The two most storied organizations in League of Legends history are not where anyone expected them to be this season. KSV won its second Summoners Cup last year, sweeping SK Telecom T1 in the Grand Final at the Bird’s Nest in Beijing. However, neither team looks set to return this year with the performances we have seen.
After a loss to Kingzone DragonX in their last match of the regular season, it looked like KSV would not even return to the postseason. However, a Jin Air Green Wings win over the ROX Tigers gave KSV a reprieve and helped the defending World Champions back into the playoffs.
SK Telecom T1 had to rally late in the season to claim their perceived automatic spot in the playoffs. SKT is the most venerated, and decorated, team in the history of League of Legends, and to think that they almost missed out on the postseason goes to show just how bad things have been this year. However, now that they are in the playoffs, they have to be considered a threat.
These two teams have combined to win the last five World Championships, with KSV winning as Samsung Galaxy in 2014 and 2017, and SKT winning in 2013, 2015, and 2016.
LCK Korea Playoffs Betting Odds (Courtesy of BetDSI)
SK Telecom T1 -125
KSV -105
When these teams met in the regular season, it was no contest as SKT swept KSV in both of their series. However, there is plenty of reason to think that KSV has a good chance to win this one.
KSV has a definitive advantage in two positions. Top laner CuVee is still one of the best in the world at his position. It was CuVee’s play that was a big reason behind KSV’s run last season, as he can adeptly switch from tank to carry depending on his team’s strategy. SKT has had its fair share of issues in the top lane this season, juggling Thal and Untara in order to find something that worked. CuVee should be able to win the matchup with whoever he is paired against.
Support play will be an edge for KSV too. CoreJJ is probably the second-best support in the world, and he has played at a consistently high level over the past year. This is another area where SKT has struggled to find consistency, as the team has used both Wolf and Effort in that role this season.
In fact, the only two areas where SKT hasn’t struggled this year are at AD Carry and mid lane. Bang posted the highest KDA in Korea this split, which is a pretty impressive feat considering the team’s woes. As for the mid lane, Faker is still the best there is and has shown it in outplaying virtually all of his counterparts this season.
The deciding factor in this game will be which team gets better play out of its jungler. Both SKT and KSV have swapped out their junglers often this season. I believe that KSV has the better pair of junglers and that will lead to a win for the defending champions.
