One of the greatest (and longest) rivalries in esports is about to get even better. SK Telecom T1 announced its re-signing of Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok to an "unprecedented offer." KT Rolster re-signed its captain and star jungler Go "Score" Dong-bin. SKT T1 answered with the signing of the world's most explosive jungler in former ROX Tiger Han "Peanut" Wang-ho. SKT likes Tigers? So does KT, as it signed the Tigers' ace and South Korea's reigning back-to-back MVP top laner Song "Smeb" Kyung-ho.
The most storied pair in Korean esports history aren't holding back this offseason, and the so-called "Telecom War" is shaping up to be at its best since the early days back in StarCraft: Brood War's boom in the mid-2000s where money ruled.
So, with each team having a majority of their starting five signed and the other positions heavily speculated, which telecommunication giant appears to be in the lead heading into the 2017 campaign?
Top Lane: Huni (SKT) vs. Smeb (KT)
Smeb will match up against a fellow offseason mover as Heo "Huni" Seung-hoon left Immortals to join SKT to replace Lee "Duke" Ho-seong.
Currently, as of now in the middle of the wintery offseason, this matchup is a no-brainer. Smeb is an all-around talent and has been one of the best players in the world throughout 2016. He's an established shot caller, strong laner, and flexible in his champion pool. He's an elite ace in a league where you need one to go far.
Huni is a diamond in the rough. Mechanically, he might even surpass Smeb; however, raw skill only gets you so far in this day and age, and Huni has a long way to go if he wants to match the double South Korean MVP. Huni is anything but flexible in his champion pool, and when it comes to keeping his cool under pressure, he has a habit of collapsing when things don't go his way.
On the bright side, Huni is a natural genius when it comes to life. He was a Bronze player when he started out, and after applying himself, he became a top player on the ladder. He knew no English when he joined Fnatic as a rookie in 2015, and now he can conduct long interviews in the language without any formal training. He's the type of person who can absorb knowledge quickly if pointed in the right direction, and there is no better place from him to learn than at SK Telecom T1, the three-time world champion. If SKT T1 can't bring out Huni's full potential, which might even surpass Smeb's peak, then there is no team in the world that can change Huni's bad habits.
Verdict: For now, strongly in the favor of KT Rolster.
Jungle: Peanut (SKT) vs. Score (KT)
This is another battle between a mechanical madman and an a experienced leader, except this time, Peanut has already progressed and covered up his bad habits he exhibited in his early days as a professional. Peanut, like Huni, was once a one-dimensional player who got by with his fantastic technical abilities, and it took Smeb, now his rival, and the rest of the Tigers to help him become what he is today: one of the best junglers in the world, if not the best.
The player that challenges him directly for the title of best jungler in the world is Score. No one currently in the LCK has the knowledge that Score has, as the longtime veteran has been in the league since its inception, first playing as an AD carry before transitioning to a jungler two years ago. His play from last year was stellar, and he almost willed KT Rolster into the World Championships as the rest of his team failed around him.
The revived Telecom War won't only tell us who probably the best team in South Korea, but who the best jungler in the world is as well.
Verdict: Draw. Both players have an argument to be called the best jungler in the world, and the title will go to whichever of the two assimilates with his new starting five first.
Mid: Faker (SKT) vs. PawN (KT)
Of course KT would go out and sign the mid laner who has eliminated Faker from more than half the tournaments he has lost in his career. PawN is the "Faker Stopper," or at least he was back in his Samsung and EDward Gaming days, even defeating his rival in the final of the Mid-Season Invitational back in 2015. Since then, however, the two have had diverging career paths, as Faker has gone on to win the subsequent MSI and both World Championships in that timeframe. PawN, sadly, has dealt with health issues and was in and out of the EDG lineup for the entirety of the 2016 campaign.
Although it appears PawN is at 100 percent and ready to be the full-time starter for KT, it'd be rash to predict him ready to stand up to Faker right away. Luckily for PawN, the setup for KT makes him the third option of attack behind Smeb and AD carry Kim "Deft" Hyuk-kyu, putting him the comfortable position of being the utility carry instead of needing to be the ace or secondary output of damage. PawN is at his absolute best when he doesn't have the ball in his hand and can defer to stronger teammates, like how he excelled on Samsung White in a similar "superteam" setting.
Verdict: Strongly in favor of SKT. There are lots of questions surrounding PawN. If he can prove he's healthy and play near his old form, it'll still be in the favor of Faker individually, but could change the tide of the head-to-head SKT vs. KT matchups.
AD: Bang (AD) vs. Deft (KT)
Like the matchup in jungle, this is another edition of the Telecom War giving us a battle between two of the best at their position in the world. Bang was undoubtedly the king of marksmen at Worlds, and Deft, who held the title in the eyes of many heading into the event, will need to take it away from the two-time world champion in his return to South Korea after playing in China for two years with PawN on EDward Gaming.
All the pressure will be on Deft. For Bang, nothing changes for him, at least in the bottom lane -- it's the same team he has been on for the past few years and his support, Wolf, is his Summoner's Rift soulmate, as the two have been partners for almost their entire professional careers. The only change for Bang will come in the upper half of the map. Huni and Peanut are not utility players, and the gold situation might look more like 2015 when SKT was even a better team with Jang "MaRin" Gyeong-Hwan playing a bigger role in the top lane position. Bang was often used as "cleanup" in those days, and it wasn't until 2016 where he had his true breakout performances as an ace alongside Faker.
For Deft, while his environment is different, he'll now have more help in the top lane with the best player at that position in the world with Smeb. Deft will still be looked upon to carry the team in pivotal moments, but it'll be much more like his days on Samsung Blue, where Bae "Dade" Eo-jin and himself created an unmatched teamfighting carry duo. He'll hope that he and Smeb can find the same amount of chemistry on the newly superpowered KT.
Verdict: SKT favored but not by much. Bang vs. Deft will be one of biggest storylines of the 2017 LCK season.
Support: Wolf (SKT) vs. Mata (KT)
Mata is the biggest what-if of this whole equation. He makes the most sense, partnering up with his former Samsung housemate Deft to complete the KT Rolster superteam, but nothing concrete has said he'll be joining. So while everything points to KT Mata, take this evaluation more as speculation than concrete details. Who knows, maybe Lee "Piccaboo" Jong-beom will return to KT if Rolster can't finalize a deal with Mata.
If Mata does sign, it would be the biggest boon for the new KT Rolster, giving them a proven winner than has a knack to bring the full talent out of starting fives. If there was anyone you'd want to anchor a superteam of five individuals, it's Mata. He won a league title in his rookie season with MVP Ozone. The year after he became Worlds MVP and won the Summoner's Cup with Samsung White. Over the past two years, he's been attempting to create the same magic in China, and he propped up a Royal Never Give Up club that won a domestic title and had a chance of winning the 2016 MSI competition. In the face of more money to stay in China, Mata declined, setting his sights back on South Korea and a chance to cement his legacy as the greatest support in League's history.
Wolf, often forgotten in the grand scheme of things, actually has one more world title than Mata. And while I'm not going to say Wolf is a better individual player than Mata, nor that he's a player who brings all the intangibles and leadership qualities you could ever want from a player, but it's not like Wolf is a sieve. He's above average for the most part, and coming from a 2015 campaign where his lows were almost disastrous for SKT, his play this past year was stellar.
Verdict: It's KT favored if Mata signs. He's the final piece that can take the four talented individuals in front of him to even greater heights as a full-fledged unit.
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