Samsung Blue - Bound for Worlds
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As any avid fan of Korean League of Legends knows, it is extraordinarily difficult for a team to remain at the top. Samsung Galaxy Blue exemplified that trend by dropping to KT Rolster Arrows in the OGN Summer 2014 finals. Yet, they have still claimed Korea’s top seed in the 2014 World Championship by virtue of their consistently strong performance over three OGN Champions tournaments.
Like previous world champions SK Telecom T1 K, Samsung Blue will enter their first ever World Championship without a single game of international League of Legends to their name. The question, therefore: will they be able to pull off what T1 K did one year prior?
Previously coached by Korean legend Jang “Woong” Gun-woong, PawN brought immense potential and a wealth of solo queue experience to the uninspiring Samsung Blue. His impact was immediate - Blue became the second team in history to defeat SK Telecom T1 K in a best-of series, as PawN dominated world champion Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok in the mid lane in Korea’s WCG qualifier. With a stable force in the mid lane, Blue’s stars were finally able to shine. Long considered one of Korea’s best carries, Deft finally put on a performance worthy of his reputation.
Though Blue did lose to the also-reformed CJ Entus Blaze in the final, they had already shocked the world by defeating the Season 3 World Champions. However, they remained cautious, due to the ‘curse’ that seems to affect any team with a strong pre-season performance in Korea. The trouble started soon, as Blue were drawn into the group of death in Champions Winter 2013-14, against the KT Rolster Bullets, NaJin Black Sword and Incredible Miracle #2.
Tying against all three teams, Blue snuck through the group stage, only to have their Champions run cut short by SK Telecom T1 K, who took their revenge by 3-0ing the upstart pre-season kings. But as the dust settled and SK Telecom T1 K became the first team in history to win OGN Champions twice, one thing was clear - Samsung Galaxy Blue was a new team. They had shed their old image, and were building towards something very big.
When news broke of Samsung management’s decision to move PawN to Ozone and Bae “Dade” Eo-jin to Blue, the immediate reaction of fans was one of disappointment. After Ozone’s 0-3 loss to SK Telecom T1 K in the grand final of Champions Winter 2013-14, fans viewed the move as favoring Ozone. Though Blue appeared to have been thrown under the bus, Champions Spring 2014 would prove otherwise.
In many aspects, Ozone and Blue were opposites. Ozone’s stars were DanDy and Imp, two players who would overpower their opponents and carry the team through to victory. Meanwhile, Blue consisted of four solid - but passive - team players who were being desperately held together by a rookie jungler with too much responsibility on his shoulders.
By switching PawN and Dade, Ozone suddenly had a stable force in the mid lane to support its stars, while Blue had a playmaking duo in Spirit and Dade capable of creating advantages. In what may be League of Legends’ greatest roster change in history, Samsung effectively took two suffering teams and created the best two teams in the world in one tactical move.
With both teams in such good form, it was an inevitability that they would have to meet in the bracket stage. Blue won the semifinal 3-1, setting up their first ever OGN grand final appearance. Against the rising NaJin White Shield, Blue’s aggression - and Dade’s complete superiority in the mid lane over Ggoong - would win the day. Dade earned his second-ever OGN Champions victory, being the sixth player in Korea to do so (behind the five members of SK Telecom T1 K), and cemented his status as the King of Spring.
Their grand final against the KT Rolster Arrows began as most analysts had predicted, with the Arrows shaking Blue up with a creative Ryze/Zilean combination that pressured the Samsung poke composition into the ground. However, Blue’s strength in best-of-five series began to show, as the Arrows refused to adapt their practised composition. Two games were taken for Blue, and with Dade’s Kassadin leading the charge, they were on the verge of taking the championship.
Unfortunately for Blue, however, the Arrows finally found their stride in Game 4, pulling out Song “Rookie” Eui-jin’s Yasuo, combining him with Lee “KaKAO” Byung-kwon’s Nocturne in order to repeatedly take down Deft’s Twitch. The Arrows carried their momentum through to the blind pick Game 5, and despite some valiant defense from Blue, the Arrows took the fifth game in a series that was never meant to reach five games.
Dethroned and demoralized, Blue are now in the uncomfortable position of having little momentum coming into the World Championship. Additionally, without a single game of international experience under their belt, Season 4’s most dominant Korean team may not be guaranteed dominance against foreign teams. However, Blue will enjoy playing to a home crowd, assuming that they can make it out of the group stage.
Past failures haunt the Samsung organization, as Ozone’s failure at the Season 3 World Championship is still fresh in memory of both teams. With the rest of the world trailing behind Korea, however, Blue should still be confident in their ability. It takes a truly special team to make it to two Champions grand finals in a row, and an even better team to win one of them. There are few teams in the world who have experienced as many soaring highs and depressing lows as Samsung Galaxy Blue, and drawing on this experience will be key for the Korean superstars.
Breaking Bad
Samsung Blue’s journey to the top only began after many seasons of mediocrity. Forming as MVP Blue in May 2012, the team consistently fell out of OGN Champions in the group stage, even after numerous roster changes. As Season 3 came to an end, things looked dire for the Samsung organization. Ozone had performed terribly at the World Championship, while Blue seemed to be a lethargic team, incapable of utilizing its talent. Top laner Choi “Cheonju” Cheon-ju and AD carry Kim “Deft” Hyuk-kyu were having little impact on games despite their obvious potential. Fresh out of high school, jungler Lee “Spirit” Da-yoon was having trouble adjusting to a professional competitive environment. Mid laners Lee “easyhoon” Ji-hoon and An “SuNo” Sun-ho left in search of greener pastures, and MiG Blitz talent Heo “PawN” Won-seok was brought in as their replacement.Previously coached by Korean legend Jang “Woong” Gun-woong, PawN brought immense potential and a wealth of solo queue experience to the uninspiring Samsung Blue. His impact was immediate - Blue became the second team in history to defeat SK Telecom T1 K in a best-of series, as PawN dominated world champion Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok in the mid lane in Korea’s WCG qualifier. With a stable force in the mid lane, Blue’s stars were finally able to shine. Long considered one of Korea’s best carries, Deft finally put on a performance worthy of his reputation.
Though Blue did lose to the also-reformed CJ Entus Blaze in the final, they had already shocked the world by defeating the Season 3 World Champions. However, they remained cautious, due to the ‘curse’ that seems to affect any team with a strong pre-season performance in Korea. The trouble started soon, as Blue were drawn into the group of death in Champions Winter 2013-14, against the KT Rolster Bullets, NaJin Black Sword and Incredible Miracle #2.
Tying against all three teams, Blue snuck through the group stage, only to have their Champions run cut short by SK Telecom T1 K, who took their revenge by 3-0ing the upstart pre-season kings. But as the dust settled and SK Telecom T1 K became the first team in history to win OGN Champions twice, one thing was clear - Samsung Galaxy Blue was a new team. They had shed their old image, and were building towards something very big.
The King of Spring
When news broke of Samsung management’s decision to move PawN to Ozone and Bae “Dade” Eo-jin to Blue, the immediate reaction of fans was one of disappointment. After Ozone’s 0-3 loss to SK Telecom T1 K in the grand final of Champions Winter 2013-14, fans viewed the move as favoring Ozone. Though Blue appeared to have been thrown under the bus, Champions Spring 2014 would prove otherwise.
In many aspects, Ozone and Blue were opposites. Ozone’s stars were DanDy and Imp, two players who would overpower their opponents and carry the team through to victory. Meanwhile, Blue consisted of four solid - but passive - team players who were being desperately held together by a rookie jungler with too much responsibility on his shoulders.
By switching PawN and Dade, Ozone suddenly had a stable force in the mid lane to support its stars, while Blue had a playmaking duo in Spirit and Dade capable of creating advantages. In what may be League of Legends’ greatest roster change in history, Samsung effectively took two suffering teams and created the best two teams in the world in one tactical move.
With both teams in such good form, it was an inevitability that they would have to meet in the bracket stage. Blue won the semifinal 3-1, setting up their first ever OGN grand final appearance. Against the rising NaJin White Shield, Blue’s aggression - and Dade’s complete superiority in the mid lane over Ggoong - would win the day. Dade earned his second-ever OGN Champions victory, being the sixth player in Korea to do so (behind the five members of SK Telecom T1 K), and cemented his status as the King of Spring.
Abdication and Ascension
Champions Summer 2014 rolled around, and Samsung Galaxy Blue were poised to match SK Telecom T1 K’s momentous record and win their second title. Blue met some resistance on their way to the grand final, especially in the mid lane as Dade’s armor began to crack in tense situations, like in an uncharacteristic loss to Incredible Miracle #2. Things still looked good for Blue, however, especially after another 3-1 victory against Ozone (now named White).
Their grand final against the KT Rolster Arrows began as most analysts had predicted, with the Arrows shaking Blue up with a creative Ryze/Zilean combination that pressured the Samsung poke composition into the ground. However, Blue’s strength in best-of-five series began to show, as the Arrows refused to adapt their practised composition. Two games were taken for Blue, and with Dade’s Kassadin leading the charge, they were on the verge of taking the championship.
Unfortunately for Blue, however, the Arrows finally found their stride in Game 4, pulling out Song “Rookie” Eui-jin’s Yasuo, combining him with Lee “KaKAO” Byung-kwon’s Nocturne in order to repeatedly take down Deft’s Twitch. The Arrows carried their momentum through to the blind pick Game 5, and despite some valiant defense from Blue, the Arrows took the fifth game in a series that was never meant to reach five games.
Dethroned and demoralized, Blue are now in the uncomfortable position of having little momentum coming into the World Championship. Additionally, without a single game of international experience under their belt, Season 4’s most dominant Korean team may not be guaranteed dominance against foreign teams. However, Blue will enjoy playing to a home crowd, assuming that they can make it out of the group stage.
Past failures haunt the Samsung organization, as Ozone’s failure at the Season 3 World Championship is still fresh in memory of both teams. With the rest of the world trailing behind Korea, however, Blue should still be confident in their ability. It takes a truly special team to make it to two Champions grand finals in a row, and an even better team to win one of them. There are few teams in the world who have experienced as many soaring highs and depressing lows as Samsung Galaxy Blue, and drawing on this experience will be key for the Korean superstars.
