Chexx Profile Joined May 2011 Korea (South) 5348 Posts Last Edited: 2014-01-07 17:22:37 January 07 2014 17:18 GMT #1





to our preview for the first Semifinal of OGN Winter 2013-14. We have a rematch of the Summer Finals at our hands and for many fans out there the winner of this game will likely be the winner of Champions Winter. Manisier summarized what you need to know for this match. Let's head right into it!

Don't forget to tune in tonight or early in the morning depending on where you live.

Wednesday, Jan 08 8:30am GMT (GMT+00:00) on



Also check out what the coaching staff from both teams had to say about the Match



Signing off,

Chexx



Welcome everybody,to our preview for the first Semifinal of OGN Winter 2013-14. We have a rematch of the Summer Finals at our hands and for many fans out there the winner of this game will likely be the winner of Champions Winter. Manisier summarized what you need to know for this match. Let's head right into it!Don't forget to tune in tonight or early in the morning depending on where you live.Wednesday, Jan 08 8:30am GMT (GMT+00:00) on Ongamenet Also check out what the coaching staff from both teams had to say about the Match here



Table of Contents

Semifinal #1 Preview







SKT T1 K vs KT Bullets

By: Manisier Third Time’s the Charm



The number three is of particular importance in our first semi-final of Champions Winter. For SK Telecom T1 K, their match against KT Rolster Bullets will be their third semi-final in their third Champions tournament, and their third showdown against the Bullets in a best-of-five match in history. For KT Rolster Bullets, their third semi-final brings with it a chance for revenge. Twice now have they been beaten out by Kkoma’s brainchild, the team that has stopped them from achieving glory twice now - once for the grand prize of Champions Summer 2013, and once for the right to represent Korea at the World Championship.



Almost everyone expected a rematch at some point in Champions Winter. After all, the Bullets are the gatekeepers of the number one spot. Since entering Champions, they have never failed to make it past the group stage. Regrettably, they have always failed to clinch the title. The reason for this is apparent once we consult the results of the tournaments - the team that has eliminated KT Rolster Bullets from Champions has always gone on to win the title. Once or twice was a coincidence, perhaps, but with the team cut down in one historic game 5 by Faker’s insane Zed play, it is clear that the Bullets are number two in Korea, right behind the world’s best team.



It is, therefore, with some disappointment that we witness these two giants clashing with each other in the semi-final round of Champions. Any match between SK Telecom and KT Rolster carries with it the hype of a grand final, and it is sad to see that the stakes for this match are not as high as they could be. Yet, we persevere in the hopes of a fantastic showdown.



Top Lane

Impact vs. inSec



It has been mentioned before that Impact has been growing as a player since joining SK Telecom T1. No clearer has this been than in Champions Winter, where we have seen Impact return to his teamplay that was the rigid backbone of his team in their debut in Champions Spring. Yet, the role of the ‘support top’ has changed since then. Rather than being a pushing force that plays a defensive role in teamfights, Impact has adapted to the pre-season changes and has picked up strong meatshields such as Shyvana, utilising his incredible bulk to assist in SKT T1 K’s new favourite, the fast push. Though Rumble has been spotted a few times, Impact’s rotations from the side lanes have created much pressure for Faker to take advantage of.



inSec’s carry instincts continue to show despite the gradual stagnation that top lane has undergone, with impressive Lee Sin play in the group stage. With his tendency to play junglers (or previous junglers) in the top lane such as Dr. Mundo and Olaf, inSec’s mechanical ability and quick trigger finger have won him a few MVP titles in an incredibly tight group, as well as a difficult quarter-final against CJ Entus Blaze. The Bullets have found success in embracing inSec’s strengths rather than forcing traditional top lane characteristics on him, but it remains to be seen whether this is enough to break Impact.



Jungle

Bengi vs. KaKAO



Bengi has had a great season as usual, quietly performing on new favourite Olaf while fans gush over the new and improved NoFe, and DanDy in his reawakening. The main contributor to SKT T1 K’s strong early vision control, Bengi is a jungler that has a high success rate when roaming to a lane, whether it is to defend a tower, push down a tower or perform a gank, due to the higher amount of knowledge that he possesses. While not a strong jungler in terms of intuition, Bengi is probably the best jungler in the world due to the fact that he typically has more information than anyone else in the game, and information is certainly the jungler’s best weapon.



KaKAO, while certainly being on the higher end of junglers in Korea, may be called into question in this semi-final due to the fact that he does not seem like a top jungler when playing a champion that isn’t Elise or Lee Sin. With his Evelynn being unable to impact games, KT B will need to sit down and clearly define his role on the team, much like SKT T1 K and Samsung Ozone have done with their junglers. With consistently high kill participation, however, KaKAO’s talents clearly shine the longer the game goes. In addition to Score’s incredible carry play, the late game may actually be the Bullets’ preferred route this time around.



Mid Lane

Faker vs. Ryu



The mid lane has always been the highlight of the telecommunications war, owing to Faker’s struggles to overwhelm Ryu like he does to other mid laners. In the lead-up to the previous two matches against Ryu, Faker has never given us reason to doubt. Confidently picking Kassadin into a blind match-up against Samsung Blue and playing an incredible Nidalee, Faker continues to cement his title as the world’s best mid laner. His inability to be banned out and his perfect flexibility as a mid laner prove a serious threat to KT B in terms of their strategy. The Faker Factor is real, and while it is not a complete constant, it is significant enough to demand attention.



Ryu’s growth as a player over the last few seasons have shown that KT B is no longer the diving team that it was as a young team. Favouring Nidalee and Orianna this season, Ryu’s mechanics and positional awareness as an assassin player have kept well in his transition to more strategy-specific ranged mid laners. Though certainly a threat that can be contained, Ryu’s team fighting is among the best in the world, and it will require a lot of planning in order to prevent him from influencing team fights. While KT B must account for Faker’s influence on the game, SKT T1 K must also be wary of Ryu’s proficiency on assassins. Should his Fizz or Zed ever make a surprise comeback, SKT T1 K may have some trouble on their hands.



Bottom Lane

Piglet and PoohManDu vs. Score and Mafa



Piglet and PoohManDu have been making waves recently, with more people catching onto the influence that they have on SKT T1 K’s wins. Piglet may be Korea’s most well-rounded carry, maintaining the highest KDA of any AD carry since his debut in Champions Spring 2013, while PoohManDu partners with him to help fast push towers during the early-to-mid game. PoohManDu’s vision control, though taking a hit in the pre-season patch, remains strong as he works with Bengi to ensure total vision control during the laning phase. While the lane does slip up at times, Piglet and PoohManDu contribute to the winning effort game after game, making no huge mistakes.



Score and Mafa, on the other hand, may actually be the most impressive bot lane of the season. Score’s play has been absurdly good this season, as he has been pushing his play towards a more aggressive style while remaining near-unkillable as always. There is something to be said about supports with names beginning with ‘M’, as Mafa has played a very well-rounded support this season, with particular focus on supports capable of initiating plays such as Leona. With Score receiving less protection than in previous seasons, his improved play is made even more impressive. Yet, they still may not have what it takes to completely break the SKT T1 K duo, and will need to rely on their teammates.



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Art by 상똘 (Naver Blog) This edition of the TeamLiquid LoL write-up was brought to you by GTR, Chexx, Mafia, Manisier and Waxangel. Administrator Follow me @TL_Chexx