Professional League of Legends is finally returning to every region after a Mid Season without MSI. The unique circumstances that we live in have affected most parts of our lives and esports has been no exception. Despite all the obstacles that have been showing up, , the show must go on. The LPL’s Summer Split has already started and the Major Regions will soon follow suit, with LEC and LCS kicking their splits off next week.
The LCK will be the last major region to begin its Summer Season, but it’s exactly the one I want to tackle. We’ve recently seen the top four teams play in the Mid Season Cup, but a lot has changed in the region since spring.
Something Ends, Something Begins
The 2020 Summer Split is a special one for the LCK. It’s the beginning of a new decade, while being the ending of an era. This is the last split for the league before franchising hits, so the promotion tournament that took place after spring was the last one for the region. The promotion system has been an integral part of the LCK, especially in the last few years with incredible teams like Griffin and DAMWON achieving meteoric rises from Challengers Korea. In this last tournament, Griffin hit the bottom of their descent from grace, with the final blow being delivered by Team Dynamics (TDN), the team that will be replacing them in the League.
The last chance
TDN is a curious roster. Most names will probably be unknown to fans, but only ADC Seo "deokdam" Dae-gil (previously known as Feiz) and Top Laner Lee "Rich" Jae-won can be considered rookies. Lee "Kuzan" Seong-hyeok, Kim "Beyond" Kyu-seok and Kim "GuGer" Do-yeop (previously known as Lupin) have been around since 2015 and have all had LCK experience. Even Rich cannot be seen as a “regular” rookie since, before joining Gen.g as a sub in 2019, he was considered the best Heroes of the Storm player— he was actually described as the Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok to Blizzard’s MOBA.
Team Dynamics lack the individual talent that was seen in previous CK winners, but their experience can make them an interesting wildcard.
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No other team was promoted or relegated, but most of the rosters suffered some kind of change. Griffin’s relegation was the final straw that broke the camel’s back and all the players were released. The first big move that resulted was a reunion in the bot lane with Park "Viper" Do-hyeon joining Hanwha Life Esports and previous teammate Son "Lehends" Si-woo. HLE were known in the Spring Split as the Giant Killers and this addition will only make them a more dangerous opponent. Son "Ucal" Woo-hyeon returned KT Rolster and Jeon "Kabbie" Sang-hyeon (previously known as Irove) joined SANDBOX Gaming.
A new challenge
SANDBOX also made another, much more exciting change that was the first of its kind in the region: they hired Jakob "YamatoCannon" Mebdi, the first LCK western coach. The beloved analyst and content creator makes his return to the coaching role by taking on this enormous challenge that might impact the LCK a lot more than it seems. As a region that has been criticized for years for being stuck in its own ways and oblivious to what happens outside of it, a fresh perspective being directly brought into the fray can be a welcome change. Despite the obstacles being raised by COVID-19, Yamato seemed confident in the announcement video posted on his Youtube channel.
A King returns
Two other players followed Ucal’s example in returning to familiar homes: Son "Mickey" Young-min and Son "Smeb" Kyung-ho.
The talented mid laner has come back to Korea after a disappointing split in the LEC’s Excel and the legendary top laner is back to where he belongs: KT Rolster. After a split of not playing, one of the most respected players in the whole world will be in the LCK again in an exciting roster. It isn’t clear yet which solo laners will start, but after a decent plit often carried on the back of Aiming, this new influx of talent might make KT a serious contender.
T1 added Lee "Clozer" Ju-hyeon (previously known as Clozer) as a mid substitute and Gen.G’s Head Coach Choi "Edgar" Woo-beom left, with Ju "oDin" Yeong-dal being chosen as his replacement. DragonX and Afreeca Freecs haven’t made any changes.
Where's the King of the Jungle headed?
A lot has changed, but one major question from the Griffin debacle is left unanswered: Where will Lee "Tarzan" Seung-yong go? The hyped jungler that was widely considered the key part of the insanely successful Griffin roster is still a free agent. After Jeon "Chovy" Ji-hoon and Lehends left, the jungler who was dominating the Korean Ladder with multiple accounts in Top 10 never seemed to have a chance to perform with the team and organization crumbling around him. Akin to Chovy, Lehends and now Viper, let’s hope he gets an opportunity to prove his worth in a completely new squad.
As we head into the 2020 Summer Split, the LCK still has a lot to prove after a disappointing showing against LPL in the Mid Season Cup. The format wasn’t the best, but the most impressive teams in T1 and DRX did not make an impact against the top Chinese teams. In a year without MSI, the World Championship will matter more than ever.
Will the region be able to compete against the most talented teams from LEC and LPL, or will the memory of glory keep fading?
If you enjoyed this piece, follow the author on Twitter at @Kaaaosh.
Images courtesy of LCK's and Lol Esports' Flickrs.
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Mush
2020-06-07 04:36:08