The first series in the semifinal of Champion Winter 2013-2014 was between long-standing rivals, with one of them emerging victorious once more.
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For the opening game, both KT Bullets and SKT T1 K went for their comfort picks, including inSec's signature Lee Sin and Faker's legendary LeBlanc. As for team compositions, KTB formed a fast push comp with emphasis in wave clear and isolating opponents. SKT, on the other hand, went for a mobile pick comp that scales strongly into the late game.
For KTB's plan to work, they need to take down towers quickly in order to gain control of the map and objectives. Unfortunately for them, SKT T1 managed to hold the initial attack off, even getting ahead in some lanes. Because the laning even went even, SKT T1 managed to transition safety into the mid/late game, and with better rotations able to get the dragons, even barons every time.
Come late game, SKT T1's superior champion scaling secured them the win, demolishing KTB quickly when big teamfights do occur.
For the second game, SKT T1 decides to give KTB a taste of their own medicine and build a fast push team on their own. The difference, however, is Bengi on Nunu, which allows Piglet on Caitlyn to melt down objectives with ease. KTB responds to this with a siege comp with Ryu on Nidalee and Score on Lucian, focusing more on building up for the mid game.
Unfortunately for KTB, early game ends up in disaster for them, as a failed gank by KaKAO in top lane secured impact's lane against inSec. On top of that, Faker and Piglet/poohMandu simply won their respective lanes with superior mechanics, which allowed Nunu to counterjungle all day.
With objectives lost quickly, KTB wasn't able to bounce back at all. Even when they finally got their core items, SKT T1 were simply too powerful at that point to contend with.
It's do or die for KTB, and they decide to put in all in the "Immortal" Score's hands with a protect comp. SKT T1, with victory so close at hand, went with a lineup that's fundementally similar to what they did in game 1 (pick comp). With the finals on the line, it had the makings on an epic battle between these two rival companies.
And an epic battle it was. Throughout almost the entire game, SKT T1 and KTB were dead even. Towers and kills were traded, brawls occured everywhere in the map, and objective control become crucial.
In the end though, it was Faker and his team that came out on top. KTB's comp, while powerful, had one big weakness: It relied too much on Score. Sadly, that was the game where the "Immortal" could be killed, and made mode critcal decisions that cost KTB advantages, and eventually the series.
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