SK telecom T1 dominated the Spring play-offs in the League of Legends Champions Korea but after yet another disappointing showing at an international event, they must focus again on regional matters.
Unlikely to make changes given the quality of players in their squad, SKT are being sent back to the drawing board.
Clid was one of the positives for them at the Mid Season Invitational. Faker remains one of the game’s best players and his diversity in terms of champion selections has been a staple for this organisation for many years.
With a key Bottom-laner returning to SKT’s rivals kt Rolster, there is now even more pressure on Teddy and Mata to continue to improve together and become the best Bottom lane in the region.
PraY a big acquisition
PraY is the man signed by kt Rolster, who after a disastrous Spring split have made the largest acquisition of the off-season.
kt’s Top side of the map did fairly well during the early portions of the year, but their Bottom lane constantly came up short and nearly cost the organisation their spot within the LCK.
As a result, in comes PraY with a fresh body and mind. He missed the Spring season with many feeling he was retiring. He is a legend of the game and one of the best and most consistent players in the Bottom lane. He is a massive upgrade for kt and a rock they can now rely on.
Suddenly kt have a chance at becoming a top contender, although do keep in mind that moving into that bracket is particularly difficult in the LCK which has such strength in depth.
Griffin look to bounce back
Griffin are certainly among that elite group. They had a shot at a perfect season during the regular Spring split, yet managed to get blown away in the finals.
Griffin are loaded with talent, boasting some of the most mechanically-gifted players in the world. Anything less than making the World Championship would be judged an extreme failure – the winners here qualify.
Tarzan is a brilliant Jungler with excellent pathing and he is the cornerstone which this team is built around.
Griffin have also been one of the teams most adaptive to new patches in the league, willing to roll the dice on newly-buffed champions and seeing just what potential they have. This tends to keep Griffin ahead during weeks with a new patch.
DAMWON worth watching
There will be plenty of interest around DAMWON Gaming, who picked up Flame late in the Spring split and were able to throw several different roster combinations at opponents during best-of series.
The diversity of skillsets between Flame and Nuguri is an incredible asset for one lane (Top), with Showmaker in the Mid lane looking to improve on his first split within the league.
Nuclear’s consistency was a fairly large surprise given his ups and downs with the likes of H2K previously, and his ability to withstand, or even defeat, some of the more skilled Bottom-laners in the region was not only key in the Spring split, but will also be a massive factor moving forward.
Contenders chase play-off advantage
Five teams in the LCK make the play-offs rather than the six in the LEC and the LCS and the format is also different.
In Korea, the regular season double round-robin is much more important as the winner receives a bye to the final.
Griffin were unable to take advantage of that opportunity in the Spring, but it still makes the regular-season title an important goal.
