Promising FlyQuest roster faces disaster after two weeks without an LCS win
Robert Paul/Riot GamesAfter a narrow third-place finish in Spring and a perceived roster upgrade with Vulcan replacing Eyla, hopes were high for FlyQuest going into the LCS Summer Split. While they still have time to bring it back, their start has defied expectations in all the worst ways.
At the outset of 2023, FlyQuest was put forward as a roster that was investing heavily in being one of the best teams in the league. With Lee ‘Prince’ Chae-hwan and Lee ‘VicLa’ Dae-kwang coming on as some of the best talent in South Korea along with Jeong ‘Impact’ Eon-young and Mingyi ‘Spica’ Lu, the hype around this squad was undeniable.
Even in Dexerto’s interview with Spica in Spring, we discussed who he’d like to play against internationally and whether the level of competition within North America was high enough to train them for playing against the best teams in the world.
Fast forward to a few months later and the narrative has been completely flipped. Even with Philippe ‘Vulcan’ Laflamme coming onto the squad as one of the best support players in the LCS, the team is now winless after two weeks of play in what can only be described as a catastrophic start to their Summer Split.
FlyQuest buckles with winless start to LCS Summer Split
In Spring, FlyQuest’s team had a pretty distinct identity: play around Prince. The meta at the time was very bot lane focused, and he managed to consistently carry on late game hyperscalers like Aphelios and Zeri as well as some more early-game focused ADCs like Lucian.
However, he hasn’t been able to find his footing in the Summer Split. That combined with FlyQuest’s solo laners getting generally outperformed and Spica being unable to get the ball rolling for his team has resulted in a series of unexpected losses.
Vulcan could be seen with his head in his hands after their sixth loss in a row, and the team’s downward spiral has fans worried that FlyQuest won’t be able to bounce back in time to make it to Playoffs contention. And also has other orgs poking fun at them.
Most teams that dip below 9 losses don’t make it to Playoffs. While it’s still possible to make it with an 8-10 scoreline, it’s relatively rare. So, if FlyQuest wants to make it to Worlds 2023, they don’t have long to figure out what they need to do to win more games.
During Dexerto’s time with Mohammed ‘Revenge’ Kaddoura recently, we had a conversation about how the LCS walkout may have affected the Summer Split that didn’t make the cut for that interview. However, what he had to say is particularly relevant to FlyQuest’s predicament:
“If you’re a team that’s struggling during this time, it’s really hard to catch up to teams that are doing well because we have less days of practice just because it’s much faster. So, if you’re a team that’s doing well, it’s good. You just steamroll everyone.”
In Revenge’s case, the split being shorter is great considering EG’s strong performance so far. But for a struggling team like FlyQuest, the split’s duration being lessened due to the walkout only twists the knife. Whether or not they can turn things around remains to be seen.
