Korea looks for revenge at MSI

A clash of titans is upon us! From May 4th to May 15th, the best teams in the world will duke it out for international glory at this year’s Mid-Season Invitational. Every team has battled through their own regional qualifiers en route to punching their ticket to Shanghai. They will prove themselves in in a double Round Robin Group Stage before heading into bracket play to determine the MSI 2016 champion!

Korea -- A Region of Dominance

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The LCK (Korea’s professional circuit) has long been viewed as the most distinguished league in the world. It’s hard to refute that when the last three Summoner’s Cups were claimed by Korean squads. The region suffered a defeat against the upset-minded Taipei Assassins in Season Two, but since then, Korea hasn’t been bested on League of Legends’ biggest stage.

Korea houses many of the greatest players and teams in the history of League of Legends. Whether it be Faker or the stunningly dominant Samsung Galaxy White, Korea has a storied history of producing the best talent in the world. This Spring was no different and it became one of the most competitive splits Korea's ever seen. Champions Spring 2016, more than any split in recent memory, produced a plethora of international level teams looking to leave their mark on history. In one of the most closely contested splits in Korea's history, the champions forged from this circuit had to battle through more than ever to claim the Champions Spring 2016 crown.

Korean teams aren't ones to settle for just a regional title, though, and MSI will be their place to prove that Korea is still League of Legends’ premier region. At last year’s MSI, Korea endured a rare international defeat, falling in the Finals to China’s Edward Gaming. This year, they look to remedy that, arriving in Shanghai as a region battle tested against the best teams on the planet. SKTelecom T1 are early favorites to claim the MSI trophy, and have their sights set on victory -- and continuing Korea's international dominance.

Korea has built a legacy to stand against the tides of time. The list of accolades that Korea continues to amass seems to grow with each passing day. From taking the Summoner’s Cup for three years running to producing the best players the world has ever seen, Korea has undoubtedly left their mark in the League of Legends history books. After an agonizing international loss at last year’s MSI, the world’s premier region responded by dismantling the competition and claiming yet another World Championship. The time has come for Korea take another addition home to their storied trophy case and they will stop at nothing to claim it.

A World Champion Redux

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All hail the reigning World Champions!

Less than a year removed from being crowned as the best team on the planet, SKTelecom T1 are back on the international stage and are aiming to put any remaining doubters to rest. Before the Spring Split began, SKTelecom underwent massive changes, losing their Worlds MVP top laner MaRin, along with subs Easyhoon and T0M. This led to the team bringing in Duke and Blank.

The beginning of the split was predictably rough, as the team struggled to find an identity with their shotcaller MaRin departing to play in China. SKTelecom’s starting jungler Bengi also struggled immensely early in the split, prompting the team to take their jungle sub, Blank, to Katowice for the IEM Season X World Championship. They returned from that tournament in World Championship form.

In what was tabbed as a developmental period for Blank, his impact was immediate and SKTelecom blew through IEM, not dropping a single game on their way to a rout of Fnatic in the Finals. After this, SKTelecom went back to Korea and finished out the the remainder of regular season strong, winning 7 of their last 9 matches. They found their old team-fighting form again, punishing over-aggression consistently while being more calculated and precise offensively. Faker has been consistently stunning, but it’s the rekindled synergy in the bottom lane between Wolf and Bang that has accelerated the team back into its old form.

SKTelecom tore through the LCK Gauntlet, downing powerhouses like KT Rolster and the favorite, ROX Tigers, on their way to a Mid-Season Invitational berth. After re-emerging as one of the best teams in Korea, SKTelecom are back and intend to reassert themselves as one of the most dominant organizations that League of Legends has ever seen.

New Look, New Dominance

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SKTelecom marches into Shanghai as the Mid-Season Invitational favorites, thanks in no small part to their juggernaut mid laner, Faker. Even after their shaky transition following the departure of key players, SKTelecom rose to the occasion and downed the competition in what was one of the most competitive splits in Korean history. That kind of resilience makes SKTelecom a tough opponent to crack. Even though SKTelecom is a different team from the one that won the World Championship in 2015, they have more than enough talent to pull off their signature, clinical style of play.

They sport a very balanced approach on the Rift that relies just as much on aggression as it does on defense. Their vision control for both offensive and defensive plays is what allows them to make the right calls, at the right time. Both Blank and Wolf do a great job of not only creating vision for Faker to conduct team fights around, but also clearing enemy wards in order to keep opponents guessing through the fog of war. If you see SKTelecom sweeping up the enemy team with ease, chances are it’s because they have eyes where the enemy doesn’t.

In order for SKTelecom to live up to expectations and win MSI, they’re going to have to avoid the consistency issues that plagued them earlier this spring -- although, it looks like they put them to rest with Blank starting in jungle. Ever since IEM, SKTelecom has been a completely different team, tearing through opponents one by one on their way to Shanghai. They've tightened their shot calling, which subsequently returned their team fighting to elite form.

If SKTelecom continue to build on their consistency, there is no reason that this talented bunch should walk away as anything less than MSI champions. Whether it’s Faker controlling team fights on Lissandra, Bang slinging light on Lucian, or Blank saving lives with a clutch Kindred ulti, you can bet that SKTelecom will fight to prove they have what it takes to bring the MSI trophy back to Korea! 

History in Reach

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After trouncing the ROX Tigers in the LCK Grand Finals 3-1, SKTelecom have their sights set squarely on their next trophy in Shanghai. On top of winning a world record 5th domestic title, SKTelecom has the chance to write another chapter in their storied international history as one of the greatest organizations of all-time.

The team’s newly assembled talent are jelling at the perfect time. SKTelecom has legitimate stars at every position. Try and shut one down and the rest will pick up the slack. They come into the 2016 Mid-Season Invitational with the weight of the world’s expectations on their shoulders. SKTelecom are here to cement their legacy and once again set the standard for international dominance.