[OGN] SK Telecom T1 K - Birth of a Dynasty

As the dust settles in Incheon's Samsan World Gymnasium in the aftermath of the grand final of OGN Champions Winter 2013-14, one team has emerged victorious in the battle for the unprecedented second title. In their ruthless 3-0 domination of Samsung Galaxy Ozone, SK Telecom T1 K have carved their names into esports history by taking back-to-back championships in Korea's most prestigious League of Legends tournament. This momentous victory follows a first-place finish in OGN Champions Summer 2013, as well as the illustrious Season 3 World Championship. SK Telecom T1 K have broken the post-World Championship curse that had affected Fnatic and the Taipei Assassins before them, and carried their winning form through to win another championship.

The term 'dynasty' is thrown around in traditional sports, describing a team that dominates their league (or in some incredible cases, sport) for an extended period of time. Two such examples are football's FC Bayern Munich and basketball's Miami Heat. Yet, as League of Legends is a sport that is constantly evolving and demanding change and adaptation from its players, it is exceedingly rare for any team to hold their position at the top of the world for long, let alone their own region. As SK Telecom T1 K celebrate an unparalleled 15-0 season, however, we must seriously consider the possibility that a League of Legends dynasty is being born before our very eyes.

Laying the Foundation

FC Bayern Munich's Philipp Lahm and Bastian Schweinsteiger do not captain their team because of their flashy scoring ability or crowd-pleasing trick shots, but rather command their team due to their pristine dribbling, passing and tackling – three fundamental skills of football. The Miami Heat can only execute their flashy fast breaks off the pressure applied by their defense. SK Telecom T1 K's foundation is built upon their understanding of the fundamental concept that holds up professional League of Legends as a team sport – vision.

It is no secret that SK Telecom T1 K's vision control is without equal in Korea. With a smooth adaptation to the vision changes of patch 3.14, SK Telecom T1 K quickly mastered the use of trinkets, with Bengi, Faker and PoohManDu picking up Sweeping Lens as early as their first Recall when most non-support players were reluctant to make the change from Warding Totems. An examination of their three crushing victories over Samsung Galaxy Ozone will reveal a mini-map constantly illuminated with T1 K wards, driving home the fact that vision control is of utmost importance in League of Legends.

Bengi and PoohManDu are of special note, and can be said to be the engines that drive SK Telecom T1 K's vision game. Abandoning well-documented jungle stereotypes, Bengi refuses to be classified as a 'carnivore' or 'herbivore' jungler, but rather plays with vision control as his main priority. PoohManDu is not the ferocious roaming support that Xenics Storm's Piccaboo is, nor an exciting playmaker like CJ Entus Frost's MadLife or Gambit Gaming's Edward, but rather a vision-focused support who is well-rounded and reliable in other aspects of support play. With supplementary contributions from their three teammates, Bengi and PoohManDu enable SK Telecom T1 K to make informed, tactical decisions. Indeed, all of SK Telecom T1 K's rotations are not instinctive decisions, but rather intelligent judgment calls built upon a solid foundation of vision.

The Triumvirate

When the situation demands that a player steps up to the plate, FC Bayern Munich turn to Mario Mandzukic and his prolific scoring ability. Dwyane Wade transitions from his usual passing and driving game to take more jump shots, even shooting over taller defenders to carry his team through clutch time. These players can be counted on to see a game to its conclusion, salvaging unfavourable match-ups with their shots or driving the nail deeper in their opponents' coffins with consistent points. To this end, SK Telecom T1 K employs a trio of carries in Impact, Faker and Piglet.

Though recent top lane trends have relegated Impact to a more tanky role, his carry potential came to fruition at the Season 3 World Championship, where his Jax spelled the end of many teams. Faker is justifiably regarded as League of Legends' greatest mid laner (and possibly player), attaining two MVP titles in two seasons of Champions. The main carry force of SK Telecom T1 K, Faker is a flexible player (so versatile, in fact, that he is not known for having a signature champion) who is able to gank, siege, split push and teamfight at the highest of levels. Piglet, the first true challenger to NaJin Black Sword's PraY's All-Star status, bemoaned his championship-winning play against Samsung Galaxy Ozone as he declared his desire to improve.

History in the Making

With the recent announcement of PoohManDu’s stepping down from the support position, the future is uncertain for SK Telecom T1 K. Yet, it must be considered that PoohManDu’s strengths were not unique to him, but rather meticulously crafted and refined through kkOma’s coaching. No member of the team is a natural-born champion - the performance of Bengi, Faker and Piglet in Champions Spring 2013 should be a testament to this.

The SK Telecom T1 K of today are not the same team as the SK Telecom T1 Judgment Day that made a shockingly impressive debut in 2013. Whoever SK Telecom T1 K decide to acquire for the support position, it will not take long for them to become well-versed in the ways of the best team in the world. With PoohManDu remaining on the team in an advisory capacity, SK Telecom T1 K now have the opportunity to train a new support from the ground up, and the only direction they can move here is up.

Despite making history as the first League of Legends dynasty, SK Telecom T1 K is not slowing down. Their play is like a painting, with a high-quality foundation used as a canvas for the artistic abilities of their carries. None can guess when this dynasty will come to an end, and to be witness to the team's growth is a true privilege for all League of Legends fans, whether casual solo queue player or LCS professional.