100T Goldenglue — “to say lane swaps are back is, I’d say, relatively accurate”

As someone who’s been around the League of Legends scene for quite some time now, I can tell you that the pressure and stress of competing at the highest level never really goes away. It’s easy to get lost in the heat of the moment, especially when things aren’t going your way.

Goldenglue chats mentoring young talent, lane swaps, Tomo, and more.

1. As a dedicated fan, I can’t help but revel in the triumph of 100 Thieves over Dignitas in a 3-0 Upper Bracket match during the initial week of LCS playoffs. Recently, I had an exhilarating conversation with coach Gregory “Goldenglue” Gilmer about their remarkable resurgence, the strategic reintroduction of lane swaps, and nurturing budding talent within our team.

100 Thieves, under the guidance of Goldenglue, have seen a notable shift in their performance after introducing a new ADC from the NACL team DSG into their roster. This transformation was evident throughout their recent games leading up to Playoffs, culminating in a commanding win against a faltering Dignitas. In an exclusive interview with Xpsp, Goldenglue discussed various topics including his ongoing rivalry with Team Liquid’s coach Spawn, nurturing young talent amidst the highs and lows of professional League of Legends competition.

Goldenglue credits stompy series to momentum

Esports.gg: Following our 3-0 victory over Dignitas, we played some dominant games. Can you share your thoughts on what factors contributed to the lopsided nature of this series?

“Goldenglue: I believe we gained the majority of our momentum in Game 2. Throughout the series, we’ve generally played well, and more often than not, we had better scaling compositions compared to them. They seemed to have to force something to happen, but we didn’t provide them with the opportunity. It feels like they were under constant pressure due to their drafts and game outcomes, but we never gave them a chance to act. That pressure kept increasing and increasing, and by Game 3, it reached an explosion.”

We’ve been discussing lane swaps with players and coaches since MSI, and we noticed several instances of this strategy in the recent series. When we spoke to Spawn, he didn’t explicitly say that lane swaps are making a comeback, but he hinted it might be a specific trend with Liquid. However, it seems evident that lane swaps are indeed returning on a larger scale.

As a dedicated fan, I can definitely see where that question is coming from! To put it simply, my take is that the term “lane swaps are back” isn’t far off the mark. It seems like many teams are adopting this strategy, and others are following suit, making it quite prevalent in games we’re seeing. However, I believe there are effective counters to lane swapping, and the concept itself is quite complex and strategically heavy. So, you could say that mastering the art of lane swapping is akin to diving deep into a strategic labyrinth!

As a gamer, I’ve noticed that traditional laning phases have been the norm for us. However, I believe this won’t be the case for every game – our last match was pretty standard. Instead, I anticipate more opportunities for something different, particularly in NA. It’s not unheard of in other regions either. In fact, it seems that many teams are experimenting with lane swaps during scrimmages. So, it appears that the metagame from scrims is being carried over to the stage, and teams are practicing these strategies extensively.

100T Goldenglue — “to say lane swaps are back is, I’d say, relatively accurate”

During our conversation with Spawn, he mentioned that Team Liquid is so open to lane swaps because they anticipate their opponents will make mistakes when moving. On the other hand, they see opportunities when they move themselves. It seems like this strategy for lane swapping has significantly contributed to your recent success, such as when Dignitas decided to swap back against you and ended up losing a large amount of gold. Do you think focusing on practicing lane swaps and allowing your players to showcase their creativity has been a key factor in your team’s comeback?

“Absolutely on board with your thoughts! A key strength of lane swapping lies in exploiting opponents’ errors. It offers numerous chances to catch an opponent unaware. I believe Team Liquid has been a trailblazer when it comes to this tactic within the NA region, dominating the strategy and setting the meta. As for us, 100 Thieves, we’ve made significant strides in our swapping techniques. This upcoming match against Team Liquid promises to be exciting as they are one of the top teams, if not the top, at devising effective swapping strategies within North America.”

New roster, who this?

Inquiry: Could you describe the characteristics, traits, or skills that Tomo possesses as a player which has enabled him to seamlessly integrate with 100 Thieves and significantly boost their performance since his arrival?

“Tomo appears to be an individual with numerous admirable traits. He consistently arrives early at work and exhibits a strong willingness to participate in group activities, such as meals or walks. His team-oriented nature is evident, making him a valuable member of our team. Furthermore, his assertiveness stands out; he isn’t afraid to voice his opinions clearly, which was something we lacked in our communication. This assertiveness has played a significant role in enhancing our team cohesion during games.”

In a recent interview, Sniper discussed the psychological strain caused by multiple challenging series during the split and subsequent losses. Since you’ve experienced similar periods of struggle throughout your lengthy career, I’m curious about any advice or guidance you can offer Sniper as he navigates these tough situations in an intensely stressful profession. How do you support him through these challenging times?

Absolutely, that’s an insightful query! Playing professionally in League of Legends can be quite demanding. It involves transforming a hobby into a job, which means constant scrutiny from thousands of internet users. On days when performance isn’t up to par, it can feel like everything is going wrong.

“This is Sniper’s first year in the LCS. I, obviously, have had a long career and I’ve had a lot of downs, a lot of lows in my career. The one thing that I try to mentor to Sniper is that there are bad times. All you can do is focus on what you can control and try to make things better. It’s not easy, especially when you’re losing all your games. It’s kind of your main purpose in life. We try to build him up outside of the game and let him know things can change very quickly. I think people, as humans, aren’t good at seeing how fast things can change. I think when you’re in a rut, all you can see is a downward spiral.”

100T Goldenglue — “to say lane swaps are back is, I’d say, relatively accurate”

Absolutely, you’re only able to see where you’re at.

Absolutely. If you had asked Sniper a few weeks back, he wouldn’t have anticipated us performing as effectively as we are now.

It wouldn’t have appeared likely that he would win with a score like 5/0/7 against Jax during the playoffs, had someone asked while we were on our losing streak.

Absolutely, absolutely! It seems Sniper is undergoing significant personal development this year, given he’s new to such an intense setting. I believe he’s handling it admirably, and his emotions are running high. When you face both wins and losses, and can’t understand the situation — stress and struggle are inevitable. The only path forward is to persevere through it. As they say, “The obstacle is the way.”

As a gamer, let me tell you, Sniper’s emotional processing skills left me quite amazed. He handled some tough feelings with such grace and maturity, it’s clear he’s got a sharp mind and a promising future ahead.

“Yeah, 100%. “

As our time together is drawing to a close, I’m excited about the approaching Team Liquid series. Do you have any encouraging messages for Spawn and the entire Team Liquid squad? I’d love to hear your thoughts on this upcoming competition!

Absolutely, I’m thrilled! For nearly three years, Spawn and I have been trading victories. Now, we’re both in the League Championship Series (LCS). Last split, they defeated us in the playoffs, I believe it was 3-1. However, I firmly believe that our team has significantly improved since then, and so have they. Team Liquid is the top team to aim for. If we manage to beat them, we’ll qualify for Worlds, which is absolutely mind-blowing. Honestly, if we play as well as we did today, I think we can defeat Team Liquid. frankly, I’m quite excited. We’re in a good run right now.

2024-08-25 14:38

Joe Wicks shares sweet family snaps as he enjoys bank holiday meal with Jamie Oliver and his brood – and gives adorable glimpse at life with newborn baby Dusty