LBR Review with Alocs - CBLOL Analysis

Published on Liberty Esports’ website on July 4, 2023

Want to know how Liberty is truly performing in the CBLOL? And how the coaching staff views the recent results? It's time to get it straight from the source.

We introduce LBR Review: firsthand analyses of our weekly performance and development during the split. Starting in this fourth week of CBLOL 2023.2, we’ll share our behind-the-scenes directly with you on Liberty's blog.

Every Tuesday, we’ll deliver insights from the CBLOL coaching staff regarding the decisions and performance of the previous week — particularly with commentary from our league Head Coach, Alocs. This initiative stems from our desire to clarify and share with fans what we’re all about: hard work.

In the first edition of this analysis special, we’ll cover the 4th week of the 2nd split of CBLOL 2023, during which we faced Vivo Keyd Stars on Saturday and Pain Gaming on Sunday. We ended the weekend with two losses, remaining in 9th place on the overall standings with a 1-7 record.

Liberty Esports vs. Vivo Keyd Stars

In the seventh match of the split against Vivo Keyd Stars, Alocs noted missteps starting from the draft. With the first three picks aligning with expectations, we ended up in volatile matchups in the final stages.

“And I don’t mind that; Kiari is an excellent player. But at this moment, we weren’t able to translate those matchups — which he usually handles very well — into lane pressure, and that hurt us.” The other lanes didn’t fare well either, with both mid and bot lanes succumbing to pressure when they shouldn’t have.

“That said, our biggest mistake during the game was in team fights. We were able to work on something we had recently focused on — timing and map control in the mid and late game.” At times, we managed to set up favorable team fight scenarios, even while trailing in the game.

“However, we failed to execute these team fights effectively because we struggled with the fundamentals. This is definitely something we need to work on moving forward.”

Liberty Esports vs. Pain Gaming

In the match against Pain, we fell into a similar drafting trap as the day before. Once again, we put ourselves in difficult topside matchups and failed to capitalize on them — a key area to improve in the future.

“I know Kiari is highly skilled, and I believe he’s one of the best top laners, especially in the laning phase, in CBLOL. I trust him 100%,” Alocs stated, recognizing the solo laner’s ability to have an impact in challenging matchups, as he has throughout his career.

“We made mistakes overall. We had a strong invade in the early game but failed to snowball the advantage we gained. As a result, we fell behind in the game. We lost the first dragon and the first Rift Herald, both of which should have been ours. This put us in a tough spot as we exited the early game in a weakened state.”

Still, as on Saturday, we executed our timing well, though our team fights remained problematic. We positioned ourselves effectively for engagements but couldn’t execute them properly.

Despite the losses, there were visible improvements — and Alocs explained how we are learning from these experiences. “For me, this is a step forward because, in previous weeks, we struggled to be in good positions for fights in our games. From now on, we have a solid foundation to build upon.”

LBR Review: Are We Improving?

Yes: progress has been a challenge. “Claiming it’s significant wouldn’t be fair, as we haven’t achieved different results yet. I’ll wait until we convert progress into victories to call it significant improvement. Until then, we’re working hard, and I’m happy with the progress.”

“I believe we’re moving forward and achieving an important milestone.” Alocs highlighted mental capacity, mindset on stage, and the psychological state of the players during matches. “Recently, we’ve started syncing better, making things work more smoothly in-game, and bringing more productive elements from our practice sessions.”

With this work, it will become easier to translate what we achieve in practice to stage performances. “I believe we now have a solid base to take significant strides forward and, hopefully, secure more impactful results — more victories.”

Standout Players

Regarding standout players, Alocs noted some variation but particularly emphasized the consistent performances of Kiari and Juliera. Despite areas for improvement over the weekend, Kiari’s strong performances were evident, such as his dominance in much of the match against Red Canids.

“Kiari has always been a powerhouse for our team, showcasing an exceptionally strong laning phase.”

“And Juliera has had some great games. For instance, when he played Kai’Sa, he delivered a lot of damage, found great openings for ultimates, and executed outstanding team fights. So, these two players have been the current highlights of our team.”

Upcoming Matches

Our next match is on Saturday, July 8, kicking off the CBLOL day at 1 PM against FURIA. On Sunday, we’ll face INTZ at the start of the second round of the split. We count on your support to make a difference!

Make no mistake: our path may be difficult, but we’ll never give up. There’s still much to accomplish, and we’ll take the necessary time, always holding onto our pillars and bringing our fans closer to what we aim to achieve. Together, we’ll build the Liberty we envision for the future.

Now you know: want to stay updated on what really happened in our week? Keep an eye on our official social media and don’t miss the LBR Review every Tuesday. Share your thoughts there: what do you think of the initiative? We’d love to hear your opinion!