In one of the biggest upsets in professional LoL history, Challenger team Ever defeats the World Champions SKT T1 in the 2015 KeSPA Cup.
Coming into the semifinals of this year’s KeSPA Cup, it was supposed to be simple. A proverbial speed bump in the race towards a 2015 LCK Finals rematch between powerhouse teams SKT T1 and KT Rolster. But, fate would step in and say no. Earlier in the day, KT Rolster's hopes of making it to the finals were dashed by CJ Entus, losing 1-2. An unlikely outcome, but not an entirely crazy one. CJ Entus is well-established in the LCK and has a fairly solid team, full of known talent.
But the set between SKT T1 and Ever to follow was one that no one could have expected. It was clear from the beginning that SKT T1 had not prepared well for Ever or even respected the team facing them in the semifinal. The team's "3rd-string" mid laner Ye-chan "Scout" Lee was put in the first game to test his strength against the Challenger team. The end result did not pan out well for the sub or the rest of SKT T1 who, despite having a strong early game, seemed way too overagressive and totally lost against Ever's comp at times. For a team that was known for pushing all of their advantages and being calculated and methodical in their strategies, it seemed like a completely different SKT T1 than what we saw during the Worlds Finals.
Bringing their legendary mid laner Sang-hyeok "Faker" Lee back in for Game 2, SKT T1 seemed poised to strike back and get the series back under their control. Even with a 8k gold lead and 10 more kills than their opponents just after the 30 minute mark, the team ultimately faltered against Ever's strong late-game rally and effective plays across the map, with standout performances in both games by Ever's mid Ha-woon "Athena" Kang and support Han-gi "KeY" Kim.
What does this mean, besides one of the biggest upsets in LoL history? It means that KT and SKT T1 are out of the KeSPA Cup and we get to look forward to a CJ Entus vs. Ever final that no one could have expected. Beyond that, unfortunately, it doesn't mean much. Ever, as a Challenger team, will not be able to compete directly against SKT T1 next season. At least we get to know that sometimes even monstrous giants can be defeated and SKT T1 definitely looks a little less invincible than they did before.
