Hotline League

00:00:00 Intro  00:18:28 TheBear23 calls in to talk about experimentation on stage. 00:27:45 Robot Russ predicts Riot will sign an exclusive streaming deal. It will be to Trovo, Tencent's new streaming service. 00:38:05 Alienware break! 00:41:51 Cade's hot take: CoreJJ is the best player to ever play in the LCS, and the fact that he is TL's main win condition isnt as bad as people are making it out to be. 00:51:38 Chill's take: EG will place third if they replace Huni with Kumo. 01:02:15 The River King's take: the Damonte Cinderella story will repeat from last year and GGS will make top 3 in playoffs for a ticket to worlds. 01:15:55 bmorris's take: TSM is the sleeping giant in the LCS and will win the split. 01:27:03 Trooper's take: It's clear that Doublelift was the problem and Tactical is better than DL. 01:42:23 Jesse Roberts's take: DIG would have been been competing for 5th place if they had started this roster from the beginning. 01:52:25 Bluejay returns to say: FLY is going to worlds. TSM is NOT. 02:02:25 Outro

00:00:00 Intro 00:16:51 lilchester This split will go down in history as the time NA realized that rosters need to be more than 5 man. 00:30:10 Flare's take: Dignitas and CLG are going to be the two teams that don't make playoffs. 00:41:52 Alienware break :3 00:46:10 SeBaez's take: Team Liquid will end as NA’s first seed and outperform C9 in Worlds. 01:02:02 jnt250's take: Broxah has been a downgrade from Xmithie, at the very best a sidegrade. 01:25:02 wildzee's take: Golden Guardians will be our 3rd team we send to worlds along with C9 and TL 01:39:11 MikNik21's take: TSM and CLG are practically the same team mid split, only difference is Bjergsen. 01:49:29 xcell asks: Is aiming for worlds a bad goal for middle to lower end teams? 01:59:47 Outro

00:00:00 Intro - Apollo joins HLL! Recapping a weekend of upsets 00:14:18 Broadcast issues and feedback 00:28:30 Timestamp check as requested :) 00:29:11 Slasher calls in to chat about Worlds news 00:48:00 Alienware break! 00:51:59 TrevaTheRuiner's take: EG and CLG will be the teams that miss playoffs this summer 01:03:06 Anzai's take: The low quality of NA gameplay is primarily a result of an inability to draft with clear goals or win conditions and a lack of commitment to expand player’s champion pools/playstyles. 01:15:34 Dakton's take: the online LCS format is causing rookies like Insanity and lower-tier players like Kumo to look better than they really are 01:22:15 Cheongseolmo's take: IMT will finish top 3 during the regular season 01:33:30 Hellohihi's take: C9 will easily lose more than 4 games this split due to winner's fatigue 01:41:45 rikuru's take: outside the top 4-5 players in each role, the mechanical skill difference between LCS and Academy is basically 0 01:50:30 bluejay returns in "Cam Ooflodge" to say: TL will prove they deserve to be top 2 with the way they drafted and played this past weekend. 02:06:28 Outro

00:00:00 Intro - Goldenglue joins HLL! 00:17:29 MSU Gerard predicts GG will be top 3 by the end of the split and will contest C9 (and FLY, the other top 3) in playoffs. 00:27:23 Gazzolith's take: TL will emerge as the clear #2 team in NA by the end of the split, not as good as C9 and clearly better than everyone else. 00:39:55 Alienware Unboxing! 00:42:36 Police Volibear skin discourse; a note on empathy and online criticism. 00:56:30 Best Vigilante NA 90% Winrate's take: Cloud9 is going to be the weakest Worlds 1st seed from North America in years. 01:13:15 SDGaming It seems troll of the last place teams (dig, 100T, etc…) to keep cycling between long time veterans. 01:29:46 Mecole's take: The new IMT team could be a top 3 contender if they had a new jungler, as Xmithie lacks the firepower they need to push them over the edge in their games. 01:37:39 bluejay's take: FLY needs to make a move for the AD role. 01:46:02 Keddage's take: With LCK franchising... why don't teams like C9 / G2 apply for LCK League? 01:53:38 Outro

00:00:00 Intro - PapaSmithy talks 100T 00:11:20 PapaSmithy addresses the roster changes/Meteos 00:21:20 gethunted's take: with the recent changes by 100T they will be a top 3 team by the end of the split. 00:31:42 Fez's take: 100T will set the example that players no longer run the LCS teams. 00:43:33 Alienware break! 00:46:33 Kr3w1988's take: Ryoma would have been the better swap out (for stunt) 01:10:23 Palpitoad's take: NA cares too much about experience/brand value which can actually be harmful, need to focus on developing talent instead. 01:27:32 CLG Tafo joins HLL to talk about his team. 01:39:15 Myranz's take: roster changes for 100T won't change results, the entire playstyle needs to change to get results improvements. 01:44:01 ham senpai's take: as a former optic analyst, getting rid of zab/keaton is unironically not only the best thing IMT has ever done but the best thing that's happened in the league since franchising. 01:51:20 labuda's take: TSM is just not a good team flat out. They have looked pretty flat and probably won’t do anything in playoffs again. 01:59:20 Outro

00:00:00 Intro 00:09:04 in my mother's heart's take: the 100 Thieves season "arc" will be the exact same as spring, really cold start and will pick up steam later, then chokes in playoffs.  00:20:07 Warden's take: if TSM doesnt go 3-1 or better in the next 2 weeks they are in a really bad spot 00:31:49 Foolzz22's take: GOLDEN GUARDIANS HAVE HIGHEST CEILING IN THE LEAGUE & THEY WILL BE A PLAYOFF TEAM!  00:44:43 lilchester27's take: TSM blundered by having DL play Syndra. 00:56:25 impulu's take: From a financial perspective, the LCS should invest more in marketing to fill the void left by the traditional sports during quarantine. 01:10:54 TheGreatClockwyrm says the differences in how our top 4 teams are being run/branded/coached are night and day with how our bottom teams are operating and shows that franchising has not resulted in the intended effect. 01:28:00 FreeBuju's take: Top LCS teams are the same level as top LEC, LPL and LCK teams.  01:45:42 bluejay's take: CLG is NOT a good team and they will go on a long losing streak and will also need to scrap the team and reset after this split. 02:01:00 Outro

00:00:00 Intro 00:14:04 habs2099's take: the party aspect of friday night league is just awful and makes no sense. 00:24:22 Dalleyman's take: LCS broadcast is the worst it's ever been. 00:37:00 Broxah joins HLL! 00:39:50 Awungsauce's take: Tactical is a top 3 ADC and is BETTER than Doublelift right now. 00:49:44 caseyclarke's take: Jatt will carry TL to 1st or 2nd. 01:02:42 Joeysosaaa's take: TSM will not make it to worlds this year and will continue to not make it until they grab an import jungler. 01:14:03 Draftbuff break~ 01:18:47 Skips35 says C9 won't go undefeated this split either. 01:25:02 Yeeshlaw's take: The problem with LCS is the recycled players we see season after season being mediocre. 01:34:10 almnast's take: EG is the clear number 2 team. 01:46:35 Outro

00:00:00 Intro 00:16:20 Warden thinks that, with the addition of Damonte, GG is potentially a top 3 LCS team. 00:23:20 McKaylan thinks CLG is going to be a playoff team this split, and keeping their roster was a good decision. 00:31:15 Drakaz asks Damonte about how difficult it is to climb through the Academy system. 00:38:00 LOLShenanigans93's take: TSM made a huge mistake by giving up on Dardoch too early. 00:48:48 Noble predicts EG placing 1st in the Summer if they play Huni 00:57:30 Wafflefoot wants to talk about managing your personal brand as a player. 01:06:10 Narei predicts TSM is gonna finish 4th. 01:15:45 DraftBuff Draft Royale break~ Draft your Fantasy Team vs. Travis and Mark! 01:21:33 Bubbles feels that LCS relies heavily on importing talent to make quick success rather than risk a chance for building better players.  01:41:55 Insaya asks Damonte how he felt after DIG changed their roster following their Worlds performance. 01:51:31 dill wavis says not a single LCS team is prepared for international play and we will be blown out of the water again at Worlds.

00:00:00 Intro 00:17:55 D0P3ST predicts CLG will fail again as they have confirmed they are not changing their roster. 00:29:14 Ghosthan predicts Immortals is going to be last place this split because of weak solo laners. 00:38:27 Bubbles' take: TSM giving up Dardoch and bringing in Spica is going to nullify the strength of picking up Doublelift, and will not let them improve. 00:45:40 Alienware break! 00:50:54 LS calls in about academy/infrastructure disagreements, LCK's multiple teams within orgs, Summer takes and more! 01:20:00 Draftbuff break! 01:23:15 Thew predicts that Spica will perform well but still get benched. 01:36:00 Bluejay predicts TL is going to bounce back and 2-0 TSM in summer split. they will also make it to finals and lose to C9. 01:45:23 Fragwhatfrag's Hot Take: players lack vulnerability and confidence that are needed to make themselves stars. 02:00:05 Outro

00:00:00 Intro 00:12:07 Dr Manhattan's take: DIG was the only place for Dardoch to practically land in 00:30:55 Ghosthan's take: DIG won't be a dumpster fire. 00:55:13 Saronic predicts the most significant TSM signing this year isn't going to be announced: VeigarV2 01:06:18 lilchester27's take: C9 would struggle to make playoffs in LPL. 01:16:20 bluejay's take: Huni is not a worthy addition to any team right now (besides Academy). 01:28:00 DraftBuff break! 01:35:00 TomShoe calls in to discuss salary inflation and the Players Association 01:59:50 Outro

00:00:00 Intro 00:05:45 dszajnuk, a financial analyst, wonders what the best path into esports is for someone with his background 00:19:48 GD Nerd calls back to ask how many gifted subs it would take to get a #CatForKobe 00:28:25 PretentiousFly wants to know if it's worth investing time into a game you'll never make a career out of. 00:36:13 globas wants to know why Travis didn't show up to a fan party he was invited to during the LCS Summer finals in Detroit. 00:42:50 Alienware is awesome!! 00:46:14 heyjorge's take: Shoutcasters should have more creative license on content related to LCS 00:59:57 PEbeling thinks that all LCS teams should have some form of PR Managers or Publicists, and that twitlonger should no longer be the main form of communication when a team messes up. 01:16:15 1337wannabe's take: LCS casting/desk is going to have to censor language before it becomes mainstream. 01:29:35 Rico Suave follows up on his Hotline Love call 01:41:10 Elard wants to discuss Grabbz's take on Doublelift 01:49:36 anvil wants Travis's take on the gbay99 drama and plagarism in esports media 01:58:29 Outro

00:00:00 Intro 00:28:44 caseyclarke thinks the Player's Association is a big problem. 00:46:19 Dom weighs in! 01:07:30 Alienware teaser woo woo! 01:10:15 Rob Shibatsky says throwing Lenovo into the TSM mess is a bad look for TSM. 01:19:35 Crumbz comes to HLL! 01:26:20 Love and Flow thinks TSM fans aren't gonna care about this, and if TSM does well, no one will care. 01:47:44 TomSoloMid feels that the Kobbe move should've looked good, but was dampened by the Dardoch stuff a few hours later. 01:53:10 Rae calls in with an NBA parallel for the conflict of interest controversy. 02:06:30 Outro

00:00:00 Intro 00:13:24 Turkleton from Temple, Texas's take: The sentiment that Jatt cannot command a presence in a room is an insult to Jatt's qualitative experience in the scene, and an insult to TL players as a whole. 00:21:57 Ghosthan's take: TL getting Jatt could pose some power struggle issues in regards to coaching.  00:36:28 Warden calls back to say: Owners being a personality is more important for branding long term for an esports team than player personalities. 00:44:50 Alienware giveaway still going on! 00:49:30 GDNerd's take: LCS poaching policy and limited trade windows should be abolished! 01:08:04 HeyJorge wants to talk about casters moving into non-caster roles: why do they do it? 01:21:20 Ziphex's take: Casters getting jobs as coaches/general managers is bad in the short term and a result of people/teams not putting in enough effort 01:30:25 Weather's prediction: Due to the recent moves by TL and TSM this will be the best 3 teams NA has ever sent internationally in C9,TL and TSM. 01:40:58 PEbeling's take: TL has been "unchained" by trading away Doublelift from the team. 01:52:15 Outro

00:00:00 Intro 00:10:55 lilchester27 says EG is a top laner away from competing with C9 this Summer. 00:25:12 MianBao thinks it's time TSM signs a blank check to Xmithie. 00:34:36 Rico Suave predicts TSM won't improve this split due to clashing egos. 00:46:48 Check out our Alienware deals!! 00:48:33 Warden makes a prediction: IMT Kobbe. 01:04:25 A Hobbit believes MSI being cancelled is actually good for the LCS/C9. 01:22:52 Dodo/Doublelift discussion 01:44:23 skips35 predicts Huni to LPL next. 01:50:05 Truz says Kobbe was a big problem for TSM; DL fixes that.

00:00:00 Intro 00:18:28 Danny predicts C9 will slam NA even harder in the summer split. 00:29:40 Nimbus says Nisqy got robbed for Spring MVP 00:40:49 Alienware is doing a giveaway and you should check it out :) 00:44:24 Ham's hot take: the addition of Reignover to C9's coaching staff was the secret to their success. 00:58:55 TSMSuperFan thinks C9 won't be considered a truly great team until they find international success. 01:07:10 Doosk says C9 would get dumpstered by G2 if they went head to head right now. 01:18:23 Dr Manhattan thinks LEC AND LCS playoffs proved why losers brackets are necessary for competitive integrity at future international tournaments 01:30:08 Kennedy says Nisqy has gone above and beyond what people wanted Bjergsen to be. 01:43:56 Dakjamkin wants to know Nisqy's thoughts on NA communication re:LS/DL's costream discussion 01:51:35 Outro