[OGN Summer] A Game of Thrones

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<h2>Table of Contents</h2>
Frost/Shield Summary

The Eulogy Corner

Kings against Royal Roaders

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<div class="LOLsuperheader" id="partone"><span style="color: #dde8e9;">Frost/Shield Summary</span>
<h2>By: Chexx</h2></div><div class="LOLsuperfeature">

CJ Entus Frost vs. Najin White Shield [image loading]

Runes of all games of CJ Entus Frost vs. Najin White Shield

Game 1

Rapidstar returned from his break with a perfect start on Ahri, receiving First Blood at level 1. From that point on he dictated the tempo of his middle lane, helping Frost take an early lead into the mid game. However, Najin White Shield turtled at their second turrets to stall for late game, where they would have the superior team composition. Initially this plan seemed to work, as for some time no one overextended, until NoFe tried to clean out wards. CJ Frost caught NoFein the following teamfight was able to get a big enough lead to break the turtle stance of Najin White Shield and win the first game.

CJ Entus Frost 1 : 0 Najin White Shield

Game 2

In the beginning of the second game Frost exhibited another pinpoint play by having Rapidstar move up into the top lane right as the ward expired, resulting in two kills including First Blood. Frost set the pace of the match, taking many additional kills and Dragons in the early game. Shield managed to come back a little with a good teamfight, but in the transition from mid game to late game Frost showed once again that they are the more skilled and experienced team and won the second game.

Najin White Shield 0 : 2 CJ Entus Frost

Game 3

The third game was almost identical to game one and game two. only this time CJ Entus Frost's team composition was odd. They picked Gragas in a composition with Twitch, Sona, Ryze and Amumu who all benefit from a enemy team who huddles together. Used in the right and exact sequence the ultimates would be extremely powerful, but a single misplay could destroy the engage. Despite the potential for a mistake CJ Frost still won without breaking a sweat. Rapidstar finished his first match of the season with a ridiculous accumulated KDA of 40.

CJ Entus Frost 3 : 0 Najin White Shield

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<div class="LOLsuperheader" id="parthree"><span style="color: #dde8e9;">Eulogy Corner</span>
<h2>By: Fionn</h2></div><div class="LOLsuperfeature">

Jin Air Falcons

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This picture was sadly taken a few hours before SK Telecom T1 brutally murdered both Reapered and Miso

Ah, welcome to the eulogy of the Jin Air Falcons, a team thought they could soar to the sun, but got shot before they could even get off the ground. They came into the quarterfinals with so much hope and pride going up against their former brother team, SK Telecom T1, but not even they could see the massacre that took place. While some would call the three hours the two teams played a quarterfinal match, most would consider it a massacre -- a one-sided, bloody and R-rated slaughter that no one under the age of eighteen should ever be allowed to watch again.

Summing up the Falcons this summer, you would have to say their greatest strength was also their greatest weakness. They had no fear. No matter how big or small their opponents were, they would go all out from the very get go, wanting to snowball early and get quick kills on their carry champions. Against weaker teams, such as Xenics Blast and Storm, this strategy worked out, Reapered starting with his trusted Doran's items and getting an early advantage against his opposing Jungler. When facing stronger teams and Junglers, like SKT's bengi or Ozone's Dandy, the brashness of the Falcons worked against them, going down early and transitioning into games that were already over before the first dragon was even taken.

Comparing them to a boxer, the Falcons heard the opening bell ring, rushed into the middle of the ring and started throwing bombs against their opponent -- no mater if they were more or less skilled than they were. They go for broke early and if they can outright win in the early stages or at least connect with a few of their shots, they're in a good position for the rest of the match. Against Ozone and SKT, Falcons ran into the center of the ring, launched their hardest shot at a superior opponent and got easily countered. This would lead to the stronger teams pummeling on the Falcons for the rest of the fight until they mercifully ended it with a knockout shot.

Usually when a weaker team or an underdog goes up against one of the best teams in a tournament, they try to counter-punch. They play passive, try to farm and hope, eventually, if they can get into the mid-game with a small disadvantage or an even score, they can start playing more aggressive or hope that the other team will make a mistake. The opposite of that, some teams who just aren't mechanically as good or lack the coordination of the other team, will go for out of the box strategies, using weird team compositions or rarely seen champions to try and get a jump on the favored team.

The Falcons didn't do either of these strategies. They went for early ganks and kills, hoping that they could outplay SKT in the early game and go into the later stages with a lead. While they were able to get a few kills in the first game, SKT simply outplayed them, rotating across the map, taking global objectives and never letting the Falcons get a grasp on the game. This would continue until the Falcons surrendered a little after the twenty minute mark, looking at a 21 to 5 loss in kills.

In the five games that the Falcons played against top level teams -- Ozone and SK Telecom T1 -- they lost by a combined score of 98 to 21 in kills. As you can see their bull rush, out of the gate punching strategy didn't work at all in any of the games they played against Ozone or SKT, getting punched right back in the face and not being able to keep up skill or coordination wise with their opponents.

Let us remember Miso, the poor man's version of Maknoon. He died a lot. He wasn't afraid of any player put up against him in lane, but he probably should have been. A prospect from the CJ Entus organization, having been a practice partner with Flame and Shy, he did show some potential at times, but was much too green and aggressive to make any impact on the Falcons roster. As with Flame and Shy, I'm sure he will improve with another season under his belt and more time with an established team, but we'll always look back at this season and remember when Miso was an extremely inexperienced rookie, getting killed every other minute in lane.

Let us remember Reapered, the man who thought going from a carry Top Lane role to a carry Jungler role would be much easier than it actually was. If Reapered got fed early or got off to a good start, then the Falcons won. If he was facing a better Jungler like bengi or Dandy, he got his ass kicked and so did his team. Reapered is a good player, but the move from the top lane to jungle wasn't as easy as he thought it would be, not being able to carry his team as easily in his new position. People will bring up InSec's successful transition from jungle to the top, but you have to remember that InSec was a carry Jungler moving to the Top Lane position, wanting to carry in a more appropriate position. As you can see, the opposite of that doesn't really work out nearly as well. We'll see if this Jungler Reapered experiment will continue, or if he'll decide that playing AD Carry is an easy transition as well.

Let us remember Roar, who said that Faker had a very wide, but shallow champion pool. Faker responded by beating the Falcons Mid in lane, helping his team advance easily to the semifinals, and leaving Roar with a disappointing 4/12/3 overall stats line for the night. As with most of the Falcons, Roar was inexperienced in not only Champions, but in his position, being an AD Carry that had been transformed into a Mid Laner. As you can tell from how he plays, he still isn't comfortable in his new position, playing a lot of Ezreal in the Mid Lane and not being the heavy carry player that most Mid Lane players are at the top of the Korean scene. Compared to the rest of this jumbled, thrown together team, he actually might be the player who showed the most promise this season. Another season in the Mid Lane, and like Miso, he might last a few more minutes in lane before Faker kills him.

Let us remember Raven and StarLast, who got torn apart all season long. Be it in 2v2 or 2v1 situations, they never really had any success, Raven dying more than killing and putting his team in a hole early in games. Unlike the rest of the team, these two are neither rookies or players going to a new position. They've played together their entire careers, never playing a game without each other. After having a decent rookie season, the Falcons bot lane dropped off the map this season, dragging their team down with them. That's not to say that all the blame should be on the bot lane for their massacre against Ozone and SKT, but they have no excuses for their excessive faults. This is their second season together and they only got worst, ending up with a combined score of 2/21/18 against SK Telecom T1. The conundrum for the Falcons now is this -- do they roll the dice and hope that the third season is a charm for Raven and StarLast, or do they cut their losses and look for a new bot lane that doesn't only get two kills in a three game series?

Finally, putting the Falcons to rest this season, you can categorize them in two ways. They are either the best bad team in Korea, or they are the worst good team in Korea. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, Falcons, you're dead to us ('till next season).

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<div class="LOLsuperheader" id="partthree"><span style="color: #dde8e9;">Kings against the Royal Roaders</span>
<h2>By: Manisier</h2></div><div class="LOLsuperfeature">
On the surface, the final quarter-final match between MVP Ozone and Chunnam Techno University looks to be the least interesting – a dull, one-sided match-up that will leave the aspiring rookie team dead in the water and straight to the NLB for a shot at winning a tournament during the summer season of Korean League of Legends. Judging by the curbstomps that were CJ Entus Frost vs. Najin White Shield and SK Telecom T1 vs. Jin Air Falcons, one could be forgiven for dismissing Chunnam Techno University and expecting another one-sided domination. Though the chances of a CTU victory are indeed slim, the storyline that underlies this otherwise unimpressive match is one that could have an explosive ending.

Looking at the other quarter-final matches, it's not hard to see their significance outside of Champions Summer. KT Rolster Bullets continued their winning streak against CJ Entus Blaze and likely forced Blaze to rethink their split-push strategy (which Najin Black Sword encouraged after wiping out the former 2nd place team 2:0 in NLB), while CJ Entus Frost won Korea's 'LoL Classico' against Najin White Shield. SK Telecom T1 dispatched their previous teammates Jin Air Falcons in three easy games. The three matches played thus far have fueled rivalries, but no such rivalry exists between MVP Ozone and CTU (the latter of which is the only debuting team to make the round of 8).

Closer examination, however, reveals that MVP Ozone and CTU may have more in common than is first apparent. When KT Rolster B deliberately placed themselves against MVP Ozone in Champions Spring's round of 8, most people shared their belief that MVP Ozone was an easy win. However, Ozone humiliated KTB and stunned audiences as they won 3:1. While MVP Ozone has not thrown any games to play against CTU (OnGameNet actually made the teams draw lots this time around to prevent such a situation), CTU is the underdog in this match by quite a large degree. Though no one is really claiming that CTU will win over MVP Ozone, the stage is completely set for another Cinderella story.

However, for CTU to beat MVP Ozone would require a greater miracle than the one that Ozone called upon to defeat KTB in Champions Spring. KTB lost due to being nerve-wracked from mountains upon mountains of hateful messages on Inven and similar websites regarding their perceived throws against CJ Entus Frost, as well as sorely underestimating their opposition. MVP Ozone won, fueled by a desire to show up the team that had shown great disrespect to them. CTU lack that emotional drive – and indeed, if any emotions are present in the CTU camp at this point in time, fear and anxiety would be on top of the list. Riris appeared to be on the verge of tears when he drew the cursed ball that matched his young team against Ozone, coming off a crushing loss to Blaze in the group tiebreaker, and objectively speaking, he can't really be blamed for being emotional. There is no plainer way to say it – MVP Ozone is incredibly good.

The reigning champions have dropped one game all season to Xenics Storm, though this statistic should be taken with a grain of salt as it occurred when they had already secured their spot in the round of 8. By all accounts, Ozone have only gotten better since defeating Blaze in Champions Spring's final. Homme was a point of worry for the MVP organization as concerns about his age and ability arose, but so far it seems he has retained the same level of expertise that he magically acquired in Spring's playoffs. DanDy, finally unchained from his past, has performed miracles on Lee Sin and is now laying claim to the throne of best jungler in the world. imp has not carried to the extent of last season, nor has he needed to. dade, last season's MVP, has continued to amaze with his airtight teamplay and monstrous mechanics. Mata has only improved as he seems to be the first support in the world who can legitimately lay claim to MadLife's throne.

CTU, while not flawless, have definitely been one of the most refreshing teams of the season along with Najin White Shield. In their debut match, they tied 1:1 against season favorites Najin Black Sword, before routing the Jin Air Stealths 2:0 and tying 1:1 against CJ Entus Blaze. The mere fact that a Champions debut was able to not only take games off the titans that are Sword and Blaze, but also qualify for the round of 8 ahead of the favorites to win the tournament speaks monuments to CTU's ability. While NonameD and Raccoon seem to be fairly middle-of-the-pack in ability, they hide trump cards that must be pulled out against MVP Ozone, the team currently considered Korea's #1. If these trump cards exist, they could be the saving grace of CTU. Mima and Wolf find themselves in the round of 8 with a revitalized outlook on League of Legends, as well as improved play. Riris, however, is CTU's most interesting player. Though he looked like a mechanical god against Jin Air Stealths, he fumbled poorly in the tiebreaker game against Blaze. Nailing down his consistency will be key.

Top Lane
Homme vs. NonameD
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NonameD (left) thinking about his secret champion

Although Homme and NonameD share a similar champion pool, their contributions to their team's strategies are distinctly different. Unless the MVP coaching staff is even better than previously envisioned, there are no real secrets about Homme – he will pick team-oriented champions, he will be difficult to kill, and he won't lose lane. Shen and Kennen make their triumphant return in Homme's hands, greatly assisting Ozone with their defensive ultimates and hard crowd control for both peeling and initiating. Shen and Kennen are difficult to kill in lane, and difficult to chase when caught split pushing, as effective ninja must be. However, one of the more interesting pick-ups by Homme this season has been Yorick. In retrospect, Yorick is perhaps the ultimate Homme champion – incredibly durable, resilient in lane, and a great support for imp. Omen of Death has been vital in keeping MVP Ozone's two-threat compositions high in damage, and with Yorick's monstrous strength in lane, we may see the gravedigger draw a ban.

NonameD has also been favoring Shen and Kennen, piloting the ninja to victory against Sword and Stealths. When viewed through CTU's eyes, however, Shen and Kennen become a sort of 'pocket threat' against their opponents. None can deny that Riris is the star of CTU (and where have we heard similar words last season?), but NonameD's performance on Jax in their second game against the Stealths showed that he has a capability for carrying too. In NonameD, we've witnessed growth similar to that of SKT's Impact, who was regarded as a team player above all, but came into his own as a strong top laner capable of bringing the team to victory. However, in NonameD we also have an element of volatility. His secret, yet to be unrevealed champion may indeed make waves, but it is too easy to envision him ramming his head into the wall that is Homme over and over without success.

On any other day, taking a bet on Homme to beat out the younger NonameD would not be a risky choice. However, the pressure of an elimination match can make or break a rookie, and how NonameD responds to the pressure of the crowd will determine his performance against the constant that is Homme. Though a lot of hype has been brought up around his pocket champion, it remains to be seen if CTU will take such a risk against Ozone. At any rate, it will be difficult for NonameD to stop the cog that is Homme from turning and fueling the Ozone engine.

Jungle
DanDy vs. Raccoon

Hard to spot him in the jungle, but that's DanDy

If the goal of CTU coming into Champions Summer was to have their best go at it and to learn and improve, then Raccoon could not possibly find a better teacher than DanDy. As has been repeated in the past, DanDy is the kind of jungler who rarely makes explicit contributions to his team. Rather, he seeks to gain an advantage for his team by obtaining vision and stopping the other jungler while his team farms up. His choice in champions reflects this well – DanDy has almost exclusively picked Elise and Lee Sin in Champions Summer, picking up Nunu when both were banned out and Evelynn in what was admittedly a throwaway game against Xenics Storm. While DanDy might not be able to claim to be the king of the jungle just yet, few would deny that he is the king of the counterjungle. With the aid of his team, DanDy acquires vision of the enemy jungler, allowing him to respond to ganks or pushes and utilize the element of surprise to snowball. Though a jungler is not just present in the early game, DanDy's favouring of carnivores has yet to see him suffer, as he does not allow his opponents to reach the late-game.

Raccoon has shown immense talent on Zac, but Zac is just the kind of playmaking champion that DanDy delights in shutting down. Lee Sin, Jarvan IV, Elise and Nocturne round out the roster that he has revealed so far with no particular preferences. Raccoon is the kind of jungler that most Koreans would love to have on their team – versatile, consistent and a team player. The young jungler has a bright career ahead of him, as he looks to walk the same path that Helios and Watch walked before him. His match-up against DanDy will be his most enlightening, as he is either put in his place and taught a lesson, or unchained from any hinderances, much like his opponent was last season.

To DanDy, Raccoon may just be another roadblock on the way to the World Championship. But if a giant slays enough people, the people will get smart and fight back. This is the first Champions best of 5 that MVP Ozone have played since defeating Blaze in three games, and it should be a wealth of knowledge for all those who are looking for a chink in DanDy's armor. If Raccoon taps into his vast potential, he may uncover the key to beating MVP Ozone sooner than expected. However, DanDy is not a jungler that will allow his team to be toyed with, and indeed, his playstyle revolves entirely around giving his team the freedom to do what they want. This match-up's significance lies in DanDy's role as a counterjungler, against Raccoon's academy-bred jungle skills.

Mid Lane
dade vs. Mima

It was previously said that the underlying storyline of this match is the chance of a Cinderella story to arise against a team who had their own Cindarella story. However, one storyline that may have been unnoticed in the pure chaos of the match is that of dade and Mima. dade, for those who have not followed MVP Ozone over their lifespan, replaced Mima in the mid lane for the team previously known as MVP White. Mima found his way back onto a Champions team, and through his remarkable abilities, CTU have earned their right to play against MVP Ozone. It is unknown if there are any bitter feelings on Mima's behalf towards MVP Ozone, but something as significant as a player battling his previous team cannot be overlooked.

dade's status as last season's MVP will likely carry over into this match as he is almost undoubtedly Korea's best mid laner at present. Ryze and Karthus, as always, have been on his radar, while he has also picked up the new fad Ezreal in the mid lane. dade's ridiculous farming capabilities as well as his carefully selected roams make him an incredibly well-rounded mid laner, and one that loves to play aggressively at that. He is one of the few players in Korea who can claim to have no weaknesses, joining the ranks of Shy and MadLife. His proficiency on Zed has only netted one ban over the course of the group stage, but few will forget his crushing grand final performance as the ninja against Blaze, in which he claimed enough MVP points to win the overall award. dade will be an integral part of Ozone's strategy against CTU, and he will be difficult to stop.

And if dade will be difficult to stop, Mima just might be the man for the job. If he does indeed harbor resentment towards dade, he will be able to channel that energy into defeating one of Korea's iron walls. Mima's favouring of Gragas over the season works especially well against dade's less mobile picks, allowing for displacement, engagement and disengagement all in one Explosive Cask. Mima is also proficient on the standards, such as Zed, Karthus and Ahri. The Ahri pick in particular will be important in countering dade should he choose more vulnerable picks such as Karthus or Twisted Fate. Mima's mechanical abilities lend themselves well to mechanically intensive champions, and CTU should make the most of this and look to Mima to make plays and strike at MVP Ozone's otherwise impenetrable armour.

Bottom Lane
imp and Mata vs. Riris and Wolf

Wolf's no pretty boy, but he's just as ferocious as these wolves

Though the other match-ups have been full of drama and anticipation, the showdown between imp and Riris may well be the most interesting one of the match. Both players are praised for their mechanical abilities, but of the two, Riris seems to be the weaker one as he has succumbed to pressure. This is most evident in his weak performance against Blaze in the tiebreaker round, where he failed to do anything notable on Twitch (admittedly a team-oriented AD carry). Mata and Wolf have both improved during Champions Spring, and look to keep improving as they support two top-notch carries. Wolf in particular has played much better on CTU than on Najin Shield, where Locodoco was often found wanting of a more reliable support.

imp and Mata have quelled any doubts as to whether or not they are the best bottom lane in Korea. They are truly a fearsome combination, pairing Thresh with just about any AD carry imp feels like playing. The young prodigy rates Vayne, Varus and Kog'Maw as among the best, though it remains to be seen whether he has picked up the latest force in Korea, Twitch. Mata's play on Thresh has been consistently outstanding, leading some to actually question if he could challenge MadLife's throne. Though most would declare such statements as heresy against the high god himself, even believers find themselves in doubt when they watch Mata thread his Death Sentence through creep lines or pull off lantern save after lantern save.

Riris and Wolf have a lot of potential, as Riris is still to work out his rough edges as Doublelift also did in the past. His play may remind some of Cpt Jack as he positions himself in terrible situations, only to use his mechanical ability to escape. Riris' champion pool is certainly more well-rounded than imp's is, but some might argue that depth is more important than width when it comes to the AD carry role. Wolf appears to have the depth covered, however, as he has demonstrated mastery over Korea's big three: Thresh, Nami, and Sona. One of the lyrics in EXO's Wolf (above) translates to something like 'the hidden thing inside me has opened its eyes'. Wolf has certainly not reached his pinnacle, but if he keeps playing with Riris, he may awaken the beast within that could shake Korea.

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<div style="padding: 0px 20px; border-top: 1px solid #18283e;"><div style="background: url('http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/NeoIllusions/LoLChibiArt/Janna.png'); background-size: 150px; width: 150px; padding-top: 160px; text-align: right; float: left;">Art by ATK402 </div><div style="width: 450px; margin-top: 100px; float: right;">This edition of the TeamLiquid LoL write-up was brought to you by GTR, Chexx, Fionn, Manisier and Atrioc

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[OGN Summer] A Game of Thrones

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