Last Friday, MSMS’s newly formed esports team competed for the first time in the multiplayer battle arena video game League of Legends (LoL). The team competed virtually on Friday, Oct. 30, 2020, in a five versus five against Pontotoc High School, taking the win in a 2-0 victory. The MSMS esports team ended with a positive kill/death/assist ratio (kda) of 58/15/60, technically setting the first record high for the team.

League of Legends is a multiplayer game that consists of over 150 characters called champions, each with their own specialized set of abilities and specific class. The goal of the game is to destroy the other team’s nexus, a sort of main core that resides on each corner of the map corresponding with each team, that is guarded by three lanes of defensive structures and hordes of minions, all while battling the other team and focusing on obtaining specific power-ups and items throughout the game.

MSMS senior Ayden Garcia shared how the team prepared for a match in a video game consisting of so much variety.

“In terms of training, we just play the game,” Garcia said. “There is no secret technique to playing the game, sure you could choose the best champions in the meta but if you have dedicated time and effort into another champion, you will likely outperform regardless of matchup.”

Champion selection is a major aspect of LoL because it decides how players will build their own team’s roster and also their playstyle. Garcia explained how his team decided the matchup.

“The way we went setting up the first esports match was simple: see who they choose and pick a team composition that revolves around using their characters’ innate weaknesses against them,” Garcia said. “For example, the person that I was fighting chose Xerath, so I decided to choose Ahri; Ahri gives good mobility, engage and crowd control to the table so I would be able to influence the game regardless of my team.”

While champion selection is a key aspect to gaining the advantage over the three lanes present in LoL, senior Jack Standard emphasizes the importance of capitalizing off mistakes and well as expressing his opinion on the skill gap between MSMS and Pontotoc.

“I feel like our experience with the game was superior to Pontotoc, and it allowed us to catch their mistake and punish them easily,” Standard said. “This won’t be the case for all upcoming games, as there are some definite areas of improvement, but I feel like our microgame is pretty good.”

Microgame refers to a player’s individual performance, specifically for their lane.

Esports is a very different world compared to other sports at MSMS and Standard explains how matches for an online game are set up via a platform called PlayVs.

“Our first match was set up using PlayVs as a mediator,” Standard said. “So it was pretty smooth for the most part. Since PlayVs is partnered with Riot Games, tournament codes are auto-generated to give us better lobbies and conditions to play in.”

With their first game going down as an easy win, the MSMS esports team is looking like a force to be reckoned with in the world of LoL. The next match is set for Thursday, Nov. 5 at 4 pm. Garcia expressed his motivation towards his teammates in the matches to come.

“We are a team. We have the ability to communicate to one another and grow together,” Garcia said. “If you are willing to put in the time and effort into this endeavor that we set ourselves up for when you joined me for the first time on the rift, then I am more than happy to join you in the struggles that will come.”