Two games in and the defending champion appears ready to defend its crown. SK Telecom T1 improved to 2-0 in the group stages with a clinical victory over China's third-place seed I May. The comeback kids from China couldn't find any weaknesses in T1's defenses after falling down early, and the result was never in doubt past the 10 minute mark.
The only difference between SKT's Day 2 dissection and Saturday's win was the starting jungler. Veteran two-time Summoner's Cup winner Bengi started for the team Friday, and Saturday it was rookie Kang "Blank" Sun-gu. We caught up with Blank following his successful Worlds debut.
"I was really, really excited" Blank answered when asked how he felt stepping on the Worlds stage for the first time. "I had this fantasy image of America, so it's a really different experience for me. My North American summoner name was 'ILoveUsa'."
What does he think about the U.S. so far?
"America is a very attractive country to be in," he said. "New York is a place I really want to visit. I want to see the Statue of Liberty in person. I'm really excited for that."
The year for Blank has been a roller coaster ride. When he debuted at the start of the 2016 campaign, he was pegged as a future star at the jungling role, handpicked by the T1 staff to play on the team. And while he's been heavily criticized for his inconsistent play throughout the year, he's shown up when it's mattered the most, helping SKT win both the IEM World Championship, spring season of South Korea's domestic league, and the Mid-Season Invitational as a starter.
"Everyone on the team is very close to one another," he said. "We're like one big happy family. I love it."
"From what I've seen so far, I've been very impressed with TSM jungler's [Dennis "Svenskeren" Johnsen]," Blank said when asked about western junglers. "I think [he] is really good at knowing when to go into the enemy jungle, and I also admire Svenskeren's mechanical abilities."
The biggest battle for SKT's young jungler will be if he can continue playing at a high level without having those games where he falters early and becomes a detriment to his team. At his best, Blank can give T1 an edge in the jungle it's lacked since Bengi's mechanical peak in 2013.
"Hearing criticism made me stronger as a person," he said. "It's [helped] me control my inner feelings and bring forth a stronger mentality. I've showed up so far, and I want to continue to do well to show everyone how good I [really] am."