Last week, we speculated over the potential landing spot of the League of Legends offseason's biggest free agent, AD carry wunderkind and three-time Worlds quarterfinalist Kim "Deft" Hyuk-kyu, after he announced he is leaving the Chinese region in hopes of joining a South Korean club in 2017.
The second hottest League free agent, former Summoner's Cup winner and Worlds MVP Cho "Mata" Se-hyeong, also departed from the LPL region, turning down more money in China to return home to the LCK region for the upcoming split.
One of the best leaders in the game's history -- although obviously not the offensive ace like Deft -- Mata might even be more valuable for teams looking to get over the hump in the world's most difficult region. What would the South Korean League of Legends landscape look like when Mata finds a new home?
SKT Mata?
Like with Deft, people are going to be quick to insert Mata into the SK Telecom T1 lineup and gush over how the greatest team in the world just got better. Of course, on paper the swap of Mata for Lee "Wolf" Jae-wan seems like a no-brainer; however, for all of Wolf's shortcomings, his chemistry and partnership with star marksmen Bae "Bang" Jun-sik is unquestioned. Their bot lane partnership dates back to NaJin Shield in late 2012 and early 2013. Two world championships and four years of being by each other's side is something you can't just simply brush aside for something shinier in the rearview mirror.
Would SKT Mata be interesting? Yes, and it might be the added piece that helps SKT's macro game reach the levels it did back in 2015, when the team only dropped one game at the World Championships. Logically, though, would you break up a back-to-back world champion bottom lane to sign your team's former greatest rival?
ROX Mata?
As we mentioned with Deft, the ROX Tigers are only the Tigers because of the friendship between the players and coaching staff within the organization. You start moving players around and bringing in bigger names just for the sake of celebrity, and they're no longer the ROX Tigers but some other sort of animal entirely. Also, is Mata even better than ROX's current starter in Kang "GorillA" Beom-hyeon? Gorilla didn't reach the same heights as he did in his breakout 2015 season, but he is firm in his position as one of the world's elite supports.
Out of all the teams in the LCK, ROX Mata seems the least likely.
SSG Mata?
Could the captain return home to the organization he led to a world title in 2014? It would be quite poetic for the maestro to sign with Samsung after the club came up one game short of winning the 2016 Summoner's Cup. The only roadblock would be, well, money, which is why Mata left the team in the first place. And don't forget a guy named Jo "Core JJ" Yong-in, whose play at the World Championships could have possibly netted him his own MVP award if Samsung had won the fifth game over SKT in the finals. After playing AD carry for all of his professional career, Core JJ changed positions in hopes of becoming the best support in the world, and less than a year into his transition, he's already making a case for himself.
While nostalgia is strong, Samsung were diligent in their rebuild of the roster without taking any shortcuts. Now after finally achieving their goal of reviving the franchise, the club has a bottom lane duo of Core and Park "Ruler" Jae-hyuk that hasn't even nearly reached their full potential together.
KT Mata?
Pull the trigger, KT. Do it. If there was one place where it would make sense for both parties, it would be KT Rolster. Mata would be joining a top team with chances of contending in the spring, and KT could sign the player that will ultimately get them over the hump of never making it to a Worlds final. Although KT has been a contender the past four years, they failed to make a semifinal of a World Championship, having to watch at home as SKT T1, their arch-nemesis of over a decade in esports, won a trio of titles.
Ha "Hachani" Seung-chan, the team's current starter, has been maligned for a majority of his career despite putting together a strong split last summer. Unfortunately, Hachani, regardless of how good he's gotten, is not Mata. And unlike Core, you don't have the same feeling of belief that there is still a higher ceiling he can reach. The Hachani we see in front of us is probably the Hachani that we will have from now on: an above average, starter-level player in Korea, but not a standout or game breaker.
Mata is a game breaker. He can be the difference between a middling team going nowhere and one raising hardware. Be it with KT Deft or the team's current starter in No "Arrow" Dong-hyeon, the addition of Mata would change the entire complexion of KT Rolster. The farthest KT Rolster has ever gotten at Worlds -- well, their only time going to Worlds -- was when the brain trust of Go "Score" Dong-bin and Lee "Piccaboo" Jong-beom led the roller coaster ride to the quarterfinals before losing to the Tigers. The tandem of Score and Mata would be unmatched in South Korea when it comes to game knowledge and experience.
Longzhu Mata?
Longzhu has a lot of money. They could probably get Mata and Deft if they wanted. Although KT Rolster would be a better fit for Mata, the temptation of playing at home while also making money could be appealing to him. It's the best of both worlds. And maybe, just maybe, with a leader in Mata, the inept late-game of Longzhu could turn into a strength. Longzhu was one of the best teams in the laning phase during the 2016 year but had no clue what to do come the mid-to-late game. If Longzhu had to choose between Deft, an elite carry, and Mata, an elite leader, the latter would be more beneficial for the club over the long run. The team as it stands is already talented -- now they just need a frontman to conduct them.
After a pitiful display at IEM Oakland, it's less Longzhu should want Mata, and more that the deflated "super team" needs Mata.