Top laner Jeon “ikssu” Ik-soo was the first to stand. Looking back at his teammates, he made an awkward hopping motion in the booth, appearing to gesture that jungler Nam “LirA” Tae-yoo should jump on his back. Behind them, Son “Mickey” Young-min nearly tripped as he rose from his seat. Support No “SnowFlower” Hoi-jong placed his hand on his laning partner’s back, pushing Gwon “Sangyoon” Sang-yun forward.

To a roaring crowd, the Freecs formed a train, taking their victory lap in matching sweatshirts and cuffed jeans. Ikssu grinned widely while chewing gum and waving his arms. Mickey pumped his fist as the train returned to the booth to breakdown their computer stations.

The first time the Afreeca Freecs qualified for playoffs, it was the story of the split.

Samsung Galaxy seemed all but guaranteed the final playoff spot. Prior to the 2016 LoL Champions Korea Spring Season, the Freecs had no money and no major sponsor until Afreeca.tv, their streaming platform of choice, took the band of streamers under their wing in the 2015-16 offseason. Later, former Maximum Impact Gaming coach, Kang Hyun-jong, was added to guide the disorganized group. After a 7-2 series record in Round 2 of the regular season, the Freecs were playoff bound.

Jin Air Greenwings promptly swept them in the 2016 LCK Spring Wildcard match. In summer, the Freecs repeated history by securing that fifth-place regular season slot before being unceremoniously swept by Samsung Galaxy.

Lost in the shuffle of 2017 LCK storylines was the demise of the original Afreeca Freecs lineup who began their LCK career as the ragtag unsponsored challenger team Anarchy. The Freecs 2016-17 offseason breakup wasn’t as high-profile as the ROX Tigers — nor was their team as successful — and they didn’t put together a star-studded lineup like KT Rolster.

View photos Jang “MaRin” Gyeong-hwan in the OGN introduction for LCK Spring 2017 (Twitch/OnGameNet) More

Talk of the Freecs prior to this season’s start almost entirely revolved around the return of top laner Jang “MaRin” Gyeong-hwan to Korea. Before his departure, MaRin earned legions of international fans with his 2015 World Championship performance as a member of SK Telecom T1. His time in China throughout last year was far less successful. OnGameNet even played up his, and many other players’, return to Korea in their introduction video, pitting him against former SKT teammate Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok.

When Afreeca unexpectedly swept SKT 2-0 in the regular season, it was simply a continuation of the team’s legacy formed under Mickey as “The SKT Killers.” Suddenly, everyone was talking about Afreeca. The next week, they were swept by eventual eighth-place team BBQ Olivers.

Everyone was still talking about Afreeca.

With the demise of Longzhu Gaming and Mickey’s new Tigers team, Afreeca found enough consistency to once again claim a spot in the playoffs. In the final week of the regular season, they faced their future wildcard opponents MVP in a best-of-one to determine seeding and handily beat them, sliding into fourth place.

On the evening of their first playoff match, former Starcraft great, turned Afreeca LoL coach, Choi “iloveoov” Yeon-sung strode into the Afreeca booth with confidence and authority. Towering over Park “TusiN” Jong-ik in a military-style peacoat, shirt, and tie, he chatted with the support for a few moments before turning to AD carry Ha “Kramer” Jong-hun, keeping his hands clasped authoritatively.

It felt different.

Afreeca weren’t a merry band of misfits anymore. They were a serious contender for the title and ready to take up that mantle. MVP had been on a seven-game losing streak. Luck and wacky champion picks could only take MVP as far as this match.

View photos Afreeca coaches Cho Gye-hyeon and Choi “iloveoov” Yeon-sung (Twitch/OnGameNet) More

Story continues