SK Telecom T1 vs. KT Rolster, often referred to as ‘the Telecom Wars’, is the biggest rivalry in the history of Korean Esports. Not only is this a historic rivalry that transcends specific games and players, it’s also a rematch of the Summer 2015 finals that saw SKT defeat KT 3/0. Regardless of the standings, this is the one match that neither team ever wants to lose.

While SKT’s 4W/2L record and 4th place standing does match up well to KT’s 4W/1L and 2nd place standing, this a firm battle for the ever important 2nd place at the end of Week 7. With both teams losing an integral member at the end of 2015, this is a battle to see who has recovered and evolved better.

SKT vs. KT promises to be a bit like Jin Air Green Wings vs. Samsung Galaxy, but with actually exciting games at a higher level of individual and team play. Oh and both these teams are championship contenders.

SKT:     Duke        Bengi/Blank        Faker/Scout        Bang        Wolf

KT:    Ssumday    Score            Edge            Arrow        IgNar/Hachani

Scout is the only player I can’t see getting played in this match so I don’t see the relevance in discussing him.

Toplane

When Kim "Ssumday" Chan-ho was promoted to KT Rolster Arrows, Lee "Duke" Ho-seong was recruited to take his place on their sister team,  Bullets,  as the substitute to Choi "InSec" In-seok. Since I last wrote about Duke in my ROX vs. SKT preview, very little has changed. His individual plays remain impressive, but his teamplay is his downfall. Objectively, this matchup is largely the same from Duke’s perspective, with his job being to contain and restrict Ssumday.

Ssumday has been the carry and star of KT for over a year now. An aggressive and forceful toplaner, Ssumday is known for his ability to perfectly push and maximize even the smallest of advantages. Whether it’s through farm allocation or draft priority, KT play around Ssumday whereas Duke plays around SKT.

As you’d expect, the priority champions for these two players are Fiora and Poppy with some selective Gnar play. Interestingly, Ssumday has largely avoided Tahm Kench while it remains Duke’s second most played. I’d expect heavy Fiora bans combined with tank play from SKT and Duke, with Ssumday being required to show a larger effective champion pool if he wants to carry.

Jungle

Before I discuss Bae "Bengi" Seong-woong or Go "Score" Dong-bin I want to talk about Kang "Blank" Sun-gu. Blank is not a good jungler, and SKT will lose every game they play him. Not only does Blank frequently misplay skirmishes and ganks, he also uses extremely predictable and lazy jungle pathing. I don’t know whether it’s miscommunication with his teammates on SKT, but he never seems to understand when to gank a lane either.

I’m still cautiously curious about Bengi’s champion pool: he might have won his game on Graves, but it certainly wasn’t due to his performance. Bengi thrives when he’s on low economy champions that allow him to focus on vision, a playstyle that isn’t optimal in this meta. If SKT can’t manage to secure Rek’Sai or Elise for Bengi then I worry for their chances.

Score,  however,  has gone from strength to strength since he role swapped to jungle. The thinking man’s answer to Yoon "Peanut" Wang-ho, if KT manage to win, it’s often due to Score’s map control and pressure. Score isn’t the most mechanical or aggressive jungler, but he is the smartest. What’s more is that Score has shown great performances on Graves and Kindred, which fit nicely into his skillset as a former ADC, as well as the standard Elise and Rek’Sai.

Midlane

I know it’s a broken record, but SKT’s biggest advantage is in the midlane. Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok might not be in his best form, but he’s still the best midlaner in Korea. Faker of 2016 has reverted to his gold hungry ways, with his gold% being highest in Korea. He’s utilizing these resources well, though, with his damage per minute and kill participation being similarly number one. Faker is the best in lane, the best in teamfights and plays everything at a high level.

Song "Fly" Yong-jun was brought in to replace Kim "Nagne" Sang-moon at the start of 2016, a task worn with dignity. Remaining a long range supportive midlaner, Fly’s task is to support his side lanes while neutralizing the enemy midlaner. Despite the doubts of many, Fly has proven himself a worthwhile upgrade in lane while matching Nagne’s teamfighting prowess. Viktor, Zilean, Lulu and Lissandra are midlane power picks for both players, though Fly doesn’t strike me as someone that goes crazy on Zed or LeBlanc.

Botlane

Faker and Bae "Bang" Jun-sik are the best one-two punch in Korea. Faker’s preference to dive the backline in teamfights allows Bang to skirt the edge and destroy the frontline. Whether he’s playing Kalista, Ezreal, or Lucian, Bang never gets caught in a teamfight while always outputting a heavy amount of damage.

While there’s no noteworthy advantage in their laning, the difference between Bang and No "Arrow" Dong-hyeon’s teamfighting is a considerable advantage for SKT. It’s not as if Arrow is a bad ADC, but he is a mediocre ADC going up against the current best in Korea. With Corki, Lucian and Kalista being predictably contested, Arrow might be forced into showing us something new.

Lee "Wolf" Jae-wan might be the weakest player on SKT, but even he compares favorably to Ha "Hachani" Seung-chan. The worst player to ever win LCK, Hachani’s career was summarised by his first blood face-check in KT’s opening game. Lee "IgNar" Dong-geun is one of the biggest support talents in Korea and was a constant bright spot on Longzhu last year -- there is no comparison or debate. I expect Trundle, Alistar, Thresh, and possibly Braum to be the contested pick. SKT might try a bit of Bard, but Hachani’s options are limited with support Shen firmly off the table.

Prediction

2 - 1 to SKT

This prediction is dependent on SKT using Bengi rather than Blank, and KT using Hachani over IgNar - basically, the most probable rosters. I’ve agonised over this prediction, and while I would personally like to see KT come out on top, I just can’t rationalize SKT losing. While KT have the top and jungle advantage, SKT’s carry duo can make the real difference in teamfights. Judging off their most recent form, KT have looked cleaner and more efficient, but SKT have a higher upside and should have fixed a lot of their issues.

The author specializes in LCK and is associated with the talk show 'Korea Talk.' Follow him at @gosickboy_.

Images courtesy of Inven & DailyEsports.