[OGN Summer] A Song of Ice and Bullets

The game was a brutal stomp from SKT T1 against the Falcons.





The last quarterfinal of OGN Champions Summer was between the former Champion MVP Ozone and an OGN newcomer CTU. Once again CTU showed that they have good preparation and solid drafting but due to nervousness some plays were not as crisp as they were in their group stage games. In the first two games of the night MVP Ozone picked weird Champion compositions but were still able to outplay CTU; once the laning phase ended the difference between a veteran team and a newcomer became obvious. MVP Ozone was confident enough to not reveal any new strategies and weren’t very serious. Only the third game had some exciting moments where it seemed that CTU could turn around and avoid a 3:0 but in the end MVP Ozone focused and won the last game and secured their spot in the Semifinals against SK Telecom Team 1.



The first Quarterfinal was extremely close as expected between KT Bullets and CJ Blaze the other three Quarterfinal were a little bit lackluster but it showed that the Top Teams (Frost, KT B, SKT T1 and MVP Ozone) are one level ahead of all the other teams.

Which leads us to the Semifinals which should be a treat for every League of Legends fan out there.

Chunnam Techno University

Welcome back to our little eulogy corner, everyone. Today, sadly, we have to bury another team six feet under and honor their hard fought season, ultimately ending in death. When talking about this next team, we must remember how difficult it was for them to get this far in the season. Yes, they didn't win the entire tournament or even make the semifinals, and they aren't going to playing at the world finals, but this is a team that has a story good enough to have a major Hollywood studio create it into a movie.

Chunnam Techno University were a rag tag bunch of students, playing semi-professionally while trying to go school. They didn't have any professional coaching staff behind them. These kids had to balance a university work load and practice at the same time, pushing themselves to the very limit. From the qualifiers they fought to the top, knocking out the rich, favored KT Rolster Arrows from the NLB and eventually making it all the way to the top in the OGN Champions tournament. No one gave these unknown players much of a chance to even make the final sixteen, but they did and gave it their very best shot till the bitter end!

NaJin Black Sword, a giant in Korean League of Legends, predicted to go to the finals this season, were stopped by CTU in the group stages and eliminated before they could even make the knockout rounds. These student e-athletes battled against last season's runner-up, CJ Entus Blaze, and gave them the fights of their lives, forcing them into a final game tiebreak to decide who would top their group. Blaze eventually won, but the students from CTU didn't back down from the KeSPA team, holding their own in the face of a well oiled machine that had trucks full of money backing them.

They got swept by the reigning champions in the round of eight, but they didn't quit. They never surrendered. They went toe-to-toe with arguably the best team in the world and were close to taking a game off them. When we look back years from now at CTU and remember their amazing will and determination, we will break down into tears for how well they played with all the obstacles they had to overcome.

Wait, hold on a second. I have just gotten a notice from our editor.

Okay, so CTU wasn't actually made up of unknown students at a university playing professional League of Legends and going to the school at the same time. Only one player, Riris, actually goes to CTU. The other four are just playing under the CTU banner and don't actually go to the university. Also, in a surprising development, two of their players, Mima and Wolf, have been in Champions before on different teams, meaning they actually had veterans on the squad and weren't an all rookie team.

Oh, and they were apparently coached by the STX Soul coaching staff, the current champions of the Starcraft 2 Proleague and one of the most established franchises in e-sports for the past decade.

So, from what I understand, this rag tag bunch of university players is actually just one university player, four mercenaries, and an elite coaching staff from KeSPA. Well, that might not make a better movie for Hollywood, but at least they have one player from CTU! Yeah, that's something, right!? Good job, Riris! If it wasn't for you, then I would probably say CTU is some sort of fake university, created by KeSPA to take in young students and turn them into professional e-sport players.

Even with their top of the line coaching staff, the fact that more than half their team doesn't even go to the school, and they have two veteran players, CTU should still be commended for their season. Seven out of the eight teams from last season's playoffs made it back to the knockout rounds, but CTU were the only new team to break into the final eight, beating out NaJin Black Sword for the final spot. They played some fun, interesting compositions and had good team coordination throughout the group stages.

Riris, Mr. CTU himself, came onto the scene with a bang, killing everyone in his path and getting the only pentakill of the season so far. He looked almost too good to be true, and it turned out that way as the season went on, his bad positioning becoming more prevalent against stronger teams and becoming his ultimate downfall. Riris is the Glass Cannon AD Carry, a player that can either wipe out everyone in his path if in the right position, or will completely break in seconds if caught out in front of his team. The glass cannon worked against CTU in the tiebreaker match against Blaze and the quarterfinals against Ozone, the more experienced teams knowing how to exploit Riris' weaknesses and take him out early and often.

The other player we must commend from CTU is Mima, who had an amazin -- wait, we have breaking news here. Gragas got banned? Alright, never mind, no more talking about Mima.

While they aren't a university team of nerds revolting against the rich KeSPA teams, CTU is still a team with maybe more potential than any other team currently in Korea. With a few months off before the winter season, hopefully their sophomore year in Champions will be even better than their first. Thank you, CTU, for showing us that not only rookie teams can do well in Korea, but that you can be called a university team while four of your players probably have no idea what the campus looks like.

In the current Korean scene, rivalries are a plenty. A Song of Ice and Fire (Frost vs. Blaze), El Clásico (Frost vs. Shield), Burning Blade (Blaze vs. Sword), Telecommunication War (KT vs. SKT) and even the emerging constant clashes of SKT and Ozone have been prevalent in the various Korean tournaments, but no rivalry might be hotter right now between two Korean teams than the two that will face off in the first semifinal of this summer season. Starting off in dramatic controversy when both teams tried to throw against each other to get an "easier" match in the quarterfinals, the Bullets and Frost were thrown together by fate in this season's group stages and were able to face off truly for the first time in the two team's histories.

As expected from two teams considered to be equal in skill, they split, both having a dominating victory and a crushing loss in the regular season series. Now, with Frost having an easy time of their old time rival Shield in the quarterfinals, and Bullets going through Frost's brothers Blaze in a close 3-2 victory in the most tightly contested round of eight match, the two teams are set to face off one final time this season to see who will represent their side of the bracket in the Champions Summer Grand Finals.

After both teams had disappointing endings last season -- Frost getting blown out by their kin Blaze in the semifinals and the Bullets getting upset by the eventual champions Ozone -- both squads decided that they needed change in their line-up if they were going to take the next step and make the finals. Frost, the old kings of Korea and the most consistent team in OGN history, had finally been eliminated in the playoff stages before making the final. The Bullets, the team considered to be the strongest one through five in Korea had once again failed to make a final, dropping out in the early rounds of the knockouts to the team who would go on to win the entire tournament.

Frost, needing to find the perfect partner for their leader and face of the team, Madlife, upgraded their substitute ADC, Space, and moved him to a starting position next to the best Support in the world. Not stopping there, they brought in the rookie Ganked by mom and put him in the starting Mid Lane role for the first three games of the regular season, not only giving him valuable experience and changing up the stagnated dynamic of Frost, but allowing Rapidstar to get some much needed team off to rest, practice, and get back into top form after a disastrous end to the spring season.

The changes worked, Ganked by mom slipping in seamlessly with the team and holding down the Mid Lane spot. Space, who had already shown great potential with his long partner Muse in a sub role with Frost last season, only got better when paired up with Madlife, the two connecting to become one of the strongest bottom lanes of the summer season and giving Frost an aggressive bot lane in the laning phase that they had desperately needed. With the playoffs upon them, they switched out Ganked by mom for Rapidstar, the move paying off once again with their long-time starting Mid Laner returning to his starting spot and dominating against the rookie Ggoong in the quarterfinals. He ended up with a 40 KDA on the night and helped Frost take a commanding step towards another Champions final.

KT Rolster B changing their name to the more marketable and recognizable KT Rolster Bullets, not only changed their name but the roster as well. Following two straight seasons of being not only the favorites to make the final, but win it all, and failing to even get on the grand finals stage, the Bullets made big roster moves to try and get them their for the first time in their history. Welcoming back Kakao, their former star Jungler from a stint on their brother team, the KT Rolster A(rrows), the Bullets were left with two of the best Junglers in the world and only one starting job. Insec, shocking everyone, moved to the Top Lane, wanting to be in a better position for carrying and wanting to allow the Bullets to play both himself and Kakao at the same time.

Akin to Frost, the changes paid off, Insec becoming one of the stronger Top Lane players of the summer season, and Kakao, now back in a more comfortable situation, could forget the dark times on KT Rolster A and return to being one of the best Junglers in Champions. They weren't able to get first in their regular season group, dropping a surprising game to the last place LG-IM #1 squad in the final game of the pool stage, but were able to fight through Blaze in the quarterfinals to get into their second semifinals in three seasons. It wasn't easy, having to come back from a 1-2 deficit and win in a blind pick ace match, but the Bullets prevailed, proving they were more versatile than their opponents in the final game of the night.

Heading into this clash of ice and projectiles, the biggest question will be which team made the superior moves this offseason to take them to the finals stage. While both have gotten to this point, neither have had perfect runs, but showing weakness at times with their new players. But, for every mistake Insec or Space have made in their new starting positions, they have come back with a big play to help their team get to where they are right now. Neither team wants to falter one step away from the Champions Grand Finals and a chance at the Season 3 World Finals, so I can promise you one thing, friends -- no one is going to purposefully throw in this one.





Last season, Shy and Insec were primary reasons why neither of their teams made it to the grand finals. As good as they are, their teams need them to be more than just good in their roles. Insec, who was one of thew Junglers in Korea who carried from his role, was a negative in last season's playoffs. He continually got caught out, died early in games, and was shutdown by his opposition and one of the best Junglers in the world, MVP Ozone's Dandy. For all the good things he had done in his career up to that point, even wowing the Chinese crowds at the all-star game as Korea's top Jungler, it felt like this was the limit to Insec's Jungler abilities. He would be able to carry games to a point, but his constant getting picked off and over aggression in the position was a drawback for his team when they needed him the most.

Shy, who was also on Korea's all-star team as the Top Laner, even said himself that Flame, last season's best Top Lane, should have probably went instead of him to China. Flame was the vocal point of the spring season, carrying Blaze alongside Ambition to a thirteen game winning streak. During that thirteen game win streak, Shy was one of Flame's victims, losing to him three straight games in the semifinals. Shy's nightmare continued in the bronze medal match, getting outplayed by impact and the rest of the SK Telecom T1 squad, dropping another 0-3 series and finishing at a disappointing fourth place position to end the season.

With the summer season upon them, both stepped up their game. Insec, seeing that Kakao had moved back from the Arrows, decided that it was time to move into a more comfortable role for carrying in the Top Lane position. Shy, who had stopped his steady progression from his rookie season and had the worst season of his career, improved during the offseason and became rejuvenated with the roster changes Frost had made to spice up their roster.

When it comes to champion selection between this two, it really is a story of Shen. Between them, they've played Shen six teams this season with a combined score of 5-1 on the durable ninja. In the blind pick ace match that sent the Bullets to the semifinals, Insec went with Shen against Flame's Vladimir, destroying the best Top Lane from last season and ending the game with a dominating 3/0/8. In Shy's last two games on Shen, he is a combined 6/1/22, making himself and Insec the strongest players on Shen this season. Besides the ninja, their champion pools don't really cross much, Insec liking his engaging tank champions like Malphite and Zac, while Shy prefers to play more split push heavy, late-game champions like Ryze and Vlad that can completely take over an end game if he is left too long alone to get up his CS.

Insec, for all the good he has done this season, was almost the reason why the Bullets lost in the quarterfinals for the second straight season. With a gigantic lead over Blaze in the third match of their series, Insec's trigger finger betrayed him once again, barreling into Blaze's base without a clear plan and allowing them to hold on for a bit longer. This led to CptJack's Vayne to hit his ultimate form, helping Blaze carry themselves from the brink of death to one of the biggest comebacks in Champions history. Luckily for him, he and his team came back from the devastating loss, didn't let it get them down, and they fought back to take the next two games in easy fashion to advance on. While he was able to get away with one monumental throw once this season, if it happens against Frost, a much more versatile team than their brothers, Insec might be sitting on the sidelines come grand finals evening.






Heading into the season, there were a lot of rumors that it might be time for CloudTemplar to hang them up. With one of the longest histories in the Korean scene, CloudTemplar was seen as a once great player that was simply falling behind the times. His passive play and mechanics weren't up to snuff with the heavy play-making Junglers coming in and taking Korea by storm. The ending of last season seemed to be a depressing, throwaway sendoff for Templar, getting outplayed in both the semifinals and bronze medal match. With his impressive talking skills and knack for commentating, many predicted he would send his regards to the pro scene and head into a commentating role.

While some were ready to throw dirt on CloudTemplar, he wasn't ready to hang up the keyboard and mouse just yet, playing some of the best League he has ever played in the summer season. Playing a wide array of champions, including the seldom used Nocturne and Amumu, Templar has played more aggressive in season's past and had a renaissance season with Frost. His 5.4 KDA is an improvement over his 3.9 KDA in the winter season and a massive resurgence from his abysmal 2.8 KDA last season. Back from the dead, Templar looks like a new man, playing champions that no other Jungler in Champions will touch and making them work in the process. He might not be as mechanically sound as the Kakao's and Dandy's of Korea, but with his smarts, wide champion pool, and experience, CloudTemplar is one veteran that you don't want to be facing in his current form.

Kakao, more known for his aggressive plays and ability to tip the scales of a match, has been playing mainly Elise and Jarvan this season. He's undefeated on Elise -- but who isn't doing well on Elise these days? -- and was able to out duel Helios' signature Lee Sin in the final game of their series against Blaze to move into the final four. Also known for his Lee Sin before the season began, Kakao decided to go with the safer, stronger choice in Elise and it worked to perfection, Blaze crumbling under the fast pushing and high octane strategy that the Bullets pulled out in the last game of the five game set.

On paper, the Bullets Jungler should have the advantage, having been consistent throughout the past three seasons as one of the best Junglers in Korea -- even during his awful, forgettable stint on last season's KT Rolster A team. Still, with how well Templar has been playing and how much he's changed it up this season, you can't pencil the Jungler position a clear win for the Bullets heading into the match. Last season? Definitely, Templar would have been no problem for Kakao, but this new and improved CloudTemplar? With his larger champion pool, if Frost can ban out Elise and force Kakao to play on another champion, Templar might have the advantage if he plays it smart.





As you know by now if you've been following this tournament, Frost has been using two Mid Laners throughout the season. At the start of the group stages, they played their rookie Mid Laner, Ganked by mom, watching as he dazzled crowds with his Orianna play and became one of the most talked about stories of the pool stages. When the playoffs started, they switched out the rookie and put in their starter, Rapidstar, who had guided Frost to three Champions finals in four seasons. After getting pummeled by Ambition and Faker to end the spring season, Rapidstar took some time off, able to regroup and practice while Ganked by mom got valuable experience in the group stages.

While Rapidstar replacing GBM could have been an awful decision -- switching out a hot, on the rise rookie for a veteran who looked half-retired to end the last season -- it turned out to work in their favor, Rapidstar coming back into the scene with a vengeance, slicing up another rookie Mid Lane, Ggoong, who couldn't keep up with the well rested Frost Mid. With the semifinals now upon us, you would expect Rapidstar to keep his starting job, heading into this game with a 40 KDA and the experience on his side. Ganked by mom, while most likely not used, is still a dangerous weapon that Frost could switch in at the last minute to totally wreck and change the Bullets' preparations at the last second.

If it is Rapidstar, then the champion of contention will be Ahri. Ryu is 6-2 overall on the champion, including a 2-0 record this season, and Rapidstar is 9-3 all-time, having used her twice in the quarterfinals to great effect. Ryu, who had his perfect Twisted Fate record snapped during the quarterfinals, is still searching for his first finals appearance, having not made it in the past three seasons he's played for Startale and KT Rolster.





During Champions Spring, Frost were the first team to fully implement the substitute method in their play. Instead of dropping the bottom lane from the Original CJ Entus team, Space and Muse, they decided to hold onto them and play them on occasion. This led to some of the community wondering why they would ever want to sit their best player, Madlife, for any amount of time. In their their seldom appearances, Space and Muse did their job well, maybe even better than the starters did and ended the season with a lot of momentum behind them.

With Hermes bombing out in the semifinals and having major nerve issues when it comes to tournament play, they traded him over to Blaze and promoted Space to the starting job. With his experience that he gained from playing under the starters in the spring season, Space has become one of the best AD Carries in Korea, placing second in KDA, only behind SKT's Piglet. Starting off the season, he might have been called too wild, playing too gung-ho beside Madlife. He would get the kills, make plays and win his lane, but he would also die needlessly in situations where he could have made smarter plays. Against weaker teams this was fine, but if he didn't fix his holes before playing the stronger teams, he could have found himself in the same place Hermes found himself at the end of last season

While the aggression continued, Space tightened up his game and stopped giving up unneeded deaths. His KDA not was the only thing rising, his popularity also growing next to the most popular player in the game. He had gone from the bottom to the top, going from an overlooked substitute to creating one of the best partnerships in Korea with the player people called God.

For Score and Mafa, it's just another season at the office. What they do isn't the prettiest, and they might not have the highlight plays that Madlife and Space have provided, but they get the job done. Known as "The Immortal" Score for his safe play and ability to get through games without accumulating many deaths, the former Startale player has become a mainstay on the Bullets with his partner Mafa. Once again, they had a strong performance in the quarterfinals, outperforming CptJack and Muse for most of the series and helping their squad make it into the last round before the grand finals.

Reliable, passive and consistent versus newly put together, uber aggressive and highlights a plenty, these two bottom lanes couldn't be much different -- outside of their champion choices. Besides their styles, both teams highly value Twitch. In their past five games, Score has played Twitch four times and Space has played the rat three times. Looking at the Supports, both like to play Sona, Madlife and Mafa both playing the champion the last three games they've been apart of in Champions.

With how much these two teams love Twitch, expect either first pick Twitch for most of the series, or watch one or both of the teams try to ban Twitch out of the series entirely and force the two combos to play something other than Twitch with Sona. In terms of which tandem is better on paper, you would more than likely have to give Frost the edge for this season, but Score and Mafa have the longer track record than the new Frost bottom lane. While Space has looked incredibly strong all the way up to the semifinals this season, you can't forget that the semifinals were also the place Hermes had his combustion last season.