dota2-banner
All News
article-headline

LCK Post Season: Semifinals

With the Kt Rolsters bringing MVP’s playoff run to a sudden 3-0 stop, Kt now find themselves in the LCK Spring 2017 Semifinals against a surging Samsung Galaxy. On the line is the privilege of meeting with SK Telecom T1 in the Spring 2017 Grand Finals where the winner will claim a ticket to this year’s MSI tournament. Samsung comes into this matchup having 2-0 Kt in empathetic fashion not a month ago. On top of this Samsung look to have been rediscovering their World Championship form, a miracle run that put them only 1 game away from being the 2016 World Champions.

They will look to avenge their loss half a year ago and the first step to vengeance is bringing down Kt. On the other side of the ring Kt would also have vengeance in mind. Suffering back to back losses in the much hyped up Telecom Wars, Kt’s form has, since then, taken a turn for the worst. Kt have dropped sets to not only the bottom half of the table but also to their fellow gauntlet runners, SSG and (the now eliminated) MVP. However, as much as SSG have proved themselves, Kt have a roster of world class veterans, names that have known fame since before most of SSG have even entered the scene and will hope to rely on the mechanical strengths of their team to offset the questionable macro decisions that Kt seem to be prone to make.

 

Game 1

Winner: KTR

KTR

Champion

Score

Position

Score

Champion

SSG

14-4-34

4-14-4

Smeb

Rumble

5-0-6

TOP

1-4-1

Kennen

CuVee

Score

Rengar

2-1-9

JNG

0-3-1

Lee Sin

Haru

PawN

Le Blanc

1-0-8

MID

2-2-0

Taliyah

Crown

Deft

Caitlyn

5-1-3

ADC

1-2-1

Lucian

Ruler

Mata

Malzahar

1-2-8

SUP

0-3-1

Lulu

CoreJJ

Welcome to the semi-finals of the LCK 2017 Spring championships as oddities emerge from pick and bans as Rumble, was left to be picked up by Kt during the second pick stage as CuVee deviates from his tanks to last pick the top lane Kennen counter. The opening gambits of the match would see Kt pull ahead as the oppression of Deft’s Caitlyn and Mata’s Malzahar as they claim an incredible nine minute first brick. Freeing Mata up for the roam on a champion like Malzahar would never bode well for SSG as th nether grasp was expended in the top lane to give Smeb the first blood The mid game skirmishes would further snowball the game into Kt’s favour as Kt found SSG unprepared in their own jungle time and time again.  How far ahead Kt was would be symbolized in their taking of a free Baron as SSG would opt to give up the objective after having just picked off Mata in the Baron area. Not much more of the game would remain as Kt would ace SSG in the ensuing push to claim game 1 of the evening.

Against all odds, Kt claimed game 1, and in decisive fashion too as Smeb landed equalizer after equalizer on the largely immobile targets of the SSG line-up. Score and Mata have also stepped up to the plate as they proved to be a commendable duo roaming the map to bully Haru out of the SSG jungle. Pawn’s presence on the Le Blanc was almost certainly felt as by now everyone should know how well Pawn plays the map and the edge of team fights with any mobile champion. Finally, Deft’s legendary Caitlyn would claim another victim as Ruler and CoreJJ were mercilessly destroyed in lane, surrendering a 9 minute first brick. With this kind of performance, SSG had better change something up.

 

Game 2

Winner: KTR

KTR

Champion

Score

Position

Score

Champion

SSG

14-4-34

9-20-16

Smeb

Kennen

4-2-8

TOP

1-8-4

Kennen

CuVee

Score

Elise

8-3-7

JNG

4-3-2

Lee Sin

Haru

PawN

Ekko

3-2-5

MID

2-3-4

Taliyah

Crown

Deft

Ashe

4-2-7

ADC

2-4-1

Lucian

Ruler

Mata

Lulu

1-1-11

SUP

0-2-5

Lulu

CoreJ

Game 2’s draft would suggest that despite CuVee’s rather ineffectual performance on a carry in game 1, SSG would once again place their faith in their, honestly underperforming, top laner. The score board above would suggest that such a gamble was in poor taste. However, as hindsight is 20/20, 2 tank-less teams would load into the rift for the second game in this semi-final.

As fate, or perhaps cunning jungling, would have it, Score’s early visit to the top lane would secure first blood for the Kt Rolsters. Although Haru’s own visit scant minutes later would return a kill back onto Smeb, the top lane match up would still be in Kt’s favour as Smeb’s gold lead continued to grow. Kt’s pedigree would no longer appear to be dormant as SSG’s bot lane collapses, once onto Deft and again onto Pawn, would see both members of Kt take a member of SSG down with them, despite being grossly outnumbered. Such a huge investment of resources for an even trade never bodes well as Score and Smeb would take the opportunity to punish CuVee for the sins of his team. And for overextending.

Sixteen minutes of game play saw CuVee take the instant recall to the fountain for the fourth time and suffer a forty four CS deficit to Kennen. SSG would breathe some hope into the game as an extended fight in front of Baron led to the triumph of SSG’s phenomenal team fighting skills as 3 Kt deaths were traded for just the price of Haru. However, blinking health bars deemed the big purple worm too risky a manoeuvre. However, Kt’s second push for the objective would see Samsung absolutely routed as Pawn gives up his life for the ace and the Baron. Once again, Kt would take the glowing purple buff and ram it straight down Samsung’s base as Kt move to put only one nexus between them and a chance at vengeance on SKt.

 

Game 3

Winner: KTR

SSG

Champion

Score

Position

Score

Champion

KTR

10-21-22

21-10-50

CuVee

Nautilus

1-6-3

TOP

1-4-6

Kennen

Smeb

Ambition

Graves

1-3-5

JNG

4-3-11

Lee Sin

Score

Crown

Ryze

2-5-4

MID

9-1-9

Malzahar

PawN

Stitch

Kalista

6-3-2

ADC

6-0-10

Jinx

Deft

Wraith

Lulu

0-4-8

SUP

1-2-14

Karma

Mata

 

Credit where credit is due, Samsung’s coaches have identified the clear problem and as such, sweeping roster substitutions have been made. Out comes Haru, Ruler and CoreJJ for Ambition, Stitch and Wraith. Sweeping changes could also be sued to describe Samsung Pick and Bans as Cuvee finds himself back on a tank and Samsung’s revamped bot lane brings out the Kalista. However,  it would seem that KTR would refuse to be outdone on any count tonight as they match SSG’s creativity blow for blow. The early pick Malzahar is flexed onto Pawn in the midlane and Deft brings out the Jinx that has been the terror of China during much of his time there.

Game 3 would have echoes of game 1 as Kt would open with first blood, this time onto Graves as he attempts to hold the bot lane tuerret against a diving bot lane. However, SSG’s changes look to have been a success. CuVee looks more in his element making a TP play onto the midlane that would secure a kill for his team. Mere moments later Stitch and Wraith would pick off an over extended Mata at the botlane. Furthermore, Stitch would be up on CS against deft, a feat Ruler was unable to accomplish once in the span of two games. Picks and skirmishes would seem to trade evenly between the two teams before SSG win a major fight mid as SSG trade Crown for three members of Kt. Samsung turn immediately, upon the baron. A high pressure situation would develop as Deft and Pawn, survivors of the previous team fight, would arrive to try and stop the objective. Samsung claim the baron and set their sights on the two members of Kt. However Deft comes online and kill three of the SSG squad as he kites them into oblivion. Only Ambition makes it home with the buff. SSG would pu the buff to good use, pushing Kt all the way back to their nexus towers off of a top lane push, however, they fail to claim any kills during their push. Kt are quick to heal up and immediately strike back at the low hp members of SSG as they attempt to retreat, acing the Baron empowered squad. Pushing off the back of this ace, Kt find themselves another team fight win and one nexus turret as SSG death timers were just short enough to allow the team to regroup and defend their Grand Final dreams. A catch onto Ambition in the midlane would then set Kt up for their final team fight win and a quick push to finish their 3-0 clean sweep of SSG.

 

MVP - Deft

You won’t find many who would say that Kt were short of brilliant tonight. The team gelled, and for once, looked more like five incredibly gifted solo-queue players banding together for a lark. They looked like a proper professional League of Legends team. The coaches must be given credit for orchestrating this turn around but on the rift, the best player must have been Deft. Against the seemingly infallible bot lane of Ruler and CoreJJ, Deft, along with Mata, made the SSG look like amateurs. Constantly pushing them out of lane, creating insurmountable CS leads and claiming multiple incredibly early first bricks, this Kt bot lane performance set up a dream early game for which Kt could build their successes on. With Mata unlocked for the roam, Deft would proceed to team fight perfectly. Kiting the life out of SSG to become a damage dealing spectre at the absolute fringes of SSG’s range, Deft output an ungodly amount of damage into the SSG side. Despite a couple of, shall we say, KT-esque flashes into the SSG squad, Deft’s positioning was by and large inch perfect. And to cap it all off, his and Pawn’s heroics at Baron in game 3 almost certainly saved the game for Kt. It would be a privilege to once again watch Deft take on Bang in round three of the telecom wars.

 

Closing Thoughts

Thus ends Samsung Galaxy’s run towards the 2017 Spring Split title. In spectacular fashion too, there are not many who could honestly say that they had predicted a Kt victory, let alone one of the dominating 3-0 variety. Samsung’s recent resurgence to form seem to have all come undone during this series as their aggressive early game advantages were denied by Kt. Furthermore, where their usually clean midgame macro play has gone, only they will know. The blame can not all be laid squarely at the doorstep of the SSG lineup as the coaches must also answer for some questionable drafts. SSG have built their success on CuVee’s tank play and top tier usage of the TP. A tank would also allow CuVee to ‘forfeit’ the lane and accompany Haru in one of the SSG’s jungler’s daring invasions deep into the enemy jungle. Having a season long MVP-less CuVee take back to back skill matchups against the double split MVP that is Smeb was surely a recipe for disaster. However, inglorious as their exit has been, SSG have claimed third spot in a league full of champions and legends. No small feat by any margin. I do not doubt for a second that one day, many of their names will be as revered as those that have vanquished them this evening.

And whilst SSG have seem to have lost form, it would seem that Kt have rediscovered theirs. This semi-final marks the end of Kt’s worrying run since their defeat in the mid-season telecom wars. Indeed, Kt have, if anything, improved on their previous form, tempering their reckless aggression with calculation and precision. Clean mid to late game shot calling have also put an end to the perennial Kt early game question. When does it all fall apart? As this series has answered, quite possibly never. But perhaps Skt will have a different answer in mind come the 22nd. Critics have been silenced and where previously the prospect of a telecom war in the grand finals may have been a boring 3-0 stomp in favour of Skt, Kt have shown that perhaps previously, the stakes were simply not high enough. With the grand finals on the line, there may be no denying that Skt are still the favourites, however, there is also so denying the fact that Kt are well in it with a shout. League fans should tune in at on Saturday, 22nd of April at 1 AM PST for what will surely be a series history will remember.

 

Remaining Schedule

Grand Finals BO5: Saturday, 22nd of April

SK Telecom T1 vs. Winner of Semifinals

All Esports

Entertainment

GosuBattles

Account