(Courtesy of OGN)
Heading into the last week of the split, we’re seeing some eerily similar storylines to the 2015 Spring Split. After dominating for a majority of the split the Rox Tigers are limping their way into the playoffs after slumping and suffering their first losses. Both in 2015 and 2016 SKTelecom T1 are the inverse of Rox, starting slowly before ramping up before the end of the split. Once again both the Jin Air Green Wings and KT Rolster find themselves solid, but not quite the level of the first place Tigers. Week 12 did much to further many of these familiar storylines and let’s see how the past week affected the overall rankings.
S Tier
Rox Tigers (15-2)
(courtesy of OGN)
After their loss to KT Rolster early in the week, anxiety started to creep into the minds of the Rox Tigers fans. In 2015 Rox spent weeks destroying their opponents, employing the Juggermaw comp before becoming overconfident and often trolling their opponents. Many credit their hubris and inexperience to the debacle that was the 2015 MSI. This year is starting to feel somewhat similar, as the Tigers don’t seem to be taking their opponents seriously and their play is beginning to reflect this. To be fair the KT series was against one of the top teams in Korea and in game three they were completely caught off guard by the Malzahar cheese pick.
Despite their game against Afreeca Freecs meaning nothing for Rox’s playoff ambitions, it certainly was important for the team’s mental state. Securing a win against the rising Freecs is going to go a long way to calming the Tiger’s worries heading into the playoffs. They showed why they are still regarded as the world’s top team, particularly in their thrashing of the Freecs in Game 2. The mindset they employed in this series is the one needed to rebook their tickets to MSI and redeem themselves for last year’s disaster.
A Tier
SKTelecom T1 (11-5)
(courtesy of OGN)
SKTelecom T1 have finally started to make things click. After their impressive and dominant performance at IEM Katowice, SKT have continued their winning form in Korea. In their last 7 matches (not including IEM), they have only lost to the Rox Tigers. Their recent performance has propelled them up the ladder and they find themselves tied for 2nd with KT Rolster. The reasons for their recent success are twofold. Firstly Lee “Duke” Ho-Seong finally seems comfortable on his new team. His performance is starting to resemble his Jin Air days when he was one of the most feared Top Laners in the world. The other big reason for success is the team’s decision to make a change at Jungler. Kang “Blank” Sun-gu has been a breath of fresh air. While he still has a lot of learning to do, his ability to play carry centric Junglers has made all the difference for SKT. His inexperience certainly causes some problems, but in the current meta he is certainly the preferred Jungler. It will be interesting to see how he holds up when the pressure of the playoffs sets in.
KT Rolster (11-5)
(courtesy of OGN)
KT Rolster are coming off of a very impressive week where they beat both the Rox Tigers and CJ Entus. They are looking incredibly strong and are certainly a team no one will want to meet in the playoffs. The big talking point of the last week was of course Song “Fly” Young-jun’s introduction of Malzahar to the Rift. He certainly looked well practiced with the Malz mechanics and the Tigers looked completely lost trying to counter the pick. It will be interesting to see if this is a pick they will be able to run in the future, or if it was a one and done cheese strat.
The team’s first match in week 13 is a big one as it features the two 2nd place teams. The winner between SKT and KT will most likely secure the second seed in the playoffs, giving them a slightly easier road to the finals. There is a lot to play for between these two longtime rivals.
B Tier
Jin Air Green Wings (10-6)
(courtesy of OGN)
While the A Tier teams seem to be peaking before the playoffs, the same cannot be said for the struggling Jin Air Green Wings. Early in the year many analysts were surprised by the success of this team. While never reaching the heights of the Rox Tigers, Jin Air had a stronghold in the number 2 spot in the standings. Now sitting in 4th place and having lost 3 of their last 4 matches, perhaps Jin Air are finally coming back to earth. There is still a very small chance they can get the number 2 seed, but all signs point to them going 4th. Still, this team is no pushover and will still provide a tough opponent for anyone in the playoffs.
Samsung Galaxy (9-8)
(courtesy of OGN)
After being one of the hottest teams in Korea, Samsung Galaxy hit a bit of a snag with back to back losses in week 12. Despite this bump in the road, this season has certainly been a success for this team. Not many anticipated much out of this newly formed roster and Samsung have found a way to exceed anyone’s expectations. They’ve even given themselves a great shot at making the playoffs. Their only match in week 13 is against the very poor Kongdoo Monster and a win almost certainly puts them into the playoffs. Just making the playoffs would be a huge success for this organization, and any victories thereafter would have been almost unthinkable at the start of the year.
C Tier
Afreeca Freecs (8-8)
(courtesy of OGN)
What a second half of the split Africa Freecs are having. Early in the split when the team was struggling to find any victories, they kept up their spirits. Ever since they beat SKT they have turned this great mentality into success. They now somehow find themselves sitting at an outsider’s chance at making the playoffs. Considering only a month ago many thought the Freecs would be facing the relegation tournament, the fact they could potentially reach the playoffs is unbelievable. They need to win both their matches this week and they need some of the teams above them to lose theirs. While this scenario is highly unlikely, the chance it is possible is a testament to the work these players have put in.
CJ Entus (8-9)
(courtesy of OGN)
This has been an interesting split for CJ Entus. They were never really able to distinguish themselves from the middle of the standings, yet had glimpses of some really solid teamplay. Going into this split it was obvious that CJ was looking beyond this split for success. They knew that most of the Spring Split would be without their young Midlaner Gwak “Bdd” Bo-seong. Yet this was acceptable because in the long run he is more likely to propel the team to victory. Bdd is looking solid so far, but hasn’t exactly lit the world on fire the way someone like Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok did his rookie split. If he is able to continue to grow, it looks like CJ are primed to be a strong playoff contender come summer.
D Tier
Longzhu Gaming (7-9)
(courtesy of OGN)
Longzhu Gaming has to be the most frustrating team to support as a fan. The potential is certainly there and the team has occasionally shown flashes of brilliance, yet the team has mostly shown indecision, instability and confusion. The lineup changes, while less frequent, are still too prevalent for any player to feel comfortable with their role on the team. Before the season began this team was heralded as a potential super team, primed to be a force both domestically and internationally. Now they have no chance of reaching the playoffs and the team is in disarray. The coaches have to make some major changes to how things are run if they want to turn things around in the summer.
F Tier
Sbenu Sonicboom (2-15)
(courtesy of OGN)
Luckily for Sbenu Sonicboom they were able to find a modicum of success in this split. Picking up 2 wins over the second half of the split will go a long way towards giving the team the confidence needed to win their relegation matches. They have a few solid players who are certainly professional caliber, so even if they lose we may see some of the Sbenu players pop up on other rosters.
Kongdoo Monster (1-15)
(courtesy of OGN)
What can really be said about Kongdoo Monster? This team is just not good. Out of their 37 individual games this year, they only managed to win 6. Their sights at this point are on relegation and ensuring they reclaim their LCK spot. This will be no easy task, as there are a few decent challenger teams who will make life rough for Kongdoo. This could be the last we see of them in 2016.
