(courtesy of youtube.com)
Week 1 of LoL Champions Korea is in the books. Though it's never easy to pin down early season rankings, we take a stab after a week of competitive play.
A Tier
(Courtesy of thescoreesports.com)
KT Rolster
KT Rolster finished last split in second place and were eliminated from playoffs by long time rivals SK Telecom T1. While KT retains the same roster as last split, they face impressive competition against the other teams. KT’s individual strengths shine greatly, boasting Kim "Ssumday" Chan-ho as one of the strongest top laners in Korea and a solid bot lane in Ha "Hachani" Seung-chan and Noh "Arrow" Dong-hyeon. Their showing against MVP in the first week ended with a comeback to take the series 2-0, showing the great shot-calling and initiative this team can have. They will look to place even higher than they did in the Spring Split, and with a history of even stronger showings in the summer split, with higher win rates than in the spring split, they may well be on the path to victory.
SK Telecom T1
This team needs no introduction. As the powerhouse team that have weathered many meta changes with different rosters, SKT has become one of the most fearsome teams in all of LCK. They do not reach S tier however as the struggles for this team have been clear. Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok's underperformance in the MSI Group Stage was a distinct liability, and Gang "Blank" Seon-gu had a hard time finding his rhythm in the jungle. However, this team has seen multiple slumps before, and with the coaching staff and resources they have, they are sure to bounce back as they did against ROX Tigers in the finals of the spring split LCK 2016. If they can find their stride once again under the guidance of KkOma, they may rise again to hold the throne that the rest of the world longs for.
ROX Tigers
During the Spring Split, ROX were absolute monsters. Their strengths shone through their communication, shown in their ability to bring five people to any lane at any point in time with teleports and rotations. Han "Peanut" Wang-ho and Gang "Gorilla" Beom-hyeong have been praised for being the best players in their respective positions. Peanut’s ability to pressure the enemy jungle and put games on his back with the three most meta picks (Nidalee, Kindred and Graves) has been impressive considering his status as a relative newcomer to competitive play. After their shocking loss to Samsung Galaxy in the first match of Week 1, they will be looking to reflect on their drafting and seek to sharpen their fangs once again.
B Tier
(courtesy of lolesports.com)
Samsung Galaxy
Samsung Galaxy looked to be a strong team heading towards the end of the split, however their playoff hopes were dashed based off a head to head record tie breaker with Jin Air and afreeca Freecs. However, with the changes to mages, we saw Lee "Crown" Min-ho return to his prized Viktor play and put his team on his back once again. With new players stepping into the starting line-up like Kwon "Helper" Young-jae and Park "Ruler" Jae-hyeok plus the veteran experience of Kang "Ambition" Chan-yong and Kwon "Wraith" Ji-min, this roster was able to topple the ROX tigers in a convincing 2-0 series. It appears as if the meta favours Samsung greatly, and with Crown no longer having champion pool issues thanks to the reworks, they have the potential to live up to the Samsung glory that the organization once held.
Jin Air Green Wings
Jin Air Green Wings has shown that they are a strong team when they are given their strengths and the meta favours them, however this split may not be so kind to them. With the changes to early game neutral objectives introduces throughout 6.9 and 6.10, Jin Air’s speciality in siege and poke with certain item power spikes will certainly take time to adjust. However, for the time being, they seem to have adapted to the meta quite well, now displaying an ability to play a full pick/disengage comp with the Karma and Sivir speed, taking the early picks required to keep themselves ahead of the enemy and in a position to win.
afreeca Freecs
Afreeca Freecs had a late surge in power towards the end of the spring split, and they proved to be a formidable team. They played around the fact that the target bans to Sun “Mickey” Yong-min in Zed and Twisted Fate allowed the team to take power picks elsewhere and formulate strategies that helped them topple many teams during the split. In their Week 1 matchup, Mickey and Gwon "Sangyoon" Sang-yoon came up big with exquisite play, resulting in a resounding victory over Longzhu Gaming. They’ll be looking to carry this momentum straight through the season.
Ever
As one of the two teams that recently qualified for the LCK, Ever is seeking recognition. They made noise at the KeSPA Cup, sweeping reigning world champions SK Telecom in the semifinals (2-0), then conquering CJ Entus (3-0) to win the tournament. Now that they have qualified for the LCK, they are looking to prove themselves to the rest of the LCK. The first game Ever played showed amazing mechanical prowess from each of the players, especially Choi "Bless" Hyeon-Woong's first competitive game display on Nidalee and Elise. This team look to be a formidable force going into the split, and they’ve shown that they are strong enough to keep up with the better mechanical players in the league.
CJ Entus
Being one of the oldest organizations since OGN formed, CJ Entus has spent this year rebuilding their roster and developing new talent. Their shining spot is their duo bot lane Ha “Kramer” Jong-hun and Hong “Madlife” Min-gi, both of whom are mechanically gifted and display an ability to carry games with their playmaking ability. The trial of new jungler Gang “Haru” Min-seung suggests that CJ may not be expecting a trip to worlds this year, but are looking to develop their talent to secure multiple trips in the future. They might struggle early on this split, but expect them to get things together near the halfway point.
C Tier
(courtesy of splitpush.net)
Longzhu Gaming
After a string of off-season moves that saw Kang “Cpt Jack” Hyung-woo, Lee “Flame” Ho-jong and Kim “Frozen” Tae-li leaving Longzhu Gaming to pursue their own paths, their roster seems to have downgraded. Their 10 man platoon style roster did not work as anticipated for them, and with them losing their most stable ADC in Cpt Jack, it seems as if the team will begin to lose the main strength that they had the previous split. With Kim “Emperor” Jin-hyun stepping in as the other ADC substitute, it will be up to the whole roster to step up if they wish to build any sense of consistency after the disappointing record they faced this week.
MVP
As the second of two teams to earn their way into the LCK, they do not look as fearsome as the other qualifying team, Ever. They are a relatively new team, having only played together in the Challenger series for a split. Their LCK experience will see them develop themselves and try to make a name amongst the titans that currently reign in the region. They had a fair amount of control in the KT series during the second game, however were unable to close it out when it mattered most. This team’s bright spot seems to be their ADC Oh “MaHa” Hyun-sik, and if they can elevate their their play around him, they may become stronger yet.
