Analysis
Corrective Lenses: The Slow Decline of OpTic Gaming
Towards the end of 2016, OpTic Gaming was at the top of the North American CS:GO scene. They were competing at the highest level, winning international titles and making several deep tournament runs. Based on event results alone, OpTic were considered...
Party MMR: How to Fix Valve’s Broken System
Party MMR is one of the most divisive topics within the Dota community. While the ranked system as a whole could probably do with an overhaul, questions over the value and legitimacy of Party MMR linger. What's the point? Do...
LCS Returns: Best Matches of Week 6
With the second half of the North American League of Legends Championship Series underway, let's take a look at the most exciting matchups in Week 6.
3. Team SoloMid vs. Counter Logic Gaming
As the league’s NY-Boston rivalry, a hot TSM has...
The 20 Most Important League of Legends Runes
Runes are a major IP sink.
If you're getting into ranked League of Legends or just hit level 20, you should probably be thinking about your runes and rune pages. I’ve hand-selected the best starter runes, as well as how...
Player Spotlight: Lasse “MATUMBAMAN” Urpalainen
"If you want to win, employ a Finn."
Top Gear tells me that this is a colloquialism applied to rally car driving, but it can certainly be applied to the current season of Dota 2.
Two of the best Dota 2...
Dota 2 Mid Guide: Win Your Lane, Win the Game
"GG EZ MID" is the oldest excuse for losing you'll ever hear, but there's no doubt that dominating the mid lane is the fastest way to put your team in a game winning position. The mid laner is traditionally...
FalleN the Puzzle Master: Fitting the Pieces Together
Gabriel "FalleN" Toledo is known as the godfather of Brazilian CSGO. As in-game leader of his own hand-picked lineups, FalleN has transformed teams from non-factors on the international stage to upset artists to top-tier competition and, last but not...
Maokai Nerfs: Riot Chops Down Top Lane’s Tallest Tree
The Courage of the Colossus changes in Patch 7.2 couldn't keep a good tree down.
Maokai’s modest win rate of 52.4% suggests he’s strong, but not overpowered. There are other Tops with higher win rates, such as Rumble or Shen. These...
Esports Edition’s CS:GO Power Rankings: February 2017
Welcome to the first installment of Esports Edition's CS:GO Power Rankings. It's a wonderful time to be a Counter-Strike fan, and the top of the pro scene has never been more competitive. With a resurgent Virtus.Pro entering 2017 firing on...
League of Legends Champion Guide: Yorick
Yorick, Shepard of Souls, remains an underrated solo queue top laner in League of Legends, but if you haven't tried him in a while, now might be the best time to give this champion a shot. He’s still dependent...
A Good IGL Is Hard to Find: Leadership Issues in NA CS:GO
The recent acquisition of IGL Peter "stanislaw" Jarguz by Team Liquid was a massive roster move, seemingly coming out of nowhere. During his time on OpTic Gaming, stanislaw saw a lot of success, winning Northern Arena Montreal and ELEAGUE...
The Role of the In-Game Leader in CS:GO
The in-game leader position is in a very peculiar place in CS:GO. While all pro teams have in-game leaders, it's worth noting that pro play, in general, has moved away from the strict tactical approach that has dominated the...
