There can only be one: The fight for 2nd place in the LCK
T-minus one and a half weeks. The Summer Split Playoffs are looming in the horizon, and teams are turning up the heat.
With the 1st place spot firmly in the grasp of SKT (sorry, contenders), the rest of the league is scrambling to get the next best thing: 2nd place. Why does it matter, you ask? Well, for starters, the higher your ranking, the fewer Best of 5s you have to play in the Playoffs. Considering that the 5th place team needs to play four Best of 5s to get to the Finals, teams are scrambling to get any possible edge that they can.
Championship Points are also awarded to the teams in order of placement, as follows:
- Summer Split Championship Points
- 1st - Auto Qualification for World Championship
- 2nd - 90 Points
- 3rd - 70 Points
- 4th - 40 Points
- 5th-6th - 20 Points
- 7th-10th - 0 Points
Since the 2nd seed to Worlds will be decided by how many Championship Points teams have accrued over the 2015 season, it's even more incentive for them to finish in the highest rank possible. And of course, any teams that miss out during Playoffs also have the chance to partake in the Regional Finals, where seeding is based on the final standings after Playoffs.
With all that said, how are the teams currently faring?
Too Close for Comfort
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KT Rolster - Set Score 11-5, Game Score 24-14
Remaining Opponents: Longzhu Incredible Miracle, Rebels Anarchy
A big match against the KOO Tigers in Week 11 ended up in KT's favor, and they've snapped up the coveted 2nd place spot -- for now. To keep this placement, they'll need to take 2-0 sets against both Longzhu Incredible Miracle and Rebels Anarchy.
Even though both CJ Entus and KT Rolster are tied in set score, CJ has two more game losses than KT. That means KT has to finish their Split with a 4-0 record to hold off CJ and KOO. Anything less than that, they're vulnerable.
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CJ Entus - Set Score 11-5, Game Score 24-16
Remaining Opponents: Longzhu Incredible Miracle, Samsung
CJ Entus was able to make the gods bleed. With an upset 2-1 win over SKTelecom T1, they've been able to regain their footing after shaky performances earlier in Round 2. CJ's remaining schedule remains relatively easy, with bottom tier teams Longzhu IM and Samsung being their final two matches. The caveat? They need to end with at least 4-1 and hope that KT drops three games in their Best of 3s to take that 2nd place spot.
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KOO Tigers - Set Score 10-6, Game Score 23-14
Remaining Opponents: Jin Air Green Wings, Sbenu SonicBoom
What happened to you, KOO? Despite high expectations, NaJin and KT were both able to snag the victories away from the ferocious Tigers. To reclaim their spot, KOO will need to get 4-2 or higher in the remaining matches against Jin Air and Sbenu and both CJ and KT will have to go at least 3-3.
Due to Sbenu and their sudden win (their first this season!) against Jin Air, they can't be dismissed as an easy opponent. As for Jin Air, they're still one of the better teams in the LCK. This match will be the most important out of the other matchups. KOO's pressured to go for a perfect Best of 3 score, and Jin Air will be fighting hard to overtake NaJin for that 5th place spot. Both teams have a lot at stake.
New Challenger Approaching!
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NaJin e-mFire - Set Score 10-6, Game Score 23-17
Remaining Opponents: Sbenu SonicBoom, SKTelecom T1
NaJin is doing it again. It's time for Worlds, after all. They're currently on a three set win streak, but it's going to be a rough road to leapfrog over KOO or CJ. SKT will likely foil their plans for Worlds domination, but crazier things than Najin taking the win have happened.
What does NaJin need to catapult up the standings? KT needs to go at least 2-3, CJ needs to go at most 3-2, while KOO needs to get 3-3 or below -- while NaJin needs to get a 4-0. The chances of all these things happening are slim, but not impossible.
Hanging by a Thread
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Jin Air Green Wings - Set Score 9-7, Game Score 20-17
Remaining Opponents: Rebels Anarchy, KOO Tigers
Jin Air can still qualify for Playoffs, but it'd take a perfect 4-0 score and NaJin getting at most a 1-4 game score for it to happen. Week 11 has been somewhat of a turbulent ride on flight Jin Air, as they ended the week with a 1-2 loss to Sbenu SonicBoom -- a win that they desperately needed to catch up in points. They're going to have to jet their way through the remaining matches to get back into Playoffs contention.
Bye Bye Bye
As for Samsung, Anarchy, IM and Sbenu, they won't be able to make the Playoffs. All there is to do now for these teams is to close out the Season on a high note. Or, if they have more devious intentions, make it difficult for the higher ranked teams in their battles for the next available top slot.
Keep up with the jam-packed last weeks of Champions Summer as the teams give their all to conclude the Summer Season! As always, everything is available right here on Lolesports when Playoffs begin August 16th.
