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Should SKT continue to bet all on Faker?

Riot·11/11/2014, 10:18:01 PM·0 votes·18,031 views
Help wanted! Faker, former Worlds MVP, is looking for a few good men to team up with and take down the world once more. Reeling from losses to Samsung White and NaJin White Shield in the Korean Regionals, SKT sits in the precarious position of having the best player in the world but not a world class team to put around him. SKT are at a crossroads -- do they and try to buy the best talent possible, or take a safer route and pick players who mesh well around their crown jewel Faker? SKT T1 K Top: Impact Jng: Bengi Mid: Faker ADC: Piglet -> released Sup: PoohMandu -> released SKT T1 S Top: Marin Jng: H0R0 -> left Mid: easyhoon ADC: Bang Sup: Wolf

Option One: Steady as she goes

The first road SKT can take is to play it safe. Yes, SKT has been known in the past to open their deep pockets and throw money at top named free agents in e-sports, but do they have to here? They have Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok , the consensus best player in the world, and a player who almost single handedly carried a lifeless team to the World Championships. Instead of opening up the checkbook and going for a flashy free agent singing, they can build a solid unit out of four other players who compliment Faker’s genius. Bae "Bang" Jun-sik and Lee "Wolf" Jae-wan are not going to win any awards for flashiest bottom lane in Korea -- but don’t let that fool you. They are an experienced tandem that know how to work well together and stay relevant throughout the game. Wolf has blossomed into one of the most complete supports in Korea, transforming from a player with a miniscule champion pool to a diverse selection. Bang has matured as a player through the past year as well, excelling on mobile marksmen Lucian and Corki. Rounding out the current roster are Jung "Impact" Eon-yeong and Bae "bengi" Seong-ung, teammates of Faker since his debut into the pro scene in Spring 2013. Impact has always been a Jack of all trades, filling into a secondary carry role or flat utility when needed. Bengi, who had a disastrous 2014 season, would be the prime candidate to be replaced with a shinier free agent. Although his combo play with Faker helped the young mid laner mature as a pro, is that enough to save him from the chopping block?

Option Two: Changing for championships

Friendship and playing it safe are nice and all, but SKT have the ability to make a super team with their deep pockets. As the most respected e-sports organization in Korean history, SKT have shown time and time again they will promote and pay their players fair wages to keep them. While Samsung has had an exodus of players jumping ship, SKT has kept Faker on the roster and even starred him in recent company commercials. If SKT were to swing for the fences during free agency, Bengi’s starting job would be in major jeopardy. He labored his way through 2014 and surprised many by being kept on the team when it was announced Piglet and PoohMandu were being released from the squad. One of the most logical replacements for Bengi would be former CJ Frost jungler Baek "Swift" Dae-Hoon. Unlike Bengi, Swift has been lauded for his raw mechanical play and potential to replace Dandy and KaKAO as the top carry jungler in Korea. Impact has done his job admirably for the past two years, but SKT could go fishing for a bigger fish if the opportunity arises. With the abolishing of the sisters team in Korea, CJ are currently situated with two of the best top laners in the entire world, Park "Shy" Sang-myeon and Lee "Flame" Ho-Jong. There have been rumors of Flame moving to the mid lane, letting CJ play both in the starting line-up. But if it comes down to CJ having to pick one to stay in the starting role in the top lane, the player who is discarded to the bench will assuredly be looking for a starting job elsewhere. Finally, we head down to the bottom lane. World champions Gu "imp" Seung-bin and Cho "Mata" Se-hyeong have recently left Samsung to take a ‘short break’, but even SKT’s spending history isn’t enough to make the possibility too realistic. Kang "GorillA" Beom-hyeon, would be the most rational move if SKT were change up their bottom lane. He was one the brightest stars during the 2014 Worlds, his Thresh play becoming renowned worldwide. Signing him would give SKT an explosive playmaker to go along with Faker’s incredible finishing abilities. With how the 2014 season went for SKT, familiarity and keeping the band together might not be enough to succeed in the new year. They have the luxury of having the best player in the world, but it will take more than one man to complete their ultimate goal in 2015 -- bringing the Summoners Cup back to SKT.

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6 Comments

finallylupus11/12/2014, 7:44:30 AM3 votes

I think Faker should stay in Korea and stick one up to China by beating them at Worlds once again.

ce2uFkzoN811/11/2014, 11:08:37 PM2 votes

Only one way: Faker to LPL! World best top players are ALL in LPL in S5. Welcome to LPL Faker!

Legacy of Ra11/12/2014, 1:46:19 PM2 votes

Just like in regular sports, SKT needs to stick to what they know and build around their strength: Faker. If they can find a couple of top tier, solid players that can support and bolster Faker's strengths, there's no reason they can't come out with a much better performance than they did this year.

This article said it best: Faker practically carried SKT on his back the entire season, when the team was long-since dead. It's saying a lot when only one player on the team has even a decent showing throughout the season, and that "decent" showing got them as far as it did.

If SKT wants a relapse of the 2013 circuit, they're going to have to cut some ties and refill the ranks with players that are still hungry, still looking to break out into the scene and give their absolute best, and that mesh well with the team's hyper-carry. Otherwise, it'll be 2014 all over again and SKT can look forward to shelling out more money for mediocre play.

lil snupe11/11/2014, 10:40:11 PM1 votes

"They have the luxury of having the best player in the world" SKT Bodeluxury best player in the world confirmed

Bay of Quinte11/14/2014, 3:42:06 AM1 votes

I'd say Impact is better than Shy and bengi will most likely stay in SKT (I believe in him too) and the bot lane is unpredictable, GorillA would be nice but its unlikely

Shyne11/18/2014, 3:26:41 AM1 votes

I'd suggest making a strong push for a top tier Jungle. I know that faker has been with Benji for his entire pro career but they need to upgrade that position maybe Swift like the article said would be nice but IMO unlikely that this will happen. Impact is the man he's the guy on the team willing to do whatever is needed to get the job done so I like him staying. The Bot Lane is a little different tho If theyre able to pull in a Gorilla Support it would be huge but really you'd have to be able to pair him up with a top ADC and guessing that Imp is not an option, that leaves Bang and Wolf really the only viable option I see at this time. And Imo that's not enough to bring SKT back to S3 form or even half of what that team was able to accomplish. If it were me i'd stick with Faker and Impact and start throwing money around. Korea has the best CS players in the World but I don't know if SKT has the time to wait for this young talent to emerge onto the scene. So your best bet is to try and sign some established players in hope that they can all coexist and create that synergy that a Top Team needs to compete at the highest levels. It should be an exciting couple of months with I think LPL starting in Feb it may seem like awhile away but time goes fast in the world of esports and I can't wait to see what SKT have planned. I mean the best player in the world deserves the best teammates.