Interesting narratives and intriguing storylines wove and resolved themselves as the APEX S2 progressed from the promotions-relegations stage  toward the final. With all but one of the matches having played out, only a select few of those are left to be tied up. This piece summarizes the key ones that its author will follow the closest and finds most compelling.

The article offers more questions than answers as the latter are left for the upcoming match to take care of and the storylines will likely have resolved themselves by the time the APEX S2 trophy is lifted by either Lunatic-Hai or RunAway.

Can Lunatic-Hai finally earn the long-yearned gold?

Since their emergence, Lunatic-Hai have been more often than not referred to as the best Korean team — and they most certainly are the most successful one. Yet, one thing that has eluded what is also the most popular Korean squad is finishing first in a tournament. The roster that is currently LW Blue picked up a trophy at IEM Gyeonggi and others like KD Panthera and wNv's.KR have won various online competitions, but the best ryujehong's boys have managed is a second place, and it isn't for the lack of opportunities, as they've been in a final on three different occasions. 

The reason for that is the team was and remains, albeit to a lesser degree, a diamond in the rough. 

They displayed noticeable improvements in the match versus Meta Athena as — possibly the first time against a top tier opposition — both of their DPS players had a degree of impact on the game. It was, however, more than anything else, as a result of Hoon and co. failing to put enough pressure onto EscA. Unfortunately for Lunatic-Hai and their fans, the team standing between them and the trophy is the one squad that has beaten them during this season of APEX and is unlikely to make the same mistake. Their previous meeting was a close match and saw zunba not playing up to his usual level — the change of which could be a deciding factor in their second meeting — but Runner's crew had Lunatic-Hai's number strategically, even if they showed themselves to be mechanically inferior. 

If history is anything to go by (and the author of this piece most definitely thinks it is), Lunatic-Hai won't be able to make the adjustments required to win. Still, them winning a tournament is a happy ending that a lot of Overwatch fans around the globe are wishing for.

Finding out who r u under pressure

While the author certainly doesn't agree with the narrative that Lunatic-Hai are a kong* in the making, the youngest member of the team (WhoRU) definitely hasn't been clutch and even admitted himself to feeling the jitters in the pressure moments.

“I almost lost my mind when the game went all five rounds.” - WhoRU for Inven.

Will his teammates be able to calm him down again when the stakes are even higher and the crowd is bigger? Or will they be too busy asking themselves if they are indeed chokers and have trouble with winning finals?

Similar questions have to be asked about RunAway, who are making their first finals appearance in any sort of a tournament. Runner and his boys have certainly worked hard and made sacrifices to get where they are, but will that help to keep themselves composed, as it did when LW Blue were delivering clutch plays one after another? Or will the weight of expectations to repeat their performance against Lunatic-Hai from earlier in the season bulldoze their previously firm mentality?

Will Runner be able to once again contain KAISER's fury and direct it toward the opponents? Or will the emotions of the RunAway super-star tank get the better of him this time?

These are all questions that few, if anyone, could give the answer to before the APEX S2 final; yet, a negative response to any of them could be the difference-maker between a team being the winner or going home as the first of the losers.

*kong - term used to describe championship teams and players who regularly fail to perform up to their usual level in the finals of big tournaments. Originally it was given to the great Korean StarCraft: Brood War player, YellOw.

How will RunAway's “from zero to hero” end?

Few expected this kind of success when a Runnerless RunAway trounced the competition in APEX's promotion-relegation tournament. The new additions seemed to fit well. Haksal stomped the opponents who simply weren't ready to deal with him and KAISER was, as usual, a strong supportive player that could step-up occasionally; however, it was unclear whether or not they could put up a fight versus even top-level opponents, let alone contend for the trophy.

After KD Panthera schooled them for the second season in a row, the squad decided to change the starting roster in the middle of the season, including KoX switching position from a flex player to a full-time support. The result shocked everyone as RunAway not only defeated Fnatic, but did so in a clean 3-0 sweep, making it look easy. 

For the Ro8, Runner replaced CoMa as a starter and the upsets continued coming as the squad got through KD Uncia and Lunatic-Hai, both strong favorites in most eyes. When facing LW Blue in the semifinals, RunAway were no longer the clear underdog as multiple analysts thought them the favorite; however, the pressure of expectations wasn't something that troubled Runner's boys. In a close and somewhat messy match, despite a multitude of clutch plays by LW Blue, they kept their composure and came out ahead earning a place in the final.

What started as a season in the promotion-relegation that was looking like a third place finish in the Ro16 groups ended up a run to the final with a realistic chance of coming out victorious. Runner’s preparation and everyone’s individual improvements is what got them here. And whether they win or not, the run will remain impressive, and due to the caliber of teams they managed to put away, will earn them a recognition as one of the top teams world-wide.

However, getting to lift the trophy and a second win over what many regard as the best Korean team will be considerably more satisfying and a much more fitting reward for the sacrifices made by Runner and co.

KAISER and ryujehong fight for the APEX S2 MVP

Both Lunatic-Hai and RunAway boast a bulk of talented players, but there's two among them who stood above all others and contributed the most to their teams' respective runs to the APEX S2 final. It was ryujehong for South Korea's favorite Overwatch team and KAISER for the boys in pink sweaters. Players from other teams have certainly had strong performances themselves and could have been in the conversation if their teams made it here, but no one has been exceptional enough to be considered for the award without his team reaching the final.

With the start of the Ro8, KAISER showed himself to be consistently an impact-player and a dangerous threat on Reinhardt and to a lesser degree, Winston. Whereas previously, his M.O. was a solid and supportive Reinhardt with the occasional highlight-worthy plays, the quarter and semifinals saw him outplaying the enemy Reinhardts and landing fight-winning Earthshatters with regularity. Having completely embraced the carry role and the support of his team, he isn't afraid to charge into enemy's backline and succeed at aggressive plays that would fail more often than not if it was another player or another team.

Another factor contributing to his status as the best tank player in APEX S2 that remains overlooked by some is the efficacy of his Winston. His play with the scientist-ape is not nearly as exquisite and refined as Miro's — and the eye test clearly shows that — but he is still one of the better players with the hero and the scoreboards support this claim. With his team's full support behind him, KAISER still dies more than Lunatic-Hai's tank player but also scores more kills, which results in higher impact and having a considerably better kill-death per minute ratio. The scoreboard, of course, doesn't mean much outside of the context of his play on the server. In addition to it though, it comes to show that he is far from a one-trick and can have a significant impact even off of his main hero.

Unlike KAISER, ryujehong has had great impact right from the group stage, showing himself to be the clear-cut best Ana and Zenyatta player in APEX S2; however, he is also part of a stronger roster of players. Having tobi, zunba and Miro's Winston on his side certainly makes carrying from the support position easier, but at the same time, a lesser player would fail to distinguish himself when placed in such a group, especially from a role with a naturally lower impact.

As both have been exceptional for the majority of the season, it is up to their play in the final to decide who will be crowned as the MVP of APEX S2. If one fails to perform up to the expected level, it will cost him the title. Should both deliver strong performances though, as unfair as it might seem from the losing side, both public opinion and OGN's vote are likely to be swayed by whose team lifts the trophy.

Miro's crown and zunba's second chance

Since he took over the Reinhardt duties for Lunatic-Hai, Miro saw his name slowly but surely exit from the conversation for the best tank player in the world. His play on the former Crusader improved over time and he showed moments of brilliance, but for the most part was an above average Reinhardt player in the context of the professional scene. Meanwhile, others studied his Winston rigorously and soon most of his tricks were no longer unique to his play, even if he remained the best at performing them.

With the buffs to his signature hero in 1.8 and it re-entering the competitive metagame, we saw Miro's impact boosted back to its previous heights. But when he looked around to pick up the imaginary crown that used to mark him as the best tank player in the world, he found out it had already been bestowed upon KAISER. The latter earned it during the playoffs with consistently superb performances and display of high level of mastery over both Reinhardt and Winston. If Miro hopes to reclaim it in future, the final must see him deliver another vintage performance on the scientist-ape, and even that will merely allow him to enter a room full of challengers, rather than place him atop what was one his throne.

Unfortunately for zunba he doesn't have even that option on the table, at least for the time being. He has been a great supportive player, but that hasn't allowed him to have the impact required to be able to make a claim for the unofficial, yet prestigious title fans and analysts bestow upon professionals. What he can do in this match is show the fans that his poor performance in the first bout with RunAway was a one-off and he is very much one of the best at what he does, even if it doesn't net him much recognition. If he is able to play up to the level fans have come to expect and redeem his Ro8 performance, it could certainly be the difference maker between a second loss to Runner's boys or walking away as the champions.

You can catch the finals live on Saturday, 18:00 KST (time-zones converter) at twitch.tv/OGNglobal for the English language broadcast or twitch.tv/OGN_OW, should you prefer your Overwatch in Korean.

Photo credits: Wolf Schroder, OGN

About the author: Hello readers! I go by the ID RadoN and my introduction to esports happened in 2009. Ever since, I’ve been following different titles within the industry; esports that I currently follow are Overwatch, CS:GO, LoL, QL with the occasional SFV and DOTA2. If you wish to provide feedback, support and follow future content, or simply know more about my thoughts on gaming and esports, follow me at @RadoNonfire on twitter.