SKT 2-0 KSV
In a shocking turn of events, SK Telecom T1 opened the final day of Week 4 in League of Legends Champions Korea with a 2-0 sweep of defending world champions KSV eSports on Sunday in Seoul.
In the middle of its most prolific slump in franchise history, SK Telecom (3-5) finally got back on track against an admittedly struggling KSV eSports (5-3). Sure, this matchup didn't quite have the weight behind it that the rematch of the 2017 World Championship Finals should have, but it was nonetheless important for SKT. KSV, meanwhile, couldn't get much done throughout the series, with lackluster early games leading to muddled mid-game shotcalling. Quite simply, KSV looked like it was going through the motions, content to let SKT dictate the pace all night long.
SKT looked phenomenal for the first time in a long time, thanks in no small part to mid lane ace Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok. Faker's Galio in Game 1 carried SKT to a sub-30-minute win with a 4/0/7 KDA (kills/deaths/assists) for 85 percent kill participation, but it was more than just stats that Faker brought to the table. His versatility across Games 1 and 2, his ability to absorb pressure and free up his teammates, and his impressive knack at carrying on melee champions in a ranged-friendly mid lane meta showed that Faker was still the Unkillable Demon King, albeit with new teammates. With SKT seemingly decided on a starting lineup comprised of rookies and veterans alike, we could be looking at the beginning of SKT's resurgence to the top of the Korean League of Legends scene.
SK Telecom will kick off Week 5 action when it faces Kongdoo Monster at 3 a.m. ET on Tuesday, Feb. 20, followed by KSV squaring off against KT Rolster at 6 a.m. ET on Wednesday, Feb. 21.
KT 2-0 KDM
KT Rolster closed out Sunday's action with a quick 2-0 sweep of Kongdoo Monster in League of Legends Champions Korea in Seoul.
This series was as straightforward as it comes, with KT Rolster (6-2) dominating Kongdoo (2-6) from the start. Almost immediately, KT got to work in Game 1, invading Kongdoo's jungle early and often for several kills. With KT's high pressure early game composition firing on all cylinders, all Kongdoo could do was prevent KT from securing a perfect game by picking up its first kill at 21 minutes. It took KT a little longer to push through Kongdoo's defenses with a 27-minute Baron buff and 10,000-gold lead, but this game was decided pretty much from the start. The most interesting thing about Game 1 was that KT's minions took down Kongdoo's Nexus when nobody on either team was around.
Realistically, KT Rolster used Kongdoo to prove that it's still a team that commands respect in the LCK. Sure, KT's track record of barely missing out on Worlds, or getting stomped when expected to win looms over this team's head like a dark cloud, but it remains a top team with world class talent. Against a Kongdoo side still struggling to find answers to some highly apparent and exploitable problems, KT clinically dispatched its opponents with ease, picking up multiple aces across Games 1 and 2 as it finished Kongdoo off in roughly 70 minutes of overall game time.
Kongdoo Monster now prepares to take on SK Telecom T1 at 3 a.m. ET on Tuesday, Feb. 20, while KT looks towards an important clash at the top of the standings against KSV eSports in the next match at 6 a.m. ET.