week right now.

What is your proudest achievement?

Winning a LAN event. This was meaningful because it was the first time I played on stage and in a competitive team environment – I had a lot of fun.

I worked to achieve this goal by putting in the hours with my team by playing scrims and also playing a lot of solo queue to fix my weaknesses

What was your most frustrating experience?

Losing in a previous Scouting Grounds playoffs. This was frustrating because my teammates and I worked really hard to win, but in the end, we lost.

What is your best trait?

The biggest impact that I typically have on my teammates is being understanding and easy to talk to.

I don’t take it personally when a teammate thinks I have to improve in a certain area. Doing this creates trust and helps the team improve.

Do you give feedback to your teammates?

I like to give feedback to teammates by being honest but also not being direct without any filter.

I tell them what I think they could do better and also try to give a solution that could work and help them with it.

Also when my teammates are playing well I like to let them know that it helps the team.

What is one thing that changed the way you play?

The most meaningful feedback that a teammate has given me is to play with more confidence.

What they meant by this is having trust in myself to make the plays and be confident enough in myself to carry games.

I think this is important for bot lane since you are one of the main carries in the game, meaning you can have a huge impact on the game once you start getting items.

Which pro player do you look up to?

I would say for me it’s Doublelift. I look up to Doublelift because he has been one of the top Bot laners for such a long time.

9. FLY – nxi

What motivated you to get into League Esports?

I really enjoy League of Legends and would like to play it at the highest level. The competition and improvement is really fun for me.

How many hours of League do you play in a week?

Earlier this year I was playing about 8 games a day but I’ve been relaxing this past month to avoid burnout but generally, I’d like to play 8-10 games a day if I can.

What is your proudest achievement?

I’m not particularly proud of anything, when I first hit Challenger in Season 6 it was cool, but these days I just play and it’s just fun for me I don’t really get proud of anything I’d like to play for a greater purpose and something meaningful like winning academy and LCS.

What was your most frustrating experience?

I think these days, solo queue has made me the most frustrated in recent years. It’s been extremely frustrating with all the toxicity and the dip in solo queue quality.

A lot of people type a lot and just run it down or matchmaking is really bad and it makes pros not want to play which makes the game qualities and competition go down significantly which is not fun for me.

I’d like to play against good players but these days I can’t seem to enjoy the state of solo queue.

What is your best trait?

I think I’m really comfortable to be around. A lot of people have confided in me in the past and just feel at ease around me.

I’m very aware when I’m around people in terms of not wanting to make them feel left out, or make them feel uncomfortable so I try to my best to include them and make sure they’re welcomed.

Do you give feedback to your teammates?

I think in a competitive environment when everyone is trying to win, everybody shouldn’t be afraid of criticism and try to improve with each other to win.

If a teammate of mine is not playing well I wouldn’t tilt in game but I’ll definitely bring it up for review and discuss the play so it doesn’t happen again so we can constantly get better together.

What is one thing that changed the way you play?

You should not have an ego when you play. It’s okay to be confident but don’t ever look down on your opponent and play to the best of your abilities.

Which pro player do you look up to?

Faker 😀 because he’s super diligent and works super hard and despite him being super successful he’s always super humble.

10. TSM – Shoryu

What motivated you to get into League Esports?

Because I’ve competed in sports all my life and my goal has always been to be the baddest dude possible so with League its no different.

How many hours of League do you play in a week?

For most of the year, 8-12 games a day. Hard to say hours because of q times.

What is your proudest achievement?

Winning amateur this year filled the ego that I was missing a lot when I was playing in Academy. Being able to play another year vs the upcoming talent of NA showed me that I still have a huge edge over these guys and helped me regain that confidence that I can lead a group of talented guys to victory.

What was your most frustrating experience?

I think my second year on TLA as a whole was the most frustrating time. Looking back I felt like my individual play was really good but I just wasn’t able to balance my life and I think let that spill into my career.

This question kind of ties in with the first question because having this year to play amateur from home gave me the time to find proper balance between my personal life and League and in turn that ended up being the biggest blessing in surprise I could have asked for.

What is your best trait?

I’d say the thing I’ve heard some of my previous teammates say is that they really respect the intensity and passion I bring to practice. I try really hard in practice because I do believe championships are won there so I guess I try to make sure all my teammates are putting in their best effort when they show up in the morning up until they leave that office.

Do you give feedback to your teammates?

I think before I was just very raw and direct so Id say it right in review in front of everyone but I think that was just a sign of immaturity. It really depends on the person and I think every player receives criticism best in different ways so finding that is always my first goal when working with players I’m not familiar with.

An example is some supports may do well with me showing what they’re doing on the big screen and me criticizing them in front of everyone whereas for some players, it’s better to call over on my own time and review on a PC together. Just gotta find ways to bring out the best in my teammates and giving feedback is a big part of it I feel.

What is one thing that changed the way you play?

One memory that first came to mind is when I had the fortune of playing with Matt. The first week or so of scrims I was quite cold since I hadn’t been able to practice much leading up to our practice and that frustrated me a lot. Throughout more scrims I improved a lot and I realized that maybe in week 4 of Academy when Matt and I were crushing everyone because after one of our games he said playing with me reminded him of when he played with Piglet and that I was his favorite AD he’s played with.

That was a really nice thing to hear because I had always looked up to Piglet’s view of trying to lane kingdom every game and I’d watched so many VODs of him on top of him expressing his enjoyment of playing with me really meant a lot to me.

Which pro player do you look up to?

Doublelift. Hes won Eight LCS Championship so I really want to get to play vs him soon. I watched and practiced vs him for two years and after having this year to refocus and reproach the game and my life really gave me the confidence and the ego I need to do great things just like him soon enough

Thanks for reading. To see many more stats from these players, head to the 2020 Scouting Grounds section of our site!

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