[OGN Summer] The Finals: SKT T1 vs. KT Bullets - Page 3

The semifinals were not only a clash between the strongest teams in Korea but also a clash between generations. CJ Entus Frost is a team that seemed to have a place in the Finals reserved each time ever since the first OGN Champions in Spring 2012. This season was the first for Frost with major changes in their lineup. They swapped out Muse for Space and added Ganked By Mom as a substitute for Rapidstar. Frost had a good start and once again reached the Semifinals where they met the KT Bullets. The KT Bullets increased the strength of their roster with the transfer of InSec into the toplane and KaKAO into the Jungle from KT A. In addition, KT B faced the brother team of Frost in the quarterfinal. Frost had a lot of data and game experience against KT B, so they had a very good opportunity to be prepared but instead showed the same mistakes and weaknesses as Blaze one week before.

InSec won the top lane against Shy without much trouble, a feat made easier when Frost left his strongest champions in top lane unbanned and unpicked. He was able to deny any possible pressure from Shy and on the other hand turned the pressure around onto Frost. With one of their core pillars disabled and the Bullets' interesting strategy of banning out Madlife's “play-making” champions, Frost was already at a big disadvantage. It was evident that KT Rolster B came prepared to fight against Frost. Shy picked Shen into a bad matchup against Zac for three straight games, resulting in him being at a distinct disadvantage, yet there was no change in strategy by CJ Entus Frost. This stubbornness suggests that CJ Entus Frost may be a second “one trick warhorse” like CJ Entus Blaze. If so, then this could be a failing caused by the training in the CJ Entus house. Their strategy works against weaker teams who are not on the same level mechanically as the CJ Teams and do not possess the ability to find the errors in their play, but against the new upcoming top teams like SK Telecom T1, KT Bullets, and MVP Ozone that have coaches and a similar training structure allowing them to spot every small mistake and exploit it, the CJ teams will continue to lose.

Another issue could be that Frost may have taken it for granted that they will qualify since they think they are the best in Korea because of their past results. When newer teams appear, teams that are hungrier for victory, that work harder and push each other into higher levels of play, like what has happened in Korea with the creation of new teams like KT Rolster and SKT T1, those that are content to rest on their laurels will quickly find themselves surpassed. This has been seen even on the individual level, as when a player is not able to show results he will be switched out for somebody who works harder, plays better, and shows better results. In addition the already existing rivalry between those two teams spurred an even more cruel fight over the League of Legends throne in Korea.

Overconfidence in their own abilities could well be an issue with older teams in Korea. I am sure everybody who follows OGN saw the pre-match trash talk between MVP Ozone and SKT T1. Ozone started with a strong game against SKT T1, but Faker and company were able to focus once more and regain the momentum to turn the series around. In addition, MVP Ozone's solo laners were outclassed, and with their confidence crushed after game two, they stood no chance against SKT T1. MVP Ozone have in Homme the oldest player in the Korean League of Legends scene, and he was outplayed by Impact in every game. This could be a sign that a newer, younger generation with better mechanics will overthrow the first generation of League of Legends players, or perhaps the older players just need to realize that they are no longer the top dogs by default, because there are hungrier and more vicious dogs out there. In any case, the time of being overconfident is over because only one who strives to improve himself further and further will come out on top. Nontheless, we as viewers are in for a good time because the skill level will rise higher and higher in the upcoming seasons.