The invite-only Champions Queue (CQ) was set up in February to provide a low ping practice environment for North American pro players.
However, some players like Golden Guardians support Kim “Olleh” Joo-sung think there aren’t enough pros queuing up. This results in long queue times, especially in certain roles like support.
As it turns out, Cloud9’s mid laner Ibrahim “Fudge” Allami has not even played a single game of Champions Queue so far, according to CQ tracker ChampionsQueue.gg.
And because of the perception among the community that NA pros should be grinding more games to improve their chances at international events, Fudge has been criticized for not appearing to work hard enough.
In an interview with Travis Gafford, the 19-year-old explained why Champions Queue just isn’t his cup of tea.
- Ravenous Hunter is dead, you can only be a Treasure Hunter now
- MSI 2022 will be held in Busan, South Korea with a live crowd
Cloud9 Fudge on why he prefers solo queue over Champions Queue
According to the mid laner, who only swapped roles from top lane just before the 2022 season, Champions Queue is not the right environment for him to try out new champions or limit test.
“I might lose the team [every Champions Queue game] and teammates might get triggered, so I prefer to play 1v1s or solo queue,” he explained.
The Australian said that his playstyle in solo queue often causes him to die frequently, which he likened to how former Evil Geniuses mid laner Daniele “Jiizuke” di Mauro plays. The Italian player, who is currently without a team, is known for his risky and aggressive playstyle that can result in many deaths.
“In solo queue, people are more okay with me [dying] more. I’m a bit like Jiizuke in solo queue. While he does it on stage, I do it in solo queue,” he laughed.
Different players have varying approaches when it comes to practice. While some pros favor grinding CQ, like the aforementioned Olleh, others prefer to use their time after scrims to do 1v1s or even solo queue, which is less stressful.
Because CQ essentially comprises pro-level matches with voice comms, some players may not have the appetite for it after a full day of scrims.
On the other side of the fence are players like Cloud9 academy pros Jesper “Zven” Svenningsen and Sebastian “Malice” Edholm, who have combined for a total of 220 CQ games since Split 2 began on March 14.
There is simply no excuse for not practicing in CQ, according to former TSM player Yiliang “Doublelift” Peng. “In Eastern countries there are no excuses, you just play. [Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok] hates Korean solo queue but he plays 10 games a day. You just have to,” he said.
You can watch Fudge’s full interview with Travis Gafford here.
READ MORE: What is the prize pool of Champions Queue?
