Today's editorial cartoon features Kingzone DragonX and their defeat at the 2018 MSI.



For most Korean fans, the Finals of the 2018 MSI brought a lot of disappointment. KZ had dominated the 2018 LCK Spring, but lost to the LPL's best, RNG, with a score of 1-3. Despite having known that the key to victory was to "suppress" Uzi, RNG didn't make it so easy for KZ. After seeing RNG making sharp, superior plays, LCK fans felt hopeless. KZ's defeat was almost already set in stone even before the match began. RNG played fantastically, whereas KZ made numerous mistakes.



Three days have passed since the MSI Finals, but the League of Legends community still burns hot. Some Korean fans are in shock due to the fact that they can no longer take pride in their region as the absolute best -- whereas the Chinese fans are marveling at the MSI trophy that RNG had brought home with them. With this sudden shift in power, the fans are now discussing what the future may hold for the different regions.



SKT T1, who held multiple trophies; Samsung Galaxy, who created a legend last year; and the notorious Samsung White, who shook the entire international scene; did the past, in some ways, lead us to believe and expect that LCK teams would win again? Or maybe, many fans were unconsciously underestimating every region outside of Korea. And as a result of these expectations, the returning LCK team, Kingzone, received a lot of criticism. Uzi, on the other hand, proved himself as the best ADC player in the world. I believe that we didn't see just how strong the other leagues were growing, blinded by the opinion that the LCK is by far the strongest region.



Although KZ lost in the Finals, they still left a decent track record; and they're returning home with a huge assignment. This assignment is due at the time Rift Rivals begins. Every LCK team will need to practice all throughout the Summer season to complete it. LPL, LMS, EU LCS, NA LCS, CBLOL, TCL, etc... there's no league that should be underestimated. I wait for summer in anticipation -- picturing the LCK climbing up on the international stage, armed with a weapon built through the lesson that they've learned through their defeat in the MSI.