EPT
Welcome,
to another recap & preview for OGN Winter! We are going into the final games of the group stages which will decide who can advance in Champions or who will drop down to NLB. As usual we will take a look on last week games and what is to come.
Jpak translated some after game interviews from Inven which you can find here and here.
Enjoy!
Signing off,
Chexx
Chexx
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Week 2 Recap
By: Chexx
5 Minutes to Midnight
Team NB vs SKT T1 S
There is not much to say about these games: Team NB stood no chance against SKT T1 S and both games were quite one sided. As a result, Team NB will drop down to NLB. They can, however, still have an impact if they can win one match against CJ Entus Blaze: they can make sure that Blaze will follow them into NLB.
KT Bullets vs. Najin Sword
First day of the new patch and we got to see InSec on Lee Sin in toplane. He drew First Blood together with Kakao and proves why he is the best Lee Sin in the world. KT B increased their lead with two kills in the bot lane and started sieging the towers of Najin Sword. It was a pretty low kill game but involved incredible high level movements and strategy, and many teamfights ended with every player narrowly surviving. The deciding factor in game one was when InSec drew three members of Najin Black down into the bottom lane while the rest of KT Bullets started Baron, after which InSec used his teleport to join his team and secured Baron. KT B started pushing objectives and Najin knew they need to do something. SSONG flashed Crescendo and caught KaKAO out of position, but the KaKAO rappelled up into the air which prevented a follow up from Sword. KT B turned the aggression around and decided the first match in their favor.
The second game was similar to the first but with reversed roles. This time, Najin Black Sword was able to get an early gold lead which they held onto until the late midgame. But without a hard engage tool, Najin Black Sword lacked the possibilities to engage on KT B and profit from their lead. Najin also had positional errors which allowed KT to get the first Baron. KT lost the ensuing fight with a 3:2 score, but it was nonetheless a Win in KT’s book. The turning tide fight happened after Najin pushed to the second mid tower. As Najin retreated, KaKAO flashed and landed a Cocoon which started the fight. At first it seemed that it will end up in a draw but Pray slightly overextended which allowed KT to flank him and turned the fight around in their favor. KT followed up with taking two turrets and the first inhib of the game. Even though Najin was able to enter the last fight from various angles, they couldn’t focus down the damage dealers (Score and Ryu) fast enough while Pray was killed quickly. The consequence from this fight was that KT Bullets got 4 kills and won the game, securing the first win in Group B.
Jin Air Falcons vs CJ Entus Frost
We saw Reappeared back in the starting lineup for the Falcons which should become his last Match for the Winter Season. He also surprised us with a Tryndamere pick in midlane against Maknoon’s Kayle. It was an unusual game shaped by a splitpushing, objectives-focused style. The first kill, in favor of CJ Frost, happened at 14 minutes, and by this time 5 towers have already fallen. While Frost had the kill lead, the Falcons had the tower lead and therefore a small gold advantage. At around 22 minutes Falcons saw their chance to sneak Baron, but they were spotted by a ward from CJ Frost, who sent Helios and Madlife to stop it while the rest of the team were on their way. Falcons got the Baron but lost the following teamfight 4:2. They were not impressed and kept on pushing and taking towers, but their problem was that they couldn’t retreat from a fight - once a cleaver or axe landed it was over for them. They pushed to the second top tower but ActScene got caught and Frost engaged and won another fight, further increasing the gold lead they had after the Baron fight. From that point on Frost was in the driver seat, more than once catching 1-2 people from Jin Air and slowly suffocating Falcons.
The second game was the complete opposite from the first one. This time there were already 6 kills at the 9 minute mark, all for Jin Air Falcons. Reappeared and co. were on a roll, and even though CJ Frost managed to funnel most of their kills onto Maknoon’s Kassadin, the gold lead was already too large to stage a comeback. Falcons won convincingly but in the end they still dropped out of OGN. They said goodbye with a good performance.
SKT T1 K vs CJ Entus Blaze
Cpt. Jack was back in the starting lineup which was a surprise. Blaze got first blood and had a small gold lead but then came a brilliant move from SKT T1 K. Impact, who had a catastrophic start in his lane, roamed mid and took out Ambition in a three man dive. Faker, Impact, and Bengi circled through the river into a brush, waited for Lustboy to ward, and ganked him. Getting two kills, Dragon was free for the taking, and even though they lost their toplane tower they had the momentum. From that point on SKT T1 just ran away with their small lead with Faker making plays and it was a typical SKT T1 game. It was scary how SKT T1 made Blaze look like an amateur team. Throughout the game, perfect decisions by SKT T1 allowed them to win the game after a bad start.
The second game was an even match in the beginning with both teams trading blows, but SKT T1 managed once again to get ahead upon reaching the mid game. Not giving up, CJ concentrated their efforts on taking towers to reduce the gold gap with great success, even reversing it. SKT pushed down Top lane and killed the first inhibitor of the game, but Faker slightly overextended which allowed Blaze to reengage and got one kill. Further kills were prevented by an excellent bubble from Mandu that stopped CJ in their tracks. Nonetheless CJ was able to get Baron for free. The deciding fight happened after Blaze tried to get the second Baron. SKT T1 stuck around long enough to steal the Baron and get three kills in the pit which resulted in two inhibitors for T1. After that, Blaze really didn’t have a chance to comeback, and SKT T1 didn’t commit any major mistakes to threaten their spotless group record.
Samsung Blue vs IM #2
The two dark horses fought it out in a slugfest. Both teams traded back and forth in the early game, nearly one kill for each minute, but Samsung Blue managed to come out ahead. At 15 minutes a dragon fight between the two teams started, and IM managed to secure the dragon. However, in the follow up fight they were aced, while Blue only lost three members. Samsung Blue continued to increase their gold lead and their amount of kills but failed short to get turrets because their gold lead wasn’t as big as the kill score suggested. At 28 minutes IM went for a desperation Baron, and a sloppy engage from Blue, where they missed crucial ultimates like Command: Shockwave gave IM Baron and an ace for free. Despite this, Samsung Blue was still the one in charge. Yet when Baron respawned, they were split up between Baron and Blue buff, which gave IM two easy kills on Rengar and Twitch while PLL zoned the rest of Samsung Blue until his team mates caught up. IM took their second Baron and won the first game. The second game started with IM invading Samsung Blue jungle and killing Spirit while he was doing his Blue buff. Samsung Blue managed to even out the score and showed their spirits after a disastrous start. This time Samsung Blue took down turrets much faster than in the last game, which gave them the gold lead. Riding their comeback wave they managed to turn around the kill score, too. Thanks to holding their own towers and destroying the towers of Incredible Miracle they could exert a lot of pressure on IM. The nail in the coffin was when Samsung ambushed IM at Baron. They used Rengar stealth to engage the fight. IM felt that something was weird and tried to disengage, but it was a little too late. Acorn was able to land his Empowered Bola Strike to root Reign in place and start the fight. IM PLL was indecisive, as was pointed out by MonteCristo, which cost IM the fight. Samsung Blue pushed Mid lane down to get the first inhibitor of the game. With one inhibitor down and 12k gold behind, IM had no chance to come back.
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Team NB vs SKT T1 S
There is not much to say about these games: Team NB stood no chance against SKT T1 S and both games were quite one sided. As a result, Team NB will drop down to NLB. They can, however, still have an impact if they can win one match against CJ Entus Blaze: they can make sure that Blaze will follow them into NLB.
KT Bullets vs. Najin Sword
First day of the new patch and we got to see InSec on Lee Sin in toplane. He drew First Blood together with Kakao and proves why he is the best Lee Sin in the world. KT B increased their lead with two kills in the bot lane and started sieging the towers of Najin Sword. It was a pretty low kill game but involved incredible high level movements and strategy, and many teamfights ended with every player narrowly surviving. The deciding factor in game one was when InSec drew three members of Najin Black down into the bottom lane while the rest of KT Bullets started Baron, after which InSec used his teleport to join his team and secured Baron. KT B started pushing objectives and Najin knew they need to do something. SSONG flashed Crescendo and caught KaKAO out of position, but the KaKAO rappelled up into the air which prevented a follow up from Sword. KT B turned the aggression around and decided the first match in their favor.
The second game was similar to the first but with reversed roles. This time, Najin Black Sword was able to get an early gold lead which they held onto until the late midgame. But without a hard engage tool, Najin Black Sword lacked the possibilities to engage on KT B and profit from their lead. Najin also had positional errors which allowed KT to get the first Baron. KT lost the ensuing fight with a 3:2 score, but it was nonetheless a Win in KT’s book. The turning tide fight happened after Najin pushed to the second mid tower. As Najin retreated, KaKAO flashed and landed a Cocoon which started the fight. At first it seemed that it will end up in a draw but Pray slightly overextended which allowed KT to flank him and turned the fight around in their favor. KT followed up with taking two turrets and the first inhib of the game. Even though Najin was able to enter the last fight from various angles, they couldn’t focus down the damage dealers (Score and Ryu) fast enough while Pray was killed quickly. The consequence from this fight was that KT Bullets got 4 kills and won the game, securing the first win in Group B.
Jin Air Falcons vs CJ Entus Frost
We saw Reappeared back in the starting lineup for the Falcons which should become his last Match for the Winter Season. He also surprised us with a Tryndamere pick in midlane against Maknoon’s Kayle. It was an unusual game shaped by a splitpushing, objectives-focused style. The first kill, in favor of CJ Frost, happened at 14 minutes, and by this time 5 towers have already fallen. While Frost had the kill lead, the Falcons had the tower lead and therefore a small gold advantage. At around 22 minutes Falcons saw their chance to sneak Baron, but they were spotted by a ward from CJ Frost, who sent Helios and Madlife to stop it while the rest of the team were on their way. Falcons got the Baron but lost the following teamfight 4:2. They were not impressed and kept on pushing and taking towers, but their problem was that they couldn’t retreat from a fight - once a cleaver or axe landed it was over for them. They pushed to the second top tower but ActScene got caught and Frost engaged and won another fight, further increasing the gold lead they had after the Baron fight. From that point on Frost was in the driver seat, more than once catching 1-2 people from Jin Air and slowly suffocating Falcons.
The second game was the complete opposite from the first one. This time there were already 6 kills at the 9 minute mark, all for Jin Air Falcons. Reappeared and co. were on a roll, and even though CJ Frost managed to funnel most of their kills onto Maknoon’s Kassadin, the gold lead was already too large to stage a comeback. Falcons won convincingly but in the end they still dropped out of OGN. They said goodbye with a good performance.
SKT T1 K vs CJ Entus Blaze
Cpt. Jack was back in the starting lineup which was a surprise. Blaze got first blood and had a small gold lead but then came a brilliant move from SKT T1 K. Impact, who had a catastrophic start in his lane, roamed mid and took out Ambition in a three man dive. Faker, Impact, and Bengi circled through the river into a brush, waited for Lustboy to ward, and ganked him. Getting two kills, Dragon was free for the taking, and even though they lost their toplane tower they had the momentum. From that point on SKT T1 just ran away with their small lead with Faker making plays and it was a typical SKT T1 game. It was scary how SKT T1 made Blaze look like an amateur team. Throughout the game, perfect decisions by SKT T1 allowed them to win the game after a bad start.
The second game was an even match in the beginning with both teams trading blows, but SKT T1 managed once again to get ahead upon reaching the mid game. Not giving up, CJ concentrated their efforts on taking towers to reduce the gold gap with great success, even reversing it. SKT pushed down Top lane and killed the first inhibitor of the game, but Faker slightly overextended which allowed Blaze to reengage and got one kill. Further kills were prevented by an excellent bubble from Mandu that stopped CJ in their tracks. Nonetheless CJ was able to get Baron for free. The deciding fight happened after Blaze tried to get the second Baron. SKT T1 stuck around long enough to steal the Baron and get three kills in the pit which resulted in two inhibitors for T1. After that, Blaze really didn’t have a chance to comeback, and SKT T1 didn’t commit any major mistakes to threaten their spotless group record.
Samsung Blue vs IM #2
The two dark horses fought it out in a slugfest. Both teams traded back and forth in the early game, nearly one kill for each minute, but Samsung Blue managed to come out ahead. At 15 minutes a dragon fight between the two teams started, and IM managed to secure the dragon. However, in the follow up fight they were aced, while Blue only lost three members. Samsung Blue continued to increase their gold lead and their amount of kills but failed short to get turrets because their gold lead wasn’t as big as the kill score suggested. At 28 minutes IM went for a desperation Baron, and a sloppy engage from Blue, where they missed crucial ultimates like Command: Shockwave gave IM Baron and an ace for free. Despite this, Samsung Blue was still the one in charge. Yet when Baron respawned, they were split up between Baron and Blue buff, which gave IM two easy kills on Rengar and Twitch while PLL zoned the rest of Samsung Blue until his team mates caught up. IM took their second Baron and won the first game. The second game started with IM invading Samsung Blue jungle and killing Spirit while he was doing his Blue buff. Samsung Blue managed to even out the score and showed their spirits after a disastrous start. This time Samsung Blue took down turrets much faster than in the last game, which gave them the gold lead. Riding their comeback wave they managed to turn around the kill score, too. Thanks to holding their own towers and destroying the towers of Incredible Miracle they could exert a lot of pressure on IM. The nail in the coffin was when Samsung ambushed IM at Baron. They used Rengar stealth to engage the fight. IM felt that something was weird and tried to disengage, but it was a little too late. Acorn was able to land his Empowered Bola Strike to root Reign in place and start the fight. IM PLL was indecisive, as was pointed out by MonteCristo, which cost IM the fight. Samsung Blue pushed Mid lane down to get the first inhibitor of the game. With one inhibitor down and 12k gold behind, IM had no chance to come back.
+ Show Spoiler [Results of Week 3] +
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/Chexx/LoL/TeamlogosBig/Samsunglogo_std.png)
Samsung Blue 1:1 IM #2 ![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/Chexx/LoL/TeamlogosBig/IMlogo_std.png)
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/Chexx/LoL/TeamlogosBig/45pxSKT1Logo_std.png)
SKT T1 K 2:0 CJ Entus Blaze
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/Chexx/LoL/TeamlogosBig/CJElogo_std.png)
CJ Entus Frost 1:1 Jin Air Falcons ![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/Chexx/LoL/TeamlogosBig/JAGlogo_std.png)
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/Chexx/LoL/TeamlogosBig/KTRolsterLogo_std.png)
KT Bullets 2:0. Najin Black Sword ![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/Chexx/LoL/TeamlogosBig/Najin_Black_Swordlogo_std.png)
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/Chexx/LoL/TeamlogosBig/Logo_std2.png)
Team NB 0:2 SKT T1 S
Samsung Blue 1:1 IM #2 SKT T1 K 2:0 CJ Entus Blaze CJ Entus Frost 1:1 Jin Air Falcons KT Bullets 2:0. Najin Black Sword Team NB 0:2 SKT T1 S Week 3 Preview
By: Manisier
Hottest Storylines
Last Call
Week 4 of Champions is upon us, and with it comes the bittersweet air that signals the end of the group stage. Bitter, as we bid farewell to some of our favourite teams who just weren't good enough this time around, but sweet as we anticipate some truly amazing bracket stage games. For SK Telecom T1 K and the KT Rolster Bullets, week 4 will be a time for them to wind down as they scout out their potential quarter-final opponents. For Team NB, NaJin Black Sword and the Jin Air Falcons, the NLB will be their next stop as they attempt to fix the mistakes of their Champions run. Yet, the fate of ten teams still hangs in balance as our last chaotic week of Champions will decide our quarter-finalists.
With Team NB already eliminated from the tournament, it remains to be seen if they have something up their sleeves against CJ Entus Blaze. Should CJ Entus Blaze win 2:0 against Team NB, they will earn the right to face SK Telecom T1 S in a tiebreaker. For the new, reformed Blaze, a win here would provide them with plenty of good experience to build upon future seasons. If they fall to the NLB, Champions Winter will herald the first time CJ Blaze has not made it out of the group stage.
Samsung Galaxy Blue are in a precarious position - as it stands, their fate is almost entirely in the hands of Incredible Miracle #2, who need to take at least one game off the KT Bullets to keep their hopes alive. A 2:0 victory would propel IM2 into the quarter-finals, while a tie would force a tiebreaker game against Samsung Galaxy Blue. With the group being as tight as it is, no outcome would be surprising (save for perhaps a 2:0 win for IM2). Blue seem like they have more to show, after their great run in the WCG 2013 qualifier. Though their performance in Champions has been decent with a total record of 3-3, decent will not be enough if they are to seek victory.
We apologise for a mistake made in the previous week's article - Samsung Galaxy Ozone are not home free yet. With a total record of 4-0, they might still be forced into a tiebreaker situation should they lose 0:2 to NaJin White Shield, while Alienware Arena take a 2:0 victory over Shield. With this situation being incredibly unlikely, the focus will be on the winless Alienware Arena as they attempt to upset NaJin White Shield.
CJ Entus Frost will be able to secure their quarter-final ticket by winning at least one game against Xenics Storm in the final game of the group stage. Should they fail, they may face a tiebreaker game against either Storm or the Jin Air Stealths. The highlight of Group D will surely be the clash between Storm and the Stealths, with a 2:0 victory for either team being crucial in securing a quarter-final spot.
Patching Holes
Though the quality of play in Champions Winter thus far has been as high as it has ever been, one would be remiss to ignore the struggles of a few key players or even teams throughout the group stage. For the KT Rolster Bullets, some serious work needs to be done if they are to take a best of five win against season favourites SK Telecom T1 K. The Bullets do not appear to have improved much from last season. Though KaKAO is absolutely thriving in the new jungle, inSec's top lane play has been uninspired at best, though one excellent game on Lee Sin has served to swing opinions. Ryu's standard play of aggressive snowballing is almost nowhere to be seen so far, with the Bullets pulling most of their wins through coordinated late-game rotations and incredible play from Score and Mafa. With the other solo laners in Korea improving every day, inSec and Ryu desperately need to catch up to stop their ship from sinking.
Similarly, Samsung Galaxy Ozone could disappoint once again this season. Competing in their first tournament since a lackluster World Championship run, Ozone appear to have regressed, especially in their early game. DanDy's first tournament game on patch 3.14 will set the tone for Ozone as they play against a respectable opponent in NaJin White Shield. All eyes will be on the DanDy and Dade duo, the same combination that tore through Champions Spring and that fell short at the World Championship. imp is under no immediate pressure to improve, but he will need to standardise his play to fit better into the patch, and leave behind any pretenses that his Vayne and Caitlyn can save the day for Ozone. Mata appears to be somewhat nervous in his play, and must similarly play a more standard, composed game.
Lastly, CJ Entus Frost are set for another season of disappointment if MakNooN does not stabilise soon. It is hard to see him as an improvement over RapidStar or even Ganked by mom at this point in time. His strengths have shone in Frost's impeccable lategame play, but his playcalling and presence of mind during teamfights will not be enough in a bracket stage filled with truly monstrous mid laners. Even if Frost put MakNooN on Orianna or Ziggs and have him farm safely, they will leave Helios protecting the entire map at once, which will not be an easy ordeal. Through this, however, there is still a glimmer of hope. Shy's top lane play remains strong, with a superb game on Dr. Mundo displaying why Shy has always been able to trade blows with his Blaze counterpart Flame. MadLife has transitioned smoothly into the reworked support position, and can be counted on to carry Space through to the lategame.
Kings of Korea
For what may be the first time in Champions history, the incumbent champions are the season favourite. SK Telecom T1 K appear to be on another level, and despite a 0:2 loss to the resurgent Samsung Galaxy Blue in the WCG 2013 qualifier, SKT T1 K may indeed be the first team to avoid the curse of the World Championship. Though Fnatic fell into obscurity in Season 2 (apparently preparing for an incredible Season 3 resurgence) and the Taipei Assassins more or less dropped off the face of the Earth after losing their solo lane gods Stanley and Toyz, SKT T1 K may make history by continuing to play strongly in the months following their World Championship win. With an unmarred 6:0 record, Faker's boys are setting themselves up for a repeat of their glorious summer.
In the bracket stage, look forward to Impact's roaming play. Taking a page out of his S counterpart MaRin's book, Impact has been happy to let his tower fall early in order to create plays elsewhere on the map. Should he win lane, the map pressure that he is able to apply crushes the morale of his opponents. Despite his veteran status, Impact has been improving with the vigour of a rookie, and will take charge as an explosive threat. Similarly, bengi has stuck to his guns in the new jungle, opting to control vision and guide his teammates into an easy early game.
Faker's talent may well be limitless, as he has played incredibly well in all six of SKT T1 K's wins. With the changes to Gragas' Barrel Roll, Faker seems to have a new favourite champion, but if the previous two seasons are anything to go by, banning Faker out will always be an impossibility (and perhaps a dangerous move given the fact that every member of SKT T1 K is capable of carrying). Though he has lost lane in games past, Faker has never failed to contribute something to his team. Piglet and PoohManDu have continued to define their role on SKT T1 K, and with Impact's champion pool expanding to include aggressive diving champions, they may be expected to fall back into the role currently in the hands of Score and Mafa - the safe, defensive bottom lane that plays for the team. This may well be the best move for them, considering the huge threat that Impact and Faker currently possess as solo laners.
There is no doubt about it - SK Telecom T1 K are the Kings of Korea. Their reign may well extend through the long, harsh Korean winter, and any team capable of dethroning them would surely be deserving of praise. Some serious improvement needs to be done for the rest of the Champions competitors, however, if this is to happen. As previously stated, the KT Rolster Bullets need to sharpen their play and patch up their holes in order to pose a threat in their third possible swing at bat. CJ Entus Blaze still struggle with Daydream's tendency to throw away the early game, as well as a bottom lane that can't seem to get off the ground despite decent play. CJ Entus Frost have almost no hope of beating Faker's mid lane play in their current state. Should SK Telecom T1 S qualify for the bracket stage, however, a genuine threat may arise as no team in the world understands SKT T1 K as much as their sister team. Yet, with SKT T1 K actually learning from their counterparts and improving upon their tactics, it will be a tough feat indeed.
Last Call
Week 4 of Champions is upon us, and with it comes the bittersweet air that signals the end of the group stage. Bitter, as we bid farewell to some of our favourite teams who just weren't good enough this time around, but sweet as we anticipate some truly amazing bracket stage games. For SK Telecom T1 K and the KT Rolster Bullets, week 4 will be a time for them to wind down as they scout out their potential quarter-final opponents. For Team NB, NaJin Black Sword and the Jin Air Falcons, the NLB will be their next stop as they attempt to fix the mistakes of their Champions run. Yet, the fate of ten teams still hangs in balance as our last chaotic week of Champions will decide our quarter-finalists.
With Team NB already eliminated from the tournament, it remains to be seen if they have something up their sleeves against CJ Entus Blaze. Should CJ Entus Blaze win 2:0 against Team NB, they will earn the right to face SK Telecom T1 S in a tiebreaker. For the new, reformed Blaze, a win here would provide them with plenty of good experience to build upon future seasons. If they fall to the NLB, Champions Winter will herald the first time CJ Blaze has not made it out of the group stage.
Samsung Galaxy Blue are in a precarious position - as it stands, their fate is almost entirely in the hands of Incredible Miracle #2, who need to take at least one game off the KT Bullets to keep their hopes alive. A 2:0 victory would propel IM2 into the quarter-finals, while a tie would force a tiebreaker game against Samsung Galaxy Blue. With the group being as tight as it is, no outcome would be surprising (save for perhaps a 2:0 win for IM2). Blue seem like they have more to show, after their great run in the WCG 2013 qualifier. Though their performance in Champions has been decent with a total record of 3-3, decent will not be enough if they are to seek victory.
We apologise for a mistake made in the previous week's article - Samsung Galaxy Ozone are not home free yet. With a total record of 4-0, they might still be forced into a tiebreaker situation should they lose 0:2 to NaJin White Shield, while Alienware Arena take a 2:0 victory over Shield. With this situation being incredibly unlikely, the focus will be on the winless Alienware Arena as they attempt to upset NaJin White Shield.
CJ Entus Frost will be able to secure their quarter-final ticket by winning at least one game against Xenics Storm in the final game of the group stage. Should they fail, they may face a tiebreaker game against either Storm or the Jin Air Stealths. The highlight of Group D will surely be the clash between Storm and the Stealths, with a 2:0 victory for either team being crucial in securing a quarter-final spot.
Patching Holes
Though the quality of play in Champions Winter thus far has been as high as it has ever been, one would be remiss to ignore the struggles of a few key players or even teams throughout the group stage. For the KT Rolster Bullets, some serious work needs to be done if they are to take a best of five win against season favourites SK Telecom T1 K. The Bullets do not appear to have improved much from last season. Though KaKAO is absolutely thriving in the new jungle, inSec's top lane play has been uninspired at best, though one excellent game on Lee Sin has served to swing opinions. Ryu's standard play of aggressive snowballing is almost nowhere to be seen so far, with the Bullets pulling most of their wins through coordinated late-game rotations and incredible play from Score and Mafa. With the other solo laners in Korea improving every day, inSec and Ryu desperately need to catch up to stop their ship from sinking.
Similarly, Samsung Galaxy Ozone could disappoint once again this season. Competing in their first tournament since a lackluster World Championship run, Ozone appear to have regressed, especially in their early game. DanDy's first tournament game on patch 3.14 will set the tone for Ozone as they play against a respectable opponent in NaJin White Shield. All eyes will be on the DanDy and Dade duo, the same combination that tore through Champions Spring and that fell short at the World Championship. imp is under no immediate pressure to improve, but he will need to standardise his play to fit better into the patch, and leave behind any pretenses that his Vayne and Caitlyn can save the day for Ozone. Mata appears to be somewhat nervous in his play, and must similarly play a more standard, composed game.
Lastly, CJ Entus Frost are set for another season of disappointment if MakNooN does not stabilise soon. It is hard to see him as an improvement over RapidStar or even Ganked by mom at this point in time. His strengths have shone in Frost's impeccable lategame play, but his playcalling and presence of mind during teamfights will not be enough in a bracket stage filled with truly monstrous mid laners. Even if Frost put MakNooN on Orianna or Ziggs and have him farm safely, they will leave Helios protecting the entire map at once, which will not be an easy ordeal. Through this, however, there is still a glimmer of hope. Shy's top lane play remains strong, with a superb game on Dr. Mundo displaying why Shy has always been able to trade blows with his Blaze counterpart Flame. MadLife has transitioned smoothly into the reworked support position, and can be counted on to carry Space through to the lategame.
Kings of Korea
For what may be the first time in Champions history, the incumbent champions are the season favourite. SK Telecom T1 K appear to be on another level, and despite a 0:2 loss to the resurgent Samsung Galaxy Blue in the WCG 2013 qualifier, SKT T1 K may indeed be the first team to avoid the curse of the World Championship. Though Fnatic fell into obscurity in Season 2 (apparently preparing for an incredible Season 3 resurgence) and the Taipei Assassins more or less dropped off the face of the Earth after losing their solo lane gods Stanley and Toyz, SKT T1 K may make history by continuing to play strongly in the months following their World Championship win. With an unmarred 6:0 record, Faker's boys are setting themselves up for a repeat of their glorious summer.
In the bracket stage, look forward to Impact's roaming play. Taking a page out of his S counterpart MaRin's book, Impact has been happy to let his tower fall early in order to create plays elsewhere on the map. Should he win lane, the map pressure that he is able to apply crushes the morale of his opponents. Despite his veteran status, Impact has been improving with the vigour of a rookie, and will take charge as an explosive threat. Similarly, bengi has stuck to his guns in the new jungle, opting to control vision and guide his teammates into an easy early game.
Faker's talent may well be limitless, as he has played incredibly well in all six of SKT T1 K's wins. With the changes to Gragas' Barrel Roll, Faker seems to have a new favourite champion, but if the previous two seasons are anything to go by, banning Faker out will always be an impossibility (and perhaps a dangerous move given the fact that every member of SKT T1 K is capable of carrying). Though he has lost lane in games past, Faker has never failed to contribute something to his team. Piglet and PoohManDu have continued to define their role on SKT T1 K, and with Impact's champion pool expanding to include aggressive diving champions, they may be expected to fall back into the role currently in the hands of Score and Mafa - the safe, defensive bottom lane that plays for the team. This may well be the best move for them, considering the huge threat that Impact and Faker currently possess as solo laners.
There is no doubt about it - SK Telecom T1 K are the Kings of Korea. Their reign may well extend through the long, harsh Korean winter, and any team capable of dethroning them would surely be deserving of praise. Some serious improvement needs to be done for the rest of the Champions competitors, however, if this is to happen. As previously stated, the KT Rolster Bullets need to sharpen their play and patch up their holes in order to pose a threat in their third possible swing at bat. CJ Entus Blaze still struggle with Daydream's tendency to throw away the early game, as well as a bottom lane that can't seem to get off the ground despite decent play. CJ Entus Frost have almost no hope of beating Faker's mid lane play in their current state. Should SK Telecom T1 S qualify for the bracket stage, however, a genuine threat may arise as no team in the world understands SKT T1 K as much as their sister team. Yet, with SKT T1 K actually learning from their counterparts and improving upon their tactics, it will be a tough feat indeed.
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